We are proud to announce the launch of the following teaching materials that have been produced by the team at Faith Matters and in partnership with Syeda Ali and Professor Becky Taylor, from the University of East Anglia. We are particularly grateful to Syeda Ali from the University of Cambridge and Professor Becky Taylor from the University of East Anglia in helping Faith Matters to compile these resources for use at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 in schools.

They are, we hope, a valuable teaching resource for teachers when they are looking at issues of social cohesion, citizenship, migration and integration, as well as how the Commonwealth has intersected with British history. These teaching materials tell the story of a community that is fast being forgotten and whose impact on British history over the last 200 years has been significant.

The teaching materials are part of the ‘From East to West’ project that was founded by Fiyaz Mughal – the Founder of Faith Matters and researched by Max Russel. It has been a personal journey for him to document and to collect the stories of those who were expelled and to get the information and pictures into materials that can inform young people about the history of the Ugandan Asians. Mr Mughal is himself, of Ugandan Asian heritage who was expelled from Uganda when he was aged just 15 months, with his family being hosted in refugee military bases such as the RAF base in Stradishall.

We hope that these materials can assist those in Key Stages 3 and 4 in understanding how the impact of the British Empire and its resource needs, drew in people from across the Commonwealth. Many of them were used as cheap labour, inculcated with a sense that they were part of Britain and its Empire, re-settled in Uganda and then forcibly expelled by Idi Amin in 1972. They found themselves at the brunt end of Idi Amin’s anger at Britain, which led to much discussion by the British Government at the time, as to what should be done for the Ugandan Asians.

The sad fact is that Idi Amin was a product of colonialisation. He was brought into the Ugandan army by the Briitish, nurtured and let loose on other Ugandan tribes. He was an enforcer of British rule in Uganda and thereby a by-product of Empire. His impacts were to be felt by the Ugandan Asians who arrived in Britain in August 1972, dressed in clothing that was meant for the heat of East Africa, rather than the cold autumn that was coming in late 1972. These Ugandan Asians, (about 28,000 of them), moved from a land of light, colour and greenery, to the cold, grey and rain of Britain.

This is their story – the story of a displaced people – twice over. Once from India, and then again from Uganda. Yet they have made their home in the United Kingdom, but for many, it has come at a cost of what they lost in terms of their possessions, their memories, their childhoods and their health. This is their story.

Read more: 50 years on, no-one talks about the trauma that affected the Ugandan Asians

The recent resignation of Tomasz Greniuch raises fundamental questions about how one of the most critically important institutions in Poland, the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), carries out its due diligence of potential staff and why it did not intervene sooner, as Greniuch’s links to the far-right are no secret.

As our investigation reveals, Greniuch’s links to the far-right, ultranationalist National Radical Camp (ONR) run as late as 2018.

Jewish and anti-racist groups raised their concerns, with some calling for his sacking. Now, two weeks later, his tenure ends not by firing but resignation.  What due diligence did the IPN carry out? We stress that none of Greniuch’s activities was a secret, found openly on various blogs, social media, and newspapers, including information he openly shared.

Greniuch offered a public apology, published in English on the IPN website.

Faith Matters details its original investigation below, having updated the story to reflect the above.

The appointment of a former far-right activist to a local branch of the IPN has caused shock across Poland, with one major anti-racism organisation calling for his resignation.

The appointment of Tomasz Greniuch, published in a press release on February 9, was combative, insisting that Greniuch had ‘apologised’ for his ‘past mistakes’ made in his ‘youth’.

Faith Matters, however, can reveal the links to the far-right are more recent, as three speaking events in 2018 had the sponsorship of, or included Mr Greniuch speaking in front of the flags of the ultranationalist, neo-fascist National Radical Camp (ONR), having founded a local branch in Opole.

On March 16, 2018, Civitas Christiania listed Greniuch as their keynote speaker in an event sponsored by the ONR (their logo appears on the official promotional poster).

Mr Greniuch promoted the Facebook event (the text of which referenced the ONR) on a promotional page for his book Śmiertelni – Historia oparta na faktach.

The second speaking event, uploaded to YouTube on May 21, 2018, features an introduction given by a woman wearing the ONR armband, and throughout the discussion, the ONR flags appear on either side of Greniuch.

The third event, dated (per the upload on YouTube), as of September 22, 2018, featured Greniuch and was co-sponsored by a local ONR chapter (their banners and flags appear in the background throughout).

Promotional materials for another speaking event from Greniuch in February 2018 included sponsorship from the nationalist clothing brand ProPatriae. The owner of this clothing brand, Jakub Sadowski, had links to the ONR leadership, according to Oko Press.

In 2016, ProPatriae publicly thanked Greniuch for wearing their clothing on Facebook.

Other sponsors included the website Kierunki (which has retweeted ONR accounts and Twitter and gives a platform for their propaganda).

The final sponsor is Marsz Niepodległości – which organises the Independence Day marches. Its founder, Robert Bąkiewicz, was described as being an ‘important’ member of the ONR.

Away from far-right-sponsored events and indeed activities within Poland, as in late 2017, Greniuch spoke at the now-infamous Slough book fare event, profiled by BBC Newsnight a year later, following revelations that funds from the Polish Embassy went towards the event.

The full Newsnight investigation includes quotes from Greniuch (but does not name him). One such quote includes reference to “ethnic transformation” being “a real biological time bomb.”

Credit: BBC Newsnight

Other photos of Greniuch at the Slough event appeared on subsequent social media posts.

Various reports about Greniuch and the ONR have appeared over the years in the Polish-language media.

Nor has he escaped the attention of the English-language media either. In November 2019, the Jewish Telegraph Agency reported his appointment within the Opole branch of the IPN.

Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress and Chairman of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation, discussed Greniuch’s appointment in a broader article which began: “I am deeply concerned for Poland. Something is changing, and I’m afraid a country I care about deeply is moving in a very dangerous direction.”

