My thought piece written on behalf of Ogilvy Noor was published this morning on FT.com

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My news feature published today in the Observer on Sunday

Woolwich attack: ‘Muslims are free of guilt. We had to condemn this killing’

A leading Islamic commentator and author reports on the swift reactions of Muslim groups to last week’s killing

Making a public statement: Julie Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of Britain at the memorial to Lee Rigby in Woolwich last week. Photograph: Andy Hall for the Observer

After Friday prayers, at the scene of last Wednesday’s dreadful murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, Julie Siddiqi laid a bunch of flowers. “It was hard not to cry, especially when the imam raised his hands in prayer at the moment we laid the flowers,” she said afterwards.

Siddiqi is executive director of the Islamic Society of Britain, one of the few women leading a national Muslim organisation and one of a growing number of Muslims of English origin. Her horror at the Woolwich attack is palpable: “It’s echoed by the Muslims around me. There’s genuine shock and outrage. The killing has really shaken people up.”

The community’s response was swift and unambiguous. Within hours of the incident, the Muslim Council of Britain issued a condemnation. “Whether it was to do with Muslims or not, it was right to express our horror at this disgusting event,” says Harun Khan, one of the MCB’s young leaders.

“But we were conscious, too, that the suspects had used Islamic words, and these would be used to demonise Muslims. We wanted people to know what happened was wrong, and there is nothing in Islam to justify it.”

The MCB is an umbrella body for 500 mosques, schools and associations, so getting an agreed public statement out rapidly was difficult. “We knew it had to be quick and unequivocal,” says Khan. The MCB’s message was across news outlets later on Wednesday afternoon.

Social media was used alongside conventional media channels. “Our Twitter account went into overdrive,” Khan says. “We were relentless in emphasising our condemnation, and amplified the voices of our affiliates doing the same. This was not just some leaders condemning the attack, it was the entire community.” Attempting to guide young Muslims using social media away from Twitter hate wars and towards constructive dialogue was another aim of the quick response.

Siddiqi added: “The community is maturing. The response was different to 7 July. In 2005, our organisations weren’t as developed. Now there’s more confidence, Muslims are more proactive.” She partly attributes this to the fact that as the length of the community’s presence in the UK increases, connections between Muslims and wider society have become stronger.

As always, there was criticism by Muslims of Muslim organisations for being “apologists” through the condemnations. If these were two lone men acting against Islamic principles, and if the rest of Muslims are as guilt-free as Britain’s general population, asked some, why the rush to apologise? Khan rejects this argument: “All decent people condemn such events. We do too. As members of this society, it is important we reach out and clearly express our position”

Siddiqi said she felt the need to reassure wider society and protect Muslims from a possible backlash: “We knew this incident would put people at risk, so it was a duty for us to respond.”

The backdrop to their stance is the sense of a growing anti-Muslim hatred, and rise of the English Defence League.

The backlash against Muslims after the September 11 and 7 July terrorist outrages were painful for Muslims. Since then there has been a steady increase in hate crime against Muslims, amid growing poverty and the rise of far-right parties across Europe. Last week a letter to the Muslim Association of Greece threatened to “slaughter like chickens” Muslims who did not leave the country by 30 June. Many feel that a comparison can be drawn with 1930s Europe.

“Fear is widespread among Muslims,” says Fiyaz Mughal, director of theTell Mama (Measuring anti-Muslim attacks) project. There has been a very large spike in abuse, attacks and assaults on Muslims since Woolwich. “We used to receive four to eight cases every day. Since Woolwich we’ve had 162, from hijab and niqab pulling, to graffiti on mosques and cars. One man entered a mosque armed with knives. Mosques have been attacked with petrol bombs.”

It is fashionable to deny that Islamophobia exists. “Evidentially,” says Mughal, “that idea is dead. We have data that shows clear targeting of Muslims.” He dismisses the idea that this arises from a sense of Muslim victimhood: “If people stop targeting Muslims then they won’t be victims. Simple.”

