Introduction 6 Position of this Study 7

Next, Understand Muslims

In order to get some idea of Muslims today in a more focused light, let’s examine Muslims in a little more detail. I will give you a cross section of life in three very different countries that I have personal experience of, those being Britain, The Philippines and Saudi Arabia. Each of these countries provides a very different perspective as we shall see.

Muslims in Britain

I grew up in Britain and have some fifty years of experience living there. During that time, the country has seen a tremendous change in the numbers of Muslims in the country. In 1961 the Muslim population of England and Wales was a mere 50,000 (0.11% of the population). Using the most recent census figures from 2011, the Muslim population has grown to 2,706,000 (4.83% of the population).

The reasons for the huge increase in numbers are beyond the remit of this study, but it is enough to say that part of the increase has been the result of the British Government’s failure to administer immigration regulations effectively. Another reason would be the high birth rates among the Muslim population.

Muslims have been coming to the UK for decades and some families are now second and third generation Muslims. The usual manner of arrival is that one family or family member arrives and then applies for many other family members to join them at a later time.

As these people arrive, instead of mixing with the local British population, they have generally separated themselves and grown communities within the community. Over the many decades, these communities have grown very large indeed in certain parts of the country.

Over the last 50 years at least, the growth of segregated Muslim communities within British towns and cities has been largely ignored. Many British people will have lived their lives in many parts of the country and will never have even met a Muslim (that they will be aware of).

Those Muslim communities have grown in areas where there was (in the past at least) a high demand for low paid work, such as in the textile industries. Migrants have come from many countries around the world, but by far the largest numbers have come from one or two countries, those being Pakistan and Bangladesh. The next largest group being from a variety of African countries.

In all countries, the wish of the Government is always that migrants to their respective countries will integrate into the existing communities. For the large part, this has certainly not happened in Britain. The Muslim migrants to Britain do all they can to retain the practices of their culture of origin, method of dress and especially their religion. They form Muslim communities, building mosques and madrasas (Islamic schools) and what we see now is that within their communities they have set up their own legal system (according to Sharia law of Islam). As I write this, there are at least eighty such Sharia courts operating in Britain, outside the law.

So what of the attitude of Muslims generally in Britain? It’s not possible to give a straight-forward answer to that question. To some extent the answer would be different depending on whom you asked.

If I take a general view, most British Muslims adopt the view that they are Muslims first then they have their cultural interests as their next priority. Being British to most Muslims is not important. Naturally there will be some who would disagree, and rightly so. Not everyone is the same of course.

Muslims in Britain (and also in European countries) have a tendency to use shows of strength of numbers. So whenever there in an opportunity for a march in the streets, they will rally thousands of willing participants to march.

Building of mosques is another activity that Muslims in Britain seen to engage in in a big way. Over the years, they have consolidated their communities with the building of large mosque complexes where they can, and there are plans for many more.

With the rise of Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) and Al Quaeda in the Middle East (Syria and Iraq) we have seen many people leave the country to go and fight the “Infidel”. The British security forces have made significant efforts to stop as many as possible from leaving. At the same time the security forces have been extremely busy in the areas of stopping a great many terrorist acts throughout the country.

Again speaking quite generally, there seems to be an undercurrent of hostility in Britain among the Muslims. If you scratch the surface, you will find an arrogant attitude that Muslims show towards those of us who are “unbelievers”. They have been heard to say things like “This is our country” and “One day we will take over”. I will let you draw your own conclusions.

Muslims in the Philippines

The Philippines is of course far removed from Britain. The problems faced by the Philippine government as regards Muslims is quite different and far more acute as there has been open violent conflict between the Moro (name given to Philippine Muslims) and the government, going back as far as the annexation of the Philippines by the USA in 1899.

There has been a gradual spread of Islam in the southern islands of the Philippines for many hundreds of years, since at least the 17th century. As I understand it, Islam was imported from Indonesia and Malaysia through migration and they currently reside in what is known as the Islands and regions of Mindanao, Palawan and Sulu. They occupy almost half of the Island of Mindanao in what they have come to declare (unofficially) as the State of Bangsomoro.

