Exciting news! I’ve been nominated to the shortlist of Women of Tomorrow by the IPA and Campaign magazine. The full article is below along with a link to the list.

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IPA reveals Women of Tomorrow shortlist

Twenty-seven women from across the media, digital, branding and creative industries have been shortlisted for the IPA and Campaign’s Women of Tomorrow Awards.

The awards celebrate women in middle management who are potential industry leaders of the future. They have been chosen by some of the IPA’s women of today and Claire Beale, the editor of Marketing.

Nine women have been shortlisted from media agencies including MediaCom, ZenithOptimedia, Maxus, Carat and Vizeum, while five women have been shortlisted from integrated and digital agencies, such as LBi, DraftFCB, Razorfish and TMW.

Six women from across creative agencies Beattie McGuinness Bungay, Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Karmarama and JWT were shortlisted as well as women from Barclays and Spotify.

Specialist agencies such as the retail agency Portas Agency, youth specialist Livity and Islamic branding consultancy OgilvyNoor are also represented.

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This is my article published in the FT yesterday.

Guest post: horsemeat scandal companies can learn from Halal

By Shelina Janmohamed of Ogilvy Noor

The horsemeat scandal has raised significant consumer questions: what is in the food we eat, how can we be sure it’s properly labelled, and most importantly, who can we trust?

For Muslim consumers who wish to observe halal in their food and beverage consumption – an industry worth an estimated $661bn a year – these are questions they ask daily. For them, halal certification from a trusted authority is vital, otherwise they simply won’t buy. No trusted halal logo, no sale.

Halal champagne

This means that getting your products halal certified is crucial. A sampling of news stories demonstrates that halal certified food is on the upswing in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Kenyan businesses are remaking products with halal certificates. Brazil exports over 85,000 metric tonnes of halal certified meat products each month.

The Canadian halal meat market is estimated at $214 million and Muslim households spend double weekly average on meat products. The UAE halal food industry will hit $8.4bn by 2020. A lack of certification can keep you out of the market, like in Oman where meat without a halal stamp isn’t allowed to enter the country.

Halal certification means that food has been put through approved processes that guarantee to consumers that nothing in the food has any forbidden components. Halal certificates are usually issued for a fee by a certifying body. Once the product is approved, it is stamped with a logo to indicate who has approved it.

Busy shoppers rarely have time to read detailed information on a product, so a recognisable logo picked out in a quick glance when scanning supermarket shelves can make them reach across the last three feet of the aisle and pick up the product. Restaurants, butchers and grocery stores sport logos to draw in trade, which are then used in directories, the internet and apps.

Since it is part of the certifying body’s brand, the logo tells the Muslim consumer about the religious promise on which the certification is based. Globally, there are hundreds of halal certification authorities, often several co-existing in one country. This is because approval standards vary widely despite all being rooted in Islamic practice. Of course there are some basics that they all agree on: products should contain no alcohol or pig derivatives.

But beyond such fundamentals there are grey areas such as the contentious question of whether an animal be stunned before slaughter. The popularity and proliferation of a particular certification body is therefore linked to the credibility of its processes, the people who have established it, and the scholars who accredit it. And like any brand, the track record of the certification body and its processes are part of popular Muslim consumer scrutiny.

Muslim consumer confidence underpins this market. Muslim consumers want reassurance from a trusted authority. Sometimes the government takes on this responsibility, such as Malaysia’s JAKIM, Saudi’s shoura council and Pakistan’s halal board.

Sometimes an existing Muslim body extends its authority into certification due to consumer demand, as in the recent case of Indonesia’s Nahdatul Ulama, one of the country’s largest and oldest Muslim membership bodies with 30 million members.

Sometimes, Muslim consumers are so disheartened by the seeming untrustworthiness of certification bodies, they take matters into their own hands as in South Africa by setting up a Muslim consumer council to hold service providers, suppliers, and producers accountable after a scandal where pork was labelled as halal meat.

This lack of consumer trust is something that Malaysia recognises so an halal audit body has been proposed in order to address low Muslim consumer confidence in halal integrity.

For brands deciding which certification to choose, the importance of Muslim consumer trust, and how to build credible relationships with them, there is no better object lesson than the recent saga unfolding in the UK about contaminated meat.

Halal food being served to prisoners was found to contain pork DNA. The halal certification body that had approved the products – the Halal Food Authority – has come under intense criticism. One regional body of mosques urged their communities to boycott it. The national body the Muslim Council of Britain championed the Muslim consumer voice with the clear directive – and brands should take note of this rather obvious but crucial point – “It is the community’s right that whatever is sold as halal is in fact halal.” It added that halal certification agencies must “come together to restore consumer confidence.”