If anything, Muslims under-report attacks. “They don’t want to make a fuss. They shrug it off,” says Mughal. There are other reasons,. “People worry if they report attacks it will be their own details that get recorded. They’re fearful how their data will be used.”

One positive outcome of the tragedy is a stronger sense of community. Both Siddiqi and Khan feel that Muslim organisations have worked well together, establishing stronger relationships.

The notion of standing firm with British society is strong across the board. “All the community has so much pride in being British,” says Esmat Jeraj, assistant secretary general for the Council of European Jamaats (congregations).

The mosque next door to COEJ in Streatham, south London, was used for an open-house community meeting on Thursday to discuss Woolwich. “We invited all our neighbours, local organisations, Safer Neighbourhoods teams and councillors,” says Jeraj. She points out it was the only event of its kind in Streatham. “It was the imam’s idea to organise it.”

This open, cross-community role for Muslims is something Jeraj is keen to champion. “While we are practising Muslims, we have a responsibility as British citizens. Part of that work is countering lack of knowledge about Muslims and showing that mosques have nothing to hide, that they are open to all.

“Don’t worry. We’re not wishing for the government to be abolished or sharia to be imposed. We want people to know more about Muslims. We want to play our part.”

Humour in the face of adversity is a British trait. TV presenters faced with the Islamic phrase “Allahu akbar” (al-laa-hoo), struggled valiantly to pronounce it, but mostly only managed “aloo akbar”. What did potatoes (aloo) have to do with prayer, wondered some Muslims.

In terms of the media response to the death of Lee Rigby, aside from the ethics of publishing gory images, Muslims wondered if the event was politicised because of seeming connections to their religion. In a recent chilling murder allegedly inspired by anti-Muslim hatred, a 75-year-old Muslim man in Birmingham, returning from evening prayers, was stabbed to death outside his front door. It barely made the papers, let alone the front pages. Similar accusations of double standards were levelled at media and politicians for referring immediately to the Woolwich killing as an act of terrorism, before the facts of the terrible event had become known. .

During an early news report, the BBC’s Nick Robinson described the suspects as of “Muslim appearance”. He was criticised and subsequently apologised for using a phrase “liable to be misinterpreted and to cause offence”. The apology was well-received but left some Muslims wondering about the predisposition of media and politicians to equate any criminal act conducted by a Muslim with terrorism.

Baroness Warsi, the minister for faith and communities, criticised media outlets for giving space to “nutters and idiots” such as Anjem Choudary, former head of the banned extremist organisation Al-Muhajiroun.

One of the suspects, Michael Adebolajo, was filmed with Choudary, and many believe Choudary may have influenced the alleged killer.

Khan says the MCB has been working to tackle the extreme messages Choudary is peddling. Just two weeks ago, Choudhary’s supporters are alleged to have beaten up a Muslim man on Edgware Roadin London, in a horrific case of sectarian violence. A subsequent cross-sectarian forum co-organised by MCB posed searching questions for the police as to why this man was still at large.

Siddiqi, too, says that Muslims on the ground know of the threat that Choudary represents. “One local man at Woolwich mosque told me how Al-Muhajiroun tried to take over the mosque. They worked hard to push them out. But Al-Muhajiroun got a room from the council further up the road from which they conducted their activities.”

Many Muslims feel they are tackling extremism, but that those in positions of power are letting them down. Siddiqi feels it is important to recognise that media organisations have tried hard to engage Muslim voices. “I’ve been doing interviews non-stop,” she says.

“There’s a sense of unity and purpose,” says Khan. “But also a deep understanding that there’s more to do. There is always more to do.”

Shelina Janmohamed is a news columnist and the author of Love in a Headscarf. Follow her blog at www.spirit21.co.uk or @LoveinHeadscarf

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I created this image about 7 years ago to capture the British Muslim experience. Since then it has been borrowed and re-used by many (I've even seen it already used to protest the Woolwich killings elsewhere). If you wish to use it, please go ahead, but please leave the credit to spirit21.

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This is my weekly column published on Saturday 4th May in The National

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This my weekly column published in The National

White flags with red crosses have been fluttering across England this week, as the nation celebrated the day of its patron, Saint George.