Both Notes from Poland and Polish News report that Greniuch is “mentioned as one of the originators of the first nationalist demonstration on the occasion of Independence Day in Warsaw in 2006.”

The vice-president of Wroclaw, Sebastian Lorenc, condemned the appointment on Facebook. The anger in Wroclaw has not gone away either, with protests and even a resignation occurring.

Other politicians called for his resignation.

On Twitter, the Israeli Embassy spoke of their ‘surprise’ at the appointment, urging Greniuch to visit the Auschwitz museum.

The anti-racism organisation Never Again said: “The Institute of National Memory is one of the most important and powerful institutions in Poland. The nomination of Tomasz Greniuch to one of its key positions is shocking and disgusting. It illustrates the current breakdown of democratic values in Polish society and the strength of far-right historical revisionism and Holocaust distortion. It spits on the graves of the victims of fascism. We call for his immediate dismissal.”

Faith Matters investigation of Greniuch’s historic ONR agitations in Opole included a notorious public eulogy of the convicted Holocaust denier Dariusz Ratajczaj in 2012.

Read more: Neo Fascist ONR, Oboz Naradowo-Radykalny, Offshoot in Manchester

We within Faith Matters have spent the last 3 years, consistently highlighting the case of Mohammed Nabi Wardak. In 2018, our Founder campaigned for this Afghan translator, leading to over 135,000 people signing a petition for him to be let into the United Kingdom.

Background

Nabi was found living on the streets of Athens in 2016. He had worked with British forces for 3 years in places like Helmand and had seen action under fire, translating key commands on the battlefield to move Afghan soldiers in partnership with British forces against Taliban extremists. Faith Matters staff saw the list of commendations and certificates that Nabi had received for bravery in the field and signed by serving British officers. We were also instrumental in getting journalists from the Sun newspaper, to highlight and back Nabi’s case for settlement into the United Kingdom. All of this activity has fallen on deaf ears in the Government.

Mohammed’s story reflects the manner in which our Government has failed the vast majority of Afghan translators who stood with us in the battle to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban. Nabi was threatened twice by the Taliban whilst serving with British forces, leading to a kidnap attempt in broad daylight by a Taliban unit that he managed to free himself from. This was followed up by further threats against him and the targeting of his family, that led to him to  flee from Afghanistan in 2014 and cross into Iran and finally into Turkey. Bedraggled, broke and broken, he ended up in Turkey, only to be forced into hard labour as a shepherd to survive. It was in 2016, that he made the fateful decision to cross from Turkey into Europe, through the routes that Syrian refugees were taking to seek asylum in Europe. This after a year of hard-labour in the heat of Turkey, just to survive as a refugee.

Taking his life into his hands, he crossed the Aegean sea in a rubber boat, only to be arrested and thrown into jail in Greece. This was the start of his ordeal that saw him released after 30 days with only the clothes on his back. Wandering the streets of Athens, he was homeless and penniless. Unable to speak the language, he begged for food.

Mohammed survived in Athens only by chance. Without drinking water and food, he begged and drunk water from discarded bottles, or was luckily sustained when charities could feed and hydrate him. It was whilst sleeping on the streets of Athens, that the charity – ‘Forge for Humanity’ – led by a British woman called Jess Webster, came across him and highlighted his case in the Independent newspaper. This was in 2018.

What We Know

We know that Nabi spent about 3 years in the field with British forces in major combat zones like Helmand. We also know through documented evidence, that he was good at his job, reliable and praised by British army commanders.

We also know that he left behind his family and his children in Afghanistan, so as to reduce the risk to them by the Taliban, though they have been and continue to be at risk of harm as the Taliban seeks a place in the Government. Additionally, the Taliban have always regarded those who worked with ISAF (International Security Assistance Force)  and British forces, as traitors and liable to summary execution. They have also threatened to target their families on numerous occasions.

What we are also aware of, is how the British Government, left behind some 6,500 Afghan civilians who had worked with British forces through a tiny textual caveat in the ‘Afghan Relocation Offer‘. Within this scheme, the Government cites that locally employed (Afghan) staff must have been,

• employed directly by the UK government at the time of their redundancy in a role which took them regularly ‘outside the wire’ on the frontline in Helmand,
• made redundant on or after 1 May 2006,

• directly employed by the UK government on the frontline for a minimum of 12 months continuously.

Repeated threats against Nabi and his family meant that he left the employment of the Ministry of Defence in 2014. Whilst he fits two out of the three criteria listed above, one simple phrase – that of ‘redundancy’, has severely impacted his life. He was not made redundant. He left because of legitimate fears around the lives of his family and to his life.

3,000 Afghan Civilian Translators Left behind

Lucy Fisher, the Defence Correspondent of the Times, recently highlighted the ‘hollow promises’ made by the U.K. Government to Afghan translators. In her July 2020 article she stated that British forces employed some 7,000 Afghan civilians of which around 3,500 were translators on active duty at the front-line with British forces. She also listed the fact that 20 Afghan translators were killed on active duty and that 445 have been relocated into the U.K with their families, meaning that some 3,000 are still at risk of harm from an emboldened Taliban, now negotiating peace talks with the Afghan Government.

Left Behind

We have waited 3 years to try and get an outcome on Nabi’s case and in that time he has applied for asylum in Greece. He has not seen his children for 4 years and the stress and trauma of seeing combat and his best friend killed by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) whilst on active service, have impacted on his mental health; so has being a refugee in Greece, not knowing whether his family would be targeted by the Taliban.

Nabi should not have been put in a position to seek asylum in a foreign country when he served for many years with our forces. Indeed, the very reason he was targeted was because he believed that we could bring positive change to Afghanistan. The Afghan Interpreter Relocation Scheme was fundamentally meant to accept people like him into the U.K. on the basis that they had served us in the hour of our need in a brutal and hostile terrain. 

