Hassan and Habibah
Encyclopedia
Hassan Saleemi and Habibah Ellahee are married co-hosts of a light social affairs television programme. They are widely known among Muslims as "Hassan and Habibah" and their show is entitled 'The Hassan and Habibah Show'. Their show appears on the London based English language Islam Channel
http://www.IslamChannel.tv. The show is described as a
"unique show..live husband and wife talk show discussing issues with different guests. This refreshing weekly discussion show examines social issues that deal with family, marriage and various other topics"
They are noted for challenging mainly South Asian cultural perceptions on the nature of Islam
, dealing with topics such as forced marriage, domestic violence
(with the 'Muslim women's helpline'), depression (with the 'Muslim Youth Helpline'), infertility problems (with Dr Mohammad Taranissi), and had one show assering that the prophet of Islam Muhammad
was a romantic (with Dr Abdul Wahid).
Osama Saeed
Scottish head of the MAB
and senior organizer in the Stop the War Coalition
describes them as "the Richard and Judy of the Muslim community"
They have on occasion dealt with more serious topics, specifically on the 25th December 2004, in a 2-hour special, they did a show entitled "Prisoners of Iman", discussing cases of Muslims that have been imprisoned for their faith, or political activity. They interviewed the wife of Ian Nisbet, one of the "Egypt Three".
Habibah wrote a letter which appeared in The Sunday Times
, in which she mentioned that she was on the 'London underground' network, on July 7, 2005, and passed through Edgware Road Station 3 minutes before the bomb exploded. She wrote, "To taint Islamists for the tragic events in London would be like tainting Christians for the genocide in Bosnia."
, and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
http://www.monasticdialog.com/n.php?id=53. The conference was attended by the highest Islamic authorities, grand Muftis, or Ulema
from every Muslim country, significantly including a delegation from Iran with the ex-president of Iran and current chairman of Assembly of Experts
Ayatollah
Rafsanjani. Consequently, Hassan and Habibah featured on the front page of the leading pan-Arab newspaper of record
Al-Hayat.
They were also quoted commenting on the conference in the leading English newspaper Arab News
arguing that the process of dialog should not necessarily involve religious people of other faiths but should instead focus on the secularists and the agnostics "We should devise a way to engage them" Hassan said Muslims in Britain and the US should be at the forefront, giving practical shape to all that is being said at the conference, “We are an integral part of those societies; we understand them; we know the problems; we know the cultural sensitivities; therefore, we are in the best possible position to conduct this dialogue.”
Islam Channel
Islam Channel is a UK-based, free-to-air, English language, Islamic-focused satellite television channel funded by advertising and donations. It was reported in 2008 that UK government research found that 97.3% of Muslims watched the channel...
http://www.IslamChannel.tv. The show is described as a
"unique show..live husband and wife talk show discussing issues with different guests. This refreshing weekly discussion show examines social issues that deal with family, marriage and various other topics"
They are noted for challenging mainly South Asian cultural perceptions on the nature of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, dealing with topics such as forced marriage, domestic violence
Islam and domestic violence
The relationship between Islam and domestic violence is disputed. Even among Muslims, the uses and interpretations of shari’a, the moral code and religious law of Islam, lack consensus....
(with the 'Muslim women's helpline'), depression (with the 'Muslim Youth Helpline'), infertility problems (with Dr Mohammad Taranissi), and had one show assering that the prophet of Islam Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
was a romantic (with Dr Abdul Wahid).
Osama Saeed
Osama Saeed
Osama Saeed is the head of international and media relations at the Al Jazeera satellite network. He is also a Scottish activist and commentator.- Background :Saeed was born and brought up in Glasgow...
