URBANCONSULTATIONJAN2013 BELIEVINGINTHECITY2

DuncanPeters LecturerinWorldReligionsFreeChurch College,EdinburghandFreeChurchMinister, Govanhill,Glasgow IslamandtheCity

DuncanPeters

IslamandtheCity

MymainfocusisonIslamandMuslimsinGlasgow,andparticularlythePakistanicommunity.What I offer is reflections based on personal experience and some reading. Much of my talk will be descriptivewithsomesuggestionsaboutmissionalengagement Books,Resources BetweenNaivetyandHostilityUncoveringthebestChristianresponsestoIslaminBritain, edsSteveBell,ColinChapman IntheBeginningAMonthofDailyMeditationsfromalTaurat www.closetothewind.orgDuncanPetersownblog HistoryofGlasgowMuslimCommunities Mostly post 1945, especially 50s and 60s, growing industries, labour shortage, Commonwealth citizensinvitedintofillshortage. UKMirpuriManglaDam.Manyspentcompensationpackageonairfare,cametoworkin mills,factoriesinLancs,Yorks,Birminghametc Glasgow:someMirpuris,butmajorityPunjabis,earlydaysespeciallyfromFaislabad.Many worked on buses and trains for Glasgow Corporation, some travelling salesmen. Some startedsmallbusinesses,egshops,restaurants. Atfirstmencameontheirowntowork.Familiescamelater. Inthoseearlydaysofimmigration,therewasnoaccesstoPakistanirunshops.Therewas rarelyanymentionofreligion.Thesemen,awayfromthepryingeyesoftheirfamilies,were more interested in letting their hair down whenever they had the opportunity. (Khalad Hussain,AgainsttheGrain). Withthearrivaloffamiliesestablishmentofcommunity>strongerculturalandreligiousidentity GlasgowCentralMosque,purposebuilt,completed1983,opened1984 19971stMuslimMP=MuhammadSarwar,GlasgowGovan Post2000Asylumseekerdispersalpolicy.Glasgowtookmanyasylumseekers GlasgowContextToday Scotland75,300MuslimslivinginScotlandin2009onein68 ofthepopulation.(Scottish ExecutiveAnnualPopulationSurveyDailyMail,Sept24,2010) Scotland:byfarlargestcommunity=PakistaniPunjabi; also other Pakistani (Mirpuri, Pathan, Sindhi), Bangladeshi, Indian, Irani, Afghan, Iraqi, Kurdish,Somali,variousArabnations,Malayandothers. Diversesociallyandeconomically.Settledcommunities,refugees,students,workormarriagevisas 1stto4thGenerationinUKasettledcommunity ManyScottish/Britishbornandraised2endsofspectrum: YUMMIES(YoungUpwardlyMobileMuslims)educated,articulate,seektorelateIslamto living in West, some are progressive in interpretation of Islam, others conservative; but bothquestiontheauthorityofMosqueleadersandcommunityelders Alienatedyouthunderachievingineducation,unemployment,drugs,crime,gangs,open torecruitbyextremists

UrbanConsultationJan2013BelievingintheCity2

DuncanPeters

DuncanPeters

IslamandtheCity

Alienated(seePhilipLewis,ch.6BetweenNaivetyandHostility) inUK(aminority), athomegenerationgapbetweenparentswhogrewupinPakistanandchildrenwhogrew upinScotland in the mosque imams from Pakistan with limited English, British trained ones often from seminarieswherelittleengagementwithUKcultureandsociety. =awiderproblemthanjustforalienatedyouthaproblemformanyMuslimsraisedhere.Subjects covered in sermons abstruse, unconnected (though I have heard a few oodg practical sermons in mosqueshere) TheIslamistbyEdHusain TheIslamist:WhyIjoinedradicalIslaminBritain,whatIsawinsideandwhyIleft BroughtupinBangladeshifamilyinEastendofLondon Religionofhome;spiritualIslamSufioriented Fromage16drawnintoevermoreextremeIslamistgroups,climaxinginHizbutTahrir FellowIslamistcommitsmurder,leadstoquestioninganddisillusion Moves back through more mainstream Islamist groups to rejecting Islamism for spiritualratherthanpoliticalIslam CofounderandcodirectoroftheQuilliamfoundationwhichchallengesextremismand promotespluralism(a/ctoitswebsite) Lessons: o o Aphaseofyouthfulextremes? LongterminfluenceofafewnonMuslimswhoshowedkindness,patienceand compassion which challenged the Islamist narrative the importance of Christianengagementandincarnationalmission.

