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kadafi
09-21-2005, 06:49 PM

The survey said Muslims students feel unwelcome for no reason other than being Muslim.

LONDON, September 21, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Muslim students feel more isolated following the July 7 attacks and the row over extremism on campus is further alienating them from university life, a survey showed Wednesday, September 21.

The poll, which was undertaken by the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS), said after the attacks 31 percent of those polled recalled feeling uncomfortable being Muslim in Britain, reported the Guardian after the launch of FOSIS's poll and report on Muslim students in the House of Commons.

Before the July 7 attacks only 5% of those polled said they felt unwelcome in society for no reason other than being Muslim. Now, Some 47% have also reported having experienced Islamophobia.

"These findings clearly show how important it is for all elements of society to take collective responsibility for their actions: the government, the Muslim community, the media and society at large," Wakkas Khan, President of FOSIS said in a press release on FOSIS's Web site.

"The attacks on the 7th of July were an attack against all of British society and it is only through coming together that we can avoid such events taking place again."

Of the 466 students surveyed in higher and further education, a sweeping 85% condemned the attacks, 4% did not and 11% gave no response.

If they knew of someone planning an attack, 72% of those polled would tell the police straight away; 8% would try to talk them out of it; 10% did not answer; 6% said no but gave no reason; 2% said no, mistrustful; and 2% said no, would never grass on a Muslim.

The survey was launched in the presence of Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the secretary general of the Muslim Council for Britain (MCB), Anas Al-Tikriti, from the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) and the minister for higher education, Bill Rammell.

Campus Extremism

The FOSIS report said that recent claims of "Islamic extremism" being rife on campus have proved groundless after the survey.

"The accusation of Islamic extremism being widespread on campus is largely unfounded and thus universities must balance the need for national security with the need for freedom of speech and religious practice.

"Student unions and university authorities work with Islamic societies to remove suspicion and misconceptions about extremism on campuses," the report concluded.

Khan said there are "simple things" universities can do to make life on campus easier, such as prayer room facilities.

"There's no Islamic society in the country which doesn't have a headache trying to find prayer facilities. That's just bang out of order. That would only help relations," he said.

Faisal Hanjra, Head of FOSIS Student Affairs, hit out at the "recent media hype about extremism on campus," saying that it has already done its damage due to unfounded allegations linking "Islamism" with individual universities.

"We are urging the government and university authorities to tackle this issue more sensitively. Muslim students in fact play a positive and active contribution towards British society with 1 in 2 Muslim students actively involved in voluntary work," he said in a press release.
Foreign Policy

But the survey further revealed most of the students believed that changing foreign policy would be the most effective way of reducing the threat of terrorism against Britain.

A further 62% believe that British Foreign Policy played either a complete or major role in causing the London attacks.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said in August that Britain must withdraw its troops from Iraq in order to prevent further terrorist attacks.

A would-be London bomber of the failed 21 attacks in London had told investigators that he and three fellows were motivated by the Iraq war and not by religious fervor, denying any link to Al-Qaeda network.

The initial findings of the biggest anti-terrorist investigation held in Britain in the wake of the July 7 attacks showed that the bombers acted on their own and had no link to Al-Qaeda.

The findings further found that there was no leader from abroad and the bombers were "self-sufficient".

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in July that the world must make progress on issues used by terrorists as a reason for violence such as the Middle East conflict, admitting that the Iraq war was used to recruit terrorists.

Asians Discrimination

Zesh Rehman is the only British Asian to have established himself as a regular in the Premiership.

Separately, a report published Wednesday found that young British Asians with hopes of playing professional football are being "discriminated out of the game" as a result of stereotyping.

The report, entitled "Asians Can Play Football," calls on the Football Association to instigate reforms aimed at provoking a "seismic shift" in the way in which youngsters of Asian origin are viewed, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"Within the Asian footballing community there is a feeling the FA as a governing body has failed successive generations of young talented footballers of Asian background," said Jas Bains, chairman of the Asians in Football Forum.

"The pitifully low numbers of Asian professionals, set against the huge interest and passion for the sport within the community, is symbolic of the way in which football has discriminated us out of the game through stereotyping and a lack of action to address this issue."

There are only a handful of Britons of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage playing professional football in England and Fulham defender Zesh Rehman is the only British Asian to have established himself as a regular in the Premiership.

A 2004 survey by the Commission for Racial Equality found that British Asians made up only 0.8 percent of players at top club's academies.

If the academies were representative of the British population as a whole, the figure would be closer to four percent.

Islamonline.net
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minaz
09-21-2005, 06:54 PM
must be hard for the young ones, I mean Spetember 11th occured when I was 14 goin on 15, and people did start asking me questions about stuff i.e.religion taliban etc. After 7/7 an atatck at home must be hard for everyone let alone the youths. Lol before September 11th and to a degree 7/7 I was just asian, but now people see me as a muslim?!?!? Strange they think being a muslim is like a race!
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azim
09-21-2005, 07:26 PM
Lol, yeah, I've had a few people talk to me about Islam as if it's a race. As well as questions like 'So what language to people from Muslim speak?', 'What's it like back in Islam?', 'Are both you're parents from Muslim then?'.

Just smile and nod usually.
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minaz
09-21-2005, 07:28 PM
OMG who are these ppl asking you the questions? CHAVS?
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Muezzin
09-21-2005, 07:45 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by minaz
OMG who are these ppl asking you the questions? CHAVS?
Nah, the question most chavs ask muslims is:

'Why don't you go back where you came from?' followed by a string of expletives. :)
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azim
09-21-2005, 07:47 PM
Lol. Just some people from high school. Not very clever people obviously. It was around the time 9/11 happened, everyone was really curious what (or in some cases, where) Islam was and why Muslims felt the uncontrollable need to fly planes into buildings. Days have been getting darker since.
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Halima
09-22-2005, 12:19 AM
During 9/11 I was in school and all the teachers left school like right after it happend. They said No homework for you guys, I'm going home and they left ...lol but then there were stupid rumors that the chinese people were trying to start World War 2 with us...lol!
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