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MPACUK! is! a! non"profit! making! organisation! working! with! the! community,! helping!
Muslims!to!help!themselves.!We!are!not!a!charity!but!a!unique!Empowerment!System;!
the! first! of! it#s! kind! for! Muslims! in! Europe.! A! system! of! media! monitoring,! political!
lobbying! and! grass"roots! community!and!institutional!activism!to!allow!the!individual!
and! the! community! the! ability! to! change! their! own! situation! and! the! situation! for!
Muslims!at!large.!!
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Political!participation!is!vital!for!a!healthy!and!truly!representative!democracy!which!is!
why! MPACUK! encourages! as! many! Muslims! to! vote! as! possible.! In! fact! we! have!
worked! with! the! Department! of! Constitutional! Affairs! to! increase! voter! registration! in!
the!Muslim!community.![1]!!
!
Many! people! in! the! Muslim! community! mistakenly! believe! that! they!are! prohibited! to!
vote!by!their!religion!and!we!provide!information!to!counter!this!misconception.![2]!!
!
MPACUK! is! almost! unique! amongst! Muslim! groups! in! taking! the! message! of! political!
participation!to!the!streets,!distributing!leaflets!informing!the!public!of!their!MPs!voting!
record!and!statements!on!key!issues.![3]!
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The!efforts!of!two!of!our!activists!in!the!2005!General!Election!were!documented!in!the!
Channel!4!documentary,!#Operation!Muslim!Vote#.!
!
MPACUK! has! also! tried! to! encourage! people! to! join! the! main! three! political! parties.!
Here!is!an!excerpt!of!an!article!on!our!website!profiling!these!parties:!
!
!It"is"important"for"the"Islamic"community"to"get"in3ol3ed"in"mainstream"politics."Without"an"effecti3e"
political"3oice"based"on"e8uality9"ci3il"liberties"and"mutual"respect"for"all"communities9"the"future"loo:s"
grim."Whilst"the"information"pro3ided"is"only"a"fraction"of"what"each"party"stands"for9"it"is"the"duty"of"
e3ery"indi3idual"to"find"out"more"about"their"policies"and"selection"processes."We"as"Muslims"ha3e"a"duty"
to"our"community9"society"in"general9"as"well"as"to"the"nation"and"the"UK"has"a"duty"to"protect"our"ci3il"
liberties"and"religious"rights."We"cannot"shape"?o3ernment"policy"on"the"e@ternal"margins9"though"we"can"
play"a"pro#acti3e9"inclusi3e"and"positi3e"role"within"it."Ours"must"be"an"informed"message"of"peace"and"
positi3ism.!![4]!
!
We! aspire! to! contribute! to! wider! efforts! to! fight! political! apathy! and! reinvigorate! our!
democratic!process.![5]!
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MPACUK!deal!with!a!wide!variety!of!issues!ranging!from!encouraging!people!to!vote,!
to!getting!people!to!co"operate!with!the!police,!and!give!back!to!the!NHS!(for!instance!as!
bone!marrow!donors).!Amongst!these!we!include!the!environment.!We!are!well!aware!
of!the!detrimental!affect! that!human! society! is!currently!having!on!the!planet!and!as!a!
Muslim! organisation! we! believe! that! it! is! our! duty! to! highlight! the! sacredness! of! the!
planet! that! has! been! given! to! us! by! God.! We! therefore! encourage! our! fellow! Muslims!
and! non"Muslims! to! actively! partake! in! ‘Green! issues’! as! they! are! affecting! us! all.! We!
believe!that!Muslims!can!make!a!sure!difference!to!our!environment.![6]!
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We!encourage!Muslims!to!contribute!to!wider!society! [7],! for!instance!through!becoming!
police!officers,!teachers!or!school!governors!or!through!actions!such!as!joining!the!Bone!
Marrow!Registry.![8]!!
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The!failure!of!Muslim!Leaders!in!creating!a!positive!British!identity!for!Muslims!cannot!
be!over!stated.!Leaving!a!crisis!of!identity!in!young!Muslim!minds!is!a!recipe!for!disaster!
and!alienation.!Therefore!MPACUK!uses!all!means!available!to!us!"!whether!that!is!our!
popular!website,!public!events!or!internal!training!"!to!promote!an!understanding!of!the!
fact!that!there!is!no!contradiction!between!being!Muslim!and!being!British,!and!it!is!our!
Islamic!duty!to!contribute!to!our!society.!We!try!to!dispel!the!myth!that!disagreeing!with!
certain! government! policies! means! you! cannot! identify! as! British.! [9]!
!!
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Speaking!Out!
