The head of the Muslim World League (MWL) has urged Britons to talk less about Gaza and more about domestic issues, saying that the UK government should consider integration a matter of national security.
Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Issa, the former Saudi Arabian justice minister who has headed up the Mecca-based international Islamic NGO since 2016, said in comments to The Times that Israel’s war on Gaza has increased division in Britain.
“The problem of integration has been exacerbated by the conflict in Gaza and the politics in the Middle East,” he claimed.
“The Muslim World League calls on Muslims and non-Muslims in the UK instead to focus on domestic issues where there are shared concerns. Such as policy areas that unite rather than divide.”
Issa made the controversial remarks despite numerous polls which indicate that most people in Britain, irrespective of their religious background, have consistently backed an arms embargo on Israel and ceasefire in Gaza.
Issa further argued that the government should see integration as a security issue, and claimed that Muslims and non-Muslims are living “separate lives”.
“Without integration there is isolation, fear of the other. That can cause a vacuum that the evil doers will try to fill,” Issa said.
Muslims ‘isolated’
His comments came after new polling by his organisation, the MWL, found that younger British Muslims are more isolated from mainstream politics and less likely to see integration as an important duty.
The poll had a sample size of more than 5,000 people, including more than 450 Muslims.
It found that while nearly two-thirds of British Muslims say their relationship with non-Muslims is positive or mostly positive, only a quarter of non-Muslims say the same of Muslims.
The study also found that nearly 40 percent of non-Muslims see diversity as bad, whereas over 70 percent of Muslims see it as positive.
This comes after a new report from the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) analysing recent census data shows that 94 percent of British-born Muslims in England and Wales have a strong sense of British identity.
The MCB’s report took a markedly different tone from Issa.
“Our analysis shows that British Muslims have an exceptionally strong sense of British identity and near-universal English language proficiency among the British-born population,” Dr Miqdad Asaria of the MCB’s research and documentation committee said on Monday.
“The report also highlights that the younger demographic profile of the Muslim population represents ‘a demographic dividend’: meeting gaps in the labour market, contributing financially to the state welfare system, injecting a creative and entrepreneurial spirit.”
MCB secretary-general Dr Wajid Akhter said: “With their strong national identity, entrepreneurial drive, and youthful energy, British Muslims stand ready to help build a more prosperous, innovative and cohesive society for everyone.
“The future of Britain and the future of British Muslims are inextricably linked, and that future looks bright indeed.”
However, the study also found that 40 percent of Muslims in England live in the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country.
The Muslim World League has announced it will provide £100,000 ($128,000) to develop a social cohesion fund focusing on improving relations between Muslims and non-Muslims.
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