Muslim consumer acceptance is based on Muslim community acceptance. Once the community loses trusts and therefore rejects it, the brand is doomed. It is a slow and perilous crawl back to trusted status – if that is it can ever be regained – and the only route is significant scholarly authority and transparency of processes being put behind a story of redemption in order to restore it’s reputation.

By contrast, this body has probably signed its own death warrant by trying to downplay the seriousness with which Muslim consumers take such matters. It’s first response was to assert that “It is not the case of an ingredient, rather a case of DNA being found” and according to the MCB it has “yet to express any regret over this whole affair.”

The Halal Food Authority stated that “HFA categorically affirms that our standards and audit protocols are in compliance of the Islamic dietary rules and in conformity of the relevant EU regulations.” Their challenge is that the damage to Muslim consumer confidence in their brand has already been done.

So what can brands learn from this matter? Confidence must be absolute, the merest doubt undermines any authority. And consumer concern must be treated with absolute seriousness. Understanding which logo is most trusted by Muslim communities is vital, or your product simply won’t get picked up. But if you can show that you’ve done your research, that you take the matter with the utmost seriousness, and the community’s approval is important to you, you’ll have won their trust.

Getting halal certification is not enough, living up to its promise is just as important for your brand. In the USA, McDonald’s and one of its franchise owners has agreed to pay $700,000 to members of the Muslim community to settle allegations that one of it’s restaurants falsely advertised its food as halal. McDonald’s and Finley’s Management deny any liability but say the settlement is in their best interests.

Global brands understand how halal endorsement opens doors. Krispy Kreme announced halal certification for its products in the UK. While their ingredients were already compliant, and so their doughnuts remain unchanged, they had acquired the halal certification because it “means a lot to consumers.”

Kingsmill bread and bakery goods took a similar approach with its products whose ingredients were already halal compliant by acquiring halal certification.

The comparatively small amount of effort required in obtaining halal certification is likely to win Muslim consumer loyalty and repeat purchases. Muslim consumers feel particularly positively towards brands that make even the smallest effort to reach out. And the best part is that they will do their utmost to spread the good word.

Shelina Janmohamed is vice president of Ogilvy Noor, a part of Ogilvy & Mather.

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Here’s my latest weekly newspaper column published today in The National.

Amid growing political turmoil in Bangladesh, the arrest of 20 female activists at the end of last year went almost unnoticed by the world’s press.

The women’s hijabs were forcibly removed and then they were forced to remain in an open public space, presumably to humiliate them. They were all denied bail, even the pregnant one.

The police admitted that there was no evidence to support charging them, or refusing bail. But the 20 were held for a further two days for “questioning” even though Bangladeshi law limits such custody to 24 hours. Meanwhile 13 other women were arrested for protesting against the treatment of their sisters.

These women were locked up for no crime, and then humiliated, for just one reason: they belong to the opposition party.

I am increasingly concerned that those in power in Bangladesh see mistreatment of women as mere collateral damage in their zealous efforts to defeat their political opponents.

This is not about the rights and wrongs of the two main political positions in Bangladesh. I will not venture into that minefield, the long history and deep emotion of which are tearing the nation apart. Rather, I want to focus on the fact that women are being targeted as a matter of political strategy. This is part of a wider government failure to protect ordinary women.

In January in Dhaka’s Shah Ali area, an 11-year old schoolgirl died after being gang-raped. The rapists left the girl’s corpse hanging from a ceiling fan. A local protest carried the body to a police station, but the authorities did nothing about the crime.

In the Chittagong Hill Tracts in eastern Bangladesh, the Asian Human Rights Commission reports, police did not register a formal complaint in another rape case, as the alleged perpetrator is an influential political leader. Police also denied the victim a credible medical exam.

Rape is a contentious issue in Bangladesh; there are grave allegations of mass rape during the 1971 war of independence. But denials of justice in recent rape cases give official demands for justice over crimes past the empty ring of insincere rhetoric.

There’s no denying that women in Bangladesh face oppression from traditional patriarchy. But cases like these highlight government failure to enforce existing legislation. As Human Rights Watch says diplomatically, “implementation remains poor”.

Extreme conservatives do Muslim women no favours. But just as pernicious are secularists who put political power above the reality of women’s lives. In Turkey women who chose to wear the headscarf were erased from political and civic spaces by secularists. In France women have been denied citizenship because they wear the niqab. And so on.

