ISLAM IN ENGLAND

The Woking Muslim Mission and Literary Trust LECTURES

Mr. Muhammad Yahya Butt gave a talk at 18 Eccleston Square, London, S.W.1, on the ” Unity of Muslims ” on Saturday 11th May 1957. It was followed by a lively dis­cussion. The house was divided. Some were of the opinion that the present stagnation of Muslims could be cured by revolution. More thoughtful elements in the meeting tried to discover the causes of lethargy prevalent in the Muslim countries at the moment. The Editor of The Islamic Review concluded the discussion by stating that the present degradation was due to fetish worship of whatever had been handed down to the Muslims during the centuries, and the lack of education of people to think on independent lines.

Dr. Sunario, the Indonesian Ambassador, gave a talk on the ” Islamic Law in Indonesia ” at a meeting held at 18 Eccleston Square, London, S.W.1, on Saturday 25th May 1957. The Imam of the Shah Jehan Mosque, Woking, presided over the meeting. His Excellency revealed very interesting facts about Indonesia. He told the gathering that Muslim women in Indonesia had never accepted the veil and that women took keen interest in the social life of Indonesia. He said that Indonesian women had fought side by side with their menfolk in the fight and struggle for freedom and that in the fight they had even undertaken the hazardous task of acting as guerrillas. In Indonesia, he continued, women judges are not a rare thing. He also declared that the percentage of women in the Parliament of Indonesia was considerable.

Mr. Muhammad Yahya Butt gave a talk at 18 Eccleston Square, London, S.W.1, on ” A Comparative Study of the Story of Adam and Eve in the Qur’an and the Bible ”• He claimed that the story as described in the Qur’an was con­ducive to human upliftment ; whereas the story narrated in the Bible contained no guidance or lesson in it. It was followed by a discussion. Mr. ’Abdul Majid, Editor of The Islamic Review, during the course of the discussion read out some passages from the well-known book of Dr. S. M. Iqbal, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, bearing on the subject.Mr. A. A. Haidari, lecturer in Persian at the University of London, gave a talk at 18 Eccleston Square, London, S.W.1, on Saturday 8th June 1957 on ” Islam and Nationalism ”. The Imam of the Shah Jehan Mosque, Woking, presided. The speaker said that nationalism was a creation of the Western civilization and had proved a curse to humanity. He distinguished between patriotism and nationalism —patriotism being beneficial and ennobling, whereas nationalism was degrading and should be shunned.

The Imam of the Shah Jehan Mosque, Mr. Muhammad Yakub Khan, gave a talk on ” The problem of Suffering in Islam ” on Saturday 22nd June 1957 at 18 Eccleston Square, London, S.W.1. He said that every religion except Islam considered suffering to be a curse on humanity and tried to find a way out of suffering. Consequently, he proceeded to say, all religions had failed to understand the problem of suffering in human society. He said that Islam taught that suffering was a means to purification and elevation and through suffering and hardship real greatness and fortitude was built.

Jewish-Christian-Muslim Friendship Society

Mr. Muhammad Yakub Khan, Imam of the Shah Jehan Mosque, presided over a meeting of the Jewish-Christian-Muslim Friendship Society held at the Holborn Hall on Tues­day 28th May 1957. The Imam said that friendship was a rare thing and it was a very noble enterprise to cultivate it in these days of callous selfishness and greed. He said that religion was the only source which could supply the world with this much needed love, tolerance and friendship. He wished the society every success in its noble enterprise.

The Pakistan Society

The Sixth Annual Dinner of the Pakistan Society was held on 24th June 1957 at the Connaught Rooms, Kings-way, London, W.C.1. The guests of honour were the Earl and the Countess of Home and the Pakistan Prime Minster, Mr. Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy.

The Imam of the Shah Jehan Mosque, Woking, at a con­ference of the World Spiritual Council

The Imam of the Shah Jehan Mosque, Mr. Muhammad Yakub Khan, addressed a conference of the World Spiritual Council held at the Spa Hotel at Tunbridge Wells from the 31st May to 2nd June 1957. The subject of the Imam’s talk was ” Enlightened Human Relationship ”. It was a select gathering of thinking men and women of England and the Imam’s talk was very much appreciated.

The Pakistan Students’ Federation

The Pakistan Students’ Federation organized a meeting at Holborn Hall, London, W.C.1, on Thursday 27th June 1957. The hall was packed to capacity and it is estimated that there were more than 500 in the audience. The meeting started with recitation from the Qur’an by the Imam of the Shah Jehan Mosque, Woking. Mr. H. S. Suhrawardy, Prime Minister of Pakistan, was the speaker of the evening in which he said that it was essential that the Kashmir dispute should be solved because a matter of fundamental importance was involved in the question.

He explained that the question in fact was whether a bigger country could usurp the rights of a smaller country just because it happened to be large and powerful.

The Imam at a Service for People of all Faiths

The Imam of the Shah Jehan Mosque, Mr. Muhammad Yakub Khan, participated as representative of Islam at a Service for People of all Faiths held at Essex Church, Palace Gardens Terrace, Notting Hill Gate, London, W.8, on Wednesday 23rd May 1957. The Imam read the following verses from the Qur’an: 24 : 36-40, 3 : 63, 2 : 22, 4 : 1, 9 : 13, 2:213, which laid stress on the unity of God and brotherhood of mankind.

(The Islamic Review – July, 1957)