Srebrenica Genocide Day: A Black Spot on Human Conscience

Srebrenica Genocide Day
A Black Spot on Human Conscience

Dr. Mozammel Haque

The world simply looked away on 11 July, 1995, when the Bosnian Serb forces and Serb paramilitary unit known as “the Scorpions” executed between 7,000 and 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica, even though the UN had declared it a “safe area”. This was the largest mass murder in Europe since World War II which will remain as a black spot in the human conscience for eternity. Those war criminals that commanded and executed the Genocide in Bosnia are still at large. The excuses are simply not credible.

Why the cry “never again” raised by so many in the years after 1945 has increasingly become hollow with the passing decades? Why Holocaust? Why Genocide? Where does evil begin? Why the most wanted remains at large? Why the evil doers are not brought to justice? All these questions were raised by the Grand Mufti of Bosnia, Dr. Mustafa Ceric on the 15th anniversary of the genocide of Muslims in Bosnia-Srebrenica. “What happened in Srebrenica requires justice as well as memorialisation,” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia Director at Human Rights Watch. “Ratko Mladic’s liberty is an affront to both.”

In Bosnia, the three-day commemoration of the 15th anniversary of Srebrenica started on 9th of July 9 and ended on 11th of July 2010 with a ceremony during which the remains of 800 Srebrenica victims was buried. “Fifteen years after the genocide, at least 10,000 people are still missing in Bosnia, including at least 1,000 from the Srebrenica area,” Cartner said. “For the sake of their relatives, and for the sake of justice, the Bosnian and Serbian authorities need to do more to establish what happened to them.”

In 1993, Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) published a book entitled “Genocide of Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina” by Dr. Mozammel Haque, documenting the events unfolded during 1992-1993. (BOSNIACA: A Bibliography of the University of Michigan Holdings, Supplement II, Ann Arbor, 2001).

“On July 11, 1995, during the war in Bosnia,” Human Rights Watch reported, “the United Nations and NATO allowed Bosnian Serb forces and Serb paramilitary unit known as "the Scorpions" to seize the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica, even though the UN had declared it a "safe area." The Serb forces executed between 7,000 and 8,000 Bosnian men and boys in the week after the fall of the town, the largest mass murder in Europe since World War II.”

At last the European Union has proclaimed 11th July as a day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide and the European Parliament’s resolution of January 2009, marking the Srebrenica Genocide, called upon the Council and the Commission to commemorate appropriately the anniversary of the Srebrenica – Potocari act of genocide by supporting Parliament’s recognition of 11 July as the day of commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide all over the European Union.

World leaders attended the event
The world leaders gathered together at a ceremony at the Srebrenica Memorial Cemetery in Potocari to commemorate the massacre of nearly 8,000 Bosniak Muslims in Srebrenica, Bosnia by Bosnian Serbs. Andrew Gilmour, the special representative of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Bosnia, represented the UN at the event, and other UN Officials also attended.

Other guests included Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk, Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, Austrian diplomat and Bosnia's administrator, Valentin Inzko, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and representatives of the European Union.

The US ambassador to Bosnia, Charles English, read a message from President Barack Obama that urged “governments to redouble their efforts” and arrest those responsible for the war crimes at Srebrenica.

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Minister Without Portfolio and Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party, represented the British Government at the ceremony in Srebrenica to commemorate the genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

11 July 1995: A Black spot on Human Conscience
Human Rights Watch under the caption “The Legacy of Srebrenica” reported in 10 July, 2005: “The 1995 massacre in Srebrenica occurred because Bosnian Serb leaders, intoxicated by hatred and an illusory sense of omnipotence, lashed out savagely against the country’s Muslim population. But the international community also bears responsibility for the worst crime in Europe since World War Two. After promising protection to the inhabitants of Srebrenica, the United Nations and NATO allowed the “safe area” to fall. That responsibility is compounded by the continuing failure to bring to justice Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, the two men indicted as the principal architects of the Srebrenica genocide.

“The Dutch United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) battalion based in Srebrenica failed to take the military action necessary to save the town. Robust NATO air strikes that could have stopped the Serb onslaught were never authorized, despite repeated requests from Dutch peacekeepers on the ground,” the report added.

