as-salamu ‘alaykum,

It would seem that my comments about our local mosque and elections have created an interest in our community. Not sure at this point whether it is malignant or benign. Someone printed off the two posts and anonymously posted them through the letterbox of one of our senior elders, a man for whom I have deep respect and who I hold in high regard.

I have critically reread what I had written to make sure that I have not said anything untrue or unduly harsh and I don’t think I have. I suppose the word “gunday” [Eng.: ruffians] is slightly harsh but I applied that generally and in equal measure to all mosque committee parties regardless of kauwm, up and down the country. Each party has its fair share of such ruffians. Anyone who has any intelligence or common-sense will realise that the comments I have made are in fact concerns that any well meaning person has about the House of Allah and the running of it. Whilst I have been critical, and people do not take too kindly to criticism, I have tried to give some potential solutions to the general malaise afflicting our masajid up and down the country. It is all too easy to point out faults and mistakes but what is difficult is volunteering solutions. There is nothing in my posts that I have not said publically to people.

My home town is a nice home town, we have, in general, a close knit community, there is a feeling of community, we share in everyone’s happiness and grief. When there is a jinaza the whole community attends and visits the bereaved family. On occasions of weddings most of the town is invited. Looking at similar towns to our own I can see that in the next 5 to 10 years a real erosion of our community. Drug abuse and dealing is starting amongst our young, criminal activity is on the increase, low educational achievement, disinterest in the Mosque and Islam, young men openly walking around with their half naked girlfriends, some walking around with them and illegitimate offspring totally with out any shame or haya. Stories of Muslim girls having affairs with non-Muslim men let alone Muslim men. It won’t be long before prostitution effects our community and every household will be touched by the demon spirit of drugs and crime.

There are three paths open to our youth, 1. Extremism in the form of Wahhabism or other such heretical interpretations of the deen like al-Muhajiroon or HT; 2. total apathy towards Islam to the point of kufr or 3. traditional and orthodox Islam.

Path 3 can only come about through the masjid and a well organised one catering for the needs of the young. Groups like HT and the Wahhabis are well organised and have study circles and pamphlets that seem to appeal to the young; they provide “evidence” and make “sense” to young minds and then cause problems in the community, it is easy for someone who is Islamically inclined to fall prey to such groups and sects since our masajid do not provide an alternative and this leads to path 1.

Path 2 is the default, what I mean is that this is the society that our young are growing up in, since many Muslims homes do not provide any sort of tarbiya nor an Islamic environment for children to be nurtured into. We are exposed to popular culture 24/7 through cable and satellite TV, it has an hypnotic and brainwashing effect on our children. Exposure to strong sexual innuendo in pop videos in the norm, homosexuality is commonly promoted, religion and morals are derided and any characters in soaps or dramas with any form of morals or religious views are caricatured as freaks. Magick and witchcraft are viewed as positive forces and practitioners as role models. When our children are exposed to this and we view them as just harmless children’s programmes we are storing up trouble for ourselves.

Now when you have this on the one hand you need something to counterbalance it and the masjid can play a key role in educating not just children but adults of the community as well, it can assist in maintaining and developing a healthy society. It is with all these concerns in mind that I decided to write about the affairs of our local mosque since I do not think that we are being served by it to its fullest potential nor is it being administered as it should.

I would welcome whoever it was who took the trouble to read, print off and highlight with a yellow highlighter the posts I made to sit and talk to me about what I have written. So if you are reading this please come and pull me aside after juma or any other prayer or even come to my house and tell me what you found offensive about what I had written, you obviously know who I am. If you are sincere about our Masjid and the running of it you will approach me about it otherwise I can only question your intention behind this. It is probably someone youngish, computer literate, with some interest in the mosque and its affairs, familiar with my website and me, so I am sure that they know that I am not an unreasonable person and that we can discuss mosque issues amicably and in the spirit of brotherhood and for the good of the community.

May Allah bless the man who shows me my mistakes and deficiencies [and I have many] so that I may rectify them.

wa’as-salam

Mas’ud

www.masud.co.uk