Surprisingly, he was not English, but rather Greek or possibly Turkish. He served in the Roman army, lived in Palestine and has been adopted by many countries including England, Egypt, Ethiopia and Iraq. He was killed in 303 AD by the Roman emperor Diocletian for refusing to deny his Christian faith and protesting the persecution of Christians.

Legends from the 11th century onwards recount that he killed a dragon. One of the more famous legends, from the 15th century, tells of how he rescued a princess from a dragon terrorising a village, after which the entire village adopted Christianity.

St George’s life is a story of multiculturalism, migration, social fluidity and the transcendence of human values. Yet bizarrely, he has been adopted by the far right as a symbol of “purity” of the white English.

Poor St George, who died to oppose discrimination and persecution of the “other” is the unwilling poster boy for racism and hatred.

This year, the Christian-Muslim Forum, a London-based charitable organisation aimed at promoting interfaith dialogue, is reclaiming St George to reinstate him as a symbol of unity. Like St George’s adoption into English culture, the forum seeks to address the Islamophobia that is growing in English society with a campaign that suggests that another newcomer to English culture should be embraced. They suggest that the “hijab should be as British as bangers and mash”.

It takes admirable confidence from a nation to embrace the cultures and symbols of a minority, whether those symbols are food embraced by the masses, or icons explicitly adopted by the machinery of state, like St George. We must admire the fact that they are not insecure in their own identity.

It is precisely the adoption of outside influences into a country or state, and their contribution to its flavour, that make that culture unique and give it a powerful magnetism. The way Muslim civilisations embraced the cultures they came into contact with offers an example.

It must be difficult to be a Muslim this week after the tragic events of the Boston Marathon and the suspicion cast by right-wing commentators on Muslims. Meanwhile, in Myanmar, Rohingya Muslims continue to be killed. Figures of peace who are part of the majority, like Aung Sang Suu Kyi, are mealy mouthed about the atrocities rather than clearly condemning the massacres of the minority.

Muslim nations too have responsibilities to care for their minorities. Egypt must work to ensure its Coptic Christian minority is given its due place in the new national structures. In Pakistan and Bangladesh, to name just two other troubled states, minority Hindus, Christians and Buddhists must be protected and embraced.

When a nation treats its minorities well, and offers them protection, that is the unquestionable mark of a great nation.

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Published today in The National

http://m.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/nude-facebook-photo-protest-exposes-rift-over-womens-rights-in-tunisia

Protesting against the oppressive status quo comes in many forms. Non-violent protest was Gandhi’s weapon of choice. Rosa Parks chose to sit where she was forbidden. Mohamed Bouazizi set fire to himself. Their methods of disobedience fuelled social change.

A form of protest that doesn’t fit into this pantheon, despite its grandiose and self-important claims, is last week’s “International Topless Jihad Day” convened by a Ukrainian group, Femen, whose motto is “better naked than the veil”.

Tunisian blogger Amina Tyler received death threats and alleged kidnapping by her family after posting pictures of herself naked in line with Femen’s approach to tackling patriarchy. In response, Femen declared a day of “topless jihad”. A handful of women protested outside mosques in Paris and Belgium, and some were stopped en route to a mosque in Kiev, Ukraine.

Femen believe their actions are helping Muslim women. To this I say: no thanks, we don’t need your “help”. Your actions are neither feminist nor helpful.

What help are you giving? Did you help the blue-bra woman in Tahrir Square? Are you helping child brides in Yemen? Do you help your own Ukrainian women, hundreds of thousands of whom have been victims of human trafficking? Your actions are nothing more than a schoolboy stunt allowing the tacky tabloids another excuse to commodify women.

I find your behaviour infantile and lacking in knowledge of actual effective ways of making change. If anything, your actions have set back our cause.

From a feminist perspective, nude protest feeds into the treatment of women as sex objects. And Femen’s description of Muslims as brainwashed, unthinking and knife-wielding adds to hatred against Muslims.

We reject your imperialist propaganda that we would only be free if we were naked like you. Muslims see a different shape to social development for themselves. Liberty yes, but on Femen’s terms and with Femen’s vision? Again, I say no thanks.