The report also continued, “The fall of the Srebrenica safe area was the foreseeable consequence of U.N. and NATO policies on the use of force during the Bosnian conflict. The U.N. Security Council had authorized air strikes by NATO if U.N.-designated “safe areas” in Bosnia – Sarajevo, Bihac, Srebrenica, Tuzla, Zepa, and Gorazde – were attacked. But throughout the war the U.N. adopted a position of “neutrality” that in practice meant inaction, even when Bosnian Serb forces attacked “safe areas” or the warring parties otherwise violated ceasefire agreements. Key NATO countries—including the United States, France and Britain—conveniently hid behind the U.N. position.

“Isolated air strikes in 1994 were too limited in scope and number to deter further offensives. In May 1995, when NATO targeted Serb heavy weapons around Sarajevo in response to continuing attacks against the capital, Serb forces responded by taking hundreds of U.N. peacekeepers hostage. The Bosnian Serb leadership announced that their threats to U.N. soldiers would end only if the international community stopped air strikes. NATO never formally renounced the use of air strikes, but by June 18, 1995, the U.N. hostages had been released.

“Serb forces led by General Ratko Mladic and under overall command of Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic began the attack on Srebrenica on July 6. The U.N. command declined to call in NATO air strikes on the positions of the advancing Serbs despite repeated requests by the Dutch battalion in Srebrenica. The four hundred lightly armed Dutch soldiers in and around Srebrenica had neither the authorization nor the capacity to repulse the Serb offensive. The Netherlands later launched an investigation into the shattering failures of that time: but the responsibility was much broader than that. The world simply looked away. The limited NATO air strikes launched on July 11 came too late to have any impact. The rest is tragically well known: the Serbs entered Srebrenica, and in the following week killed between 7,000 and 8,000 Muslim men and boys,” the Human Right Watch reported.

World leader’s statement
The US ambassador to Bosnia, Charles English, read a message from President Barack Obama that urged “governments to redouble their efforts” and arrest those responsible for the war crimes at Srebrenica. President Obama urged governments to redouble their efforts to track down key suspect Ratko Mladic. “On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the genocide at Srebrenica, and on behalf of the United States, I join my voice with those who are gathered to mourn a great loss and to reflect on an unimaginable tragedy,” Obama said.

“I have said, and I believe, that the horror of Srebrenica was a stain on our collective conscience,” he said in a statement issued in Washington but also read out a graveyard ceremony near Srebrenica.

“Justice must include a full accounting of the crimes that occurred, full identification and return of all those who were lost, and prosecution and punishment of those who carried out the genocide. This includes Ratko Mladic, who presided over the killings and remains at large.”

Obama called the Srebrenica genocide a “stain on our collective consciousness” that occurred even after decades of pledges of “never again” after Nazi atrocities during World War II.

British Prime Minister, David Cameron said, “We must never forget the act of genocide that happened at Srebrenica. It was a crime that shamed Europe.”

“We owe it to the victims to learn the lesson of Srebrenica: that evil must be confronted if humanity is to be protected. We owe it to the victims to ensure that those indicted for this appalling crime are pursued relentlessly until they are brought to justice,” Cameron said and added, “As we look to the future, we pledge never to forget the past, and to do all in our power to ensure that sure an atrocity can never be repeated.”

Prime Minister Cameron said the government “will not rest” in its efforts to make sure that Ratko Mladic is brought to the International Criminal Tribunal at The Hague, alongside other fugitives such as Goran Hadzic. The Prime Minister also insisted that everything possible should be done to ensure that “such an atrocity can never be repeated”.

Baroness Warsi, who represented the UK government in Srebrenica, said: “It will be a heart-wrenching event, but this will not simply be about commemorating the dead. This will be a sign of our support, our sympathy, and our unstinting solidarity with the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will also reaffirm a fundamental point: such evil acts must never be allowed to happen again.”

Khutba by Grand Mufti of Bosnia
The 15th anniversary of Genocide in Bosnia is the occasion that poses more hard questions than offers easy answers. Why the cry “never again”, raised by so many in the years after 1945, has rung increasingly hollow with the passing decades? Indeed, the evil of Holocaust remains a unique crime against humanity but instances of genocide have continued to reoccur – from Bosnia to Chechnya from Rwanda to Sri Lanka, from the Congo to Cambodia,” said the Grand Mufti of Bosnia, Dr. Mustafa Ceric, in his Khutba, on the occasion of 15th Anniversary of Genocide in Bosnia – Srebrenica, on 11th of July, 2010.