In Bangladesh it’s not just women being targeted, but minorities too, in a tolerated epidemic of violence against those seen as “other”.

A Hindu man was shot in his home after being accused of supporting the opposition. He begged for his life explaining he was Hindu. His crime? A beard, a symbol of Muslim piety.

Further, the government has been widely criticised for rejection and harassment of Rohingya refugees fleeing for their lives from neighbouring Myanmar, where they are persecuted for the “crime” of being Muslim.

In its fight for political power, Bangladesh’s government has shown that it finds power more desirable than justice. Women, minorities and refugees are simply collateral damage.

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This is my weekly column published today in The National

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If you’ve been following closely, you’ll know that for nearly two years now I’ve been working as the VP at Ogilvy Noor, the world’s first Islamic branding practice for building brands with Muslim consumers globally.  It’s a growing segment that is attracting attention from both the world’s biggest brands, as well as being a flourishing opportunity that is being co-opted by entrepreneurs and new cultural trends.

In this post, re-published from the Ogilvy Noor blog which I write, you can follow the big themes of the year and get some deeper insights into the Muslim consumer market. I’ll also be posting a few of the articles in full on this blog.

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Ogilvy Noor’s year in review 2012

In the last 12 months, awareness, interest and brand engagement with the Muslim consumer has continued on a steep upward curve. From an Ogilvy Noor perspective we take a look back at the events, ideas and highpoints of the year.

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Understanding the opportunity

In any industry segment that is in its early growth stages, it’s natural that establishing awareness, understanding and the scale and shape of the opportunity is the crucial first stage. We spent time discussing the business opportunities for brands today when it comes to Muslim consumers as well as some of the challenges when marketing to Muslims. It’s a population of 1.8 billion people, spending an estimated $2.1 trillion, and 42% of whom are under 25, which is an astonishing 11% of the entire global population.

The big buzz word in the industry is ‘Islamic branding’, but what exactly is Islamic branding and why is it significant? And of course what you really need when assessing the opportunity for your business are somekey facts about the growing segment.

Keeping our focus very much on this rapidly growing segment we set about diving deeper into how brands should establish and grow their relationship with consumers.  In the FT.com we looked at three powerful areas of focus for 2012 – finance, fashion and halal brands.

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Building brands for Muslim consumers

Of course, one of the big questions for businesses in an ever better connected world, with a Muslim population that spans all continents, is how to build global halal brands, another issue we tackled in the FT.

We took some time to focus specifically on how food brands can market to Muslim consumers, and looked at the rising crossover trend of eco-halal.

In trying to understand the vast spread of Muslims around the world along with some of their geographic and cultural contexts we looked at bite size insights with our Fast Facts onBangladesh, Brunei Darussalamand Indonesia.

In the eyes of Muslim consumers how friendly are global brands to their needs? This was a question that we at Ogilvy Noor set out to answer. Our findings were published in the Noor Brand Index, a first-of-its-kind study into Muslim consumer attitudes towards global brands. And the results might surprise many. For the very first time, there is a benchmark of the appeal of  specific brands to Muslim consumers.

Reflecting on the appeal of brands to Muslim consumers we asked a crucial question: how shariah-friendly is your brand? Brands seeking to engage the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims need to make sure they’re products and services are “shariah friendly” and as we explained, that’s easier than you might think. And in case you are still feeling nervous, we can reassure you that it’s more profitable and less frightening than you might expect.

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Significant reports on the growth of the Muslim consumer market

The Economist Intelligence Unit published a substantial report on the ‘Sharia-conscious consumer’, featuring insights from Ogilvy Noor. Their finding was that “demand for Sharia orientated products and services is strong, and expected to grow. Among the reasons: expanding Muslim populations, rising purchasing power, shifting consumption patterns, and a broader range of products and services on offer. The range of Sharia-orientated products and services is broadening, from food and Islamic finance products to pharmaceuticals, fashion and tourism, among others.”

BBC Radio 4 covered the rise of the Muslim consumer segment in its radio documentary ‘The Future is halal’. Ogilvy Noor’s Shelina Janmohamed explains to the programme the detailed findings from our pioneering publication “Brands, Islam and the new Muslim consumer”, and paints the landscape across the diverse industries which are embracing ‘halal’. You can read more about the documentary here, and also listen to the programme if you are in the UK.

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Media interest in Muslim consumers continues to grow

Across print, TV, radio, consumer and trade marketing, the media has been buzzing the whole year with the growth of the Islamic branding industry, quoting Ogilvy Noor at the forefront of its reporting.

