when you believe allah is god you gave up your belief in jesus as the son of god

you have now  lost your soul

T

he

search for common ground

M

uslims, non-Muslims and the UK media

138

seldom permit alternative views of Muslims and their situation in Europe

to be presented.

4

Foreign policy

Much of UK foreign policy works to the disadvantage of Muslims

overseas. Examples include the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, support

for the government of Israel in its dealings with Palestinians and Lebanon,

insufficient criticism of the US creation of Guantanamo Bay, and

exploitation of natural resources, particularly oil, in Muslim countries.

5

Policing

Since 9/11, and even more so since 7/7, many Muslims encountered,

experience, either personally or indirectly through friends and family,

heavy-handed and insensitive policing, often in public places or the media

glare. Many Muslims acknowledge that action against extremism needs to

be taken, but it need not be at the expense of casually humiliating and

alienating large numbers of people, particularly young people.

6

Establishing a presence

Despite the substantial barriers to integration mentioned in points 2 to 5

above, Muslims have established a str

ong pr

esenc

e

throughout western

Europe. Mainly through self-help, but also with support from sympathetic

non-Muslims and finance from overseas, there is a flourishing Muslim civil

society, built around mosques, cultural centres and local welfare projects,

and involving the cr

eation of a r

ange of r

epresentative bodies at national,

r

egional and local levels.

There are increasing numbers of Muslim

professionals in business, medicine, politics and government