Tackling Extremism

Interesting article by Rachel Shabi

"Forget David Cameron’s five-year plan on terrorism........"

".......Denmark once had the highest European figures, relative to size, for citizens emigrating to fight with Isis. In 2013, 30 citizens made the journey to the Middle East; by 2014, it lost just one"

It certainly seems a more natural and organic way of tackling the issue than somehow forcing integration by how exactly!? In David Cameron's disappointingly predictable speech.

Syria, Terrorists and Islam: This is what I think

Terrorists within IS in Syria give Islamic reasons for why they are fighting to dominate land and people and it can seriously mess with the mind of a Muslim in the West trying to work out what they think. Especially a young Muslim, especially a new revert and especially when the topic is so difficult to discuss openly and honestly.

It would be beneficial for everyone to talk about what's going on in Syria, what is going on in the group calling themself IS and what Islam is really about but with Muslims and non-Muslims alike, it's simply not possible. This inability to be able to have transparent discussions only serves to feed the beast that many people fear.

There's nothing wrong with being radical (guardian article); nothing wrong with being a fundementalist and wanting to stick to the core tenents of a thing; nothing wrong with Jihad which has a wider deeper and more personal meaning than simply 'Holy War'; nothing wrong with the possibility of an Islamic State.

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When you're in a room full of non-Muslims you learn not to think, you just have to react with the 'right' words when the topic of IS comes up. You learn what people want to hear and you have to react quickly. As a Muslim in a room full of non-Muslims, every second you don't speak, the silence, even when others are chatting away, grows louder and louder in the room until you leave that room and then others feel they can express their concerns to each other. Or they just raise their eyebrows and blow their cheeks. I've been in several situations and seen this happen because others didn't realise I was Muslim as I wasn't wearing hijab.

If a non-Muslim actually asks you what you think, don't stumble over your words omg. Say the right words and say them confidently. This isn't the time for a discussion, no one wants to know what you think, they just want you to say the words they want to hear.

This happened to me recently @LBC with @ShelaghFogarty talk show. A previous caller was saying how recorded testimonies of people who have gone out to join ISIS and come back regretting it would help stop others from going. I called in to say why that wouldn't work. After listening to my point, Shelagh asked me some questions of her own and I didn't say what she needed to hear. Several people on afterwards expressed their concerns about me personally, including Shelagh herself, because of what I hadn't said (clearly none of them listened to what I did actual say), it mean't that I had to send a text in 15 minutes later saying what everyone wanted to hear.

Non-Muslims need to stop being so alarm and encourage people to express their views without jumping on their head at the first sign of opinions and views they don't understand or don't like.

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When you're a Muslim, in a room with only Muslims, the same thing happens. The topics of Iraq, Syria or IS comes up and the learned response is silence because it's improper to say anything bad about another Muslim. The correct thing to say when another Muslim seems to do something bad is that they are weak and we should make du'a (prayer) for them.

As a Muslim, you would be wrong for judging another Muslim when you are not in their situation and you didn't see what they did or know why they did it. You would be wrong for expressing that person isn't a true Muslim. You would be wrong for criticising another Muslim for taking action when those voicing the criticism do so from the comfort of their sofas.

All wars are messy and every nation that has been birthed has had victors who subjugated those in the land they conquered. They say that the men and women committing heinous crimes in Syria are not terrorists but freedom-fighters who are willing to do what is necessary to achieve something good for Islam. They mix up truth with opinion and tell you that Shari'a Law is the ideal for every Muslim and a land where true Islam can be followed is an increasing possibility, instead of seeing Muslim-majority countries sell out to the West.

Some people say that the IS group is so large and mixed, it's made up of sincere Muslims who are fighting for an Islamic State and treat those they capture with kindness as the Qur'an demands, while others in the group are sadistic and cruel terrorists who are along for the ride and don't even follow Islam at all, preferring to live out their sick fantasies without an ounce of humanity.

Do you think certain types of people are attracted to certain religions?

Do you think that evil is simply someone who is so switched off and so far gone that they have little or no humanity inside themself to be able to extend it to even another person?