BBC Radio 4′s flagship consumer programme You and Yours was fascinated by the rising voice of Muslim consumers, asking what is Islamic branding and why do we need it?

The National looked at the popularity with Muslim consumers of Kraft’s Tang and cheese products.

In an extensive report by Swiss Bank Sarasin on Islamic Wealth Management in 2012, Ogilvy Noor’s pioneering presence in the field of Islamic branding and understanding of how brands are perceived by Muslim consumers sets the scene for their explanation of the growth of this segment.

The Egypt Independent looked at making travel halal.

The UK’s Guardian asked ‘Halal toothpaste, anyone? Religious observance has become a global brand.’

London based radio station Monocle 24 focused on retailers reaching out to Muslim consumers in Ramadan.

And PR Week in the USA quoted the growing segment as ‘Affluent and untapped’. “The key to connecting with Muslim Americans is respecting their unique qualities while recognizing the similarities to other US consumer markets, writes PR Week. One look at the American-Muslim demographic will reveal a young, educated, affluent population that’s both highly loyal and eager to be engaged by US companies. Yet, the market is basically untapped.”

The Houston Chronicle echoed that Muslim consumers are growing in the USA and they have money to spend. And the Huffington Post added that Muslim growth is good for business.

Across the other side of the world the Times of India reported that “Indian brands get ‘halal’ stamp, set to woo Muslims in global markets“.

In Malaysia, Marketing-Interactive magazine asked “Is online the new space for halal?”

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Communicating with Muslim consumers

Like all consumers, Muslim consumers like to be courted by brands, and we looked at three top tips for talking to Muslim consumers: tete a tete with personal contact, crossovers with mainstream marketing, and through community engagement.

Arts and culture are also powerful media through which to engage with Muslim consumers, and we looked at some world class organisations who are using exactly these methods to build relationships.

One of the lynch pins of a relationship with consumers is to build love for your brand. And on Valentine’s Day – a day which often holds controversy among Muslims and some consumers generally, we asked how you can grow Muslim consumer affection for your brand.

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Getting to know Muslim women

At the 8th World Islamic Economic Forum, Ogilvy Noor Vice President Shelina Janmohamed spoke about ‘Revolution unveiled: how Muslim women are driving innovation.’ With the rise of the Muslim Futurists, and amongst these the epic changes affecting Muslim women, the latter are now demanding innovation from brands and where they are not being heard they are engaging in radical entrepreneurship themselves.

One of these industry trends includes the growth of Muslim lifestyle magazines.

We also spent time investigation the growth of Muslim fashion in a two part series (here and here) on the rise and rise of this global segment.

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Seasonality and the Muslim calendar

Ramadan has an overwhelming significance in the Islamic year, with Muslims joining together for the month of fasting. We delved deep into a number of important symbols and traditions, including the crescent moonknown as the ‘hilal’, with a specific focus on designing the moon.

We looked at the Islamic tradition of dates and its new modern twists, as well as Ramadan traditions in Egypt of lanterns, cannons and night callers.

Ramadan also coincided with the huge global event of the Olympics, and we spent time considering the relationship between Ramadan, the Olympics and Muslim athletes.

Of course since Ramadan has such importance for Muslims, brands must work hard to get it right and cut through the clutter. We considered how brands can make life easier in Ramadan acting as a friend that solves problems, rather than a devil causing distraction.  And we crystallised five top tips on engaging Muslim consumers during the month of fasting.

Finally, the end of Ramadan is marked by the festival of Eid ul Fitr, and in our Eid message we focused on Eid traditions and attitudes towards children, including rituals, gifts and community.

The Islamic pilgrimage, known as the hajj, also plays an extremely important part of the Islamic calendar. For clarity we looked at three things you should know about Muslims and the hajj. Marking the culmination of the hajj is the Eid festival known as Eid ul Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice. In our Eid message we focused on the principles of purity, renewal and community.

And in case marketers were having difficulty in contextualising the significance and meaning behind the events of the Islamic year, we unravelled any misconceptions with a deep look at how to understand the Islamic new year, the crescent moon and Muslim seasonality.

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Ogilvy Noor continues to grow and win awards

For the second year in a row, Ogilvy Noor won a prestigious WPP Atticus Award for original thinking.

Ogilvy Noor, was selected by the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) Foundation to develop and execute a worldwide public relations strategy for the upcoming 8^th WIEF to be held in Iskandar Malaysia, Johor from 4-6 December 2012. The 8^th WIEF is organised by WIEF Foundation and hosted by Government of Malaysia and Johor State Government. You can read more about the 8th WIEF here and the ‘Muslim world is open for business.’

