British Muslims - Enough is enough

We are British Muslims, of all different races, and from across the social and political spectrum.

Tony Blair has taken Britain to the point where it is now a target for reprisal terror attacks. Not satisfied with this, he is proposing a whole new raft of measures which can only be interpreted as an attack on Muslims and their right to free speech as British citizens.

We reject such measures. We believe that the Prime Minister has deliberately tried to make repeated false connections between Islam and violence in order to deflect the blame for his own foreign policies. He is part of the problem and not the solution.

Therefore we will ignore and oppose these measures with a campaign of Civil Disobedience if needs be. In this, we will be following the proud tradition set by the Suffragettes, Mahatma Gandhi and the black Civil Rights movement headed by Martin Luther King. We welcome the support of right-minded people in our actions to preserve our freedom for all.

We feel at this time, that it is necessary to restate our principles, values and beliefs as follows:

1. We are Muslims. We believe, as we have always done, in the concept of a global Muslim community (Ummah) where all are equal.

2. Like many western politicians, we too believe in standing shoulder to shoulder with others. We too believe that an attack on one country is an attack on us all. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Iraq, Palestine, Kashmir, Chechnya and other places where Muslims are under foreign occupation and oppression. Attacks on Muslims in these countries is an attack on us all.

3. People who are under attack and occupation are under a duty to defend themselves. We fully support this duty, in Iraq and elsewhere.

5. The racist ideology of zionism, which argues that Jews cannot live together with others, is evil. The zionist State of Israel, created from the stolen land of Arab Palestine in 1948, is evil. The connivance of western powers which legitimised this theft, was evil. We believe in equal rights for Muslims, Christians and Jews in the Holy Land in a single state. In order to achieve equal rights, we believe that the zionist ideology underpinning the State of Israel must be destroyed, leading to the return of Palestinian refugees to their land which is now called Israel.

4. In Palestine, the zionist occupation of Jerusalem and the holy Al Aqsa Masjid, a mosque mentioned numerous times in the Quran and of immense significance to Muslims, is unacceptable. We support all actions to ensure the liberation of Al Aqsa.

5. Like George Bush, we are for freedom and against tyranny. We support the right of freedom for Muslims, many of them who are living in Muslims countries under tyrannical regimes supported by the West. We believe in the duty of Muslims to fight these tyrannical and undemocratic regimes.

6. We believe in the right of self-determination of Muslims. We believe that if Muslims in Muslim countries should desire, they have the right to establish a pan-Islamic superstate under a single command, or Khilafah. This is no different to the unions formed by European countries or American states.

7. We believe that the West's 'war on terror' will lead to the defeat of those countries who subscribe to it, as they choose to ignore the obvious logic that if they wage wars on others, then others will wage war on them. We believe that the West must disengage from the Middle East and other places where their policies and actions are in conflict with the people who live there.

8. We believe that we are Muslim, and neither 'moderate' nor 'extreme'. We do not recognise these labels. We believe in the right of free discussion, debate and dialogue without being labelled by others.

9. We believe that any attempts by Western governments, politicians and the media to stifle genuine discussion, debate and dialogue will be counterproductive. Neither will we subscribe to any repressive laws that prevent such discussion, AND WILL DISOBEY SUCH LAWS IF NEEDS BE. We have a duty to speak the truth according to our conscience and religion and a duty through this, to promote peace and dialogue.

10. Above all, we believe in peace. However, there is no peace without justice. Unless there is justice for Muslims, there will be no peace.