Scottish head of the MAB
Mab
Mab or MAB may refer to:* Queen Mab, a fairy in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and later works of English literature.* Mab , one of the moons of Uranus, named after Queen Mab* Manufacture d'armes de Bayonne, a French firearms manufacturer...
and senior organizer in the Stop the War Coalition
Stop the War Coalition
The Stop the War Coalition is a United Kingdom group set up on 21 September 2001 that campaigns against what it believes are unjust wars....
describes them as "the Richard and Judy of the Muslim community"
They have on occasion dealt with more serious topics, specifically on the 25th December 2004, in a 2-hour special, they did a show entitled "Prisoners of Iman", discussing cases of Muslims that have been imprisoned for their faith, or political activity. They interviewed the wife of Ian Nisbet, one of the "Egypt Three".
Off-screen writing
Since the July 7th attacks on London, and the consequent proposals for new legislation, off-screen the couple have become more politically active.Habibah wrote a letter which appeared in The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, in which she mentioned that she was on the 'London underground' network, on July 7, 2005, and passed through Edgware Road Station 3 minutes before the bomb exploded. She wrote, "To taint Islamists for the tragic events in London would be like tainting Christians for the genocide in Bosnia."
Political activity
Hassan and Habibah both appeared on Channel 4's Shariah TV special on the London Bombings. They criticised the response of the 'elders' and people claiming to be representative of the Muslims, for focusing inward on the causes of the bombings, diverting away from external factors such as foreign policy. They argued the approach of the "self-appointed" Muslim leaders suited those in power who wish to discount foreign policy from the equation.International Islamic Conference on Dialog
In June 2008, Hassan and Habibah were invited to the International Islamic Conference on Dialog in Makkah by the Muslim World LeagueMuslim World League
The Muslim World League is one of the largest Islamic non-governmental organizations. Muslim religious figures from 22 states founded it in Makkah in 1962.-Structure:...
, and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is the King of Saudi Arabia. He succeeded to the throne on 1 August 2005 upon the death of his half-brother, King Fahd. When Crown Prince, he governed Saudi Arabia as regent from 1998 to 2005...
http://www.monasticdialog.com/n.php?id=53. The conference was attended by the highest Islamic authorities, grand Muftis, or Ulema
Ulema
Ulama , also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law...
from every Muslim country, significantly including a delegation from Iran with the ex-president of Iran and current chairman of Assembly of Experts
Assembly of Experts
The Assembly of Experts of Iran , also translated as Council of Experts, is a deliberative body of 86 Mujtahids that is charged with electing and removing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.Members of the assembly are elected from a government-screened list of candidates by...
Ayatollah
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Rafsanjani. Consequently, Hassan and Habibah featured on the front page of the leading pan-Arab newspaper of record
Newspaper of record
Newspaper of record is a term that may refer either to any publicly available newspaper that has been authorized by a government to publish public or legal notices , or any major newspaper that has a large circulation and whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered professional and...
Al-Hayat.
They were also quoted commenting on the conference in the leading English newspaper Arab News
Arab News
Arab News is an English-language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia, in the cities of Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam. The Editor-in-Chief is Khaled Al-Maeena. The publisher of Arab News is Saudi Research & Publishing Company , a subsidiary of Saudi Research & Marketing Group .Arab News was...
arguing that the process of dialog should not necessarily involve religious people of other faiths but should instead focus on the secularists and the agnostics "We should devise a way to engage them" Hassan said Muslims in Britain and the US should be at the forefront, giving practical shape to all that is being said at the conference, “We are an integral part of those societies; we understand them; we know the problems; we know the cultural sensitivities; therefore, we are in the best possible position to conduct this dialogue.”
External links
- Hassan and Habibah Videos on Google Video
- Irish TV's "Who's afraid of Islam" featuring the pair
- Show on Thursday 3 November 2005
- First Half hour of "Prisoners of Iman" show
- Hassan And Habibah's Blog Website
- Habibah's article published in the Sunday Times
- Hassan's article in The Muslim Weekly
- Full text of Joint Statement in the Guardian newspaper entitled "Muslim Community Response To Some Of The Proposed Antiterrorism Measures"
- SES guide to receiving Astra satellites