MPACUK!sees!the!extremists!on!the!fringe!of!the!Muslim!community!as!a!real!threat!to!
ordinary! Muslims! and! we! have! always! spoken! out! against! extremists! such! as! Omar!
Bakri.!(When!he!left!the!UK!the!headline!on!our!website!was,!!We"say"don$t"come"bac:B!)!
[10]!!
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Following!the!protests!by!extremists!during!the!Danish!cartoons!controversy!MPACUK!
appeared!on!the!BBC!to!call!for!the!arrest!of!those!responsible:![11]!!
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We!also!vocally!supported!the!campaign!for!Norman!Kember#s!release.![12]
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Tackling!anti"Semitism!
We! openly! condemn! examples! of! anti"Semitism! perpetrated! by! Muslims.! [13]! We! also!
strive!to!educate!the!community!that!Israel!and!its!supporters!do!not!represent!all!Jews,!
and! highlight! the! good! work! being! done! by! many! Jews! fighting! for! Palestinian! rights.!
[14]!!
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As!everyone!is!aware!anti!"!Zionism!does!not!equate!with!anti!"!Semitism,!which!is!even!
acknowledged! by! the! staunch! Zionist,! Prof.! Dershowitz! in! a! 2005! lecture! at! SOAS!
(London).! We! have! highlighted! the! importance! of! standing! together! to! fight! prejudice!
and!discrimination!Jews!stand!with!Muslims.![15]!
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Building!good!Community"Police!relations!
MPACUK!constantly!strive!to!get!better!relations!between!the!Muslim!community!and!
the! police.! In! a! climate! where! groups! are! losing! respect! and! trust! for! the! police,!
MPACUK! have! had! banners! on! our! website! encouraging! Muslims! to! join! the! police!
force! and! have! invited! members! of! the! police! force! to! speak! at! our! open! days.! For!
instance!Ch.!Insp.!Mick!Gillick!(Head!of!Diversity)!at!West!Midlands!Police!spoke!at!the!
MPACUK!Birmingham!Open!day!on!7/8/06!and!Bob!Lambert!of!Scotland!Yard#s!Muslim!
Contact!group!spoke!at!the!MPACUK!Ilford!Open!Day!on!16/7/06.!
!
Whilst! other! groups! and! parties! may! call! for! Muslims! to! end! cooperation! with! the!
police,! MPACUK! believe! that! no! matter! how! upset! or! angered! Muslims! may! be,! non"
cooperation! is! not! the! way.! Even! though! this! stance! led! to! MPACUK! being! vilified! by!
certain! sections! of! the! Muslim! community,! MPACUK! maintain! that! the! only! way! to!
address!the!problems!that!face!the!Muslim!community!is!to!cooperate!and!get!involved.!
[16]!
!!
Our!5!point!anti"terror!plan!
Not!only!are!we!aware!of!the!social!issues!facing!British!society,!but!we!are!also!aware!of!
the!wider!issues!currently!facing!the!whole!world"terrorism.!In!our!aim!to!combat!this!
we!have!detailed!a!5!point!anti"terror!plan.!It!highlights!the!ways!in!which!the!Muslim!
community! can! work! to! fight! terrorism! and! further! to! encourage! Muslims! active!
involvement!in! society.!We! believe!that!it!is!essential!that!Muslims!are!involved!in!the!
fight!against!terrorism,!as!allies!and!not!as!the!enemy.!Further,!we!believe!that!it!is!the!
Muslim! community’s! duty! to! understand! and! take! an! active! role! in! both,! the! fight!
against!terrorism,!and!on!a!wider!scale,!the!community.![17]!
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MPACUK! believe! the! only! way! to! defeat! violence! and! extremism,! and!
build! community! cohesion,! is! by! encouraging! Muslims! to! engage! with! the!
political! process! in! Britain! and! get! their! voices! heard! as! British!
citizens.!
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Active!Community!Centres!!
In! MPACUK! we! encourage! mosques! to! become! the! hub! and! nerve! centre! of! our!
community,! rather! than! just! a! place! for! prayer.! We! have! recognised! that! the! mosques!
can!act!as!central!foci!for!communities!and,!on!that!basis,!can!become!the!centre!for!the!
development! of! the! community.! At! MPACUK,! we! devised! a! 15! point! plan! that! gave!
Mosques!clear!objectives,!and!examples!of!how!to!work!within!the!community.!The!15!
point! plan! outlines! issues! from! education,! to! welfare! work! and! political! participation!
and!more.!Further!we!do!not!simply!hand!these!leaflets!out!in!full!knowledge!that!they!
may!then!be!discarded,!rather!we!offer!that!we!will!give!practical!aid!and!presentations!
in!the!manner!of!how!to!actually!implement!these!plans.![18]!
