The Plain Truth from a
Discussion with Dr. Abdul Mabud, Director General of the Islamic Academy, Cambridge on Tuesday, 7th December 1999.

Tragically, Christians and Muslims are confronting each other with increasing violence in many parts of the world. But there is no reason why Britain should ever become one of them. There are 675,000 Muslims in Britain, making Islam the nation's second largest religion. How much do you know about your Muslim neighbours?

We may have some significant philosophical differences, but we also share many beliefs and values. We asked Dr. Shaikh Abdul Mabud, of the Islamic Academy in Cambridge to tell us about Islamic beliefs and way of life.

Sunny Govan.com: Some people get mixed up with the terms Islam, Muslim and Moslem. Would you explain the differences?
Dr. Mabud: Islam is the name of the religion. It means `surrender to the will of God'. A Muslim is a follower of Islam. To be specific, it refers to a man who is a follower. To be strictly accurate, a woman who has surrendered to Islam is a Muslima. But in English we do not usually make that distinction.

Sunny Govan.com:And Moslem? Is that just another way of spelling Muslim?
Dr. Mabud: No. It comes from a totally different root word in Arabic. It actually means `tyrannised, oppressed, and gloomy'. That is the opposite of what a follower of Islam wants to be. We really don't like that word `Moslem'. Muslim is the right word.

Sunny Govan.com:Why do Muslimas wear a veil in public?
Dr. Mabud:If you mean covering the whole face, then it is not a strict religious requirement. But the headscarf is a mark of modesty. We expect both men and women to dress and act modestly in public.

Sunny Govan.com: So it is not just a religious tradition?
Dr. Mabud:In Islam, you cannot really draw a distinction between what is religious and what is not. Islam is a complete code, which encompasses all that affects human life - eating, drinking, talking, meeting people, praying and whatever. All these are part of the faith. So you cannot disassociate dress or dress code from faith. Of course, some things are more important than others.

Sunny Govan.com: You said this room where we are meeting is your prayer room, and asked us to remove our shoes. Do you always do that?
Dr. Mabud: Yes, in any place that is used for prayer, we remove our shoes as a sign of respect and for cleanliness.

Sunny Govan.com: Why do you always face East when you pray.
Dr. Mabud: Not East necessarily. We face Makkah, whatever direction it is.

Sunny Govan.com: Why Makkah?
Dr. Mabud: In fact, we turn our face to the Kaaba (house of God) which is situated in Makkah, the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad. That is considered to be the first house ever to be built on this earth, by the first prophet Adam. We believe Adam was created in Heaven. When he came down to the earth he was asked to build a house for worship, and the Kaaba marks that place. It gives us a focus, a sense of belonging and unity. We pray five times a day. So someone, somewhere will always be praying to God, looking towards Makkah.

Sunny Govan.com: What if for some reason you don't know which direction Makkah is? Or perhaps can't face it for some reason. Does the prayer still count?
Dr. Mabud: Of course. What matters is that you are sincere. Do you believe in God? Do you try to do good deeds? Do you help the poor and the needy? Do you help the wayfarer? These are the things that matter.

Sunny Govan.com: Friday is the Muslim Sabbath? Why Friday?
Dr. Mabud: It is not a Sabbath because we don't stop work all day Friday. The significance of Friday is that on this day God completed the Creation. It was on Friday that Adam was created. On this day he was admitted into heaven and also expelled from it. Lastly, the Day of Judgement is going to be on a Friday. So Friday is a special day of the week, as it is the day when all adult male Muslims are expected to attend the special Friday prayers in the mosque. It is optional for women.

Sunny Govan.com: What happens in a Mosque?
Dr. Mabud: A mosque is primarily a place of congregational prayer. We can pray at home, but Islam is not just a private religion. A mosque gives us the opportunity to come together in a public place, and pray as one big family. Individual prayer is also done in the mosque. You could walk into a mosque and pray at any time you want. The mosque is also used for meetings, and for teaching. Weddings also take place in the mosque.

Sunny Govan.com: The prophet Muhammad has a very important place in Islam? Why is he so important?
Dr. Mabud: We believe the prophet Muhammad is the last prophet in the cycle of prophethood. The first one was Adam, and there were others like Abraham, Moses and Jesus. The prophet Muhammad completed the cycle. Through him, God delivered the Quran, Islam's Holy book, and he himself lived every word of it. So, Muslims try to follow him passionately.

Sunny Govan.com: Christians believe the Bible is the word of God, but made up of many books written over many hundreds of years. But you believe the Quran is the work of one man, right?
Dr. Mabud: No, we do not say the Quran is the work of any human being. It was revealed by God. We believe the prophet Muhammad was the recipient of God's message. Other people wrote down this message because the prophet himself could not read or write. But the Quran is not like the Bible, which had been compiled by various people. Also, unlike the Bible, we keep the Quran in its original language - classical Arabic. Our prayers and scripture reading are in that language, wherever you go in the world.

