Justice and kindness
Jeff Beatty reports on a stimulating session at a Meeting of Friends in Wales that reflected on the background and experience of Muslims in Britain
Friends met at The Pales, originally a burial ground for Friends in the seventeenth century, since they could not be buried in churchyards.
Today there is a Meeting house there (built in 1717) and a cottage with grounds, as well as the burial ground, which carries the footprints of Quaker persecution in the seventeenth century and beyond. It was therefore fitting that the speaker in the afternoon addressed the topic of Muslims in Britain, with persecution of minorities the developing theme.
Mark Bryant, assisted by Sophie Gilliat-Ray, spoke about ‘Muslims in Britain – Faith and Practice, History and Settlement, Communities and Contemporary Debates’. This was delivered in lecture style, except for the last section where Friends were invited to participate, which they did, of course. We learnt of the wide array of Muslim practice in the UK, of origins from the British Empire and beyond, from the Indian sub-continent, East Africa and more recently from the Middle East, and of their geographical distribution today.
Often Muslim communities, if that is the most appropriate description, are of wide racial types, who have one common thread, which is that they are generally Sunni. It is perhaps difficult to comprehend from the media’s coverage of so-called Muslim events in the UK that Muslims represent only 4.8 per cent of the UK’s population. They are generally young and centred around the large industrial cities, though some have settled, in relatively large numbers compared with the local population, in places like Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides, where they are accepted as valuable members of the community. I remember, when walking the length of the Outer Hebrides in the 1970s, being surprised by their representation there, though their footprint has fallen subsequently.
Contemporary issues exercised Friends, from the wearing of the hijab and burka by women and the salwar kameez by men to Islamophobia, to assimilation versus integration. With images of young men and women all from the UK, faces wreathed in smiles, but dressed differently, some of us questioned our perceptions and perhaps preconceptions about Muslims in our society today. Especially telling was a photograph of a diverse group of women – all without hair covering, except for one who wore the hijab. Of the half dozen or so, which of them was Muslim, all or possibly none?
As the interchange developed, certain thoughts crossed our minds, especially of the need among some members of any society to target minorities and of the need, when there is a perceived threat, to reinforce an almost tribal imperative for superiority, as the majority group, by a macho and often violent response.
Mark talked about the unacceptability in British society of openly abusing certain racial types and those of minority sexual orientations, though it often appears acceptable to target Muslims. Why is there such polarity? The reasons for this are many, partly fuelled by articles in certain newspapers, where subliminal and sometimes overt messages suggest Muslims are dangerous. Mixed in here somewhere is the increased footprint of Muslim communities in mosques and lively community centres, demonstrating a strong faith across the generations.
However, most young British men and women do not exhibit religious belief and certainly do not talk about it. These and other reasons fuel resentment and when stoked by the media this sense of ‘the other’ and perceived injustices inflame acts of abuse.
When politicians, as in the recent referendum, spread mendacity about immigrants, is it surprising that violence spreads, not just against the Muslim community, but also against people from any minority ethnic background? Society needs to invest in justice and kindness!
Comments
Please login to add a comment