!
English!Speaking!Imams!
MPACUK! not! only! recognise! that! the! youth! are! the! fabric! of! tomorrow’s! society,! but!
actively!encourages!their!development!as!British!citizens!who!should!participate!fully!in!
society.! In! our! 15! point! plan! we! outline! that! mosques! should! provide! facilities! for!
educational!development!and!welfare!officer’s!to!deal!with!family!issues,!which!would!
include!dealing!with!youth!issues.!In!order!to!develop!youth!which!are!actively!engaged!
in! society,! we! recognise! that! they! are! in! need! of! clear! guidance! from! their! mosque.!
Within,! mosque! reform! we! recognise,! that! one! of! the! more! important! aspects! in!
improving! our! mosques,! is! our! leaders’! ability! to! communicate! and! work.! We! have!
suggested!that!our!leaders!are!democratically!elected!and!further!are!the!best!leaders!for!
our!community!not!just!successor!as!appointed!via!hierarchy.!Furthermore,!we!have!also!
suggested!that!our!Mosque!leaders!are!able!to!communicate!in!English,!and!deliver!the!
Friday! sermons! in! English.! This! would! then! encourage! the! youth! in! to! mosques! and!
further,! outreach! to! the! wider! community! who! would! be! able! to! communicate! much!
more! easily! with! the! leaders.! We! recognise! that! the! mosques! can! act! as! an! effective!
outreach! branch! for! community! relation! for! Muslims! and! non"Muslims! and! therefore,!
we! encourage! the! idea! that! Mosques! should! hold! open! days! for! the! local! community!
and!schools;!making!the!mosques!a!beacon!of!openness.!They!should!also!make!social,!
educational!and!welfare!services!available!to!all!Muslims!and!non"Muslims.!!
!!
Women#s!Rights!
Within! our! community,! we! run! many! campaigns! for! the! betterment! of! all! society.!
Recently,!we!have!taken!on!a!campaign!to!improve!Women’s!Rights,!particularly!their!
rights!within!Mosques!(documented!in!the!Channel!4!Dispatches!#Women!Only!Jihad#).!
Whilst! we! hope! to! further! this! campaign! we! have! currently! managed! to! highlight! the!
fact!that!many!Mosques!cannot!provide!facilities!for!women!and!that!they,!as!necessity,!
should!be!doing!so.!We!have!encouraged!many!women!in!their!local!areas!to!take!up!the!
campaign! and! have! e! also! managed! to! gather! a! large! number! of! signatures! for! our!
petitions!highlighting!the!importance!of!faculties!for!women.![19]!
!!
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1.!H,--%10!H,-&,5!DEFFEGHI!J-%0015!,5#J1-#!!
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2005"11"07c.19682.h!!
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http://www.mpacuk.org/content/blogcategory/32/53/!
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http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/627/39/!!
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http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/13/39/!!
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5.!!M'A.23!B,)O#!D1&/)-,0%)!R19/$"0%/5!%5!B-%0,%5!
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/1409/39!
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6.!P-115!M"#$%&#!#1)0%/5!/5!0;1!M'A.23!#%01Q!
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/blogcategory/49/65/.!
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7.!L10L#!T1,);!T"-!.;%$6-15!A(/"0!B-%0%#;51##!
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/2150/39/!
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http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/2152/39/!
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9.!T;1!R,0%/5,$!.150-1Q!M'A.23"#!K%#%/5!+/-!B-%0%#;!M"#$%&!I6150%0<!!
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/1319/39/!!
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10.!L/"6!M/"0;!B,O-%!L1,91#!#!U1!V,<!D/5"0!./&1!B,)OW!
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/918/39/!!
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11.!M"#$%&!L1,61-!./561&5#!'-/01#0/-#!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_4680000/newsid_4681500/bb_wm_4681
578.stm!
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A!T/0,$!D%#8-,)1!#!M'A.23!./561&5#!>-%6,<"#!M,-);W!
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/1351/39/!!
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12.!M'A.23!N/%5#!0;1!N/-&,5!31&(1-!A771,$!!
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/1218/39/!
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http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/2782/39/!
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14.!A5/0;1-!N1J%#;!B-/0;1-!D1+156#!M'A.23!!
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/2920/39/!
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http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/2821/39/!!
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http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/2203/39/!
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17.!M'A.23L#!H!'/%50!'$,5!A8,%5#0!T1--/-!!
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/824/39/!
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18.!M'A.23!T/!H1$7!.-1,01!N1-91!.150-1#!N/0!N"#0!'-,<1-!H,$$#!!
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/663/39/!
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19.!U/&15L#!R%8;0#!
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/blogcategory/47/66/!
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