Do you think that the group can be so large and out of control that the cruel sadistic ones are the only ones we get to hear about in the media?

Do you think terrorists will use any reason as a vehicle to be who and what they are, living out their sick ways for the cause of Islam today but really, it could have been any reason.

Unfortunately I have more questions than I have answers.

Whistleblowing for Dummies

Did you ever whistle blow anyone to protect a more vulnerable person? I had to over this last six months and omg the system nor anyone in the system is on your side.

Naively, you think management is going to be thankful that you rooted out a waster for them. Nope. They're pissed at you because they spent months training that person and that person picks up a ton of hours when work is short-staffed.

You think your collegues have got your back because you get along well with them but they all wig out thinking if they speak up they will piss off the manager with consequences!

You don't realise the manager is going to do their best to down play the whole thing, then single you out as trouble for them, mess with your hours and your working conditions until you butt heads with them and get a disciplinary yourself because you called them a retarded liar or was it a lying dog, I can't remember but they didn't appreciate it.

Then you expect to present your appeal evidence to head office - Manager's Error That Caused This Situation/Mitigating Circumstances - and for them to be balanced and unbiased haha...

omg, luckily the person I blew my whistle on got scared and left to go work in another non caring industry. Good job really. I'm just stuck with six months of 'Appropriate Behaviour When Addressing a Manager' until the warning is off my record.

Yeah thanks!

My life in Islam; The Good, The Bad and The Obnoxious

The Good

The way Islam defines relationships, let's face it, that's what life is all about; good relationships. From an outsider's perspective (because I used to be an outsider) it looks restrictive, especially for women and it looks as though women are dominated by men. Those are misconceptions that the media like to throw around, citing  examples of bad relationships that happen in any family from any religion. Islam has bad examples too but that's not normative.

The norm is that children respect their parents so so much throughout their childhood and take responsibility for them in their elderly life, they do not put their career first and shove their elders into homes to visit for ten minutes once a week.

The intimate relationship between a man and a woman is private, not on display to the world by touching and kissing in public which often makes others feel uncomfortable anyway which is why they say "Get a room!".

What looks like domination to an outsider, is simply two people serving each other in a humble way through Islamically defined roles. Just because two people have defined roles, doesn't imply one is any more valued that the other. This is a misconception people like to draw from assumption. I am very well respected by my husband and he seeks my opinion on most things because we are in a relationship together. My money I make is my own and he will not even consider including it in general family income. I can choose to if I want to though.

It's true, men and women are seperate but it limits any misunderstandings and keeps any temptations, glances, ponderings and imaginations, from either side, to a minimum.

Because Allah (subhana wa ta ala) is first in our relationship, and all that the Prophet (s.a.w.) taught is the way we worship and please Allah (S.W.T), it prevents us resorting to selfish arguments HA!, well it prevents my husband resorting to selfish arguments, I still have some way to learn to be disciplined about this. He is just like "we'll speak again when you are able to" and goes somewhere quiet.

The Bad

Living in the west (I've always lived here; I'm an English convert (revert) to Islam) is difficult. There is music everywhere, in every shop almost = haram (forbidden). There is the clothing issue where a lot of people hardly wear any and I don't like to see that.

Drinking alchohol = haram and the effects and consequences it has on society.

Other Muslims and how they manage to live in the west. Some manage fine but for weaker Muslims or those who use the title and do little else, it is horrid to see. Outsiders view these Muslims as liberal or modern, but some are hardly really Muslims at all. Same as Christians who do not act or live in any recognisable Christian way at all. Makes me sad.

The Obnoxious

Being spat at when I wear my niqab

Being called the worst names for being a white English girl who married into Islam. From..."What a waste..." direct and pithy I suppose. To the even less imaginative chav saying  "Traitor whore". I always think...yeah I have only been with my husband while you have lost count so who is closer to that definition exactly? Anyways... I don't lose sleep over ignorant chavs.

Angry drunks seeing the hijab/niqab...what they really think is unleashed because they're wasted.