Socialneeds: Needsofnewimmigrantspoverty,isolation,especiallyifEnglishislimited,asylumissues 1st/2ndgenerationtensionseg.forcedmarriage,otherhonour/shameissues Extendedfamilytensions(eg.motherinlaw/daughterinlaw) Familybreakdown,crime,racism Contributions: Manybusinesses,economy,employment Politics:1MP,2listMSPs,numberofcouncillors, Services:health,education,etcvoluntary Culture:food,film,music,clothing,sport(MoFarah) Islamicallydiverse: (Pakistanis = high identity, high practice; others = high identity, lower practice; some, eg many Iranians=lowidentitylowpractice) differentdenominationsSunni/Shia;Deobandi,Barelwi, exclusivist pluralist, long pluralist traditions eg Sufis in South Asia. Today, possibly emphasisedbysomeinreactiontoextremistversionsofIslam

UrbanConsultationJan2013BelievingintheCity2

DuncanPeters

DuncanPeters

IslamandtheCity

Integrationist/separatist (cf Brits abroad) where integration desired, not always easily achieved. Difficulties on account of how much Scottish culture revolves around alcohol consumption FolkIslam(theUnseenFace)Magicalpractices,amulets,evileye,curses,magicaluseof QuranandnamesofGod,Astrology,occultunderthesurfacebutwidespread

SenseofummahsolidaritywithMuslimswhoare(perceivedtobe)oppressedIraq,Afgh,Pal, Kashmir.WaronterrorwidelyseenasattackontheMuslimworld CommonalitiesbutdiversebewareofgeneralisationsthatportrayIslamasmonolithic,globallyor locally RelationswithWiderSociety,includingChristians Muchthatisconstructiveand+veinMrelsw/widersocusuallyunsensationalandunreported Eg Tariq Jahan, father of Haroon, 1 of 3 young asian men killed while defending property fromlootersinBirminghaminAug2011calledforcalmandrestraintandagainstreprisal attacksbyhisownMuslimcommunity ProblemofIslamophobiaandWestophobia VastmajorityofMuslimsarenotextremist, AndarenotinonsomeplottotakeoverUKandmakeitanIslamicRepublic. Manyhaveprejudicesandfearsofwhatisunknownandstrange,aswealldo Problem of who speaks for M community. Citizen Khan self appointed community leader. Bewareofselfappointedleadersandspeakers,whoatmostrepresenttheirowngroup. IslamophobiaamongChristiansclimateoffearcomparisonwithattitudestoIrishRCimmigration inearlyC20th Dangerofselffulfilling prophecy. if weviewMuslimswithfear,mistrustandhostility theyare likelytorespondinkindtowardsnonMuslims(whichiswhatextremistsonbothsides,Islamistand BNP/EDLwant) Model:JesusattitudetowardsSamaritans,especiallyintheGoodSamaritan Inaworldthatisstilltryingtocometotermswiththemultiplegenocidesofthetwentiethcentury, andwith9/11anditsaftermathoffearandsuspicion,thefollowingwordsspeaktrue:Theantidote tofearislove.Thereisnootherway.Wearefreetoloveourenemies.Wecannotfearthosewhom welove.(AndrasViskyinforwardtoTheFoolishnessofGodbyFerencVisky) Thereisnofearinlove.Butperfectlovedrivesoutfear(1John4:18)

UrbanConsultationJan2013BelievingintheCity2

DuncanPeters

DuncanPeters

IslamandtheCity

MuslimCulturesandtheemergingWesternMuslimCulture Halal/haramfoods(Churchfunctions,BBQsetcwhatareyouoffering?) RelationsbetweenmenandwomenModesty/hijab Respectforelderly Indirectness;Useofintermediaries Respectforreligiousobservance ReverenceforGod(manyofourchurchescanseemflippant) Religionasatopicofconversation Fatalisticinshaallah Beliefinsupernatural/magical ImportanceofdreamscfculturesintheBible.PeopleencounterChristthroughdreams Collectivenotindividualistic Honour/shameSavingface ChangeduetobeingintheWest Greaterwillingnesstoquestionvitalthatweopentobequestioned Lessrespectforauthorityandeldersamongsome Assertion of womens rights, among the educated Islamic feminism oppression of women=aculturalnotreligiousproblem Greaterindividualism Tensioninsomemarriagewhere1partnergrewupinPakistan,theothergrewuphere StrongScottishMuslimidentitybagpipesandshalwarqameezatweddingsetcpeople whodontidentifyasPakistani EmergingWesternEnglishspeakingIslam 2nd/3rd/4th generations often very adept in negotiating different environments. At work, college,school,universityseemverywesternand fitin;butat home,mosque,community theymaybeverydifferent.Justbecauseyouknowthatpersonwellinonecontext,doesnt meanyouvegotthemeasureofthem Mission/MinistryIssues Socialaction: TheWellMultiCulturalAdviceCentre, Churchbaseddropins(asylumseekers), Englishclasses,Mother&Toddlers,Homeworkclubs =excellentforsocialcohesion,bridgesbetweencommunities,demonstratingtheloveofChrist DialogueIssues Muslimculturesarenonsecular Dontdwelloncontroversialflashpoints Usestoriesandproverbs UsetheBible AimtoexposeMuslimstoJesusChristasrevinHB UseQuranandotherMsourceswherehelpfuldontcritQ&Mu A Christology from below, working upwards, following the first disciples experience. We tend to have systematictheological formulations in our minds. But the first disciples

