Saturday 15^th May 2010

Editorial

After several months of exclusive and enticing contributions, ideas, hopes and visions, The Platform Blog project, in setting a vision for the coming decade in Britain, will now be drawing to a close. The fact that we have been able to extend the blog from its intended 6-week period to over 15 weeks is testimony to the success it has become.

As the Quran states, “Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (within their own souls).”[Ar-Ra’d 13:11]. It is in this spirit that we set out to help shape a vision for Britain in the coming decade; a vision for progress where individuals from the grassroots level can be part of the united voice and action for progress.

Monday 8th March to Sunday 28th March 2010

Editorial

After weeks of contributions and debate, addressing a remarkable spectrum of issues through a vibrant range of genres, we have now come to the completion of the six themed and structured weeks of The Platform. And we would like to thank all of you who have taken part and made the discussions on the blog both energetic and passionate.

Monday 1 March to Sunday 7 March 2010

Editorial

The last decade will almost certainly be remembered for the Labour Party having won an unprecedented three general election victories. It will also sadly be remembered for the tragic events of 9/11 and 7/7, which changed the course of political debate and discourse around the world and the conflicts that followed in Iraq and Afghanistan. From Palestine to Georgia, the first decade of the 21^st century was littered with international conflicts, while at home it was characterised by government policy towards combating the threat of extremism and how to encourage Muslims to be part of the political and civil dialogue.

Monday 22 February to Sunday 28 February 2010

Editorial

This week’s topic is that of ‘Culture’. Rarely has a term encompassed so many different meanings, both spoken and unspoken, to so many different people. What exactly ‘culture’ means is a question which has exercised some of the greatest minds throughout history.

Today, British society stands amongst the most ethnically and culturally diverse in Europe. Our Eid and Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square alongside the classic Christmas celebrations Britain has known for centuries, bears testament to this. It is a diversity that has seen rich growth, even more so in the 21^st century, and is therefore acknowledged and celebrated now more than ever.

Monday 15 February to Sunday 21 February 2010

Editorial

At present, the British Muslim community is suffering disproportionately as a result of crime, on both sides of the spectrum. How can we help the community progress?

Each community has both its fair share of wrongdoers and its exemplary citizens. This is no exception within the British Muslim community.

There are many issues that are affecting the community, but the issues of crime and security features with a regrettable significance. It is unfortunate that there is a disproportionate focus on the Preventing Violent Extremism and Counter Terrorism agenda.

Monday 8 February to Sunday 14 February 2010

Editorial

This week’s topic is one which has caused great controversy and debate in 21^st century Britain.

For the Muslim, spirituality is more than a momentary feeling or experience, but is a constant state of being, realised through a consciousness of God. As the Qur’an states, ‘They remember God while standing, sitting, and on their sides and they reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth: “Our Lord, You did not create all this in vain. Be You glorified. Save us from the retribution of the Hellfire.”‘ [3:191]

It is hope and devotion directed to an everlasting, loving and protective Creator, as explained by a Prophetic tradition: ‘God the Almighty said: ‘I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.’ [Bukhari]

By Mirnes Kovac

Many today see Bosnia and Herzegovina (short: B&H, Bosnia) as a fragile state, problematic in terms of its long political impasse – but one can ask – is it really in such an unfavorable position? The situation on the ground is not even close to that which is being projected. In order to acquaint you with B&H, I shall first provide some background, and focus on one of its main peculiarities – the fact that it is the most-Western “majority-Muslim country” in Europe, and in a sense, the world.

By Ahmad Butt

“Bosnia was once ‘that exotic country in the heart of Europe’—a land with a…heritage made rich with the intermingling of many cultures and civilisations. Multinational, multicultural, multireligious, its many communities—Muslims, Serbs, Croats, Hungarians, Jews—had lived together for generations. It was in Bosnia under the Ottomans that large numbers of Jews fleeing the Inquisition in Spain found welcome refuge, and there they had stayed, weaving another strand into the country’s variegated tapestry”.

Editorial

After last week’s exploration of Universal Values on the national level, we now turn to an exploration of those same values, and more, that have been formulated and defined around the world.

Evidently, the phrase ‘universal values’ has entered daily discourse more frequently in recent times. But how does this increased usage in verbal discourse translate into global action? What effect (or lack of effect) do these words have in developing countries around the world? And how in turn does that impact our own progress and experiences here in Britain?

Monday 25 January to Sunday 31 January 2010

Editorial

We open the discourse of this blog with an issue which has perhaps dogged humanity from our very existence, and one which has perhaps posed the most questions for us in the last decade than ever before: what are the values which are universal to all of us? Are those values common to everyone or confined to a particular community or country?