During my life in the UK, I enjoyed full freedom to act according to my religion and go to mosques and community centres. I was impressed by the government funded Islamic state school in London. While, working with Muslim Council of Britain, we conducted conferences. 1/6
There was a government funded helpline to solve problems and questions of Muslims based on religion. For instance, once I got a call from a girl who wanted to give her grandmother a Muslim burial but did not know how and the helpline helped her, active helpline was to support 2/6
During my class lectures in Ramadan, the teacher would take a special break for 10 mnts so Muslims could open their fasts, at my office, my editor allowed me to use his room to pray namaz, he was Christian, one of my Jewish Colleagues used to bring me chocolates for iftar 3/6
When I worked at @EasternEye , an ethnic British newspaper , my office was right opposite East Ham mosque. I used to cross road and go for namaz and many times my non Muslim friends would remind me regarding my prayer time. At Eastern Eye, I met one of the sweetest people Savita.
Savita always wrote extensively on human rights and especially on British Muslim issues. She was the first one to make me understand the extremist anti Muslim policies of @PMOIndia who was Chief Minister Gujarat at that time, she was a Hindu. On my birthday party, ...
My non-Muslim friends decided not to drink at my birthday party as respect to my religion.When I needed to research an Islamic issue, I could go to the library next to Central mosque, whenever my father visited me, he enjoyed praying at mosques in central London while shopping
The reason I remembered all this was that I am thinking, while we enjoyed religious freedom in other countries, could we deny this freedom to our countrymen? Did we not make Pakistan to respect minorities after being suppressed by majority in British India?
Islam spread around the world because of the upright character and tolerant and helpful nature of practicing Muslims. Suppression is not only dangerous, it just does not suit our character. Shoukd we not give the right to pray to all our countrymen n right to have prayer places.