“We told you the West is negative and will destroy Muslim societies,” admonishes the patriarchy, and in turn the initiatives that Muslim women themselves have mounted are muted. “Help” takes forms like the invasion of Afghanistan, making life worse for everyone. If you’re serious about helping Muslim women, address the principal causes of oppression: poverty, war and the skewed global financial system. Women are always at the bottom of the pile and even those who are oppressed turn their meagre power onto Muslim women.

But most of all, we don’t need Femen because you believe that we cannot think for ourselves, and that you need to free us. Which is why I assume you ignore the multitude of Muslim women who object to your actions. Why do protests by a few naked white women generate more coverage than all the initiatives and protests by Muslim women themselves?

Femen leader Inna Shevchenko: you said there are “bearded men with knives” behind us, and you called us “slaves”.

Your slurs against the many men who support us, against our independent agency, and your description of us as “slaves” show that you do not respect us. Those who demean us are not our helpers. It is Orwellian doublespeak to say you desire our freedom when all your actions do is to heap unwanted stereotypes upon us and stir hatred against us.

Will naked breasts help us? To quote that tongue-in-cheek feminist phrase: we need you like a fish needs a bicycle.

Shelina Zahra Janmohamed is the author of Love in a Headscarf and blogs atwww.spirit21.co.uk

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My weekly column published in The National

Image courtesy notonthehighstreet.com

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman gaining a higher education must be in want of a husband – or at least that was the case a hundred years ago.

Since then we’ve had feminism, the chiselling away of the glass ceiling and a narrowing of the male-female pay gap. But most importantly we’ve had social acceptance that education for education’s sake is as important for women as it is for men, and that snagging a husband is not a woman’s only or ultimate goal. Imagine, then, the storm whipped up by a letter written by Princeton alumna Susan Patton, published in the student newspaper, to female undergraduates she called “the daughters I never had”. She advised them to take a hard look at their male Princeton peers and realise that they will “never again have this concentration of men who are worthy of you”.

And here’s her killer advice: “Find a husband on campus before you graduate.” She knows her views are not fashionable in the 21st century, but “this is what nobody is telling you”.

Her advice polarised opinions. There are critics who say that going to university to look for a husband is a backwards step for establishing a woman’s independent worth outside of being her husband’s chattel. Further, to say that the only suitable match for a woman is someone from the same university or social strata is elitist.

But other women are breathing a sigh of relief that someone has finally spoken about the importance of personal life as part of the women’s liberation movement. Feminism has focused too much on career and forgotten about establishing women’s personal happiness, which is also a feminist goal, or at least ought to be.

The general idea of looking for a partnership with a compatible peer is, in my opinion, sound. And I agree that if feminism is to achieve women’s happiness then one of its duties is to bolster women’s belief in their right to more balanced partnerships.

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This is my latest news feature for the National looking at World Halal Week which is taking place this week in Kuala Lumpur

It is a multitrillion-dollar sector. But halal is not just about food – as a conference displaying Malaysia’s lead in the area illustrates, it is rapidly evolving into consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and Islamic finance, with interest also from the Arabian Gulf. Shelina Janmohamed reports.

This was published in The National today

The Petronas Towers stand proud above Kuala Lumpur, a city that has been transformed over the past 20 years from the quiet capital of Malaysia into a bustling regional hub, and one of the key proponents of the burgeoning halal industry.

It is host to World Halal Week, a global convention that brings together buyers, manufacturers and industry experts all growing the US$2.1 trillion (Dh7.7tn) global halal market.

Part-exhibition, part-conference, it joins up the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (Mihas) and the World Halal Forum.
Mihas celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Launched in the shadow of September 11 and in the years after the financial crash in Asia, it was both visionary in imagining a global sector aimed positively at the Muslim world, and opportunistic in establishing Malaysia as a key halal hub.

Its aim is to facilitate the sourcing and selling of quality halal consumables, products and services globally, describing itself as “the largest congregation of halal industry players”.

