islam and the city (duncan peters)

URBAN CONSULTATION JAN 2013 BELIEVING IN THE CITY 2

Duncan Peters

Lecturer in World Religions – Free Church College, Edinburgh and Free Church Minister,

Govanhill, Glasgow

Islam and the City

Duncan Peters Islam and the City 1

Urban Consultation Jan 2013 ‐ Believing in the City 2 Duncan Peters

My main focus is on Islam and Muslims in Glasgow, and particularly the Pakistani community. What I offer is reflections based on personal experience and some reading. Much of my talk will be descriptive with some suggestions about missional engagement Books, Resources

• Between Naivety and Hostility – Uncovering the best Christian responses to Islam in Britain, eds Steve Bell, Colin Chapman

• In the Beginning – A Month of Daily Meditations from al‐Taurat • www.closetothewind.org – Duncan Peter’s own blog

History of Glasgow Muslim Communities Mostly post 1945, especially 50s and 60s, growing industries, labour shortage, Commonwealth citizens invited in to fill shortage.

• UK – Mirpuri – Mangla Dam. Many spent compensation package on air‐fare, came to work in mills, factories in Lancs, Yorks, Birmingham etc

• Glasgow: some Mirpuris, but majority Punjabis, early days especially from Faislabad. Many worked on buses and trains for Glasgow Corporation, some travelling salesmen. Some started small businesses, eg shops, restaurants.

At first men came on their own to work. Families came later.

‘In those early days of immigration, there was no access to Pakistani‐run shops. There was rarely any mention of religion. These men, away from the prying eyes of their families, were more interested in letting their hair down whenever they had the opportunity.’ (Khalad Hussain, Against the Grain).

With the arrival of families – establishment of community ‐> stronger cultural and religious identity

• Glasgow Central Mosque, purpose built, completed 1983, opened 1984 • 1997 1st Muslim MP = Muhammad Sarwar, Glasgow Govan • Post 2000 Asylum seeker dispersal policy. Glasgow took many asylum seekers

Glasgow Context Today

• Scotland 75,300 Muslims living in Scotland in 2009 ‐ one in 68 of the population. (Scottish Executive Annual Population Survey‐ Daily Mail , Sept 24, 2010 )

Scotland: by far largest community =Pakistani Punjabi; also other Pakistani (Mirpuri, Pathan, Sindhi), Bangladeshi, Indian, Irani, Afghan, Iraqi, Kurdish, Somali, various Arab nations, Malay and others.

Diverse socially and economically. Settled communities, refugees, students, work or marriage visas 1st to 4th Generation in UK – a settled community Many Scottish/British born and raised – 2 ends of spectrum:

• YUMMIES (Young Upwardly Mobile Muslims) – educated, articulate, seek to relate Islam to living in West, some are ‘progressive’ in interpretation of Islam, others conservative; but both question the authority of Mosque leaders and community elders

• Alienated youth – under achieving in education, unemployment, drugs, crime, gangs, open to recruit by extremists



Alienated (see Philip Lewis, ch. 6 ‘Between Naivety and Hostility’) • in UK (a minority), • at home – generation gap between parents who grew up in Pakistan and children who grew

up in Scotland • in the mosque ‐ imams from Pakistan with limited English, British trained ones often from

seminaries where little engagement with UK culture and society.

= a wider problem than just for alienated youth – a problem for many Muslims raised here. Subjects covered in sermons abstruse, unconnected (though I have heard a few oodg practical sermons in mosques here) The Islamist by Ed Husain

‐ The Islamist: Why I joined radical Islam in Britain, what I saw inside and why I left ‐ Brought up in Bangladeshi family in East end of London ‐ Religion of home; ‘spiritual Islam’ – Sufi oriented ‐ From age 16 drawn into ever more extreme Islamist groups, climaxing in Hizb ut‐Tahrir ‐ Fellow Islamist commits murder, leads to questioning and disillusion ‐ Moves back through more mainstream Islamist groups to rejecting Islamism for

‘spiritual’ rather than ‘political’ Islam ‐ Co‐founder and co‐director of the Quilliam foundation which challenges extremism and

promotes pluralism (a/c to its website) ‐ Lessons:

o A phase of youthful extremes? o Long‐term influence of a few non‐Muslims who showed kindness, patience and

compassion which challenged the Islamist narrative – the importance of Christian engagement and incarnational mission.

