Where’s the other view?

I was just reading through the “Khoja community of Stanmore” article (Oct – Dec 2008) and although everything the author of the article has written is most definitely true, I feel this article is still very close minded and that one point of view should not be the only one the readers of the VOU should be getting.

As any other community the one that is described also has a lot of positive sides and those youngsters who go to Iran or Syria to study as well as those who strive hard to help the Khoja youth become more active in the media and politics are not mentioned.

I was extremely disappointed to see how a magazine published by Muslims would look at all these negative aspects as if to create more tension between the communities rather than bringing them together. If I were to be a non Khoja who had never met a Khoja person and was reading this article, I would have a very negative image of them. The media today already works really hard to create rifts between Muslim communities; maybe we should focus on doing the opposite.

No name supplied

Brave, liberal and open-minded

Thank you for that recent issue of the VOU. It was a fantastic read and an improvement on the way magazine looks, consistency in the font is appreciated.

I must say I was impressed by VOU’s bravery in publishing the article on the Khoja Community. Some of the facts and figures in the article were astounding and I think they highlight real problems within the Muslim communities at large which are often hushed up out of “PC-ness”, the article in the previous issue on the Pakistani community highlighted similar problems.

I think it is time the elders of the  Muslim communities stopped being dismissive and took things with the youth seriously for a change without being dictatorial and rigid in their  approach.

If our communities are open minded enough and see beyond the criticism and (rather than bickering over being criticised) focus on the problems  highlighted, then there is real progress to be made. I hope the Khoja community does not take the article as an insult as I am sure the problems mentioned in the article are by no means specific to the community and I am sure the article was not intend to insult.

I as an Indian know little about the Khoja community and perhaps if there is greater interaction between the youth of the various Shia Muslim communities, then we can learn from each other and grow. I have to be fair and say that the tone of article was bitter but as an objective reader, the tone of the article betrays some serious concern and care on part of the author for his community. It takes a lot to criticise your own people so publicly.

I commend the VOU for being liberal and open minded enough to discuss and debate issues which are close to us. Hiding and shying away from the  issues mentioned in the article is not going to solve them; open and sincere debate is the way forward. I hope you continue with your good work.

Mohammad Ali Raza

Grow up and apologise

The “Khoja community of Stanmore” article (Oct – Dec 2008) bears malice towards this community. Publishing such articles defeats the purpose of the VOU if it is to create unity amongst the Muslims.

The editorship of the VOU needs to mature and reflect on the effects of publishing such defamatory articles. A full apology to the Khoja community is rightfully expected.

May Allah (swt) guide you in your future undertakings.

Kazim Tajri

Good can come from criticism

I got a copy of the VOU from a friend. I must say how impressed I was by it and the maturity with which some of the articles were written.

I read the piece on the “Khoja community”. Being a part of the community, I really appreciate the honesty and openness with which the unnamed author wrote the article, though I can understand why they chose to remain anonymous. I have rarely seen an  article so openly critical, but actually a lot of good can come out of it if the criticisms are dealt with in the right manner.

Of course some will be angered but anger is not going to help, in fact it will be a step in the wrong direction.

We really need an honest and open forum of discussion in our community. I understand that the VOU is neutral in its stance and it should give every  opportunity for a reply if they can.

Stanmore if they really wish to prove they are not “insular”, as the author claims, should respond to it.

Karim Hussain

Sincere and soft-hearted counsel

would like to commend yourself and your team on your tireless efforts in the way of Allah by way of your contributions towards the VOU.

Personally, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the newsletter over the years. May Allah reward you with the highest degrees of reward and with proximity to His ultimate Majesty.

I wanted to express my concern at “The Khoja Community of Stanmore” article (Oct – Dec 2008). It is not so much the authenticity of the article which is a concern, as much as the motivation and the intentions of the author.

I felt that it was not an objective analysis but rather written to discredit the community and its   people. What is within the ‘nafs’ of a person, is always made manifest in his or her external actions; be it in his or her spoken word, actions or even writing. It is evident that the source of this  article is not one aiming towards progression for the love of Allah, but rather the nuances in the article suggest that it has been written out of bitterness and malice towards a certain group of people.

Non-Khoja friends of mine who have attended the centre have expressed how welcome and invited they felt. The people include Iraqis, Afghanis, Iranians, white converts, black converts and Pakistanis.

The community’s members engage in activities with a much further and far-reaching scope than those outlined in the narrow-sighted article – however, someone who actually  attended the functions of the centre regularly would already know this.

Yes, this community along with all others has both positives upon which it can build, and negatives upon which it needs to improve. But development can not result from writing an article which has quite clearly emanated from malice, anger and bitterness.

If an individual has qualms then these need to be discussed and resolved internally. If this approach has been  exhausted and failed, it will certainly not disappear by taking them onto the public stage.

One would expect an article of this social nature, to help build bridges between London’s Muslims and assist in gelling them together. Keeping this in mind, I also don’t feel the opening to the article was appropriate due to its cold undertone.

Personally I have not been offended by the article, nor do I feel any resentment; this letter is not, therefore, a result of unsavoury feeling, but rather an attempt at sincere advice and soft-hearted counsel.

Muhammed Reza Tajri

Editor’s note:

The “Khoja community” article from the previous issue seems to have attracted strong opinions from both sides of the debate. Please refer to my full response on the issue in the “Comments” section on page 26 which covers most points.

Ali Joudi, Editor

Share the love

I would like to thank all of you for putting so much effort into the new VOU; I think it’s very good. I particularly enjoyed the article by Leila Taheri “The path of true love” (Oct – Dec 2008).

Motahare Yadegarfar