Advice on the forthcoming anti-Islam demonstrations in Harrow

The English Defence League (EDL), a far-right anti-Muslim organisation, has planned a demonstration outside Harrow Central Masjid on the 11th of September. A counter demonstration has been organised by anti-fascists at the same time. A similar event in Birmingham in July ended in violent clashes.

These demonstrations should not be viewed separate from the wider campaign by mainstream politicians to intimidate Muslims and to demonise Islam. Media propaganda, bribes in the name of PVE funding and draconian anti-terror laws are just some of the policies that we have seen over the last few years targeted against the Muslim community. Only recently, the Minister of State (for food, farming and the environment) Jim Fitzpatrick made a political stunt by storming out of a segregated Muslim wedding of one of his constituents in East London. The aim of these campaigns is to coerce Muslims away from their deen and create distrust and tension with the wider non-Muslim society.

These activities and the racists that support them are simply another gambit to mound the pressure on our community. They want us to lose confidence in our Islam and remain silent on the double standards of a government that claims to fight terror domestically and yet supports despots across the Muslim world for the sake of securing their interests and holding back the Islamic revival. As Allah (swt) remind us in the Qur’an al-Kareem,

وَدُّواْ لَوْ تَكْفُرُونَ كَمَا كَفَرُواْ فَتَكُونُونَ سَوَاء

“They wish for you to disbelieve as they have disbelieved, in order that you would be equal” [TMQ al-Nisaa, 89]

وَدُّوا لَوْ تُدْهِنُ فَيُدْهِنُونَ

“They want you to compromise, so that they could compromise” [TMQ al-Qalam, 9]

It is important that we as a community are clear on how to respond to these events. Simply entering into clashes with these racists will only serve to fulfil their agenda – to depict the community as violent and the cause of unrest. It will only help the government and media to stoke up further propaganda against the Islam and the Muslim community. In matters such as this, we should always seek guidance from the Qur’an and Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (saw) on how to respond.

First of all, no matter how much they intimidate or attack our Deen us we must stand for Islam and its sublime values wherever we are. The Islamic ‘Aqeedah, the Qur’an, the Prophet (saw), the Shari’ah, the idea of halal and the haram, our identity as an Ummah are values that characterise the Muslim community. Despite the propaganda and provocation, as a community we must uphold these values and stand for Islam.

Secondly, when the Prophet (saw) and the Sahabah faced such propaganda and torture, what did he (saw) instruct the Muslims to do? The Prophet (saw) instructed them to carry their Message to the wider non-Muslim society through the work of da’wah. Our da’wah should be as strong as ever and we should not become weak or apologetic. We are not afraid of debating the fundamentals of our Deen and we have supreme confidence in the Qur’an and the Shari’ah from Allah (swt) but we will not respond to petty name-calling and attempts to silence or intimidate us. After all, our beloved Prophet, Muhammad (saw) endured all kinds of hardship and slander from the Quraysh in Makkah. However, he never once responded violently nor did he stoop to the level of the accusers. As Allah (swt) said:

وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا

“And the Slaves of ar-Rahman, those walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant people address them they say peace” [TMQ al-Furqan, 63]


The more we explain Islam to the wider society, the more people will see the beauty of Islam as a unique way of life that came to address the ills of society. The hate preaching of the English Defence League and such like will indeed fall on deaf ears.

In this blessed month of Ramadhan, we have been beautifying the Qur’an in our Masajid and we hasten to complete the Qur’an in the Taraweeh prayer. The same Qur’an that informs us:

الَر كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ لِتُخْرِجَ النَّاسَ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ

“ALIF-LAAM-RAA’. This is a Book we have revealed unto you, O Muhammad, in order that you may lead mankind out of darkness into the light”. [TMQ Ibrahim, 1]

Therefore, it is incumbent upon the Muslim community to explain Islam to the wider society and to counter the propaganda against Islam. For us to achieve this it requires the community to be focused on this work and not be distracted by the actions of some ignorant thugs.

Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain

4th September 2009
14th Ramadhan 1430

A leaflet distrubted widely in the Muslim community on Friday 4th September 2009

Source: Khilafah.com