Social needs:

• Needs of new immigrants – poverty, isolation, especially if English is limited, asylum issues • 1st/2nd generation tensions – eg. forced marriage, other honour/shame issues • Extended family tensions (eg. mother‐in‐law/daughter‐in‐law) • Family breakdown, crime, racism

Contributions: • Many businesses, economy, employment • Politics: 1 MP, 2 list MSPs, number of councillors, • Services: health, education, etc – voluntary • Culture: food , film, music, clothing, sport (Mo Farah)

Islamically diverse: (Pakistanis = high identity, high practice; others = high identity, lower practice; some, eg many Iranians = low identity low practice)

• different ‘denominations’ – Sunni/Shia; Deobandi, Barelwi, • exclusivist – pluralist, long pluralist traditions eg Sufis in South Asia. Today, possibly

emphasised by some in reaction to extremist versions of Islam



• Integrationist/separatist (cf Brits abroad) – where integration desired, not always easily achieved. Difficulties on account of how much Scottish culture revolves around alcohol consumption

• Folk Islam (‘the Unseen Face’) ‐ Magical practices, amulets, evil eye, curses, magical use of Qur’an and names of God, Astrology, occult – under the surface but widespread

Sense of ‘ummah’ – solidarity with Muslims who are (perceived to be) oppressed – Iraq, Afgh, Pal, Kashmir. ‘War on terror’ widely seen as attack on the Muslim world Commonalities but diverse – beware of generalisations that portray Islam as monolithic, globally or locally Relations with Wider Society, including Christians Much that is constructive and +ve in M rels w/ wider soc – usually unsensational and unreported

• Eg Tariq Jahan, father of Haroon, 1 of 3 young asian men killed while defending property from looters in Birmingham in Aug 2011 – called for calm and restraint and against reprisal attacks by his own Muslim community

Problem of Islamophobia and ‘Westophobia’ • Vast majority of Muslims are not extremist, • And are not ‘in’ on some plot to take over UK and make it an Islamic Republic. • Many have prejudices and fears of what is unknown and strange, as we all do

Problem of who speaks for M community. ‘Citizen Khan’ – self appointed ‘community leader’. Beware of self appointed leaders and speakers, who at most represent their own group. Islamophobia among Christians – climate of fear – comparison with attitudes to Irish RC immigration in early C20th Danger of self‐fulfilling prophecy. – if we view Muslims with fear, mistrust and hostility – they are likely to respond in kind towards non‐Muslims (which is what extremists on both sides, Islamist and BNP/EDL want) Model: Jesus’ attitude towards Samaritans, especially in the ‘Good Samaritan’ ‘In a world that is still trying to come to terms with the multiple genocides of the twentieth century, and with 9/11 and its aftermath of fear and suspicion, the following words speak true: “The antidote to fear is love. There is no other way. We are free to love our enemies. We cannot fear those whom we love.” (Andras Visky in forward to ‘The Foolishness of God’ by Ferenc Visky) There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18)



Muslim Cultures and the emerging Western Muslim Culture • Halal/haram foods (Church functions, BBQs etc – what are you offering?) • Relations between men and women ‐ Modesty / hijab • Respect for elderly • Indirectness; Use of intermediaries • Respect for religious observance • Reverence for God (many of our churches can seem flippant) • Religion as a topic of conversation • Fatalistic – ‘inshaallah’ • Belief in supernatural / magical • Importance of dreams – cf cultures in the Bible. People encounter Christ through dreams • Collective not individualistic • Honour / shame ‐ Saving face

Change due to being in the West

• Greater willingness to question – vital that we open to be questioned • Less respect for authority and elders among some • Assertion of women’s rights, among the educated – ‘Islamic feminism’ – “oppression of

women = a cultural not religious problem” • Greater individualism • Tension in some marriage where 1 partner grew up in Pakistan, the other grew up here • Strong ‘Scottish Muslim’ identity – bagpipes and shalwar qameez at weddings etc – people

who don’t identify as Pakistani • Emerging Western English speaking Islam • 2nd/3rd/4th generations often very adept in negotiating different environments. At work,

college, school, university seem very western and fit in; but at home, mosque, community they may be very different. Just because you know that person well in one context, doesn’t mean you’ve got the measure of them