Haphazard Response from the U.K. Government

Faith Matters has written to the British Consular section in Greece, the Ministry of Defence and to the Home Office. The Consular section did not reply, nor did the Home Office. The Ministry of Defence responded to our queries through Tom Tugendhat MP, suggesting that Nabi has applied for asylum in Greece. The letter also unhelpfully stipulated that he should pursue his asylum claim in Greece.

We have therefore been left with no choice but to publicly highlight his case, to demonstrate the injustice that has been done to Afghan civilian interpreters. They should all have been given the chance to settle into the U.K with their families, having chosen to support our forces at our time of need.

Which is why we are requesting the following; that the Home Secretary take over the asylum application from the authorities in Athens and that Nabi be allowed into the U.K. whilst his asylum application is processed. Failing which, the ‘Relocation Scheme’ be widened to include all those 3,000 interpreters who served with our forces, instead of locking them out through the caveat that they should have been made redundant when British forces left.

Finally, as the Taliban seek a place in the Afghan government in the next few years, surely we cannot leave the fate of 3,000 civilian translators to the wind and to the mercy of the Taliban. For if this is the path the U.K. Government choose to take next time there is a conflict we are involved in, few will heed our calls for action; of this we can be sure.

Faith Matters and the ‘Never Again’ Association are concerned that a failure to vet speakers with anti-Muslim, xenophobic and other bigoted views undermines the importance of the Polish-British Belvedere Forum, which is being hosted at Chatham House today and tomorrow.

The event, which brings together dignitaries, civil society leaders, academics, business, media, and diaspora voices, covers topics like of dual Polish-British identity, climate change, and Polish-British relations in a post-Brexit world.

A speaker listed at tomorrow afternoon’s breakout session is Stefan Tompson, who has hosted the far-right extremist Tommy Robinson at his house when he visited Poland, and in an interview with wPolityce, spoke of “Muslim rapists” and the alleged negative consequences of multiculturalism in parts of the UK.

Stefan Tompson has made several appearances on the far-right online TV station in Poland, Wrealu24, including spreading conspiracy theories of so-called “white genocide” in South Africa.

He also referred to Nelson Mandela as a “red terrorist” and an “an almost entirely negative figure”.

Another speaker, Agnieszka Kolakowska, dubbed the “Polish Katie Hopkins” was invited at the behest of the Polish Institute of International Affairs, had pulled out of speaking due to personal reasons after Byline Times contacted them, highlighting the above views. This was only exposed thanks to the efforts of Professor Rafal Pankowski of Never Again, who has now withdrawn from the event, despite having participated at previous forums.

Such individuals do not represent the views of the vast majority in attendance, but by affording such individuals a platform serves to undermine the credibility and importance of such events.

We, therefore, call on Chatham House to restructure the vetting process for external speakers during events to avoid such errors again.

Rafal Pankowski, of Never Again, said: “Freedom of debate is important, and a plurality of voices is fruitful in any discussion, but it should not function as a tool to legitimise those who vilify minority groups like Muslims, or sully the legacies of those who worked to dismantle apartheid in South Africa.”

Iman Atta, Director of Faith Matters, said: “When inviting such people to key events, it is really important that we do not legitimise individuals who have made extremely divisive comments previously about minority groups such as Muslim communities. We expect some due diligence work to have been undertaken beforehand.”

Notes

• Faith Matters is an NGO committed to building pluralism, community cohesion, and educating and empowering communities to resist all forms of extremism.
• Rafal Pankowski is a Professor of Sociology at the Collegium Civitas University in Warsaw and a co-founder of the ‘Never Again’ Association, which is an independent anti-racism organisation in Poland.

MURAL – Mutual Understanding, Respect and Learning is an international project that brings together six partners from across the EU – Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and the United Kingdom. It is led by the British Council, with participating organisations selected based on their commitment to supporting dialogue and exchange of best practice to foster tolerance and mutual respect. MURAL is co-funded by the European Commission under the Rights, Equality and Citizenship programme.

MURAL aims to address the increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim sentiments in Europe by supporting tolerance and respect for different faiths, religious beliefs and ethnicities. The project promotes the principles of pluralistic and democratic societies. It aims to foster transnational cooperation, exchange of knowledge and exchange of best practice to encourage tolerance and counter attitudes that contribute towards acts of hatred and discrimination. This will be achieved as follows:

• Increased tolerance and understanding of how to promote inclusion by developing a cohort of social activists committed to improving dialogue, mutual respect and valuing different perspectives
• An empowered network of social activists and key stakeholders, who will be agents of positive change in their communities
• Promotion of transnational learning on themes, approaches and actions to countering discrimination and promoting inclusion.

MURAL will harness people’s power for advocacy and their desire for social change to creatively engage communities. Working with local activists and leaders will enable us to build continuity and sustainability into the programme, as they will carry their knowledge and commitment to addressing religious discrimination into their careers.

Some of the MURAL social action projects led by Faith Matters’ participants were around improving critical thinking and social media literacy skills that can help counter extremist, hateful, and racist narratives online, assist in identifying bots and cyborgs, and provide practical ways to resist and counter extremist narratives. Others included toolkits to provuided legal information around discrimination and hate crimes.

Click here to view Social Media Literacy Guide

Click here to view Hate Crime Toolkit

Click here to view Workplace Discrimination

MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING, RESPECT AND LEARNING PROJECT (MURAL) AND THIS WEBSITE HAVE BEEN FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION’S RIGHTS, EQUALITY AND CITIZENSHIP PROGRAMME (2014-2020). THE CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AUTHOR AND CAN IN NO WAY BE TAKEN TO REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION.

By Elizabeth Arif-Fear

“There is no compulsion in religion” (2:256) – the words stand loudly and clearly. In chapter two, verse 256 of the Qur’an – the holy book for Muslims – it’s declared that we all have the freedom to believe as we wish. Through these words, we are reminded that submission to Allah (God) is for His sake alone. However, in reality, things aren’t as clear cut.

