The UK "the best place in the world" to live as a Muslim?

The UK  - is it heaven or the reverse for a Muslim? Shahid Malik, who is Britain's first Muslim minister (for international development) says the UK is "the best place in the world" to live as a Muslim. In an interview with The Jakarta Post, Malik says: "I have visited so many countries and comparing ourselves to those countries, the rights and freedoms we enjoy in the UK are second to none, including Muslim countries."
It might be easy to say that Malik, as a minister, has a cushy number, but in fact he was seriously injured by the Lancashire police as he tried to calm riots in his native Burnley in 2003. 

Comments

[Dave Farmer]

I think we have a lot to learn from peace loving muslims well any peacful person for that matter. Perhaps if the family was given the credence it should there would be less decent into crime and other social ills that blight our everyday life and as Camilla Cavendish revealed last week in The Times the Family Law and toothless civil courts is what is at the heart of so much strife today. Am I as a father or a muslim lady being forced into an undesirable marrage actually going to get our voice heard in these Kangeroo courts,what chance for those of us trying to do what is right, when even the law givers do not get it right!?!

[Asmodeus]

Alas!!

[maggie millington]

Yes I'm sure Malik is right. What a pity so many Muslims in the UK don't realise it.
They need to travel to other countries & they would soon see just how good the UK is to them & they should start conforming more to British law & British ways.

The women should definitely stop wearing those ugly clothes for a start, particularly the masks & if they have to wear the awful burka, make it colourful & ban the frightening black & drab.
Free the women.

Also, tell them 'no more' Mosques, silence the minarets, they have demanded enough.
If they can't live like Brits they are ungrateful takers.

[susie]

It's a pity though that Shahid Malik did not enjoy the freedom to speak at the opening of IslamExpo last weekend, but was forced to pull out after coming under pressure from the government. He sent his apologies. Various reports by Muslim women journalists suggest that debates at the event were open-spirited and very useful - despite the government's reservations about the organiser.

[Norm]

Mr Malik is absolutely correct. Muslims living in this country have all the advantages of being allowed to live as they wish and practice their religion freely with none of the disadvantages of living in a strict Muslim country like Iran or Saudi. It's odd then that so many want to remove those very freedoms by imposing Sharia on the rest of us.

[Mark]

"The best place to live if you're a Muslim".....

Of course the UK is. In fact it's not only the best place to live for Muslims but every other Nationality on this planet apart from the British, you know the Indigenous ones.
Always amazes me, they have a law and judicial system that is exceptionally fair. They have lived in the UK for over 30 years, when the factory owners shipped them in from Pakistan and Bangladesh and have inherited and exceptionally safe country, that none of their ancestors actually fought to make it that way.
Why do they try to impose their culture, a failing culture that is, on everyone that isn't Muslim in the UK, which happens to be the majority? If this country has the best "rights and freedoms, second to none, even Muslim Countries", then why on earth are Muslims even considering Sharia? Why also do they segregate and continue to learn Asian languages as their mother tongue, if this land is better than their ancestral homes?

It amazes me, really when I see this and yet when I speak to Muslims, every one has always said they are Muslim first, the Bangladeshi or Pakistani second and then English/British third?

Let's face facts, the reason why Muslims like England and the UK so much is because the government, law and judicial system panders towards them, they have more rights than any other minority in the UK. They are also allowed to run their Anti-UK/West Islamist Groups without fear of prosecution. Islamists love it because you can preach hatred in every Mosque in this country without fear of prosecution. People like Abu Qatada, not only escape prison and extradition to their 'OWN' country to face criminal charges, because we in the UK protect them, but also £50k a year in benefits for them and their families and an £800k house to live in.

Because of the UK's pathetic government as well as control from Brussells, every Muslim wants to get here because they can live however they wish to without fear of persecution or punishment, even if that means destroying the host culture of that country they live in.