The convention, which opened yesterday and runs until Saturday, is open to business and trade, with the public being allowed in on the final day.

The event expects to grow 25 per cent on last year, projecting 500 exhibitors and 20,000 visitors. Last year, more than two thirds of visitors were trade buyers. A special pre-show programme brings “incoming buying missions”, which are organised by the Ministry of Trade and Investment, to build the profile of Malaysian SMEs in the halal sector.

This business matching programme gives both buyers and sellers the advantages of one-to-one negotiations. Its popularity is apparent. Last year 361 foreign companies from 52 countries were matched up with 449 Malaysian companies and resulted in 3,714 meetings.

The aim this year is to replicate the 500 million ringgit (Dh596m) worth of business conducted overall during the exhibition.

Mihas is organised by two of the halal industry’s most well-known bodies, the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) and the International Halal Integrity Alliance (IHI Alliance).

The HDC is part of Malaysia’s strategy to establish the country as the gateway to the halal industry. As an agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, its objective is to co-ordinate the overall development of the halal industry in Malaysia, something that is important commercially and politically to the South-East Asian nation with a population of 28 million, 60 per cent of which is Muslim.

“Mihas was a pioneering initiative to fill a gap in the market and provide Muslim consumers a showcase of halal products, mainly food,” says Hajjah Jumaatun Azmi, founder and director of the World Halal Forum, the second of the two events taking place this week.

Its success led to a second Mihas the following year, after which Ms Azmi says that “we realised that there was a need for constructive discussion and interaction among the various stakeholders”. In 2006 this realisation bore fruit in the shape of the World Halal Forum and the two events have been held back to back ever since.

The World Halal Forum is the cerebral and networking element of the week. “Participants can learn first-hand the latest developments in the industry from leading experts in their field, be it market intelligence, consumer behaviour, new technology and innovation or the latest in regulatory requirements,” says Darham Dali Hashim, director of the World Halal Forum.

This year there will be 20 expert speakers and 1,000 delegates are expected. They will span the entire halal value chain from farmers, slaughterhouse operators, manufacturers, restaurateurs, government agencies and scientists.

What is unusual about the halal industry is that one of the key groups of participants are Islamic scholars, whose involvement in everything from certification to finance is crucial to ensuring that products and services are in line with Islamic rulings and therefore meet Muslim consumer needs.

Mr Hashim is a stalwart of the halal industry and in the past seven years has taken part in about 50 halal-related events in more than 20 countries. He is a champion for Malaysia’s halal industry and feels that the country has demonstrated that it is “serious” about halal integrity, with milestones including the first halal certification system, standards, legislation and, of course, trade shows and conferences like Mihas and the World Halal Forum.

“The momentum is continuing,” Mr Hashim says, as numbers of applications for halal certification grow, as well as the recent introduction of a pharmaceuticals standard.

The halal industry is about more than just food and beverage, which is where growing sectors such as healthcare, tourism, innovation, branding and pharmaceuticals come in. This is reflected in the way that Mihas has evolved over its lifetime to go beyond just food producers to other consumer goods such as cosmetics, toiletries, pharmaceuticals and now services including banking, finance and logistics.

Mr Hashim says he feels that this breadth is what differentiates World Halal Week from the many halal exhibitions and conferences springing up around the world. He also says that Malaysia’s platform offers the industry a “global and neutral” space.

This year’s conference programme showcases this breadth, with subjects as varied as Islamic finance, halal medical care, halal ecosystems and science innovations, such as halal collagen.

Ms Azmi and Mr Hashim project an alluring mix of heartfelt Islamic aspiration with an eye for commercial opportunity. “One of our global aims is to make halal the mainstream standard of choice,” says Ms Azmi. Looking at this from Malaysia’s position in Asia, which is home to 65 per cent of the world’s Muslims, this makes perfect sense.

But Ms Azmi is under no illusions about the challenges. “First is the task of overcoming the negative perception of halal in certain quarters, in particular Europe,” she says.

The region is home to about 50 million Muslims and their global influence is much wider. European Muslims are increasingly affluent but increasingly demanding of mainstream halal products.

