Who are We and are We Proud to be British?

A Dialogue with the Muslim Community on Music, Culture, Identity and Britishness.

As we said in the beginning of this series of articles, the debate around music is not limited to the legality of using musical instruments as was the case in the past; it has became part of a broader discussion that includes culture and identity. Some argue that it is acceptable to make changes to Islamic principles or that Islam may take on new forms in order to adapt to European or other cultures. They also contend that many Islamic practices are cultural and have no basis in Islam.

These writers promote the notion of Britishness and claim that it does not contradict Islamic teachings. They – including Sami Yusuf in his article about music – promote statements of the sort, ‘I am proud to be British, American, Pakistani or even Saudi’ yet they do not mention the Islamic ruling regarding such statements and fail to mention any corroborating evidence to legitimise taking pride in one’s nationality. Surely this requires the works of Jurisprudence and Hadith to be investigated in order to assess its validity?

Our most immediate thought should be to recognise that one of the most appealing aspects of Islam is the abolishment of all types of schisms. The Prophet said, ‘He who calls to sectarianism is not of us.’ Unfortunately, such schisms exist in the Muslim world and it is not in our interest to introduce yet another schism, ironically embracing the very nationalism we once denounced. Within a few years, we will have British and French Muslims proud of their national identity, which will inevitably lead to conduct whereby a British father, for example, will refuse a marriage proposal from a French Muslim and vice versa. Do not ridicule this as this is exactly what we severely condemn and deal with when addressing marriage issues between Muslims from the Indian subcontinent. I accept that these writers hold no such intentions, however, it highlights the fact that usage and promotion of such statements can lead to undesired results.

For this reason, it is necessary to utilise Islamic terms when dealing with such issues. What does it mean to be proud of being British, and why must we proclaim this pride? Is it in order to demonstrate our loyalty to the land or is it for the satisfaction of a sector of society? Such ideas only seek to reinforce the notion that we have been colonialised to feel inferior, and consequently serve to introduce alien concepts into our belief system.

Furthermore, some articles such as Sami’s attempted to establish the validity of such statements by claiming that the Prophet was, ‘…shedding tears whilst migrating from Makkah – his beloved homeland to Madina despite the persecution he suffered at the hands of its people.’ No doubt that is true, but did the Prophet ever say that he is proud to be a Makkan? Where is the link between saying, ‘Britain is my home and I was raised here as a child, I went to school here, most of my friends – Muslims and non-Muslims are British and my earliest as well as fondest memories are rooted here’ and claiming pride for one’s nationality?

There is no denial that there is a natural bond between an individual and the land where he or she has spent most of their childhood. However, Islam does not sanctify pride for any ideology, nationality, sect or race, other than that of being a Muslim. The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Three are from the affairs of pre-Islamic ignorance: pride in one’s noble descent, discrediting someone’s lineage, and loud weeping for the dead’. The Islamic thinker, Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 A.H) said, ‘Everything which is outside the call of Islam and the Qur’an, with regard to lineage, land, nationality, schools of thoughts and paths, is from the calls of pre-Islamic ignorance. Indeed, even when the Muhajirun (the Companions who migrated from Makkah to Madinah) and the Ansar (the Companions who aided and supported those who migrated) argued, such that one of the Muhajirun said:’ O Muhajirun! (Implying; rally to my aid) ‘And one of the Ansar said: ‘O Ansar!’ The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Is it with the calls of pre-Islamic ignorance that you call, while I am still amongst you?!’ and he became very angry. Such scorn is due to the fact that the Prophet himself never utilised such slogans; on the contrary, the Prophet (pbuh) would say, ’I am the best of the children of Adam, and I say this without pride.’ This implies in a compelling manner that one should not be proud of what he or she is; rather, thankfulness and praise should be directed to Allah alone for His divine guidance to the state of Islam.

Terms such as Britishness, peace and love have been utilised contextually by writers and some may view them as being wholly reasonable from the outset; however, they are unsubstantiated ideas within Islam. For example, Sami mentioned in his article that Islam teaches him to be, ‘loyal towards my faith and my country’. This is a bizarre assumption that has no basis in the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the consensus of previous scholars. It is established however that a Muslim should be loyal to his faith and attain piety. Moreover, the term country itself is not Islamic as it reflects the boundaries that divide people solely upon a political and racial basis. Just as we condemn racism since it involves preferring one race over another, we should equally condemn other yet similar schisms. Allah, the Most High, states,

“It is He (Allah) who has named you Muslims both before and in this (i.e., the Qur’an), that the Messenger may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind.”

In other words, loyalty should be given to truth and justice wherever truth and justice reside.

Islam is the only system that can attain and maintain them in their absolute form. Moreover, Islam commanded us to stand up for justice even if this involves going against our own selves, let alone against our families and countries. Allah says in the Quran,

“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do.”

The Prophet (pbuh) taught us in a very powerful statement the right position one should take in all his affairs and relations with others; he said, ‘Aid your brother whether he is oppressed or the oppressor’. The companions of the Prophet were surprised and questioned, ‘We know how to aid him if he is oppressed, but how can we aid him if he is the oppressor?’ The Prophet gave the answer, ‘If he is the oppressor then stop him from oppressing’. Let us treat every individual, organisation and country in this manner, if they are oppressed then we need to aid them to remove the oppression and if they are the oppressors we need to stop them from oppressing. This means that we are faithful to the great value of justice and fairness and not to the political or sectarian entity. Actually, we are faithful to more than that: we are faithful to humanity as a whole and not to a group of people irrespective of who they are or what they are doing. All political entities should seek to maintain such a sublime standard within its system and people, as this will ensure confidence that it as a country or a nation that will never be involved in any illegal or unethical action or conflict. In addition, it will ensure that its population will never be involved in acts of injustice even if there are theological differences between its inhabitants.