The sad fact is this. The UK IS NOT a place to live if your White, male Christian and heterosexual. In fact, I'm sure there are Muslim Countries that would treat us better than we are in the UK.

[Chris]

The weevils in our establihment have made it so. God help muslims if ever the majority of indigenous people of Britain get a proper say. The minarets would be pulled down in hours.

[Amin]

Actually Mark, the ancestors of Indian Muslims (Pakistanis and Bangladeshis) did fight to make Britain what it is today! Without the colonials - you'd be speaking German and be part of the Third Reich. A bit of perspective and education helps.

[Glen]

The typical angry anti-Muslim responses above sadden me. Britain is what it is today because of its historical openness to immigration.

I agree though that all immigrants should be more grateful for being allowed to live in Britain, and respect and try to integrate into the existing culture, rather than living apart.

[Rick Beekman]

Amin;
If The Muslims helped Great Britain in WWII Good for them. The United States also fought alongside our friends the Brits. I promise you this our Nation lost many young men in World WarII I dare say more then The Muslims did in Britain.

Amin Let's be Honest. Up until maybe 20 years ago The Muslim community was a non-issue with America or Britain.

Now because of the Need for Middle Eastern Oil it has become Politically correct to allow Muslims to migrate to our countries and weak politicians who are afraid of being cut back on the needed Oil supply is why the Muslim community is growing in Power and numbers. Unlike The Muslims who "Stick together" as One. Christians in various religions denominations do not. You trust in the Koran Many Christians do not trust in God's Word (The Bible)alone or even at all and that's the difference why "Christian" politicians and "Christian" World leaders
are lily-livered. They put more trust in Oil and Power and Riches Then in The God who controls everything. I don't believe in ALLAH but I admire the Muslims for sticking up for their God when many "Christians" Don't.

The Arab community is going to be in big trouble if the Politicians can come up with a better game plan on alternative fuels. If that ever happens the Muslim community will be relagated once again to a Non issue regarding your current status...

[murral]

Muslims have been known to come to a host country by force or as today by invitation only to take over the host country making it into a replica of the original destroying the host. There are probably people who hope for freedom to live, but if they and the host don't stand up and recall, impeach etc those who in our own government who would enslave western cultures for petro dollars then we deserve what happens. If they want to kill their daughters for fake honour they need to go back to their countries. The British Empire did not allow the burning of living wives on their hubands graves. Western culture, based on Christianity did not judge that to be moral behavior. If other cultures do not wish to conform to Western culture than they should go home.I heard on the radio that over a hundred "preachers," of some religion out of Africa were comming to further train their people in Britain. Can any one say INVASION. They don't need that many. That is an invasion of the host body, but Britain refuses to see the truth of the matter.God help us in the US. Our country's government is just as crooked allowing over a hundred undocumented staff of Iran's ambassador to freely invade the US host body. Treason is it's name. Recall-Impeach.That's our job, and to pray for our leaders that we may live a quiet and peacable life.God alone can change the hearts of men.

I'm a british born & raised muslim currently living in australia and I have no doubt that the Uk is the best place to live as a muslim. I know for a fact that the majority of muslims my age (2nd/3rd generation) agree with me 100%...
the ignorance on both sides in general can be attributed to the older genrations who've know nothing but there own cultures. The uk is a diverse and multicultural country and is loved by most young muslims growing up there. The potrayal that all muslims in the Uk are hateful and unpatriotic is ludicrous and plain ignorant.

[British Muslim]

As a young muslim living in the UK i can say that all the muslims that i know in this country enjoy living here and do not want to change it it anyway similar to other islamic countries.
I think alot of the anti-islamic comments are fuelled by ignorance and probably come mainly from people who don't even know any muslims on a personal level. You shouldn't always believe all they rubbish they have in the newspapers.

And what has all this talk of free the women and get them to take their burkas off?! Is that relevant at all to this thread? I don't think so. I suggest that comments such as those be expressed elsewhere.