Grand Mufti of Bosnia has prepared this European Khutba which was read out at Mosques in London during the Friday Jummah Prayer (Friday 9th July 2010). Bosnia’s Grand Mufti said in his Khutba, “the definitions of Evil do not provide answers to the questions: Why Holocaust? Why Genocide? Why was an infant girl of Bosnia raped? Why was an innocent boy of Srebrenica killed? Why the Bosnian Muslims were betrayed by the United Nations protection Force on 11th of July 1995 in Srebrenica where thousand of men and boys who had sought safety were massacred? Why Europe has allowed to be deceived by the evil of Serbian army? Where does evil begin? What makes evil so fascinating?”

Muslim Council of Britain
On the occasion of the commemoration of the Genocide in Bosnia - Srebrenica, The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), while encouraging Imams in Mosques and Islamic Centres to read the above Khutba prepared by the Grand Mufti of Bosnia, wants to ensure that Muslims, indeed humanity, never forget such barbarity, said Farooq Murad, Secretary General of MCB.

On this occasion, MCB urged the Government to put pressure on the Balkan states “to honour their commitments, and the requirements of the EU accession process. The EU must continue to insist on the full support by Balkan states of the work of the ICTY to apprehend wanted war criminals and to facilitate reconciliation through the tracing of those still unaccounted for.”

The MCB press release also said, “The Khutbah and the Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide is a reminder to all Europeans; Muslims, Christians, Jews and others, that Islam has deep European roots. It has an illustrious history of coexistence with Christian and Jewish communities in the Balkans, the Iberian peninsula, and in the present day, across Europe.”

The Day of Remembrance is a timely reminder to us all of where festering hate and intolerance can lead. As Muslims in Europe offer prayers for the victims of the atrocities committed in Srebrenica and lay to rest those whose bodies have only just been recovered, let us also work together to ensure that these crimes are never forgotten and never again return to our Continent – mentioned the MCB press release.

Conclusion
There has been progress toward justice for the Srebrenica genocide in recent years. The Bosnian Serb wartime President, Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic were indicted for genocide in Srebrenica in 1995. Karadzic is on trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, facing charges that include genocide at Srebrenica.

Mladic, the Bosnian Serb military leader, is accused of masterminding the 44-month siege of Sarajevo that left 10,000 people dead and the July 1995 massacre of around 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica is still at large. His continuing freedom is a “profound moral failure for NATO and the international community”.

“The EU’s softening resolve on Mladic’s arrest sends the wrong message to Serbia,” Cartner said. “The EU has an obligation to use its leverage to help deliver justice for the victims of Srebrenica.” The EU should not engage in any further progress toward membership for Serbia, such as asking the European Commission to study Serbia's application, until Serbia fully cooperates with the tribunal, including on the arrest of the last two fugitives, Human Rights Watch said.

I would like to conclude with the prayer of the Grand Mufti of Bosnia, Dr. Mustafa Ceric, which he did in the European Khutba:

European Khutba
The Grand Mufti of Bosnia in his European Khutba made the following prayers:
“This prayer is our hope that our future shall be better than our past and our children shall not have fear of genocide.

“O Man, whoever you are and wherever you might be, remember God created us all in the same sway so that we all might say honest prayer:

Oh God
Do not let success deceive us
Nor failure takes us to despair!
Always remind us that failure is a temptation
That precedes success!

Oh God
Teach us that tolerance
Is the highest degree of power
And the desire for revenge
The first sign of weakness!

Oh God
If you deprive us of our property,
Give us hope!
If you grant us success,
Give us also the will to overcome defeat!
If you take from us the blessing of health,
Provide us with the blessing of faith!

Oh God
If we sin against people,
Give us the strength of apology!
And if people sin against us,
Give us the strength of forgiveness!

Oh God
If we forget ye
Do not forget us!

Oh God
May grief becomes hope!
May mother’s tears become prayers!
That Srebrenica never happens again!

Review of the Year 2009 - Turning Point for Peace

Review of the Year 2009: A Turning
Point for Peace in Global History

Dr. Mozammel Haque

The year 2009 is a turning point in the global history of progress towards peace and harmony instead of war and conflict. The terror which was unleashed by the former President of the United States of America, George W. Bush, in 2001 ended with the victory in the US Presidential election by Barrack Obama who came to power with the election campaign slogan “Time for change”. At the same time, from the east, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz ibn Saud, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques of Saudi Arabia came with the initiative of peace and harmony through interfaith dialogue. Both these leaders had a vision to bring peace and harmony in the world through recognition of the existence of different religions, cultures, people of different faiths and cultural backgrounds.

