Reflections of British Society: Muslims in the News: Collected Writings of a British Muslim Leader 2011-2017

By Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari

A digital four volume aeries of Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari’s most
salient articles over the last decade. These volume explore what it means to be
British and Muslim in the context of the 21st century War on Terror; progressing
from Britain’s Muslim communities to the wider British society as well as
regional and global politics. Expanding on conversations covering
counter-extremism to spirituality and Muslim world politics to the rise of the
far-right - these prolific articles shed light on contemporary issues of
importance.

 

In this volume, the author examines the concerns of
the diverse Muslim communities in the UK - from educational and parenting to
civil society engagement and effectively raising families to strengthen civil
society. He explores community relationships, 2012 Olympic-Paralympic legacies,
the role of technology and social media as well as the need for spirituality to
give us a moral anchor necessary for a harmonious and equitable society.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kube Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Dec 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781847741851

Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari

Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari is an educationalist, community activist, author, parenting consultant and commentator on social and political issues. He has written for various newspapers, blogs and journals including The Huffington Post and Al-Jazeera English, and is the author of a number of books on marriage, family, parenting, identity and community issues from contemporary British Muslim perspectives.

Book preview

Reflections of British Society: Muslims in the News – Collected Writings of a British Muslim Leader (2011 – 2017) by Muhammad Abdul Bari

PART FOUR

REFLECTIONS ON BRITISH SOCIETY

MUSLIMS IN THE NEWS

Collected Writings of a British Muslim Leader 2011-2017

MUHAMMAD ABDUL BARI

Reflections of British Society: Muslims in the News – collected Writings of a British Muslim Leader (2011 – 2017)

First published in England by

Kube Publishing Ltd

Markfield Conference Centre, Ratby Lane,

Markfield, Leicestershire, LE67 9SY,

United Kingdom

Tel: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Website: http://www.kubepublishing.com

Copyright © Muhammad Abdul Bari 2021 All rights reserved.

The right of Muhammad Abdul Bari to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

CIP data for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-1-84774-185-1 Ebook

Cover Design by: Nasir Cadir

CONTENTS

Author Biography

Chapter 1: Twenty-First Century Society: The Challenges

Social Reconstruction Is a Family Affair

Dignity of Death and Palliative Care

The Blight of Homelessness Must Be Addressed With a Dignified Approach

Safeguarding Our Children from Evil Is Our Collective Responsibility

Mothers Are Our Primordial Leaders

Let Us Fight Inequality to Create a Better Britain

Helping Children Navigate the World Wide Web

Chapter 2: Civil Society and Civic Participation

Acting Together for Economic Justice

UK Needs More Civic Participation

Londoners Win by Rejecting ‘Dog Whistle’ Politics and Fear

Brexit and the Spectre of Europe’s Ugly Nationalism

Faith Groups Lead the Way in British Charity Sector

The Importance of Civil Society Organisations in National Conversation

Exemplary Grass-root Community Harmony Is What We Need Today

Knowledge of One Another, Not Ignorance Is the Best Way to Heal Our Fractured World

East End’s Legacy Of Fighting Bigotry Since The Battle Of Cable Street

How Serious Is the Segregation Of Britain’s Communities?

Inter-Community Trust Building Is a Must, Not an Option

Chapter 3: Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic Legacy

London 2012: A Global Prospect for Harmony

London 2012: A Celebration of Britain’s Diversity

London 2012: ‘Yes We Can’, Now it is Time to Work for a Lasting Legacy

Paralympic Sports: An Embodiment of the Human Spirit to Conquer Hurdles

Chapter 4: Faith and Spirituality

Is religion in terminal decline in Britain?

Are humans created or evolved?

The need for a renewal of Islam’s spirit

Religion and Secular Liberalism Should Enrich Each Other in a Modern Democracy

Pure Intentions and Sheer Willpower Can Make Long-hour Fasting More Liberating

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari is a noted civic leader, educationalist, parenting consultant and author. He has served Britain’s diverse communities in various capacities for over three decades.

A former Bangladesh Air Force officer, trained at the Royal Air Force College in Lincolnshire (1978–79), Dr Bari worked as a physics researcher in the University of London in the 1980s, before moving into teaching in the early 1990s and completing his postgraduate certificate of education (PGCE). He worked as a specialist teacher for those with behavioural needs before taking an early retirement in 2011.