What does it mean to be British?
Sami, as an example, illustrated his understanding of being British by stating, ‘Does being British mean I take pride in the oppressive and exploitative colonial past of Britain? Does it mean I support the British invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq? Does it mean I support the Anti-Terrorism Act? Does it mean I support the erosion of civil liberties and human rights? Of course not!’ Inevitably, we agree with him, and further emphasise that the spectrum of differences between aspects of Islamic mode and behaviour and that of British are considerably great: we do not consume alcohol nor involve ourselves in the pub culture. Our women dress modestly, don the hijab, and play a complementary not competitive role in contrast to their western counterparts. Islamic matters of marriage and inheritance also differ. In terms of ethics and social values, we do not consent to homosexuality, our children are not allowed to disregard their parents when they have reached adulthood, and Islam does not condone premarital relationships. Islamic mercy and justice is divine, absolute and timeless, whereas secular law is man-made, and core secular principles are constantly subject to change. Many actions may be considered legal and ethical, but as norms and values are altered, such actions are regarded corrupt. Islamic law requires that we are not allowed to carry out abortions especially after 12 weeks of pregnancy as it is deemed murder, while some western non-Muslim countries have recently considered it legal. Our mercy does not allow us to accept euthanasia, while it remains a subject of discussion in the West. As a matter of fact the most crucial difference between Muslim and British society is submission to Allah, which dictates our way of life in its entirety.

After highlighting major differences, the question still remains, what exactly does it mean to be British, and how can one be proud of an identity which is yet to be defined? Let us suppose that the answer for this dilemma is along the lines of what Sami stated in his response to Yvonne, ‘But Yvonne, let us be fair and not forget that it was in Britain that the world witnessed the largest anti-war demonstration – a testimony to the moral consciousness of the British public. I too was in that demonstration voicing my discontent over the foreign policies of our government’. Hence, is the ability and freedom to oppose government policies the criteria for Britishness? Or should the nature and value of the British people to oppose injustice be the definition of Britishness? Both definitions are inclusive of other nations and can hardly be termed as Britishness. {quotes}I call upon readers to exercise a level of rationality and not be deceived by eloquent words or emotional speech.{/quotes}

Some friends from Canada continue to inform me that Canada is the best place to live. Others, living in the US (the heart of the so-called war on terror) inform me that the da’wah in the US is the best da’wah in the world. Both are opinions which cannot objectively be verified or even justified. We should not be gullible or easily persuaded, notwithstanding the fact that we highly appreciate the level of tolerance by both the public and government towards some Islamic practices. Additionally, the use of the term ‘British society’ must also be utilised with caution in that we must understand that a large sector of the British society within itself may be representative of the government. Some might argue that the government is elected by the people through a democratic process and therefore reflect a major part of the people and their views!

Reference criteria for evaluating a society
We are at liberty to scrutinise whether, ‘British society is amongst the most tolerant, open, liberal, multi-cultural and inclusive societies in the world’. Moreover, Britishness is a political term for many, representing one’s loyalty to political policies, both domestic and foreign. It is for this reason Yvonne seemed appalled and rejected such terms, as did many other Muslims and non-Muslims. In fact, this highly politicised term is not accepted by many Britains, as is evident through their detachment from British policies. If we argue that Britishness is not a political term, we are left with a term undefined. Further possible definitions which can be employed to define such a term include: living on this land (British Isles); speaking its language; carrying a red-passport; and utilising all due legal processes in order to achieve one’s objectives. A person who works legally in the UK for five consecutive years, has not been involved in criminal offenses and speaks English to a basic level has met the basic requirements to become a British citizen, which can be finalised after completing other formalities. It is obvious that if a person belongs to a certain land, an attachment develops to the land and its people. This is what our focus should be on: How can we instil young Muslims with a sense of positive and effective attachment? This is the crux of the matter. It is indeed a complex issue, which shall be discussed in the future.

I wish to reemphasise the main objective, which is the need to intellectually liberate ourselves through adherence to the guiding principles legislated by the Creator of the intellect. If we lack adherence to the guidelines set by Allah, we involuntarily adhere to principles set by creation, leading to the colonialisation of Muslims. For example, British Muslims have been accused of disloyalty and isolation, as it is argued that their lifestyles are incompatible with the norms of British society. Consequently, some have opted for a non-Islamic agenda, as opposed to an Islamic way of thinking, and have begun to adopt unIslamic practices and beliefs in order to prove their Britishness. Let us reflect comprehensively and analyse whether this situation is unique to British Muslims; are we acting intolerably towards particular secular norms simply because we dislike Britain in particular? Do not Indian Muslims seem to decline certain norms of Indian society? This would be the Islamic attitude in all countries including Muslim countries, and this is the only way in which we can live and contribute to any society we live in. The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Whoever sees an evil, then he should change it by his hand, if he is unable then he should change it by his tongue. If he is unable, then let him change it by his heart and that is the weakest of faith.’ As aforementioned, loyalty should be given to values and whoever upholds them and not to people irrespective of what values they hold. This kind of loyalty makes us loyal to the whole of humanity. In the next and final article I will explore further points pertaining to culture, citizenship and integration Allah willing.

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Source: www.islam21c.com