In the name of Allah, the Gracious, Ever Merciful

Proud to be a Muslim, Proud to be British by Imran **$$ In 1953 my Grandfather emigrated from Pakistan to live in $%*$, $%*$. Some years before this he was part of the British Indian Army during WW2, along with 2,000,000 other Indians. At first he was going to move to Saudi Arabia, but when the chance arose to go to England he opted for that instead. When he got to England he took on a job in $%$% as a bespoke tailor (his father also being a tailor) in a local shop. My Grandfather really loved England from the day he arrived and since then we now have a very large family settled here of more than 100 members (including uncles, aunts and cousins). We have been told of so many stories of things that occurred during his time in $%$%. When he first arrived there were no other Asian families and when making curry he used to tell my Grandmother not to make it spicy as the smell would disturb the neighbours! At that time curry was certainly not a favoured cuisine in England. All my family members are proud to be British. For us this is our homeland and what a wonderful place to call home. Of course we are Muslims and for me personally being able to practice our religion in peace is of utmost importance. It doesn't matter if you are a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu or any other belief, you can practice your faith without fear or prejudice in his country. Very recently during the celebrations of the Queens Jubilee I was proud to be asked to put up bunting and flags of the Union Jack in our mosque in $%$%, $%$%. This is contrary to the belief amongst many that Muslims are not happy to be British, they don't fly the flag of our Nation and we don't integrate into a Western society. On the day that we got together and held a BBQ in our mosque (for the Queen's Jubilee) I was proud to sing the national anthem with all the other members. Proud to hear a special prayer being said for our Queen and Royal Family. Proud that our community (the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association) paid for adverts on 100 London buses to congratulate the Queen on her Jubilee. Proud that not only did my community celebrate this Jubilee but also the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897. Proud that hundreds of young Muslims, including myself, raised hundred of thousands of pounds for the Queen's chosen charities, by taking part in a charity run at the Tower of London. How sad to see the opposite of this with horrid events like when a group of Muslims got together to burn poppies to coincide with Armistice Day. They shouted abuse, fought with police and held despicable banners saying things such as British soldiers were going to burn in hell. To the contrary 200 young Muslims took to the streets of London and took part in raising money for the British Legion, in total raising 20,000 for those who have fought for this country and those who are fighting for us now. What was sad was that whenever you read or saw the news on TV it was only about those Muslims burning poppies, the hard efforts of those who were out in force raising money was dismissed as nothing. On my car window I have a 'Help for Heroes' sticker in appreciation of what the Armed Forces do for us. At my place of work we constantly raise money for this wonderful charity (which was started up by Bryn and Emma Parry after a profoundly moving visit to soldiers who had been badly injured). In November 2011 a survey took place in which 2,000 Muslims were asked if they were proud to be British. 83% of them said yes, 17% said no. Of course 2,000 people do not represent the whole of the UK Muslim community. Groups such as the EDL (English Defence League) did not agree with the results and complained that when the poppies were being burnt why did they not hear these Muslims condemn them. In fact there were Muslim groups and individuals who totally condemned the actions of those burning the poppies. The EDL also asked what if the survey had taken place in Bradford or Tower Hamlets, would the results be the same? In this respect I would agree that there is a radical form of Islam

showing it's ugly head in some parts of this country. The way these radicals are living their lives is in total contradiction to the very meaning of Islam, which is peace. The Holy Quran tells us that we should follow the laws of the land that you live in, even if you disagree with the laws. Islam even goes further, and teaches us, that if we are not happy to follow the rules of the land that we live in then we should move elsewhere. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) also said that 'Obedience to the law of the land is part of faith'. Notice the fact that as Muslims we are not told to only follow the laws if it is a Muslim country but to follow the laws even if it is a non Muslim country. We hear that some Muslims are crying out for Sharia law in the UK, to me this is absurd. How can Sharia law be implemented when the majority of people in this country are not even Muslims. Also what Sharia law would they follow? So many Muslim countries have their own versions of the Sharia law. Lets not also forget that in those countries where Sharia law is being practised there is a distinct lack of justice. Let me give you some examples, in Iran a Christian Pastor is facing the death penalty, under the so called Shaira law, because he refuses to convert his faith to Islam. This is something completely against Islam, when it is clearly written in the Holy Quran that 'There should be no compulsion in religion' (C2,V257). God has given the right of every person to chose their own faith according to their conscience. Or we can look at how in countries with Sharia law women become second (or even third class) citizens. In 2011 a Saudi court sentenced a woman to 10 lashes, for what? Driving her car without a male guardian. Of course I am not saying Shaira law is wrong, what is wrong is the way it is being practised in the world today. The lack of Justice goes completely against Islam. Also I would never demand Sharia law to be installed in England, why should it be when this is a Christian majority country? I can live my life in a wonderful way with the laws as they are now. Certainly the events of 9/11 and 7/7 changed the lives of Muslims around the world. All these things drive the beginning and growth of groups such as the EDL. The true message of Islam is not just distorted but totally annihilated. It was so sad to see the events of 9/11 unfold, then the tragedy of 7/7 in London was so chilling as it was done in our own back yard. The motto of our community is 'Love for All, Hatred for None'. If everyone followed this then we would be on the road to peace not only in England but around the world. Justice and tolerance is fundamental to a peaceful society. Integration and dialogue should be made on every level and we should steer away from all forms of disorder I will close by saying again, I am proud to be a Muslim and I am proud to be British. No one can take that away form me, for it is the truth. May God allow us to keep the best interest of our country in our hearts and have true love for our country, Amen.