These two ventures opened the doors of peace and harmony instead of war and conflict in the world. But the year 2009 also witnessed a rise of Islamophobia in the western world, particularly in Europe. However, in the United Kingdom, it came to light that the British Muslims are most loyal citizens. The British Muslims made a great progress in different fields during the year 2009 in spite of rise of Islamophobia in some sector and the rise of far-right extremists.

At the beginning it will be demonstrated how the speeches of the two great leaders as well as heads of state will make the change in the social and political environment of the world.

King Abdullah’s Historic Conference
for Dialogue to bridge gaps and establish peace
King Abdullah began this journey of interfaith dialogue in the Holy City of Makkah, when he called on all 57 Muslim Heads of State to meet in Islam’s holiest city to ponder the issues of extremism and call for a Muslim renaissance. The King reiterated that message in words and deed. The King traveled to Vatican and met Pope Benedict offering him peace and friendship on behalf of the Muslim world. The visit heralded a new era in the relations between two Abrahamic faiths. Abdullah’s mission to Vatican was perhaps the strongest message of peace and good will to emanate from Arabia since the dawn of Islam in Makkah.

In June 2008, King Abdullah hosted a first historic Interfaith dialogue conference of hundreds of Islamic scholars in the Holy City of Makkah to discuss ways of promoting tolerance and more robust interfaith dialogue with the outside world. This Conference brought together more than 500 scholars, thinkers, officials of Muslim organizations and dialogue centres and academics from all Muslim countries and Muslim minorities living in various countries.

King Abdullah called on Muslims to counter challenges of rigidity, ignorance, narrow-mindedness so as to make the world accommodate the concepts and prospects of the message of Islam. “We are the voice of justice and moral values, we are the voice of rational and just co-existence and dialogue, the voice of wisdom and admonition, and dialogue with the best way possible as Allah says in the Holy Qur’an, ‘Invite all to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching and discuss with them in ways that are best’,” King Abdullah said. “The way to the others will be through the common values: the values that the Almighty has sent for man’s goodness, the values which discard unfaithfulness and that protect from crimes and fight terrorism, values that belittle lies and establish moral principles, truth, honesty and justice and enforce family ties,” the King said.

King Abdullah immediately within a month came to the West, to Europe and selected the most suitable country, Spain. The World Conference on Dialogue in Madrid took completely a new direction. All previous conferences for dialogue were held between religions where participants presented views of their religions. The Madrid gathering was completely different which assembled the followers of different religions, cultures and civilizations, who presented their views on issues facing mankind.

The conference focused on a common vision and principles acceptable to all as its aim was to focus on human issues and challenges facing the world and avoid theological questions. The conference stressed the need to build a bridge of mutual understanding and co-existence between various people so that the world would be free from the evils of war, injustice, violence, terrorism, drugs and depravity. Speaking about the Madrid conference, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Vatican City, said, “Since the very beginning of our meeting, King Abdullah has focused the objectives of this conference on Dialogue with a courageous speech when he declared: “If we wish this historic meeting to succeed, we must focus on the common denominators that unite us, namely faith in God, noble principles, and lofty moral values which constitute the essence of religion.”

Then King Abdullah went to the United Nations and told world leaders, in the first speech by a Saudi monarch to the United Nations in 51 years, that the time has come to learn from the unjustifiable bloodshed and destruction caused by fanaticism from religious and cultural differences throughout history, and to gather around common values “for a more peaceful, more just, and more tolerant world.”

King Abdullah called for dialogue as a good beginning for humanity and urged world leaders to open a new era of peace, leaving behind the bloody past, and mobilize their resources to fight poverty, provide treatment to patients and boost development. “We had enough of killings, enmity and rights violations,” the king said and added, “If countries in the world had turned to peace and kept away from wars and conflicts and spent their time and energy to fight poverty and engage in humanitarian work we would not have seen these diseases and poverty.”

President Obama Seeks a New Beginning
between the US and the Muslim World
Similarly, the US President Barack Hussein Obama issued an ambitious seven-point manifesto for better ties with the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims in his long-awaited, long promised historic address to the Muslim world at Cairo University in Egypt. His 55-minute speech before a 3,500 invited audience of politicians, opposition leaders, scholars and human rights activists was the centrepiece of his journey. It was billed as an effort by the President to soothe grievances of more than one billion Muslims across the world.

