Louis Palme / Mar 07, 2015

British Muslims have presented a Manifesto to Parliament outlining the thirty-three issues they want addressed by candidates for Parliament.  This list provides a clear picture of the Muslim agenda in the UK, and it also helps us understand more-or-less what issues are on the agenda for American Muslims.  The original listing can be found at http://muslimmanifesto2015.com/draft-muslim-manifesto/  

What I have done with list below is put the items into a number of categories. Only eleven of the thirty-three demands would be considered fair and reasonable in a secular society. Those demands might have been thrown into the list to throw off the accusation that these are Muslim-specific demands.

Anti-free speech – This would deny the free discussion of religious/political ideologies

Blame-shifting – This demand implies that the problems in the Muslim community are the fault or responsibility of the government

Forced respect – A demand that government promote unearned/undeserved respect for Muslims

Jizyah – An attempt to get non-Muslim tax-payers to provide special or extraordinary benefits for the Muslim community

OK – A reasonable demand regardless of religion – if the demand is honest and sincere

Sharia – This demand institutionalizes Sharia Law in the United Kingdom

Superiority – This demand places the importance of Islam equal or above other religions, despite their constituting only 4.4 percent of the population.

Taqiyah – A demand that the government endorse and propagate lies about Islam

 

  1. Sharia – Defend the right to a Muslim way of life, including halal meat; religious clothing; circumcision; and flexible working to accommodate Ramadan and festival observance.
  2. OK – Oppose all forms of hate crime, including Muslim-hate, Anti-Semitism and all other types of racism, whilst also promoting and enhancing community safety.
  3. OK – Promote good relations, understanding and cooperation between all of the UK’s communities.
  4. OK – Support efforts to accurately remember Muslim and non-Muslim histories including oppressive and genocidal actions against Muslim peoples by British and European peoples.
  5. OK – Commit to ethical British foreign policies that uphold the human rights of all peoples.
  6. OK -- Affirm the importance of faith schools within the overall provision.
  7. Anti-free speech -- Support the provision of religiously and culturally sensitive youth and social care services.
  8. OK – Promote a more just and sustainable future in the UK and abroad; supporting efforts to tackle poverty, environmental degradation including climate change, human rights abuses and the misuse of arms.
  9. Superiority – Celebrate and support Muslim heritage and cultural institutions.
  10. Blame-shifting – Eliminate the root causes of institutional discrimination against Muslims and introduce tougher legislation to prevent it.
  11. Jizyah – Significantly reduce poverty in Muslim communities.
  12. Blame-shifting -- Reduce higher than average unemployment in Muslim communities.
  13. Blame-shifting – Reverse rising criminalization of Muslim youth.
  14. Blame-shifting – Boost secular educational attainment of Muslims in Britain.
  15. Jizyah – Significantly improve health and well-being in Muslim communities.
  16. OK – Provide assurance and evidence that foreign funding is not causing/promoting violent extremism in the UK.
  17. Anti-free speech -- Introduce more robust legislation to curb media hate campaigns against Muslims.
  18. Sharia – Guarantee the Muslim community the opportunity to evolve independently of government social engineering programs.
  19. Taqiyah – Acknowledge that the holy scripture of Muslims (the Qur’an) does not endorse terrorism and the murder of innocents.
  20. Taqiyah – Acknowledge and celebrate Muslim contributions to knowledge and civilization including European civilization.
  21. Forced respect – Support all reasonable measures not to view Muslims with suspicion and through a security perspective.
  22. Blame-shifting -- Encourage enquiry into the effects of over-sexualization of public spaces upon young people.
  23. OK – Support the introduction of more rigorous and analytical religious education in all British schools that takes a balanced and critical approach to all the major world religions.
  24. Superiority – Provide more holistic and relevant curriculums in schools with a high proportion of Muslims pupils.
  25. OK -- Support a holistic improvement of faith school education and stop the current securitization agenda.
  26. Blame-shifting – Support greater development of the Muslim arts and cultural sector to nurture more mainstream Muslim cultural leaders and role models.
  27. Blame-shifting – Allow Muslims greater access to decision-making processes in the security services.
  28. Sharia – Recognize Muslims have a distinct ‘way of life’ (deen) which opposes any understanding of religion or faith as separate from other aspects of life.
  29. OK -- Withdraw all economic, military and other support for oppressive governments in Muslim and non-Muslim countries.
  30. Superiority – Promote the positive shared Abrahamic history of Moorish, Christian and Jewish culture in Europe.
  31. Superiority – Highlight and promote the Muslim Diaspora’s contribution to the British economy.
  32. Blame-shifting – Encourage the development of a 21st century Muslim ideological narrative conducive to living peacefully in the West whilst remaining true to the values of Islam.
  33. OK -- Oppose all unfair exploitation of resources owned by Muslim and non-Muslim countries

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