A Muslim Manifesto was launched at a House of Lords conference on 23rd February 2015, following a nationwide community consultation. Lord Nazir Ahmed hosted the meeting which was attended by Muslim representatives of over 400 Sunni and Shia mosques.
The Muslim Manifesto is a statement of policy recommendations aimed at British elected representatives for the 2015 General Election.
The Institute for Muslim Community Development is the driving force behind the manifesto. Mohsin Abbas, Director of Arts Versa and one of the main pioneers of the manifesto, led a group of social scientists, academics, community professionals, and clerics.
Among the speakers were Lord Qurban, Shabbir Rizvi, David Ward MP, Labour Party Bradford East, Andy Slaughter, Labour MP for Hammersmith, and Ibrahim Taghouri, a Lib Dem PPP. There were articulate lady speakers like the first Pakistani woman aeronautical engineer, Hina Malik.
Lord Ahmed said that it was a historic moment for British Muslims as in his 35 years in politics, this was the first time that a long term plan and manifesto had been created.
Lord Ahmed said that inequality and injustice against Muslims in the UK are increasing alarmingly, and that the manifesto is a wake up call for Muslim leaders. He felt it gave parliamentarians a clear idea of the commitments Muslims expect of them. He praised the manifesto organisers for doing an amazing job in putting the document and consultation process together.
Mohsin Abbas said he felt that the mainstream media focused too much on the “Symptoms” of the community's problems. He claimed that his manifesto was solution-focused, and asked the question, “What is the British Muslim vision for a more ethical Britain?” He said the manifesto is a working draft document and further community consultations would lead to a final manifesto by March 2015.
The Muslim population was estimated at 2,786,635 in the 2011 census. Muslims make up around 4 % of the population.
40 constituencies may soon be determined by a Muslim swing vote. Muslims are the fastest growing population in the UK.
Some statistics concerning Mohsin Abbas, were;
- 63% of Britons worry that an increase in the Muslim population will weaken the national identity (up from 48% in 2003)
- 14% of prisoners are Muslim
- The number of Muslim prisoners has risen 200% in the past 15 years
- 46% of Muslims live in the 10% most deprived wards
- 28% of Muslims occupy social housing
- 50% of Muslims live in poverty
One of the briefing documents contained a 33- point statement of intent.
It “Asked our parliamentary friends to defend the right to a Muslim way of life.”
Some “unethical foreign policies” and Islamophobia were two issues that were mentioned as being important to British Muslims as they were twice as likely to be victims of these, Mr Abbas commented.
Mohsin Abbas said that the reason for the manifesto was that he and his colleagues wanted to create models and institutions that would help Muslims to develop an aspiration for excellence.
