There are no "Islams"- one Islam because from America to Indonesia all Muslims have certain things that they all do- they all believe in Allah/God, His revelations, they all accept Muhammed(peace be upon him)

- As finalized by His last prophet, they all say the 5 prayers, fast in Ramadhan, give alms, and go to the pilgrimage when they can. They also believe in the 6 pillars of Islam- Belief in God, Angels, all revelationary Books, Messengers, Day of Judgement and belief in the fact that the fortune has been written by God.

-Although it’s the same Islam, there are still different interpretations. These interpretations were accepted from the very beginning- even the prophet agreed that his sayings can be taken in different ways-for example there are those who prefer the literal meaning(ie he said what he said and he meant what he said) and there are those who search for the meaning behind the text. Either way was accepted by the prophet from the start- so as long as what each Muslim is saying is acceptable according to the prophetic teachings and the Quran, we accept these as different interpretations of the same religion instead of making it a point of difference among ourselves.

-We should take from each other instead of breaking ourselves up into different groups. Each ‘sect’ of Islam has something good to offer- we should take the good and reject the bad. The same applies to the Muslims living in British society today. Just because you’re a Muslim doesn’t mean that you have to be less British- and just because you’re a British you don’t have to be less Muslim to abide by the rules of this country. Whatever good this society has to offer we as Muslims should take part in it and respect it eg the right to freedom of speech, but whatever bad which is against our religious teachings we reject e.g. drinking alcohol or taking other harmful drugs, violence, terrorism, hatered.

-The British legislation is something that we as Muslims accept and respect because we are are Muslims. Our religion teaches us to respect the laws of the country we live in and are a part of. We need to respect the British society because they respect us and are tolerant of our faith and we as Muslims believe we will be accountable if we did anything that would hurt the harmony and peace of the society. Those Muslims who think being British comes at the cost of being a Muslim are wrong- in fact it is because of our religion, our Islam that we submit to the British legislation.

-Muslims should work hard at building bridges with the society, but before they can branch out to other faiths and religions, they must eliminate the differences within themselves. We need to unify ourselves for the cause of peace and justice and try to get on with the society we live in now.

-Not only do we need to build multi faith bridges but also interfaith bridges.

-The scarf is something that comes under modesty. I wear it to cover myself and as a shield against unwanted attention from men as well as a symbol to show I am a Muslim woman. However, many people need to realise that the scarf is in Islam but Islam isn’t in the scarf. Whether or not a person is religious can never be determined by what they where- its just like judging a book by its cover. The same goes for men with beards- although on the whole these people would be more religious because they have chosen to take up sacred religious symbols and apply it to their daily lives, but many times the scarf in particular is worn for the wrong reasons.

- Parents sometimes force their children into wearing one and this results in girls becoming frustrated with their own religion and perhaps losing the purpose and meaning of the scarf- modesty. That is why this is something that can only be worn for god and is something very symbolic, important and of high moral in Islam and should never be rushed or misjudged.


- We believe that a journey to god is a journey to ones self. As Paul Coelho said in his novel the alchemist, ‘go travel the world, watch, look for the secret and truth of life- every road will lead you to this sense of initiation: the light, the secret, are hidden in the place from which you set out. You are on your way not towards the end of the road, but to the beginning; to go is to return, to find is to rediscover, go…you will return.’

- We apply this to many aspects of Islam- e.g. we will return to our Lord after we die. We believe that before mankind was born we made a covenant with god, testifying He is our Lord and Creator. This spark is within every single soul from birth, and it is the rediscovery of this spark that is the actual finding of oneself- the actual belief and submission to Islam.

- So Islam is a personal journey for every human being- and for everyone it means something different. That is why this religion has been so open from the start. No matter where you live, what race you are or what culture you are- Islam can be practiced wherever and whenever.

-The only thing we believe we will be counted on is whether or not we are Just and Good in our lives- God will ask us if we were on the side of justice- whether it was against what we believed in, against our nation, cast, and culture- even against ourselves. As Muslims we must always be on the side of justice- therefore bombing innocent people, whether its in London or Madrid is wrong because it is in-just. That’s all the reason we as human beings, whether we call ourselves Muslims, jews, Christians, Bahis, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Atheist or whatever; need to condemn such an act.