In the US, whilst the number of converts to Islam is rising, so too is the number of people leaving Islam. According to a 2014 study, around a quarter of those raised as Muslim no longer identified as Muslim. Here in the UK, the Council of Ex-Muslims has over 5,700 members.

However, whilst in recent years public discussion around leaving Islam has increased, attitudes do not have appeared to have developed much in the process. Instead, the topic of leaving Islam still remains a taboo, shrouded in silence and “shame” for those who choose to no longer identify as Muslim.

Despite the Qur’anic ruling on freedom of the belief, with Wahhabi-style teachings based on the hadith: “Whoever changes his religion, put him to death” (Bukhari), along with additional socio-cultural attitudes and political tensions, leaving Islam more often than not ceases to be a personal decision around belief and identity. Instead, for many ex-Muslims, leaving the faith becomes a nightmare filled with stigma, rejection and even the threat to one’s life.

In 12 countries across the globe, leaving Islam is punishable by death, with blasphemy in Pakistan a capital offence. Whilst here in the UK, we are protected by law, those leaving Islam can often still face isolation and abuse.

Wanting to find out more, we spoke to three ex-Muslims from different national and cultural backgrounds to see how their “transition” had been received by their loved ones and community and to understand the challenges they face (d). Here are their stories.

Khaled*

Khaled was born in the Maghreb, where he grew up and has to-date spent most of his life. He now lives in the UK after spending further time in Europe. This is his experience as a new ex-Muslim, having recently left Islam.

———-

I am a North African Arab-Amazigh man who was brought up in a very conservative family. From a very young age, I had doubts about Islam. I remember my uncle talking to me about a very angry God who would punish me with hellfire if I didn’t believe in him.

After thinking carefully about this picture of God, I believed He was evil – so I wanted to kill him and stop the utter misery I believed He was causing. Those doubts later “calmed down” because I had no option but to conform otherwise I’d have been deemed a kafir [translated in their case as “infidel”].

My inner “wake-up moment” then happened when I moved to Europe and met many non-Muslims – who I realised were just human beings like us. This was contrary to what the clerics told me: that Europeans are kafirs who would all be in hell because they didn’t say shahadah [the Islamic declaration of faith]. Whilst in Europe, I investigated Islam further and later came to the conclusion that I believed Islam to be a man-made religion.

For me, being a Muslim was unfortunately an experience of losing myself to please a hypocritical society. Some Muslims face a lot of challenges in terms of coercion and pressure. Now, having only recently left Islam, I’ve found that the transition has not been easy because I still can’t tell any of my family or friends (except a very few trusted people). I instead have to pretend that I’m Muslim otherwise I’ll be disowned. However, it’s not a fear of rejection that is holding me back from telling them but the fear of losing my family forever. I instead wish that every child in the world could decide what to believe for themselves and that their parents wouldn’t dictate what they should or should not believe in.

Since I left the dogmatism of my community, I now feel much closer to the universe/God/ Goddess – more than I have done so before in fact. I’m also glad to be living in the UK because in my home country, being an ex-Muslim can be incredibly challenging. In order to not offend my parents, I have to pretend to pray [in the traditionally Sunni-Islamic way]. I also still have to go to the mosque to pray, yet I try to get over the distress that not having a choice causes by doing my own personal prayers there – prayers which appeal to my new beliefs.

Here in the UK however, I have the freedom to be who I want to be. This is impossible in such a very conservative society where extremist beliefs are encouraged by the totalitarian regime.

In terms of moving forward, I would therefore like all Muslims to learn to accept ex-Muslims – we’re not evil people. My advice to other ex-Muslims is also to be at peace with Muslims. I hold no negativity for my Muslim brothers or sisters. Before, I had very ignorant thoughts about LGBT+ and Jewish people but now I believe in “live and let live”, so I’ll make sure to make friends from all walks of life without judging anyone as I carve out a new future.

Jimmy Bangash

Jimmy is a gay ex-Muslim human rights activist. He is British-born and of Pashtun heritage. Jimmy is now spokesperson for the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and contributing author to the book ‘Leaving Faith Behind’. Additionally, he is the resident life coach at Free Heart Free Minds where he provides one-to-one coaching and mental health support to ex-Muslims in Muslim-majority countries.

———-

For many gay men in Muslim communities, coming to terms with their sexuality can be a harrowing experience.  My experience is typical of many others.

Homosexuality is espoused as a major sin in mainstream Islam and much of the community espouse the death sentence for this criminal behaviour.  After such death, a lifetime of eternal torture then awaits gay men, whilst during their mortal life one must fear violence and intimidation at the hands of their nearest and dearest; including direct family.  Frequently, a forced apostasy takes places where the person is told they are “not Muslim” if they are gay.

Those, like myself, who manage to avoid any physical violence are often shunned and disowned.  We are cast out from the community and told that we will only be welcomed back if we subscribe to a heterosexual life. This shunning – which is an act to coerce conformity –can, in the West, afford the individuals space away from Islam (a faith they no longer believe in and therefore do not wish to live by).

When I was disowned by my family, I was able to place Islam under scrutiny in a way that I could not when I was within the Muslim community.  I asked questions such as: “Why would an immortal being choose to torture people for eternity?” and “Why would an omnipotent being [supposedly] place a verse in the Qur’an which sanctions beating your wife in certain conditions?” [Editor’s note: We do not share this view].  These are questions that would be silenced within the community or satiated (with what I considered to be) nothing more than apologist answers.  Far away from community indoctrination and threats, I was able to see that for me the religion was nothing more than a patriarchal mechanism, designed to control people.

Stepping out of the closet as a gay man and into an authentic identity, living a life full of integrity – for being true to myself and my sexuality – caused the wrath of my community to descend on me.  Stepping out of the closet again and declaring that for me Islam was false and that it had many sinister, misogynistic and homophobic teachings was no different.

No one should have to live a single closeted life – let alone two.

Religious adherence is rendered meaningless if the consequence for apostasy is violence, intimidation and death.