UrbanConsultationJan2013BelievingintheCity2

DuncanPeters

DuncanPeters

IslamandtheCity

encounteredJesusasaprophetandasMessiah(thoughtheirunderstandingofwhatthatmeant was very inadequate). They spent 3 years witnessing the things he did and said, continually asking, Who is this? Only after the resurrection does Thomas (speaking for them all) say to Jesus, My Lord and my God. Our desire and prayer for our Muslim friends is that they go throughasimilarprocesssoweneedtoexposethemtotheJesusoftheGospelsinparticular. DeathofJesusisusuallydeniedbyMuslimsasadeathtooshamefulanddisgracefulforsuch a highly honourable prophet (sounds familiar see Luke 24:1921). Stress his death was a martyrdom,deliberateandvoluntary,purposedbyGodandpreparedforthroughOTScripture see Jesus approach in Luke 24. Jesus was honoured and vindicated by resurrection and ascension Jesustheintercessor Prayfor/withpeople Ekklesia Integrateintoalreadyestablishedchurchesbigchallenges ContextualisedCPgoodfordisconnectedindividualsandsmallfamiliesegrefugees Familynetwork(biradri)ekklesia Currentissue#1:Discipleshipandidentity PerceptionthatChristianity=Western,TheWest=Christian,verydeeplyheld Myfriend,H:IwastalkingtoacoupleofChristiansatthebusstop.theonlythingtodistinguish themasChristianisthattheirskiniswhite. ifIsaytoH,youreallyneedtobecomeaChristian.whatdoesthatcommunicate? OftenconversiontoChristianityisunderstoodasawholesalerejectionofonesfamily,community civilizationandcultureabetrayal,whichbringsgreatshameonthefamily. SointhiscontextitisusefultospeakofMuslimfollowersofIsaalMasih(JesustheMessiah) Iwillsay,ImnotinterestedinyouconvertingtoChristianitybeaMuslim,butmosttheimportant thingistofollowJesus Thequestionis:howdoesabelieverinJesusfromaMuslimbackgroundobeythe5thcommandment (honourfatherandmother)whilegivingsupremehonourtoChrist? Currentissue#2:Honour/ShameCultures&theGospel Manypresentanunderstandingofhonour/shameculturesasthekeytoMuslimcultures Itisveryimportant,but... Problemofexaggerateddifference2diffplanets:guilt/innocence(theWest);shame/honour(the East). Reality = a matter of degrees. All cultures know guilt/innocence and shame/honour. But to differentdegrees,differentthingsoverwhichpeoplefeelguiltorshame Key factor = how collectivistic / individualistic a culture is. If identity is bound up with the group; much more sensitive to opinion of the group and maintaining ones own and whole groups good name. Some (eg Steve Bell in Gospel for Muslims) are proposing what may be summarised as follows: Western presentations of Gospel assume a guilt innocence mindset, so focus on justification and penalsubstitution.AnEasternpresentationoftheGospelrequiresaverydifferentapproach. However... Islamisverymuchareligionoflaw.Thereis: alaw(sharia)givenbyGod,revealingwhatGodrequiresofus acomingdayofjudgementwhenGodwilljudgeusastohowwemeasureuptohislaw

UrbanConsultationJan2013BelievingintheCity2

DuncanPeters

DuncanPeters

IslamandtheCity

theconceptofscalesweighinggoodandbadactions;theneedforswaborreligiousmerit Fearofhellfireandlackofassuranceaboutgoingtoparadisearestrongfeltneedsamong Muslims

Amessageofpenalsubstitution,wheretheMessiahbyhissufferingremovesourbaddeeds/sins/ guilt/ shame and confers to us his swab or righteousness as a free gift, is surely good news for Muslims.

UrbanConsultationJan2013BelievingintheCity2

DuncanPeters