The second challenge is “to promote the universal values that halal espouses”. Ms Azmi believes that this means Muslims must lead by example in excellent animal welfare and handling, and the highest hygiene standards, professionalism and transparency.

In the light of the recent horse meat scandal across Europe, pork DNA being found in halal meat and Chinese products being fraudulently labelled as halal and manufactured in Malaysia, these are particularly timely concerns. As Mr Hashim puts it, “you must be halal and be seen to be halal”, acknowledging that while rigorous halal certification processes are important, “it is vital to manage the perception through good branding, marketing and communications”.

He hopes that this is the year when talk about the potential of the halal market becomes reality. “Among the delegates will be fund managers and potential investors who are attending for the first time. I am hoping for their investment parameters to home into the halal industry.”

Mr Hashim may not have long to wait. One of the delegates and speakers at the conference is Rushdi Siddiqui, another long-time advocate of the halal industry, and well known for his pioneering work in Islamic finance. In 2011 he was part of a launch at the World Halal Forum with former Malaysian prime minister, Tun Abdullah Badawi, of the world’s first halal food index. An adviser to Thomson Reuters for Islamic Finance and Organiasation of the Islamic Conference countries, he is also the founder of Azka Capital, a private equity firm addressing food security that he is launching at this year’s forum.
Mr Hashim has picked the World Halal Forum to launch the new company for “the same reason companies launch their product during the Super Bowl in the US”, explaining that “the world’s attention for the halal industry is directed towards Malaysia”.

World Halal Week is Malaysia’s flagship event to lead the halal industry and stakes out the country’s ground in a growing and competitive sector. The organisers recognise that the work requires participation from the wider Muslim world. Ms Azmi is hopeful of reaching out to new audiences and has cause for optimism.

Muslim consumers, businesses and governmental bodies are asserting their interest in this industry and becoming increasingly vocal about the need for products, services and business regimes to grow the sector. “Quite a lot of interest has been stirred in the GCC, in particular Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai,” Ms Azmi says, recognising that Malaysia’s efforts are reaping rewards.

“And we would welcome any co-operation with them in moving the global halal industry forward.”

PLUS

When people talk of halal – meaning permitted – the first thought goes to meat, as animals must be slaughtered according to Quranic prescription. Pig products and alcohol are inherently haram, meaning forbidden. In between these two poles is a grey area, where products and services are coming under increasing scrutiny for their ingredients and the manufacturing processes used.

Pharmaceuticals sometimes contain non-halal ingredients. The recent certification of a halal-compliant meningitis vaccination was a coup by Saudi authorities, as all pilgrims must prove they have been inoculated before attending the Haj.

Muslim women are increasingly conscious of haram ingredients in cosmetics, and several entrepreneurs have developed their own lines of make-up with organic, ethical, non-alcohol based and halal ingredients. This makes them appeal to a wider consumer base of females, who are concerned about what they put onto their skin, and halal-certified products are the ones that meet their criteria.

Muslim travellers are being drawn towards destinations which offer halal food, dry hotels and airlines, family- and women-friendly environments such as those that offer segregated beaches and pools, as well as countries where they feel they will be welcomed rather than stared at.

Even financial products are assessed for their Shariah compliance, as Islamic teachings are clear about monetary mechanisms that are forbidden, such as interest, and those that are encouraged, such as profit-sharing. In the current global financial crisis they are proving increasingly popular with Muslim and non-Muslim investors alike.

When it comes to communications, the Islamic branding industry aims to engage with Muslim consumers through values that are important in Muslim cultures and which have resonance with Islamic faith. Areas where this offers particular challenges as well as opportunities are in Muslim fashion and Islamic finance. In the former, the display of models used by western fashion is problematic. In the latter, complex financial products and their Islamic principles need to be clearly communicated in a competitive marketplace.

* Shelina Janmohamed

This article was published today in The National

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My latest weekly column for The National.

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I was featured on 4thought.tv earlier this week as part of a range of people commenting in advance of the Papal election on who should be the next Pope. You can hear my thoughts by clicking through the video.

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