LONDON — The British government is planning to fund a board of Muslim scholars to debate issues affecting the sizable minority in Britain, in the latest government moves to combat extremism.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that our young people are equipped with the skills they need to stand up to violent extremists and help them understand how their faith is compatible with wider shared values,” Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said, reported the BBC on Friday, July 18.
The board will include 20 Muslim scholars, yet to be named.
The scholars will lead debates in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge on critical issues such as the status of women and loyalty to Britain.
Seminars will also be held across the country to discuss issues such as gender equality and obligations of British Muslims as citizens.
The board is the latest in government moves to fight extremism in Britain.
The government unveiled on Friday plans to give citizenship lessons to young British Muslims in mosque schools.
“We need to encourage and create safe places for sensible debate around issues that extremists can seek to exploit and make sure that young British Muslims recognize their faith teaches shared citizenship values,” said Blears.
The new lessons will be trialed from the new term in September in London and other areas with high Muslim populations, like Birmingham and Leicester in central England and Oldham, Rochdale and Bradford in northern England.
Last May, the government unveiled plans to send Muslim imams into schools to teach students against extremism and multiculturalism.
A month earlier, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith unveiled plans to invite Asian imams to help fight extremism.
There are some 400,000 Muslim students in Britain, home to a sizable Muslim minority of nearly 2 million.
Welcome
| |
| “Anything that helps to make our communities stronger should be welcomed,” Mogra said. (Google photo) |
British Muslims welcomed the new board plans.
“We felt we needed something of this nature to help create a better structured approach to how we are educating our children,” said Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, a leading member in the umbrella Muslim Council of Britain.
Mogra said that the board idea was the brainchild of British Muslims.
“We feel our children need to be taught that they can be proud Muslims and proud young British people.
“Anything that helps to make our communities stronger should be welcomed, provided that it’s not used to isolate, control or change what a community is.”
In July 2006, British Muslims unveiled a forum to speak out against extremist ideologies and propaganda, and to promote principles of tolerance and citizenship.
The Muslim leader urged the government to stay away from the board.
“This board has to be something owned by us, driven by us but supported by government.
“We’ve made it clear that it’s not for government to touch our theology or touch the way we train our people.”
0 Responses to “UK Board for Muslim Scholars”