Amir Rahman*

Amir is a British-Pakistani male who was born and bred in the UK. He does not identify as ex-Muslim but instead as culturally Muslim. He shares his story of theological change which led him – after being brought up as a Muslim – to no longer believing in God.

———-

I was brought up by two Barelvi-leaning Sunni Muslims parents. As a child, I was taught to read the Qur’an in Arabic by an elderly British-Indian Muslim lady. Whilst I learnt how to read Qur’anic Arabic, I never understood anything I was reading.

Even as a child, I use to question my parent’s decisions. They always said to me when I asked about Islam: “This is what God wants”. Years later, I then found out that my grandfather was upset that I was taught the Qur’an by a woman – and not a man.

I later remember at the age of about ten or 11, learning about Shia Muslims and asking my mum how as Sunnis we were different from Shia Muslims. She explained the Sunni-Shia divide the best a mother could do with a 10-year-old. It is important to note that she didn’t tell me about the Shia commemoration of Ashura and events in Karbala. It was here that I remember thinking, well both sects can’t be right at the same time! I, however, didn’t pay much attention to this and carried on with my life. I wasn’t a particularly religious child – I only ever prayed on Fridays (on days I wasn’t at school). Nobody ever forced me to pray. If I was at home from school on Fridays, my mother would simply tell me to pray.

It was later at the age of 15 when I learnt about the details of Karbala and Ashura and how this differed in teachings of Sunni Islam. For me, Ashura is about our link to Moses [as part of one Abrahamic family]. I was therefore saddened to hear that we Muslims killed the grandson of our Prophet. I remember reading about it and trying to find out every bit of information I could. I became obsessed. It was then at the age of 16 that I came to the conclusion that – to my mind – both sects were wrong and that the real Islam died with Hussain ibn Ali. It was during this time that I also found it difficult to believe in Qur’anic stories such as Jonah and the Whale and Moses splitting the Red Sea.

At the age of 17, I subsequently came to the conclusion that for me all of these stories in Islam were not something I believed in and that religion was not for me. I remember telling my father that I no longer believed in God and that religion was not real for me. He looked at me and told me: “That’s fine, just be a good person”. My mother, on the other hand, was upset but then after a week or so of not talking to me, she told me that she still loved me and would pray for me.

As her son, my mother will love me no matter what religion I choose to follow (or not) and whether or not I believe in a god. This is the crucial reason why I DO NOT identify as an ex-Muslim at all. Today, I still practise Islam four days a year – I celebrate the two festivals of Eid, as well as Ashura and Mawlid [the birthday of Prophet Muhammad].

I was brought up by two loving parents who supported the fact that I don’t believe in God and all my positive qualities come from them – and of course, some of those positive qualities were inspired by Sunni Islam. I, therefore, cannot deny my Muslimness, as to do so would be like denying my parents. I am a Muslim and will always be a Muslim.

Whilst this has been a positive experience for me, I am however also very ashamed of the way apostates are treated in Muslim countries. Muslims need to accept that religion – or their faith – is not for everybody. Right-wing Islamist and ultra-orthodox Sunni and Shia narratives need to be challenged. Islam is an ever-growing construct and the Islam we see today is not the same as 100 years ago. As with all religions, our concept of Islam is always evolving and must continue to do so. We, therefore, need to make sure that the Islam we live takes a progress route as we head into the future – a route to a place where apostasy is no longer a stigmatised (even deadly) taboo.

———-

With faith such a personal and individual matter, it’s abhorrent that leaving Islam remains such a difficult challenge. Often met with discrimination and abuse, what should be a personal individual period of reflection has become for many a transition of trauma.

Experiences outside of the UK undoubtedly often differ and – as this article has highlighted – there are also more positive experiences which can provide guidance for families and communities – as well as critical hope for those who wish to leave Islam yet fear the repercussions.

Nonetheless, significant change is required on many levels. This includes critical socio-cultural reforms worldwide (including here in the UK) and legal changes in countries which discriminate and propagate violence against non-Muslims/ex-Muslims. Finally, this also includes a review of how theology is approached, interpreted and defined in certain circles.

For both our brothers and sisters at risk of violence and abuse within legal systems that fails to protect the human rights of individuals, and those closer to home suffering in silence, the overarching attitudes to “apostasy” rely on the same “othering” narratives, negative attitudes and sense of “stigma” and shame. As a global community, we therefore need to support ex-Muslims (and cultural Muslims) as much as possible – starting by having some difficult conversations and not shying away from the issue(s) at hand.

As Muslims, this will require deep introspection and the will to call out ills such as homophobia and misogyny which continue to plague our community. For non-Muslims, this means helping to support and include those who are often left to carve out a new identity and social circle by themselves or with few allies from a similar background.

Whatever our faith or belief system, we need to most-immediately ensure that for people who identify as culturally Muslim or as ex-Muslims, there are sufficient safe spaces, sources of community and support mechanisms to help them in their transition. At the same time – and for the long-term benefit of everyone – we also need to maximise efforts to ensure we carve a more tolerant, safe and inclusive sense of Islam and community which holds space for ex-Muslims, cultural Muslims, non-Muslims and all people alike.

No one should be questioned or made to suffer for their (change of) beliefs. It’s time to start talking and start tackling this critical issue. And: it’s also time to narrow the divide between Muslims and ex-Muslims.

Thank you to all our interviewees for sharing your stories. We stand with you.

Further information:

A further insight into the experiences of ex-Muslims – including Jimmy’s story – can be found in: Mughal, F. and Saleem, A. (2018) “Leaving Faith Behind: The journeys and perspectives of people who have chosen to leave Islam”, Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd.

Disclaimer:

The views expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of Faith Matters.

*Names and images have been changed to protect the individuals’ identities

Debate has been long considered to be and aggressive and competitive practice, reserved solely for well-trained intellectuals. The New DEBATE , a programme of Faith Maters, has been put together to offer a new approach to debating. The New DEBATE offers a social and educational experience, a safe space where young people can learn more about debating, civic engagement and dialogue. Using expert education methods, the programme invites young participants to take part in several sessions that shape their communications skills. Participants will also reflect on their own behavioral patterns, interactions with others, and reactions to different opinions. The programme aims to widen young people’s perceptions on their lives, offering them a set of foundational communication tools to be influential in and within their communities.