Fighting broke out in 1969 in an all-out insurgency attempt by the newly formed Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), to take over Mindanao by force. Conflict has continued almost continuously since then, alongside the formation of a second insurgency group called the Moro Independent Liberation Front (MILF).

Fighting has all but ceased at the time of writing this, with the Muslims negotiating for independence for the Bangsomoro state. As of right now, the talks have broken down without agreement, and it is possible that fighting could begin once again.

Muslims are not only confined to these areas of course. They also inhabit parts of other cities such as the capitol, Manila, as well as Davao and Cebu. Recent statistics have the Philippine Muslim population at over 5% and the second largest religious group in the country, after the Catholics.

As regards attitudes throughout the country, there are severe tensions between the Moro and the Catholic Filipinos, especially in Mindanao where much of the fighting between the Islamic factions and the Filipino military have taken place.

Over the years there have been many acts of terrorism carried out all around the country by the MNLF and the MILF, which have caused many hundreds of deaths. It is for this reason that wherever you go in the country, you are confronted with guns and security searches. This has become a normal part of life in the Philippines. You want to go to the supermarket, the Mall, or just catch a train (trains exist only in Manila) then you are searched and all guards are armed.

Having a friend in the Manila police force afforded me the opportunity to talk to some ex-military soldiers, whose attitude towards the Moro was exactly the same as US forces faced with the Taliban in Afghanistan and the insurgents in Iraq. It was one of dealing with a ruthless enemy who should be shown little humanitarian regard. They were simply the enemy.

What we should notice with regard to the Philippines is the stark differences in certain attitudes of the Muslims compared those in Britain. We see in Mindanao Muslims who have consolidated an entire area of the country and having created an almost total religious domination of the area, wish to enforce their "right" to make that area an independent, self-governing state.

Naturally the Philippine government sees no justification for such a claim, simply based on the Moro's desire, and the fact that Mindanao is part of the Sovereign State of the Philippines. Imagine if say, Scotland (many of whom want independence from England and the UK) suddenly started using guerilla warfare and committing acts of terrorism in England in order to make their point about becoming an independent nation.

In Britain, while we have large numbers of Muslims throughout the country in large communities, they are often separated by great distances. I will let you draw your own conclusions from these facts.

Muslims in Saudi Arabia

So far we have had a brief view of Muslims living in countries where Sharia is not the law of the land and Islam is not the dominant political regime and religion. Now we will take a look at a country where the opposite is true.

Saudi Arabia has only been a unified country since 1932, when Ibn Saud began a series of wars between the various tribes. He eventually became King and absolute ruler and his family have remained as hereditary dictators ever since.

The country is wholly under the influence of the Wahabbist sect of Sunni Islam, which is a very strict interpretation of Islam. This means that the country which was the birthplace of Islam (in Mecca) has itself become one of the most influential countries in the world, largely through the discovery of oil in the desert in 1938. The other reason is of course its connection to Islam.

Islam operates what it calls “The Five Pillars of Islam” which are essentially five things that all Muslims must do. One of those “Pillars” is to visit Mecca on a religious pilgrimage (hadj) at least once in their lifetime. Naturally then, Saudi and Mecca in particular is the focus of travel for all Muslims around the world.

The vast sums amount of oil has made a once very poor country extremely rich in an extremely short space of time. The wealth of the Saudi King and his family is beyond measure for most of us and a drive through the capital Riyadh in the morning traffic shows just how much wealth is there. 30 to 40% of all vehicles you will see are highly expensive limousines or high end vehicles that cost more money than most people see in their lives.

Like all cities, Riyadh the residential areas are divided into the rich and the poor. Generally speaking, the rich all live in the northern half of the city and everyone else is in the south. Those in the north have what can only be described as palatial homes. There are those of certain princes (al Saud direct family members) whose residences are so large that the grounds are about half a kilometer long. Others are like mansions, while the more moderately rich are merely multi-million dollar homes.

The city is the home of the King, whose palace is nearer the centre of the city. Because of his presence there and of course all of the government and Islamic rulers, the city of Riyadh strictly adheres to the rules of Sharia.