Mission / Ministry Issues Social action:

• The Well Multi‐Cultural Advice Centre, • Church‐based drop‐ins (asylum seekers), • English classes, Mother &Toddlers, Homework clubs

= excellent for social cohesion, bridges between communities, demonstrating the love of Christ Dialogue Issues

• Muslim cultures are ‘non‐secular’ • Don’t dwell on controversial flash‐points • Use stories and proverbs • Use the Bible • Aim to expose Muslims to Jesus Christ as rev in HB • Use Qur’an and other M sources where helpful ‐don’t crit Q & Mu • A Christology from below, working upwards, following the first disciples’ experience. We tend to have systematic‐theological formulations in our minds. But the first disciples



encountered Jesus as a prophet and as Messiah (though their understanding of what that meant was very inadequate). They spent 3 years witnessing the things he did and said, continually asking, ‘Who is this?’ Only after the resurrection does Thomas (speaking for them all) say to Jesus, ‘My Lord and my God.’ Our desire and prayer for our Muslim friends is that they go through a similar process – so we need to expose them to the Jesus of the Gospels in particular. • Death of Jesus is usually denied by Muslims as a death too shameful and disgraceful for such a highly honourable prophet (sounds familiar – see Luke 24:19‐21). Stress his death was a martyrdom, deliberate and voluntary, purposed by God and prepared for through OT Scripture – see Jesus’ approach in Luke 24. Jesus was honoured and vindicated by resurrection and ascension • Jesus the intercessor • Pray for/with people

Ekklesia

• Integrate into already established churches – big challenges • Contextualised CP – good for disconnected individuals and small families eg refugees • Family network (biradri) ekklesia

Current issue#1: Discipleship and identity Perception that Christianity = Western, The West = Christian, very deeply held My friend, H: “I was talking to a couple of Christians at the bus stop.” –the only thing to distinguish them as ‘Christian’ is that their skin is white. – if I say to H, “you really need to become a Christian.” ‐ what does that communicate? Often ‘conversion to Christianity’ is understood as a wholesale rejection of one’s family, community civilization and culture – a betrayal, which brings great shame on the family. So in this context it is useful to speak of Muslim followers of Isa al‐Masih (Jesus the Messiah) I will say, ‘I’m not interested in you converting to Christianity – be a Muslim, but most the important thing is to follow Jesus’ The question is: how does a believer in Jesus from a Muslim background obey the 5th commandment (honour father and mother) while giving supreme honour to Christ? Current issue#2: Honour / Shame Cultures & the Gospel Many present an understanding of honour/shame cultures as ‘the key’ to Muslim cultures It is very important, but... Problem of exaggerated difference – 2 diff planets: guilt/ innocence (the West); shame/ honour (the East). Reality = a matter of degrees. All cultures know guilt/innocence and shame/honour. But to different degrees , different things over which people feel guilt or shame Key factor = how collectivistic / individualistic a culture is. If identity is bound up with the group; much more sensitive to opinion of the group and maintaining one’s own and whole group’s good name. Some (eg Steve Bell in ‘Gospel for Muslims’) are proposing what may be summarised as follows: “Western presentations of Gospel assume a guilt innocence mindset, so focus on justification and penal substitution. An Eastern presentation of the Gospel requires a very different approach.” However... Islam is very much a religion of law. There is:

• a law (sharia) given by God, revealing what God requires of us • a coming day of judgement when God will judge us as to how we measure up to his law



• the concept of scales weighing good and bad actions; the need for swab or religious merit • Fear of hell‐fire and lack of assurance about going to paradise are strong felt needs among

Muslims

A message of penal substitution, where the Messiah by his suffering removes our bad deeds/ sins/ guilt/ shame and confers to us his swab or righteousness as a free gift, is surely good news for Muslims.

islam and the city (duncan peters)

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