Sunny Govan.com: You said a moment ago that Muslims accept Jesus as a prophet.
Dr. Mabud: Certainly. We believe Jesus was a prophet of God, like the prophet Abraham, and the prophet Muhammad. We believe Jesus had a miraculous birth, and that he will one day come again. All Muslims, as a requirement of their faith, do respect Jesus as a prophet of God.

Sunny Govan.com: But not as the Son of God?
Dr. Mabud: That's right. We do not believe he was the Son of God.

Sunny Govan.com: Do Muslims feel they should try to convert Christians to Islam?
Dr. Mabud: Nobody should feel that they have a duty to convert people from another faith. The Quran teaches that we have a responsibility to make the message known, but we have no power to convert people. Only God can do that. But it is our duty to give the message of God to people. We don't have any outright missionary activities.

Sunny Govan.com: What is a hajj?
Dr. Mabud: The Hajj is a pilgrimage to Makkah; it consists of various rituals - among them, circumambulating the Kaaba, running between two mountains near it, stoning the three pillars which indicate the places where the Devil tried to discourage Abraham from sacrificing his son, standing in supplication in the open field of Arafat in Makkah. All these rituals are integrated with prayers.

The Hajj is one of the Five Pillars upon which Islam is built. All Muslims and Muslimas who are sane, and have the means and the health to do so, are obliged to perform the hajj at least once in their lifetime.

Sunny Govan.com: What is a jihad?
Dr. Mabud: Jihad means at least two things. Firstly to jihad literally means struggle, strive, primarily against one's own lower self. So we discipline ourselves. For instance, during the month of Ramadan we do not eat or drink during daylight hours. That is the greater jihad.

Sunny Govan.com: But most people think of it as a `holy war', and we associate it with religious fanaticism and terrorism.
Dr. Mabud: Exactly, and that needs to be explained. The other aspect of Jihad, known as lesser jihad, is a struggle against enemies of Islam. Some unfortunately interpret this as a licence for terrorism. But the number of people who think this way are a very small minority, compared to the number of Muslims worldwide. They are aggrieved people. They believe their rights have been denied, and nobody has listened to them. So they take up arms out of frustration.

Now Islam does allow us to take up arms against those who attack Muslims. But it does not sanction us to act indiscriminately against women and children, and other innocent people, who are of your faith, or anybody's faith for that matter. Islam certainly does not sanction any group to throw bombs in a locality where innocent people would be killed. That is not Islam. But the media find it convenient to name that kind of activity as Islamic Jihad and to label all Muslims as terrorists. Any responsible Islamic scholar would say terrorism is not the right behaviour.

Sunny Govan.com: Can we quote you on that?
Dr. Mabud: Yes, you can quote me on that. Terrorism is not sanctioned by Islam.

Sunny Govan.com: Do you believe Christians and Muslims can co-exist without confrontation in the same community in our country?
Dr. Mabud: It is perfectly possible for a Muslim and a Christian to live side by side. The real problem is politics - not what we each believe.

Sunny Govan.com: So on a personal level, there is no reason why Christians and Muslims cannot be good neighbours and good friends, without worrying that the others are trying to subvert our values or principles.
Dr. Mabud: As a Muslim, I should protect your interest as a part of my faith. I should love my neighbour, no matter what his or her faith is. If I do not care for you as my neighbour then I would not be living according to my faith. A Christian person should have no fear from his or her Muslim neighbour. Not at all.

Sunny Govan.com: So you are saying that Islam is a far more tolerant religion than the media, and the activities of a few fanatics, sometimes make it out to be.
Dr. Mabud: Yes, this is certainly the case. The main problem is not religious, even though there are some differences with our concepts of God. But our moral values are very much the same, so we have a common base to work together. We all believe in a future, for ourselves and also for future generations. There is no reason for us to quarrel.

Sunny Govan.com: Do Muslims in this country think of themselves as a persecuted minority?
Dr. Mabud: Certainly not persecuted. Britain is far more tolerant than most other countries in Europe. But we are misunderstood. And of course, there is racism.

Sunny Govan.com: If non-Muslims invite Muslims to their home, what should they be sensitive about?
Dr. Mabud: Remember we don't drink alcohol, and we do not eat pork. Any meat should be from a halal butcher.

Sunny Govan.com: Is that similar to Kosher?
Dr. Mabud: Yes, it is a similar idea. It just means the meat has been slaughtered according to our requirements. Apart from that you don't have to worry about anything else on the food side.

Sunny Govan.com: How about smoking?
Dr. Mabud: It is not forbidden like alcohol, but it is considered to be a harmful thing, so should be avoided. When you get to know Muslim people you will find they are just ordinary people.

Sunny Govan.com: What do you believe happens to you when you die?
Dr. Mabud: When we die, we are put in the grave, then angels will come and ask you questions about what kind of life you have lived. If you have lived a good life, then it is as if a window is opened as a link between heaven and your grave. It is not being in heaven itself - yet.

Sunny Govan.com: Do you believe in a final Day of Judgement?
Dr. Mabud: Yes. That's when you will be judged and put in heaven or hell. Until then, a person rests in a peaceful state, if they have lived a pious life on the earth.