We spoke at the 8th World Islamic Economic Forum in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. We’ve already mentioned Shelina’s presentation on Muslim women and innovation. You can also see her thoughts on “Trade is a mutually lucrative means of establishing relationships between the Muslim and wider world.”

At the 3rd Annual Asia Islamic Banking Conference, Ogilvy Noor’s President John Goodman shared his thoughts speaking on from Doubt to Devotion, alongside Ogilvy Noor colleague Hendri Satrio who spoke on Don’t just talk Islamic, walk Islamic.

The last 12 months have seen extraordinary growth and ever increasing interest in the Muslim consumer market. Next year we will be extending our thought leadership in this space. If you feel that you would like to be part of reaching out to the ‘third billion’, then we’d be delighted to hear from you.

In the meantime, we hope you too have had a successful 2012, and look forward to connecting with you in 2013.

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My column published in the Huffington Post in December 2012

As a British Muslim woman who wears the headscarf, I find myself at the forefront of debates about the kind of relationship that can be held between ‘Islam and the West’, whether ‘Islam and Modernity are compatible’ and why Muslims allegedly can’t engage with the western world. By its very nature such discussions come with a bias and are set against a political backdrop.

But as someone whose family travelled in the early 20th century from India to East Africa for economic reasons, and whose parents did the same by moving to the UK as part of the British empire, I have a different take on this subject: and it comes in the guise of trade. Simply put, many of our social attitudes may be shaped by political grandstanding, but the reality of our lives and our political relationships are much more pragmatically shaped by trade and commerce.

In the eigth century, King Offa of England decided to mint coins with the Islamic declaration embossed on the rear. It was no doubt a practical decision by a ruler who wanted to trade with the increasingly close by and wealthy Muslim world. Sought after spices could only be procured along the old Silk Road, whose route passed through many Muslim nations. And even our increasingly fashionable cup of coffee has its roots in the Muslim world. In fact, coffee houses in the 17th centuries were considered hotbeds of sedition, partly connected to the fact that coffee was seen as the drink of the Ottoman enemy, and it was referred to as ‘the wine of Islam.’

The 21st century is no different: trade still governs the reality of life. And in my view, alongside cultural and artistic transactions, trade is a mutually lucrative means of establishing robust and enduring relationships between the Muslim and wider world.

“Building bridges through business” is the wording used by the World Islamic Economic Forum that is taking place this week in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, a commercial city that sits on the southernmost tip of the peninsula, and once the last built place before the marshes of Singapore.

It’s a lofty goal, and one much needed. We live in a world of 1.8 billion Muslims (1 in 4 of the population today is Muslim) and which is set to grow to 2.2 billion by 2020. And yet today they collectively earn 80% less than world average income.

From 4-6 December, Muslim political, business and cultural leaders including 2,100 delegates from 86 countries will discuss topics from the more economically expected such as innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship and sustainability, to more diverse subjects like nanonetch, waqf investments, and disaster mitigation. There will be the expected dignitaries: the Prime Minister of Malaysia, the President of the Comoros, the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, special representatives of the Prime Minister of Qatar and the President of Pakistan, and the President of the Islamic Development Bank based in Jeddah.

What I’m particularly pleased about is to see streams focusing on young leaders as well as business women, and I’ll be speaking at the Forum about ‘Revolution unveiled: The rising innovation of Muslim women. ‘

The business world is only slowly waking up to the potential of the global Muslim consumer. With such a young growing Muslim population that is open to brands, and whose faith guides their consumption, it is an opportunity for savvy marketers. But even within this rich seam of consumers are Muslim women. Forget being misunderstood, even when not misrepresented, they are under-understood and under-served. Muslim women have expectations that companies, governments and civic organisations will innovate to meet their needs. And when they don’t, they innovate themselves.

I also mentioned the power of arts, and so it’s heartening to see an unusual development for a Muslim organisation: a Marketplace of Creative Arts, featuring film makers, singers, dancers, musicians, spoken word artists and cartoonists. Western and Muslim art and architecture has been mutually influential over centuries.

The hope – like in times past – is that economics will trump politics in building links and result in a more peaceful and secure combined future.

Thousands of years of trade have told us that the relationship is a positive and fluid, and mutually beneficial intellectually as well as economically.

Ideally, the future ahead of us is one where I stop having to discuss inane and passé questions like the compatibility between the Western and Muslim worlds. Commerce and arts are two of the powerful demonstrations of what is possible.

