Muslim Action Committee
Encyclopedia
The Muslim Action Committee is a United Kingdom
based umbrella organisation specifically set up in February 2006 to respond to the Muhammad
cartoons
published in the Danish
newspaper Jyllands-Posten
.
The Muslim Action Committee includes over 400 Sunni Muslim
religious scholars as well as Islamic organisations representing all schools of thought in the Muslim community of Britain. The Muslim Action Committee spokesman Shaykh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi
has asked for a tightening of the Press Complaints Code
as well as a change in the Race Relations Law. On 17 February 2006, a "campaign for global civility", focusing on preventing disrespect against Muhammad and Islam
, and fighting Islamophobia
, was launched, along with a document, a "Proclamation of global civility". The proclamation does not refer explicitly to Islam or to the Muhammad cartoons. The group organised a public demonstration held on Saturday 18 February 2006, attended by 15,000 people (according to the BBC
) (whereas the MAC themselves held it to be 50,000 which was upheld by Islam Channel). The MAC also successfully campaigned against the March for Free Expression encouraging its supporters to bring placards and t-shirts with the Jyllands-Posten Cartoons to their demonstration. The MAC also started a letter writing campaign to prevent a public display of the Cartoons at New York University
which was also successful.
Recently MAC's Religious Scholars were called upon by Islam Channel
to view the animated feature film: Muhammad: The Last Prophet
and to give a legal opinion on it according to the Sharia
. Shaykh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi gave a Fatwa
endorsing the film. Most recently Shaykh Tauqir Ishaq appeared on a "Muslim Question Time" hosted by Islam Channel which also featured representatives from Muslim Council of Britain
, Muslim Association of Britain
and Hizb ut-Tahrir
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
based umbrella organisation specifically set up in February 2006 to respond to the 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...
cartoons
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
published in the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
newspaper Jyllands-Posten
Jyllands-Posten
Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten , commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Viby, a suburb of Århus, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies, it is among the largest-selling newspaper in Denmark...
.
The Muslim Action Committee includes over 400 Sunni Muslim
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
religious scholars as well as Islamic organisations representing all schools of thought in the Muslim community of Britain. The Muslim Action Committee spokesman Shaykh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi
Shaykh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi
Hazrat Allama Pir Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi is a British Muslim scholar, principal of the Hijaz College, National Convenor of the Muslim Action Committee , Secretary General of the International Muslims Organisation, Grand Blessed Guide of the Naqshbandi Hijazi Sufi Order and a barrister at law.-...
has asked for a tightening of the Press Complaints Code
Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines...
as well as a change in the Race Relations Law. On 17 February 2006, a "campaign for global civility", focusing on preventing disrespect against Muhammad and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, and fighting Islamophobia
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
, was launched, along with a document, a "Proclamation of global civility". The proclamation does not refer explicitly to Islam or to the Muhammad cartoons. The group organised a public demonstration held on Saturday 18 February 2006, attended by 15,000 people (according to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
) (whereas the MAC themselves held it to be 50,000 which was upheld by Islam Channel). The MAC also successfully campaigned against the March for Free Expression encouraging its supporters to bring placards and t-shirts with the Jyllands-Posten Cartoons to their demonstration. The MAC also started a letter writing campaign to prevent a public display of the Cartoons at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
which was also successful.
Recently MAC's Religious Scholars were called upon by Islam Channel
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...
to view the animated feature film: Muhammad: The Last Prophet
Muhammad: The Last Prophet
Muhammad: The Last Prophet is an animated movie produced by Badr International and directed by Richard Rich. The movie was released in limited cinemas in the United States and the United Kingdom. The movie focuses on the early days of Islam and Muhammad....
and to give a legal opinion on it according to the Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
. Shaykh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi gave a Fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
endorsing the film. Most recently Shaykh Tauqir Ishaq appeared on a "Muslim Question Time" hosted by Islam Channel which also featured representatives from Muslim Council of Britain
Muslim Council of Britain
The Muslim Council of Britain is a self-appointed umbrella body for national, regional, local and specialist organisations and institutions from different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds within British Islamic society. It was established in 1997 to help Muslims, to increase education about the...
, Muslim Association of Britain
Muslim Association of Britain
The Muslim Association of Britain is an Islamic organisation in the United Kingdom established in 1997.-Anti-war activities:Along with Stop the War Coalition and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, it has co-sponsored various demonstrations against the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq...
and Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
.