Click here to visit website for this project

Earlier this month, an estimated 1.5 million people took to the streets of London to join the annual Pride march in support of sexual and gender diversity. A day of celebration of just how far we’ve come – but also protest at how far we’ve yet to go – queer and non-queer organisations and diverse members of the public joined together in declaring that we’re all equal and that we all deserve equal representation, acceptance and visibility.

However, despite the huge turnout of people, for many people, attending Pride is simply a closeted dream. As a Muslim (albeit a heterosexual cis woman), I’m particularly aware of just how prominent this problem is within my own religious community.

Sexual and gender exclusion: Inside the British Muslim community

For many Muslims, the idea of a Muslim being actively queer is simply a “no-no”. Deemed a “sin”, often seen as an “unnatural” “choice” and at best declared as something best to be hidden, pushed aside and not acted upon, queer Muslims are therefore often left facing stigma, exclusion, disownment and/or physical violence for embracing their sexual and/or gender-based identity.

It’s sadly a common perception that there is (little or) no room for sexual or gender diversity in Islam – despite arguments, evidence, history and ongoing research proving otherwise – as well as the presence of queer imams. The story of Prophet Lot and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for example – as detailed in the Qur’an – is frequently used as the primary source of anti-LGBTQI+ rhetoric. Common traditional readings of the Qur’an (and related hadith – sayings of Prophet Muhammad) state that this story refers to homosexuality and with a punishment given for such acts, homosexuality has is therefore declared as “haram”. Alternative readings of this passage, however, refer instead to a condemnation of rape rather than homosexuality itself.

Nonetheless, such commonly held beliefs ideas have established a strong sense of heteronormativity and strict gender binary. Not only do common beliefs adhere to the narrative that same-sex relations are immoral but some Muslims also think they should be actively discouraged. A poll of British Muslims undertaken in 2018, for example, found that 52% of Muslim participants disagree that homosexuality should be legal in Britain – compared to 23% for the adult public and 23% for Christian peers. Of course, whilst there have been significant concerns over the research methods used for the poll, we cannot deny that there is without a doubt a widespread belief that being queer or “doing something about it” (acting upon it) is “haram” (forbidden). Whilst, of course, sexual relations is a wide topic in Islam in terms of pre- and extra-marital relations, this narrative nonetheless excludes same-sex marriage/loving relations and trans and non-binary identities in any form or shape whatsoever.

The result of such norms and restrictions which have accompanied this anti-LGBTQI+ narrative are of course devastating for queer Muslims who face a myriad of difficulties and challenges coming out and embracing their true identity – for which they are often forced to stay inside the closet:

“I would cry on my prayer rug: “Give me cancer or anything. Please make me straight.”’ (Afshan D’souza-Lodhi, 26, Manchester)

“I came out when I was 23. My parents took me to see my GP, not out of malice, but because they didn’t understand what it meant to be gay.” (Asifa Lahore, 35, Croydon)

“Growing up, I was very religious, but I was taught to fear Allah. When I came out at 15 it was a very difficult time. My parents thought it was a phase. They had an arranged marriage and met on their wedding day, so for them marrying someone you desire was not important. To them, you suppress desire to make things work societally.” (Ferhan Khan, 34, London)

(The Guardian, 2019)

Pushed into marriage, taken to a GP or becoming desperate to “pray the gay away” as the saying goes, the harsh truth is that queer Muslims battle against traditionalism and cultural norms, fear and ignorance around sexual and gender diversity and longstanding religious conservatism. In truth: they have been let down. Misunderstood, excluded and stigmatised, they deserve better than to marginalised and forced to choose between their faith and sexuality – in other words: being a “sinful” queer and/or transsexual Muslim or a “good” heterosexual cis Muslim. This simply isn’t good enough.

I may only identify as an LGBTQI+ ally but I myself am all too aware of this commonality. I’ve seen the outspoken homophobic and transphobic rhetoric online. One Muslim brother on Twitter recently admitted to me that he is subject to “same-sex attraction” but is not pro-LGBTQI+ and instead chooses to propagate homophobic rhetoric [see image below]. Likewise, since tweeting about Pride as a proud Muslim woman, I’ve sadly also witnessed/been victim to Islamophobia within pro-LGBTQI+ circles.

Tweet by an anti-LGBTQI+ Muslim activist (top left), tweets by non-Muslims when faced with Muslim pro-LGBTQI+ rhetoric (top right and bottom)

The harsh reality of the bigotry and hatred in British society today, as shown in these tweets, is exactly why visible positive representation and LGBTQI+ allies from both within and outside the Muslim community are so important.

Gender, sexual and religious diversity: Pride in London

LGBTQI+ Muslims and allies at Pride London 2019 marching with the LGBTQI+ Muslim support organisation Imaan (Images: Elizabeth Arif-Fear)

Whatever our sexuality, gender and faith identity (including those who have no faith), we must support our Muslim peers. It’s our duty to recognise, accept and help carve a healthy inclusive space for queer Muslims – one free from false dichotomies which (attempt to) force people to choose between their faith and sexuality. Yet crucially, this mustn’t be done in jest or subject to apologetic, half-hearted speech or wishy-washy promises.

This can of course only be done by working with those affected and becoming engaged allies ready to speak out, to challenge “norms” and to sadly not be afraid to “go against the grain” – even if it’s “a little different”, a little self-reflective or a little uncomfortable for some. We must work in a way that is truly accepting, intersectional, tolerant and inclusive – free of “ifs”, “buts” and monolithic views of faith vis-à-vis sexual and gender identity.