President Obama quoted from the Qur’an, paid homage to the cultural and intellectual achievements of Muslims and noted his middle name and his father’s ties to the faith. President Obama paid tribute to Islam’s influence in culture and civilization in his well-admired speech in Cairo. Obama said, “As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam. It was Islam – at places like Al-Azhar University – that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.”

Weaving his personal biography and America’s biography into his speech, Obama said, “So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn’t. And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.” At the same time, he said the same principle must apply in reverse. “Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire.”

Rise of Islamophobia in Europe
These two great leaders attempted to bring some sort of calmness, peace and harmony, not only between the West and the Islamic world, but also between different cultures, religions and faiths. No doubt, it brought some sort of understanding at the international level but at the same time, the world unfortunately noticed rise of Islamophobia in Europe, such as Burqa in France, Hijab murder in Germany, Islamophobic Film in Netherlands, Minaret ban in Switzerland and rise of far-right in Britain.

In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy made his attack on a small minority of Muslim women in his ‘state of the nation’ speech, stating that the burqa was not welcome in France, home to the largest Muslim community in Western Europe – five million and growing. President Sarkosy said, “The problem of the burka is not a religious problem, it's a problem of liberty and women's dignity. It's not a religious symbol, but a sign of subservience and debasement. I want to say solemnly, the burka is not welcome in France. In our country, we can't accept women prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity. That's not our idea of freedom.”

In Germany, On July 1, 2009, Marwa Ali El-Sherbini, a pharmacist who was three months pregnant, was brutally killed in a courtroom in the German city of Dresden while she was giving her testimony on how the defendant known only as Alex W insulted her for wearing the hijab on a playground last summer. It was at this point that Alex W calmly walked across the courtroom and frenziedly stabbed her 18 times. Her three-year-old son Mustafa was forced to watch the savage attack on his mother who died on the scene.

The German Government has been sharply criticised for its slow response to the Islamophobic murder. Secretary General of Germany’s the Central Council of Muslims, Aiman Mazyek, said the German neo-Nazis had been rousing up a climate of Islamophobia in Germany for years, which was led by the rise of far-right National Democratic Party in the country.

In Netherlands, Dutch Freedom Party MP, Geert Wilders, describes the Holy Qur’an as a “fascist book” and compared it to Hitler’s Mein Kampf. He has called for the Qur’an to be banned. Mr. Wilders also links the Islamic Holy Book to terrorism. The film ‘Fitna’ caused outrage across the Muslim world when it was posted on the internet in 2008. Mr. Wilders faces trial in his own country for inciting hatred. Earlier, this year (2009), a Dutch court ordered prosecutors to put Mr. Wilders on trial for inciting hatred and discrimination by making anti-Islamic statements.

In Switzerland, the proposal to ban the building of minarets had been put forward by the Swiss People's Party, (SVP), the largest party in parliament, which says minarets are a sign of Islamisation. The Swiss ban on the building of minarets has been treated with the derision it deserves as being totally irrational. There are only 4 minarets in Switzerland. Still, the majority voted to ban new ones being built. It breaches many of the fundamental principles that European civilisations have been built on.

The Amnesty International said, Swiss minaret ban would be discrimination against religion. “Contrary to the claims of the initiators of the referendum, a general prohibition of the construction of minarets would violate the right of Muslims in Switzerland to manifest their religion,” said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International. She also added: “A ban on the construction of minarets while, for example, allowing those of church spires would constitute discrimination on the basis of religion.”

Former London mayor, Ken Livingstone, said: "The ban on minarets in Switzerland, a country that only has four minarets, is an attack not only on Muslims, but on the most basic freedoms in society.” "Let this referendum be a rallying call for all democrats - we must challenge Islamophobia and racism if we are to stop the far right," he added.

Britain is unique in Europe for its respect for Islam and other minority faiths and their practises. However, with the coming general election, there are dangers that Muslims may be ‘easy fodder’ to win cheap support. There are already indications that UKIP, under its new Chairman, Lord Pearson, may be prepared to play the BNP anti-Islam card.

There were some incidents of violence and targeting Mosques by the far-right extremists in Britain during the year 2009. Communities Secretary, John Denham, MP, conjured up visions of a return to 1930s fascism, following the rise of far-right groups, who are provoking violence and targetting mosques. He drew parallels with Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists (BUF), uniformed as ‘Blackshirts’. “The tactic of trying to provoke a response in the hope of causing wider violence and mayhem is long established on the far-right and among extremist groups,” Denham said following the latest clashes at the new Harrow Central Mosque.

