“Has Political Participation Failed British Muslims?”
“Has political participation failed British Muslims?” This was the title of a debate held on Tuesday 26th February 2008 at the London Muslim Centre, hosted by the Cordoba Foundation. The response: a resounding 78% of the audience agreed with the motion, after a lively, frank and civil 90 minute discussion following Islamic etiquettes of debate.
The panel consisted of human-rights lawyer Makbool Javaid and Abdul Wahid of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain arguing that political participation had failed, with Muslim Peer Nazir Ahmed and Osama Saeed, a prospective SNP candidate and activist, both feeling it had not failed. All the participants agreed the importance of that political engagement through discussion, campaigning, building communities, presenting a case for Muslim interests and trying to affect opinion within political circles. However, the area of difference was over the worth of engagement with the party political system.
Lord Ahmed argued that Britain offered unrivalled opportunities for Muslims and justified Muslims being involved in party politics by citing the example of the Hifl al Fudhool in the time of the Messenger SAW. Osama Saeed mentioned many examples which might benefit Muslims such as legislation against religious discrimination and Shariah compliant finance.
Abdul Wahid responded to these points that Hilf ul Fudhool – a discussion forum in pre-Islamic Arabia – could not be compared to the Westminster parliament, a legislative body where debate was within the exclusive framework of specific secular criteria. He also mentioned that the religious discrimination legislation from Europe had nothing to do with Muslim involvement in the political system and the Shariah compliant issue arose out of a consumer demand, pressure from city financial institutions and Muslims presenting their case to the Treasury outside of the party political process.
He said he rejected the binary argument that only assimilation in to the political system or isolation/separatism were the only two alternatives but that if people wanted to know whether Muslim participation in the system had brought fruits they should look at the recent Archbishop-Shariah debacle. Not one of the Muslim parliamentarians explained the meaning of Shariah in civil and personal matters to the media, and none defended the viscous and fanatical media attack on Shariah more generally. Indeed, some cynically used the opportunity to join in the attack on the Archbishop, and criticise Shariah themselves. He explained this by saying that the system corrupts even well intentioned men and women, who enter politics meaning to help their community, but find they have to submit their principles and wishes of their community to the party line. To be selected as a candidate and then to rise up the party requires ever increasing degrees of submission, and in today’s anti-Muslim climate in Europe, that inevitably meant more denunciation of Islam and Shariah. He told the audience because of this, they might join in the system, but only at the expense of their Islam. He argued for a better alternative of political activity for Muslims, based on Islam and political activism to build self-reliant community institutions to tackle the real issues affecting our community – as well as to carry dawah by example of living by Islamic values.
Makbool Javaid challenged the premise that the system should only serve the interests of those who participated. He did not feel that Muslims, alone, should have to do more than other citizens to be treated with fairness. However, anyone who felt that playing the system was the only way to move forward should look to the example of the black community in the USA . It should be a lesson to us that the USA, with a serious black contender for President, a black Secretary of State, and numerous black mayors and police chiefs that Hurricaine Katrina two years ago revealed a black under class comparable to some African states. Political participation had not helped these people, and the various black politicians who had climbed the career ladder had not been able to elevate their community significantly.
During the Q and A session the discussion covered alternative ways of political engagement, as well as the hukm shari issues related to legislation and backing secular political parties. Lord Ahmed argued that you didn’t have to agree with all policies of a party to support it. Abdul Wahid responded to this by saying that governments whip their MPs on manifesto issues, and when you vote you effectively tick a box for the candidate who stands on that manifesto.