Throughout and alongside his professional career, Dr Bari has been deeply involved in civil society organisations. He was a founding member of The East London Communities Organisation (TELCO), which is now the national organisation Citizens UK. He was a member of the British government’s Inner Cities Religious Council (ICRC) in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain from 2006–2010, and Chairman of Britain’s largest Muslim community complex, the London Muslim Centre, from 2002–2013. He was also a non-executive board member of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) from 2006–2013. Today, he remains involved in a number of charities such as East London Mosque, London Catalyst and Islamic Foundation Leicester.

Since retiring, Dr Bari has been working with diverse communities to promote their fuller engagement in public life, as well as writing for various media outlets on current affairs and his areas of expertise, including the Huffington Post and Al Jazeera English. In recent years he has worked with Muslim youth, including the three talented editors of this publication, to encourage their full participation in public life in the UK. He worked with Citizens UK and advised its Commission on ‘Islam, Participation and Public Life’ (IPPL), which was chaired by former Attorney General, Dominic Grieve. The Commission’s final report ‘The Missing Muslims: Unlocking British Muslim Potential for the Benefit of All’, was published in the summer of 2017.

He has authored a number of books on family, parenting and identity as well as one on the Rohingya Crisis. His memoir, A Long Jihad: My Quest for the Middle Way, offers an insider’s perspective on the Muslim experience in modern Britain, presenting his blueprint for the middle way of life.

In recognition for his services to the community, Dr Bari was conferred an MBE in 2003, as well as being made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2005, an Honorary Fellow of Queen Mary University of London in 2008, an Honorary Doctor of Education by the University of East London in 2012, and Deputy Lieutenant of the Greater London Lieutenancy in 2016. He was also awarded the Community Cohesion Champion by the organisation Sikhs in England in 2006.

Dr Bari lives in London with his wife, four children and three grandchildren.

Part Four

Reflections on British Society

Although much of Dr Bari’s work and writing concerns the Muslim communities in the UK, his biography shows just how many other strings there are to his bow—from educational and parenting expert to civil society leader and activist. Having spent more than half his life in the UK, raising a family and working closely with local and national community bodies, Dr Bari has a wealth of reflections on the challenges and successes within British society today, with a particular focus on political and community participation.

CHAPTER 1

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SOCIETY: THE CHALLENGES

Homelessness, crime, child safeguarding, end-of-life care, inequality—though this section contains only a handful of articles, the topics covered encompass some of the greatest challenges facing Britain and the modern world today. As well as much-needed policy change, Dr Bari advocates grassroots capacity building to empower individuals to play a part in tackling these issues—he urges us to develop more connected families, relationships and communities, to temper our interaction with technology and social media, and to draw on spirituality to give us the necessary tools to create a more harmonious and equitable society. This chapter contains seven articles.

Social Reconstruction Is a Family Affair

19 August 2011, Al Jazeera

There is a need for better family ties for the youth in the UK, in order to prevent more acts of violence.

The shooting of 29-year-old Mark Duggan, by armed police in north London on the evening of August 4, created a chain of riots, looting, and mayhem across the English capital and, subsequently, other cities. The first human casualties were three young Asian men of Muslim origin who were defending their property in Birmingham. According to the West Midlands Police Chief Chris Sims: ‘At some point, and in circumstances that as yet I can’t fully explain, a vehicle has been driven into that group of males, which tragically has led to three of those men losing their lives’.

This wanton destruction up and down the country, caused by sections of our youth and aided by social media—such as Blackberry messenger and Twitter, among others—is a new phase in our social malaise. All sections of our society, from police to politicians to ordinary citizens, have unequivocally condemned this mind-boggling anarchy and nihilism. There is a genuine revulsion at this mindless criminality. There is also a soul-searching going on: one columnist suggests that the moral decay at the top of society is as bad as it is at the bottom in our country.

While the dark side of these fateful few days was maddening, other inspirational things were happening. Local residents in some places fought back against the looters with vigilantes (or concerned citizens, depending upon your definition) joining police forces to help protect their property and streets. Much like the Tahrir Square clean-up in Egypt, ordinary Londoners were seen cleaning their streets after a major disturbance. Some minority communities played inspirational roles in this national crisis: Muslims tackling looters and bigots whilst Turkish shopkeepers in north London were demonstrating exemplary community responsibility in protecting their stores.

Britain’s largest Muslim umbrella body, the Muslim Council of Britain, urged us all to clean up our cities. In the midst of the riot-led pessimism, one writer reminded us that faith-based youth work can give hope in this generation. Faith indeed played an important role for Muslims, as in the month of fasting—Ramadan, that takes place across August—when Muslims are reminded to restrain themselves from evil and criminal activities. In a powerful article in The Daily