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My monthly column from EMEL December 2012

There is no parallel to seeing sites that relate to Islamic history in person. Sadly, these sacred spaces are now being destroyed around the world.

I have always been enraptured with the verses of the Qur’an that direct Muslims to travel the earth and see what has gone before. In Delhi I saw remnants of the astounding golden age of the Mughals, alongside the opulence and indulgence that led to its demise, a lesson in the holistic contribution of Muslims to culture, as well as the perils of hubris. In Granada’s Alhambra Palace I saw the magnificence of Islamic architecture, and its comfort in creating a European Islam. In Makkah I saw the now significantly hidden mounts of Safa and Marwa mentioned in the Qur’an as the ‘signs’ of God. I imagined the difficulties that beset Lady Hajrah in her isolation in the valley.

Other places, like Petra in Jordan, are part of the backdrop to Islam and believed to be mentioned in the Qur’an. I am constantly thankful at the existence of these sites. I begin to understand the ways the people have lived, and the lessons to be drawn from their civilisations, especially when their fates have been described in the Qur’an.

Of course you can read about these in books. But seeing with your own eyes—as every religious seeker will confirm—has no parallel. After all, did Prophet Ibrahim not express to God that he believed, but that to see with his own eyes would bring peace to his heart?

I’m not the only Muslim to have experienced such epiphanies, or to aspire to travel to such sites of historical importance. Muslim travel and tourism is estimated at $126 billion. Countries that care about their connection to Muslim history are preserving sites, which help their own industries, but more importantly makes a contribution to the ummah’s sense of self.

One of my great distresses in recent years is how rapidly and ruthlessly our communal Muslim history is being destroyed, through neglect or willful destruction, which includes destruction by Muslims themselves. It is implicit in the Qur’anic directive to see what has gone before, and that history must be preserved. I am surprised at how easily this is overlooked. There are of course also reasons of sacred space, and love of those who have been part of the birth of Islam. In addition there is a growing movement to discredit the origins of Islam. If these early sites are destroyed, where will this evidence and research stem from?

Muslims are quick to be enraged at the destruction of Muslim heritage by those who are not Muslim. The OIC was in fact founded in response to an arson attack against Al-Aqsa Mosque in 1969. Yet secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has written that the OIC should “spare no effort to preserve the Islamic historical and religious identity of Al Quds Al Sharif”. Is this shrine worship? Of course not. Do these sites impede pilgrims? Of course not. And yet in Muslim countries, these arguments are used by Muslims to destroy Muslim sacred sites.

Muslim heritage belongs to the Muslim ummah and to no one single nation state. It is being destroyed across the world in front of our eyes by Muslims. Yet we are doing little or nothing to stop it. The exquisite mosques of Mali, the mausoleums in Pakistan and the Islamic heritage sites where our Holy Prophet himself was born and lived are disappearing into history.

The first step is for Muslims to re-ignite a passion to save our history—whether that be the Ferhat Pasha mosque being reconstructed in Bosnia, the libraries of Baghdad sacked in the Iraqi invasion, the Joplin mosque burnt down in Missouri, or the historic mosque in Aleppo destroyed by fighting. Our passion must be a global movement that strives to protect and preserve in the interests of the ummah today, to safeguard our future, as well as re-instate what should be instinctive respect for our sacred spaces. We must save Muslim history wherever it is, and from whoever seeks to destroy it. If we don’t take steps now, there will be nothing left. I give you this simple plea: save Muslim history

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This is my EMEL column from November 2012

When myths take on an air of authenticity, society is in danger.

A low budget film about the Prophet made in the US was blamed for inciting riots in the Middle East including the storming of the American embassy in Benghazi and the death of the Ambassador.Let’s put aside for one moment the underlying politics of who made the film and why. The entire incident raises some big ideological issues that come up repeatedly pertaining to violence, freedom of speech, and the right to offend. Namely, that Muslims are offended by everything and can’t take criticism. Muslims are intrinsically violent. Muslims aren’t like us, and need a proper education. This is just about religion and blasphemy which Europe managed to get rid of in the Enlightenment several centuries ago. These are myths.

There are other myths. The myth of ‘creeping shariah’ persists: that the overarching goal for Muslims is to impose shariah law wherever they go, and that by 2030 Muslims will apparently make up the entire population of the UK. That Eurabia is a real country. That Muslims are all planning their Islamification strategies. And everyone’s favourite myth, that Muslim women are oppressed and it’s because the Qur’an and the Prophet say so. Honour killings are, of course, the fault of Muslims, failing to mention that this is part of the same heartbreaking story of violence against women that includes the death of two women in the UK each week at the hands of their partners.