Our rights to freedom of expression and belief are fundamental to all our brothers and sisters – of all faiths and none. As Muslims, when we talk of rights, we have to recognise that we have to not only accept but actively call for the same rights to inclusion and freedom of expression which we enjoin in every day here in the UK. We therefore must come together as a religious community to support our Muslim peers. What’s more, as a multicultural and multifaith nation, the same support, unity and inclusion must be equally present in secular and non-Muslim circles, as well as Muslim spaces.

Recognising the need for intersectional, inclusive spaces, we can see why such openly public events such as Pride – which are also cross-cultural and interfaith in nature – are so important. Imaan – the UK’s leading LGBTQI+ support organisation for queer Muslims – is dedicated to supporting LGBTQI+ Muslims across the country and engages in a variety of spaces including Pride in London. On the day of Pride this year – just like every other year – members of Imaan (out of the closet of course) stood tall and proud to march for Muslim LGBTQI+ rights. I myself was delighted to join them for such a critical cause.

Shouting: “Allah loves lesbians!”, “Allah loves equality!” and “Allah loves queers!”, we were declaring that we don’t merely stand against exclusion and hate, but that we believe wholeheartedly that queer Muslims aren’t “haram”. Queer Muslims need to be accepted, celebrated and supported in every way possible and our message was loud and clear: LGBTQI+ Muslims are just as “Muslim” as their cis and heterosexual peers and they’re not going anywhere!

? SOUND UP! The #LGBT #Muslims are taking up space with a message for the homophobes! #PrideinLondon pic.twitter.com/7fqPDggLeS

— Imaan LGBTQI (@ImaanLGBTQ) July 6, 2019

As a (heterosexual cis) LGBTQI+ Muslim ally, what I found particularly heartwarming at Pride (in addition to the great unity within Imaan) were the cheers, smiles and welcomes given by fellow marchers and members of the public. As we took to the streets of London, proudly Muslim and also proud of sexual and gender diversity, fellow Pride-goers young and old were there standing, jumping and screaming happily in support with us. They accepted us as Muslims, loved us as Muslims and celebrated with us as Muslims and non-Muslims together – just as we did with every other participant at Pride. And this is the crux: this is what inclusion is about, this is diversity in action and this is love in full force.

It’s exactly this sense of solidarity, inclusion and acceptance which what we should be seeing in action each and every day across the UK. As queer Muslims and allies, we believe in sexual and gender diversity and inclusion within and outside Islam, for Muslims and non-Muslims alike – whatever a person’s faith or non-faith background. Sadly though, across the UK, homophobia and transphobia still exist in many religious and non-religious spaces, and so we must address the issue of gender and sexual diversity within our own specific communities – including quite critically my own community in which anti-LGBTQI+ has so deeply embedded itself.

As Muslims, the time must be now for are already lagging behind. We only need to look at the ongoing row over inclusive education in schools and the protests of certain concerned Muslim parents to see how bad things have become – in fact: how hate, ignorance, intolerance and exclusion have become in fact so common. These ongoing protests have without doubt highlighted exactly how we’re at a critical crossroads. Our community is undoubtedly diverse and certainly not a uniform monolith but we must unite to take the crucial step onto a new more unified, progressive path, or else certain segments of the community risk leaving themselves behind, blinded by dogma and traditionalism based on singular monolithic, literalist interpretations of faith – interpretations that shut out others, exclude diversity and intersectionality, halt progress and critically stigmatise people (including quite crucially their own adherents).

What our community critically needs to do is to move on and to accept queer Muslims and above all, recognise that our peers need allies – outspoken allies who will actively support them. Denouncing hate crime or saying “I wish no harm” is simply not good enough. The fact is that harm is exclusion, harm is stigma, harm is a lack of inclusion and a lack of nuance – and this harm is manifesting itself within (as well as outside) our religious community.

The truth is simple: sexuality isn’t a “choice”, gender identity isn’t something we “self-create” and living as you so crucially are – in the way that Allah created you – is not “haram”. What is a choice, what is self-generated and what is wrong are: shame, stigma, exclusion and hate. We therefore need to not only accept but actively embrace these truths – and many, many more!  It’s time that we learnt to explore other “narratives” – to question, to think and to listen to the feelings, experiences and stories of others without apologies, excuses and simplistic, un-nuanced and unchallenged “haram only” narratives. Too much time has already passed. Our Muslim siblings need us. I therefore call on you – Muslims and non-Muslims alike to be an ally, a friend, a companion and a supporter – not a bystander, not an “excuser” and not an accuser.

So, if you’re Muslim: please stand with our queer co-religionists by speaking out against hate, building inclusive spaces and developing more open narratives around sexual and gender diversity. It’s not simply the duty of our queer peers to battle for inclusion and acceptance – it’s all the responsibility of each and every one of us to make this happen.

Likewise, if you’re non-Muslim: please don’t propagate homophobia and transphobia in the name of “community relations” out of fear, socio-political pressure or a (well-needed and well-meaning) desire for better relations with the wider Muslim community. Instead, please work with queer and non-queer Muslims alike for the betterment of our entire community. Help spread the voice of queer Muslims, offer openly queer (and non-queer) Muslims an inclusive space free from Islamophobia and actively engage with the full diversity of the Muslim community with zero room for hate, stigma, shame and intolerance. This will crucially help respect the rights and dignity of our queer Muslim peers in secular queer spaces and both Muslim and interfaith circles and help promote a more tolerant, diverse society for everyone.

By working together, we can create critical long overdue change. For each and every one of us, the message is simple: there are no half measures. You either stand for equality – the right of each and every one of us– or you don’t. No double standards.

So, are you ready to stand up and declare: Allah loves equality?

About the author

Elizabeth Arif-Fear is a young British Muslim and award-winning writer and activist based in London.

She is Founder of Voice of Salam and works with a range of national and international human rights, interfaith and women’s organisations/platforms as a writer, activist, community organiser and ambassador.

