Faith In Media & Politics

We Do, Do God
Conference on “How Do We Communicate God in Public Life?”
Friday April 8th 2011
Executive Business Centre, Bournemouth University

Shaping The World Around Us With Faith
Asad Khan,
The Muslim Council of Britain

3 Classifications of Humans: Oriental, Negroid, Caucasian
Creation: Common starting point
Aztec, Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, Mongolian,
Pompeii / Valley of Lot…
History & Civilisation(s)

[I think therefore] “I am”…
Quest for Meaning…answers (who, why, where?)
Sense of Belonging….. to the Universe.
Rich & Diverse Heritage
Un-limited potential
Identity

“I’m A Son of the East and a Father in the West”
Enlightened View

Authentic Source Code for Life
“No Compulsion in Religion” (La Ikrahafideen)
“Know One Another” (Li Ta’arafu)
The Divine Codes

Rational being
Struggle between intelligence and (carnal) desires
Weak / fretful: when in loss
Arrogant & ungrateful: in times of abundance
The Nature of Man

Heart – feel reliance, trust, gratitude
Tongue – testify the truth
Limbs – conduct beneficial actions
Core Teachings:
Unity of God,
Prophet-hood,
The Hereafter
What is Faith?

“We created life and death in order to test which of you is the best in deeds.”
Final Testament, 67:1
Reconcile the Contradictions:
- within ourselves and around us.
CHOICE

1 Earth : 1 God : 1 Humanity
Same space – A Common Journey
“All the Prophets are brothers, though their maternal mothers are different, their religion is One.”
Great Values and Principles

“Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself”
First Principle

“Love thy neighbour,
love thy God”
Second Principle

“Enjoin the Good,
Forbid the Evil &
Believe in God”
Third Principle

To Live – Physical
To Love – Emotional
To Learn - Mental
To Leave a Legacy - Spiritual
Honesty, Care & Humility
Characteristics: Confidence & Empathy
Human Endowments

The Ceaseless Pursuit of Happiness:
Spiritual, Emotional, Mental, Physical, Social and Global Peace
Individual Striving for Meaning & the Sense of Certainty
3 Axis of Existence
Self
Society
God
“Shaping The World”

Both Positive & Negative Forces Continuously Shape Us
Laws
Norms
Habits
Beliefs
Values
Culture
World-view
Spheres of Influence and Reference
Environmental Forces

Z (ionist) - AGENDA
I (slam0)- Phobia
Witch-Hunt
Democracy/Education/Goodwill??
Islam & The Media

Press Releases
Right to Reply
Editorial Corrections/Retractions/Apologies
Rebuttals
Libel Cases
MCB & The Media

Responsible Broadcasting
Moral Propagation
Political (Self-Interest) vs. Ethical (Care)
“We Believe In - ”

Real and Live Example Shared here (in progress of clarification – *illustrative purposes only* , compiled by a junior media officer)
Dear Sir,
On Nicky Campbell’s ‘You Call’ programme on Monday 4th April 2011, he had a guest on the show who made inflammatory remarks against the Muslim Council of Britain. The guest – AhsanAhmedi, said near to the end of the programme “We have to first counter these actions you know and it’s unfortunate and you know in this way, you know the government is also at fault. Not this particular government but certainly Tony Blair and his merry men when they took on the MCB as their bed partners and those who.. you know.. they never condemned the terrorist attacks [Nicky: Hmm (agreeing tone)] err.. and you know they were supporting anti-Semitism by not going to Holocaust remembrance day and things like that, and these are the people advising the government and this angered us you know at who they took to bed rather than those who are true proprietors of Islam I think in many ways. [Nicky: uh-hmmm]… And they were knighted (laughs) even more annoying””.
Nicky Campbell completely disregarded this deliberate provocative maligning against the MCB and did not refute or correct the guest.
In relation to the words – ‘they never condemned the terrorist attacks’, this is completely false as our records show that we have, amongst other things, spoken out against terrorism. We actually released five Press releases condemning the attacks during 7/7, two on the day of the attack – one press release was alongside Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and we issued another Press release wholly condemning the act. On the same week, we issued a PR on Muslims praying for the victims of the atrocity during the Friday prayers. We also re-iterated our call for an Independent public inquiry nearly a year after the attack and released a press release on the anniversary of the attack alongside Churches Together in Britain and Ireland to show our support and solidarity against the perpetrators and at the same time remembering the victims and sending our deepest condolences to the families affected by the attack. Amongst these, we have issued many other press releases condemning terrorist attacks such as 9/11 and the killings of Christians in Pakistan.
Nicky didn't distance himself from the comments made by AhsanAhmedi and this in turn confirms that the BBC is in breech of the comments, as he didn't disassociate himself or the BBC from the remarks, rather listened attentively and carried on with the programme.
Right at the end, Mr Ahmedi made disparaging remarks towards one of MCB’s earlier Secretary Generals for being knighted. Again, he was allowed to say whatever he wanted whilst hundreds of people listened live.
Regarding the Holocaust Memorial days, though the MCB did not attend the first (few) days due to strong reasoning behind the decision, the MCB have decided to attend to show solidarity for the victims of the Holocaust. The last year’s Holocaust Memorial Day was attended by the Deputy Secretary General of the MCB.
We request our right of reply and would like our correction to be read out on the show and put on your website.

Yours Sincerely,

MEDIA OFFICE
Muslim Council of Britain (MCB)

MCB, PO Box 57330, London E1 2WJGeneral: 0845 26 26 786 Direct: 020 7429 4985
Fax: 020 7247 7079Web: www.mcb.org.uk
Email: media@mcb.org.uk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/MuslimCouncil
Youtube: www.youtube.com/MuslimCouncil
Flickr: www.flickr.com/MuslimCouncil

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is the UK's largest and most diverse Muslim umbrella organisation with over 500 affiliated national, regional and local organisations, mosques, charities and schools.
-* Illustrative Purposes Only *-

President Obama: values espoused v. practical change
Al Jazeera: “voice for the voiceless” – instrument of change
2 Pertinent Examples

Honest Self-Expression
Collective Appraisal
Accountability
Respect & Understanding
Criteria for Public Relations

Think it through for yourself
Reason it: Observation & Reflection
Break it Down (Analysis)
Apply Best fit: does it fit Logic, Reason, Sense, Evidence?
Throw-out the Untruths and resolve the out-liers
Accept & confirm the truth whole-heartedly (Synthesis)
Framework of Assessment

Objectivity & Credibility
Evidence-based
Independent verification
Slander / libel / defamation / blasphemy / exploitation
Propaganda (e.g. as in Israel/Libya): suppression of truth and in-accurate reporting.
Authenticity

Diversity
Courage
Positive Thought & Action
Propagate the Good: Not the false or ill.
The Journey

“Be the change you want to see in the World”
Ghandi
‘The task of the church (mosque, synagogue, temple, gurdwara) today is to gather fragments, make connections and discover landscapes for the soul.’
Mary Grey
Inspiration

Faith In Media & Politics

by Asad Khan on May 05, 2011

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Faith In Media & Politics — Presentation Transcript