So how should such myths be tackled? Facts, oft-repeated facts, in the voice of calm, reasonable logic.Take the myth that Muslims have can never be patriotic to their country. Here are some facts.

In 2006, CNN-IBN-Hindustan Times conducted a survey of 29 Indian states, and concluded that Muslims suffered under a “myth of extra-territorial loyalty”, pointing to the fact that all but two per cent of Muslims said they were “proud” or “very proud” of being Indian. Levels of pride in being Indian were almost identical between Hindus and Muslims.

In 2009, the Coexist Index published by the Coexist Foundation in conjunction with Gallup found that 86% of British Muslims said they were loyal to the UK compared with just 36% of the wider population. In Germany, the figures were 40% versus 32% and in France, the two groups were about the same at 52% versus 55%.

Or what about the myth that all Muslims are terrorists?

According to Europol’s EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report, out of 249 terrorist attacks carried out in the EU in 2010, only three were related to Muslims.

A January 2011 report on terrorism statistics based on publicly available data from bodies such as the FBI and other US crime agencies concluded that terrorism by Muslim Americans to date had accounted for a minority of terrorist plots since 9/11.

What all this points to is myth serving as propaganda, the goal of which is inciting violence and hatred. In the USA recently, celebrity Islamophobe Pamela Geller sponsored adverts to be posted on New York subway platforms saying, “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.”

If the adverts weren’t so putrid with hatred, they would be impressive for the number of myths they manage to pack into so few words.

The United Methodist Women sponsored adverts to be posted side by side with these saying: “Hate speech is not civilized. Support peace in word and deed.” Rabbis for Human Rights-North America posted adverts saying: “In the choice between love and hate, choose love.” And the Christian group Sojourners have bought signs to say: “Love your Muslim neighbours.”

What is heartening—and the other plank of countering myths—is the solidarity shown across multiple sectors of the US public in tackling such raving nonsense.

We all need to make such efforts because once myths take hold they are pernicious, long lasting and divisive. What we need is persistence, solidarity and most of all, facts, to counter the fear and ignorance upon which myths are built.

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My monthly EMEL column from October 2012

There is a lot about Islam and Muslims on TV, but little of it is satisfying.

“Am I supposed to settle for bad comedy just because I’m a Muslim?”

It is clearly apparent that most instances of Muslims appearing on screen today in minority Muslim countries relate to violence, terrorism, or extremist views. I usually approach the airing of the programmes about Muslims or Islam with a mixed sense of duty and apprehension. I feel the need to be aware of what has been broadcast, but my greater sentiment is apprehension: is the programme likely to share misinformation, or worse still be a platform for stirring up prejudice and hatred? And what will the wider Muslim response be, and what impact will our reaction have on the wider discourse on Muslims?

Last month was a busy time. First was the airing of new BBC sitcom Citizen Khan, centred on the eponymous character who is a self-styled ‘komunity lider’, tight with his cash and childishly incompetent, with a long-suffering Pakistani family. I was very much looking forward to it—a rare lighthearted human portrayal of the foibles of being Muslim. But I was disappointed. It was a throwback to 1970s portrayal of Asians, and was just not very good comedy.

However, what I found baffling was that a small group of Muslims found it offensive, and made their ‘Deep Offence’ known to the broadcasting powers. Note to readers: some of the ‘Deep Offence’ was stirred up by the right wing Daily Mail because they believe that Muslims are offended by everything. What Muslims should have been offended by was the bad comedy. Am I supposed to settle for bad comedy just because I am a Muslim?

The next day, Channel 4 aired Islam: The Untold Story. Presented by historian Tom Holland, his thesis was based on his book In the Shadow of the Sword. Like Citizen Khan, the very book title was a throwback to the 70s when programmes like “The Sword of Islam” were broadcast. The programme’s crux was that instead of Islam inspiring Arabs towards initiating the great Islamic civilisation, it was the Arab empire that gave birth to Islam. The evidence used was, erm, the lack of contemporaneous evidence from Muslims, works by discredited western academics, and some Bedouins in the desert. Islam has a rigorous tradition of criticism, doubt and scholarship, and many if not most of the issues Holland raised have been dealt with in both Western and Eastern academia. Am I supposed to settle for bad Western scholarship just because I am a Muslim?