In 2019, Elizabeth won the St. Ethelburga’s award for Sacred Activist of the Year and also published her debut poetry collection “What If It Were You?” (2019) which focusses on a range of critical human rights and socio-political issues, including religious extremism, LGBTQI+ exclusion and Islamophobia.

]]> 8531 https://www.faith-matters.org/new-far-right-coalition-seeks-entry-into-polish-community-spaces/ Tue, 09 Jul 2019 14:18:54 +0000 https://www.faith-matters.org/?p=8511

A new far-right Polish coalition is seeking to find new ways to gain a foothold here in Britain, Faith Matters can reveal.

The revelations will concern communities given that a Konfederacja motto is “We don’t want Jews, gays, abortion, taxes and the EU”.

During the recent European Elections, Konfederacja gained 24.1% amongst Poles voting in the UK, which greatly contrasts with their 4.55% of the vote in Poland.

https://twitter.com/JakubKrupa/status/1132993850128125952

Whereas in Southampton, Konfederacja gained 32.9% amongst Poles in the city and 36% of the vote amongst Poles in Coventry.

On June 15, members of the Birmingham branch were advertising an official meeting hosted in the Polish Millennium House, which has been a cornerstone of Polish life in the city, for decades.

According to the Facebook event page, five people attended, but it seems that the event was not advertised on the official Facebook page of the Polish Millennium House, who may be unaware of hateful views expressed by members of Konfederacja and its leadership.

The leadership of Konfederacja in the UK, however, is linked to Jakub Grygowski – who has made several false claims about life in the UK – including that Muslims arrive to claim benefits, that Christian children are unable to wear crosses for ‘fear’ of ‘offending’ Muslims, and that LGBT+ equality exists due to years of ‘brainwashing’.

On Twitter, Grygowski has suggested that Muslims possess a predilection for bestiality.

Grygowski has appeared on the radio show of the notorious antisemitic ex-priest Jacek Międlar – who remains banned from entering the UK. He’s now a regular contributor to Międlar’s own alternative far-right news website. And, like Międlar, Grygowski hosts his own radio show which has given voice to others on the Polish far-right (including the leadership of Konfederacja), under the mainstream platform of Radio Star.

His links to the Polish far-right here in the UK run deeper, however, as his former group “Liberty” co-signed a letter of cooperation with other Polish far-right groups, as revealed by Faith Matters last year.

Others members of the Konfederacja leadership include Kaja Godek, an anti-abortionist, who was banned from Twitter after calling homosexuality a form of “deviancy” and a “prelude to paedophilia”. In a shocking and hateful statement, Godek claimed that “gay people want to adopt children because they want to rape and molest them” in quotes picked up in the Polish magazine Wprost.

Grzegorz Braun has made several homophobic and antisemitic statements over the years, which includes calling for a ‘legal ban’ on homosexuality.

Perhaps the most notable name on the Konfederacja to non-Polish audiences is Janusz Korwin-Mikke, the disgraced former MEP who argued that the Holocaust-denying historian David Irving, should be allowed to enter Poland since there was no proof that Hitler knew about the Holocaust.

Faith Matters has raised concerns about Korwin-Mikke entering the UK before.

On social media, the group has been explicit in statements which invoke antisemitic canards of disproportionate Jewish influence in politics and public life, including the idea that the ruling government is being ‘influenced’ by “Jewish lobbies”.

And argued that gold held in London should be returned to Poland, as they questioned whether ‘Jewish’ claims (vis-à-vis the flag of Israel) of ownership, were still valid.

Some in the Polish community have condemned the group online for borrowing imagery from Marvel film Avengers franchise to further their ‘neo-fascist agenda’ online.

https://twitter.com/EreaAndrzej/status/1140934857369034752

The Konfederacja also used a meme from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, in a tactic similar to that of the Spanish far-right Vox party. The actor who played Aragorn in the hit films, Viggo Mortensen condemned Vox, stating: “it is even more ridiculous to use the character of Aragorn, a polyglot statesman who advocates knowledge and inclusion of the diverse races, customs and languages of Middle Earth, to legitimise an anti-immigrant, anti-feminist and Islamophobic political group.”

We hope that community groups will prevent any further attempts from members of Konfederacja to enter their facilities, and now the party views are more public, that conversations are had regarding how their version of populism is nothing more than a vehicle for hatred and bigotry.

]]> 8511 https://www.faith-matters.org/generation-identity-report/ Mon, 08 Apr 2019 09:18:54 +0000 https://www.faith-matters.org/?p=8385

The social polarisation of a globalised world continues. Toxic discourse around ethnicity, identity, citizenship, belonging and nationhood has led to the fracturing of communities along the lines of skin colour and accents rather than shared values. And although societies are far more conscious today to not tolerate racism, what is clear also is that fear and suspicion still breed ignorance, prejudice and bigotry. They become the stones that fuel xenophobic, populist movements rooted in reactionary politics.

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The far-right have returned to increasing prominence, their racism masquerading as faux liberalism. Pulsing darkly through their movements remains a deep-seated dislike of those they see as ethnically and culturally different. With politicians increasingly unsure of how to defeat them, we risk veering towards the creation of right-wing, authoritarian societies not wired with empathy but natural hostility towards others.

These movements are a sore test of the values cherished by Western liberalism. As this report will show, the far-right have tracked plenty of support that has frayed the social cohesion of different countries. In a time when immigration and globalisation has created discontent and resentment, the far-right have provided misleading and simplistic answers to deeply complex problems that cannot be resolved simply by banning immigration and turning away all Muslims. As Jose Zuquete explained, “the threat that the Crescent will rise over the continent and the spectre of a Muslim Europe have become basic ideological features and themes of the European extreme right. Thus, the concept of ‘Islam’ galvanizes group action: as the group rallies a ‘defence’ against Islamization.”

The focus of this report will be on Generation Identity, who they are and what they stand for. In the wake of a global refugee crisis triggered by conflicts in the Middle-East, far-right groups such as Generation Identity have emerged portraying immigration and multiculturalism as physical and moral threats to their ways of life.