MAKKAH, 7 June — The British Muslims are not insignificant in British public life. There are two million Muslims in Britain and though a minority, their votes are increasingly important. In fact, in the 1997 elections, Muslim voters were expected to determine the outcome in at least half a dozen seats. “In theory, there are estimated to be about 20 constituencies where the total number of Muslim voters exceeds the majority held by the sitting MP,” explained Iqbal Sacranie, spokesman for the UK Action Committee on Islamic Affairs.
The 1997 Elections were the first in which the Muslim community presented its desires and concerns to the new government. It was carried out under the aegis of the UK Action Committee on Islamic Affairs, an umbrella body bringing together all important Muslim organizations. The Muslim community outlined its major issues & concerns.
There were three key issues. The first was recognition of our identity as a Muslim community. The second was the issue of education which involves obtaining grant-maintained status for many Muslim schools as well as the revision of curriculum to ensure that Islam was taught as a subject and that Muslim children, where they are in the majority, are allowed to perform their own form of worship in schools. The third was the social economic concerns of Muslims. These have to do with the home and issues of regeneration and poverty.
If we review what has happened over the last four to five years, we see that in those three areas, “There has been some movement. First, concerning our identity, our recognition: There have been some important changes with the most important being that for the first time, we will have a question in the Census 2001 — a question which will ask us to identify ourselves on the basis of our faith,” said Sacranie. He added, “the 2001 Census will not only give us the precise number of the Muslim community but will also enable us to take up our concerns with the central government and the local authorities to ensure that funding is provided at the local authority level to various ethnic communities.” The second issue is the issue of education. The Labor government gave grant-maintained status to three schools. A number of other applications are being considered and Sacranie is confident that many which meet the criteria will get the grant-maintained status — in other words, government funding. This will enable Muslim schools to provide a better education and also maintain the identity of the Muslim community. The third area concerns the issue of socio-economic conditions, such as homelessness and poverty. There is a clear recognition by the government that attention must be paid to the most deprived because not doing so means that the government and the country suffer in the long run. One specific area of concern is the issue of religious discrimination. Sacranie said, “although support has been shown by both Conservative and Labor governments, we feel it is absolutely vital that religious discrimination be outlawed.”
In reviewing the last four years, Lord Nazir Ahmad commented, “I think, the Labor government has delivered more in four years than the Tories did in 18 years. Labor has appointed members to the House of Lords and increased consultations with Muslim leaders. They have given grant-maintained status to three schools and appointed a commission to investigate religious discrimination. Labor has elected the first Muslim Member of Parliament and God willing, we will have more.”