We need to learn about seeing ourselves on the silver screen, how to be active in what we see, and how to react to such portrayals—which have been pretty constant for forty years. One of the reasons is that Muslims have not been investing in and developing their own pool of cultural talent. The programming on Muslim channels, although important and constrained by limited budgets, is very basic in quality and vision. However, Muslims must understand one basic fact: to see ourselves on the national and international screen requires nurturing talent which the mainstream can draw upon. Mainstream programmes are not born in a vacuum—they come from local radio, TV, and news. Investing in Muslim arts and culture organisations today means we will see our talent on mainstream screens tomorrow.

The other thing we need to tackle is our ‘Deep Offence’ at everything. Before ‘Being Offended’, ask yourself the following question: what is the source of my offence? And then ask: what is the best way to redress this?

I like the following story as a guide to how we can react. When Abraha came to destroy the Ka’ba, the Prophet’s grandfather Abdul Muttalib was part of the delegation that met him before attack. As a last request, the only thing Abdul Muttalib asked for was the return of his camels. Abraha was surprised. Abdul Muttalib replied, “I am the owner of the camels, and this House has its own Owner Who will surely protect it.” We certainly have a duty to respond to misinformation, and damaging prejudice, but we need to do so with more measured and clearer responses.

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My EMEL column from September 2012

One of the world’s most persecuted minorities needs our urgent attention: the Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar.

The Rohingya number about 800,000 people, mostly Muslims, In 1982, the military junta stripped them of citizenship, leaving them stateless. Regular victims of violence, rape and forced labour, their marriages are controlled, and they are only allowed two children.

Myanmar’s consul general to Hong Kong described them as “ugly as ogres” and mocked their “dark brown skin” in a speech in 2009. That same year, Thailand’s then prime minister admitted that 1000 Rohingya fleeing Myanmar by boat had been pushed back to sea and abandoned.

But the persecution, harassment and killing are not the end of the story. Those charities who are making efforts to send humanitarian aid are saying that it is being blocked, sometimes by Buddhist monks.

The response of the government of Bangladesh in particular has been outrageous: not only are they not offering refuge within their borders, they are actively stopping others from offering humanitarian assistance. At the time of writing this article the government ordered three charities be prevented from distributing aid; and this during Ramadan, from a country that is almost entirely Muslim.

But the shame is not just upon Bangladesh: the entire international community bears responsibility.

Myanmar is going through an enormous transition from military to democratic rule. It’s most famous daughter is Aung Sang Suu Kyi, feted for remaining under house arrest during the military dictatorship in order to protest against the horrific. For this, she was awarded a Nobel peace prize twenty years ago, but only this year – when transition in Myanmar has begun – did she come to the West to accept the prize. But when asked about the Rohingya, she has avoided any clear statement, only saying that citizenship rights needed to be looked at.

Suu Kyi follows in the footsteps of protestors like Nelson Mandela who have become global icons for their staunch pursuit of justice and freedom for their peoples. But her lacklustre response tells us how deep is the crisis of the Rohingya when even someone who is supposed to be a beacon of fairness refuses to make clear her support. We must hold her to account for her ambivalence on this subject, and also influence her to establish a clear acceptance of the Rohingya and their rights in Myanmar. There are those who argue that she has to proceed cautiously at this time and not alienate those who can influence a peaceful transition to democracy. But I say this: what kind of peace and democracy can there be when a minority are openly abused and persecuted and those in power do nothing, or through their lack of action seem to tacitly approve of it?

Surrounding governments must also do more and not just shrug their shoulders. We must do more.

First and foremost there must be pressure on the Myanmar government to address the issue of the citizenship of the Rohingya sharpish. There can be no true democracy nor justice in the country if a minority is abused in this fashion. Before they are welcomed into the international fold of nations, they must resolve their status. Figures with increasing political power like Suu Kyi must have political as well as moral pressure applied on them.

Whilst diplomatic pressure is being enforced, surrounding governments must open their way to offer assistance to refugees who are fleeing for their lives. They must not prevent any aid reaching refugees. Refugees must not be turned back to certain persecution and death. We can protest outside embassies, send petitions,  and send aid.

Here are some key things you can do: sign the petitions being presented to the UN to escalate the plight of the Rohingya. Write to your Prime Minister or President highlighting the persecution of this defenceless stateless people. Get in touch with your local member of parliament. Send aid through charities who are serving the Rohingya. And of course remember the Rohingya Muslims in your prayers.

A Muslim is not a Muslim if he or she fails to remember the suffering of others. As the traditions of the Prophet remind us, let us act if we can; if we cannot, let us speak out, and if we cannot do that, let us feel their pain in our hearts. The Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar – one of the most persecuted minorities in the world – are waiting for humanity to reach out, protect them and restore their rights.

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