By Mohammad Abdullah Nadvi,
‘Grooming is a heinous crime and is vehemently condemned in Islam’ was the theme of the last Friday Khutba (sermon) delivered at almost five hundred Mosques all across the United Kingdom all together. The background for this synchronization in the theme of Khutba was laid by the conviction of seven so-called British Muslims for running a scandalous network of grooming. For those who are unaware of the exact meaning of the term “grooming”, it is defined as a criminal activity of approaching a child or a minor with the intention of having sexual relationship with. Out of the seven offenders proven guilty, five were from Pakistani origin and the other two hailed from African ethnicity. The shocking incident happened in the historic city of Oxford, a place widely famous for its educational and intellectual activities.
Although this was not the first time that this kind of crime has been brought into light in UK, yet the incident specifically shocked and embarrassed the whole Muslim community to its core as the criminals appeared to be Muslim by their names. As soon as the rigorous sentences were pronounced by the court, the mainstream media flooded with the news and started enumerating the names of convicts. Shockingly, as some of the guilty had their surnames as Mohammad, the pious name of the prophet was concurrently repeated in print and electronic media for bad reasons again and again, bringing shame and ignominy to Muslims and Islam in the country.
Islam in United Kingdom has a long history, and enjoys relatively greater freedom and flexibility. According to the 2011 census, total Muslims population in the country was 2.7 million which constitutes 4.8 per cent of overall inhabitants. Remarkably, Islam is the second largest religion of the country and is compared to the Christianity which stands first in terms of having most followers comprising of 59.3 per cent of the population. Interestingly, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the country, and is practiced on most frequent basis.
In last few months the name of Islam has been repeatedly maligned in UK due to some nefarious crimes committed by those who purportedly claim to follow the very religion. Recently, the image and reputation of Islam and Muslims in the country were badly tainted and tarnished by a so-called Nigerian Muslim who cruelly killed a British soldier in the street of London in broad day light, invoking the name of the religion. As if this was not enough to defame Islam, the murderer chanted the dignified name of Allah in the aftermath of killing on camera. As a consequence, the name of Islam was vilified, and Muslims with their places of worship became subject to various attacks by far-right extremist organisations such as EDL (English Defence League) all across the country.
That Islam is a religion of peace and it promotes justice is known to all those who have even an iota of information about the religion. However, this notion about the religion has been frequently contradicted by a minority of so-called British advocates of Islam, who attempt to justify the otherwise. Ironically, in the wake of every cruel incident having even slightest connection with the religion, this very minority group quickly appears on national media presenting illogical arguments in the support of what is completely unacceptable in Islam. In this way, although by just a minority, the religion is constantly misrepresented, and as a result, the negative picture of Islam already set in some minds is verified through the irresponsible words of these so-called representatives of the religion in Britain.
Apart from this, earlier this year in a recently released BBC documentary titled as “Britain’s Child Beggars” a gang of women portraying their identity as Muslim, were caught on camera begging in the streets of London. In fact, in London there is a locality known as ‘Ajwa road’ which is densely populated by wealthy Arab families. As Arabs are known for their generosity, in this locality, the profession of begging is on the rise. These female beggars take their small children with them and force them to beg. Since these women along with their small female daughters wear Hijab to attract the attention of Muslim donors, it is common for a passer-by to treat them as Muslim. This deplorable scene portrays a disgusting picture of Islam to all those who are unfamiliar with the culture of begging. However, a close investigation of BBC team revealed that most of these women were, in fact, from Armenia, and were non-Muslims disguised in the robe and dress of Muslims.
Through this revelation, it was established that the identity of Islam is being employed by some unscrupulous elements with the aim of fulfilling their vested interests and for achieving their nefarious objectives.
In fact, due to these and other similar incidences, the name of Islam and Muslims are in constant threat in a country which is potentially one of the most fertile lands for the spread of true message of Islam. To this end, it is pertinent for the responsible stakeholders of Islam to collectively come forward with the effective checks and balances, and not let these so-called Muslims to damage the image of the beautiful religion.
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The author is a Doctoral Candidate (Islamic Economics), Markfield Institute of Higher Education Leicestershire, UK, 0044-7438508698, abdullahfaizi99@yahoo.com