One of the things you will notice as you drive or walk through the city would be a distinct lack of any women. They are expected to mostly stay in the home and that is pretty much what they do. All women must adhere to the dress code of a black “abayah” (a neck to foot cloak which hangs loosely) and the hijab which is a long neck scarf which covers the hair neck and face. This is the minimum requirement. Women will also wear the niqab and some the burkah and many also cover their hands by wearing gloves.

Of course women do get out of the house, but at all times they must be accompanied by a man, usually their husband. If the husband is not present, then the women must be driven by a chauffeur (or taxi driver) and they must have a written permission from their husband or guardian for their trip. Of course, women are not allowed to drive.

Another very noticeable facet of Saudi which is featured in Riyadh, is the lack of any of the places of entertainment Westerners and others might be used to. There are no bars simply because alcohol is banned throughout the country. There are many restaurants, KFC and McDonalds and most of the people who work in these shops are foreign workers. The five daily “saleh” (prayers) cause every single shop to shut whenever they occur, which can present some problems for a Westerner living there!

Like all countries they have a police force, but unlike other countries, Saudi has the “Mutwah” or Religious Police. These men roam around looking for anyone who is breaking the religious laws of Islam. So it could be a woman who is not covered in the exact way required. Perhaps they will stop and check couples to ensure that they are carrying the paperwork that says they are married. The Mutwah are in normal clothing, so they can be anyone, anywhere.

The punishments for all crimes in Saudi are extreme and judges are allowed to make their own judgements based on their own interpretation of the Quran and the Sunnah (Traditions of the Prophet)

Capital and physical punishments imposed by Saudi courts, such as beheading, stoning (to death), amputation, crucifixion and lashing, as well as the sheer number of executions have been strongly criticized.[166] The death penalty can be imposed for a wide range of offences including murder, rape, armed robbery, repeated drug use, apostasy, adultery, witchcraft and sorcery and can be carried out by beheading with a sword, stoning or firing squad, followed by crucifixion. The 345 reported executions between 2007 and 2010 were all carried out by public beheading. The last reported execution for sorcery took place in September 2014 (9)
Muslims often talk about being a peaceful religion. Certainly my experience of being in Saudi Arabia was peaceful so I cannot say otherwise. But the oppression I felt was extreme. I could see the highly restrictive lives of all women and the relative freedom of men and boys to do almost whatever they wished. All restaurants are segregated (like the American and South African apartheid systems in the past) so there are women and children’s entrances and men’s entrances. Family entrances exist in some places.

The issue of slavery and human trafficking is still very much a problem in the country. My experience of this issue is that although it is officially now a banned practise, it continues on in a lesser form. The exploitation of foreign workers is widespread in the country. With the promise of work, individuals come from all over South East Asia (Philippines, Indonesia etc.), North Africa Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia) and other Arab states such as Yemen. Many workers also come from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Often workers will be gravely mistreated and their living conditions are usually very poor. Wages are extremely small (yet more than they would earn at home) and salaries are often withheld or denied. The contracts ensure that these workers are trapped once they arrive, having their passports taken from them and in some cases even the National Identity Card (Iqama) is also withheld to prevent workers from running away.

Workers hours are ridiculously high and those who work within households as servants and drivers are simply forced to be available 24 hours a day. Some workers are treated well, but it is the majority who are abused in some way that either restricts their liberty (women are locked inside their accommodation) or causes then actual physical harm (beatings, depravation or sexual abuse).

The concept of peace for a Muslim only occurs when all around them are Muslims too. Their Quran requires that all people be subject to Islam, and so in a country where Islam is in charge, then it is peaceful, at least in theory. That doesn’t stop the occasional bombing of a Sunni mosque by the Shia minority in Saudi or perhaps the bombing of the airport in Riyadh by Al Qaeda.
You may ask the question, “Surely this is not the same in all Islamic countries?” Well I am sorry to say that it is most definitely the same. There are differences between countries as their historic cultures differ, but the implementation of Sharia law is a constant throughout these countries. Iran for example is a Shia majority Islamic country. The oppression and the level of cruelty of the rule of law is much the same as Saudi Arabia, with the exception that they follow Shia interpretations instead of Sunni.