Achievements of British Muslim
Community During 2009
Though there is rise of far right groups, Britain is a country which has opened doors to Muslims for hope and glory, for their successes and achievements. During the year 2009, British Muslims made some progress in different fields of life, such as politics, media, both broadcasting and printed media, religion and culture. This was possible due to their loyalty and law-abiding and peace-loving character. Recently, Gallup conducted deeper studies in three European nations – the United Kingdom, France and Germany. In England, Germany and France, the three countries surveyed, Muslims are twice as likely as the general public to suppose that Muslims are loyal citizens.

The survey found that 77% of British Muslims were loyal to Britain compared to only 36% of the general public. However, nearly half of the British public (49%) said British Muslims were not loyal to Britain. Contrary to the prevailing stereotype, more British Muslims (67%) prefer to live in mixed neighbourhoods than the British public (58%). British Muslims have more confidence in democratic institutions than the general public: judicial system (76% against 55%), financial institutions (62% against 56%), honesty of elections (83% against 57%) and national government (40% against 32%). However Muslims have less confidence in the military than the general public (52% against 86%).

The first important achievement of the British Muslim community is the formation of Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB). The British Muslim community itself proactively took the initiative to deliver a self-regulating body. As a result, Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) was formed. MINAB aims to work with mosques to understand the needs of their communities and help them to deliver their services to the highest possible standards.

In political participation, first ever Muslim joins Privy Council and for the first time Muslim is appointed as Cabinet Minister. A Muslim MP, Sadiq Khan, son of a bus driver, became the first ever Muslim to join the Cabinet as the Minister of State for Transport. The 38-year-old father of two is also the first Muslim to join the Privy Council. He was named as one of the most influential politicians in London in a series of lists compiled by the Evening Standard. The description in the paper reads, “The first Muslim privy counsellor attends Cabinet regularly and is increasingly making an impact.”

In broadcasting media, the BBC has appointed its first Muslim head of religion. Aaqil Ahmed becomes jointly the head of Religion and Ethics and Commissioning Editor for Religion TV. His biggest project at Channel 4 was the recent 8 part series on Christianity: A History, which included programmes presented by Howard Jacobson and Cherie Blair.

In printed media, Mehdi Hasan, Channel 4 News Editor, has been appointed as the new Senior Editor (Politics) at New Statesman. Since joining C4, Hasan has commissioned five different ‘Dispatches’ documentaries. Hasan commissioned the C4 ‘Dispatches’ film, ‘It Shouldn’t Happen to a Muslim’, which addressed the issue of rising Islamophobia since 7/7. Hasan joins New Statesman in June, 2009. At 29, he is the youngest editor in commissioning at C4 and has been nominated for the Royal TV Society Young Journalist of the Year Award.

For the first time in its 90 year history, the National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) has elected a Muslim to lead the 17,000 strong trade organisation. Suleman Khonat from Blackburn was voted in as the new National President at the NFRN’s Annual Conference in June, 2009.

In religion and culture, Hijab uniform for Fire service Muslim workers. The Lancashire Fire Service unveiled on March 2009, thirty a new uniform designed to increase recruitment of Muslim women. The uniform which includes full-length skirts, Hijab and long-sleeved shirts is designed only for wearing round the station and for outings such as school trips. For the first time, women will get their own fire-fighting suit designed to protect their upper body.

Besides the above achievement and success by the Muslim community of Britain during the year 2009, another very important event took place in the area of religion, i.e. the second extension of the East London Mosque at Whitechapel, East London.

Shaykh Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, the Head Imam and Khateeb of the Masjid Al-Haram of Makkah al-Mukarramah launched second extension of the East London Mosque on the 4th of August, 2009 and unveiled the plaque of the foundations for the second phase of the East London Mosque, Whitechapel, London. After unveiling the plaque of the Mosque, the Head Imam of the Haram led the Maghreb prayer and gave a short speech to a congregation, with over 15,000 people. Shaykh Al-Sudais mentioned about Tauheed, the Oneness of Allah and said that we have to follow the Book of Allah the Almighty, The Holy Qur’an and to follow the Sunnah, the Traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him.) Allah the Almighty sent him to us as the Mercy for the whole Mankind. We have to follow his character.