A vision of a revived UK Muslim community !

Ok Bismillah
As you know our situation today with bad leadership, and especially,  ill equipped imams means that Muslims instead of being given awareness during Friday khutbas, they are instead being given doses of sleep powder. Making them more and more unawake. Dead, nearly.

So, we, the awake Muslim youth, represented by many sections of the community, want to address this issue. This is my first attempt at a vision for what a revived, well operating, community will be Inshalah. With good leadership and most importantly good khutbas that give good awareness of the immediate situation we are facing and purposes good solutions too Inshalah.

1. I believe as soon as the youth are able to do what the current imams do them automatically the current imams will stand back and leave the scene. They are only there filling the position of Imam because there is no alternative at present. The youth will not give khutbas currently. So there must be a filler to fill that space. Hence the current imams. Just space fillers, the majority of them i think. Allah knows better.

2. To replace them the youth need to betaught all skills necessary to deliver revivalist/ reformist type talks and khutbas. This means a steep process of rethinking our current thoughts and replacing any bad ones with good ones. And we have taken in many bad thoughts from the many hard hearted scholars that exist today. Who mainly spread sectarian hatred and maintain the disunity. Because at the end of the day they work for the corrupt rulers and not for Allah. So they cause a lot of fitna to the ummah and they have become its source in my view. Allah knows better.

3. How we deliver this rethinking process is, i believe, through interaction with enlightened youth ( and the few enlightened scholars that exist). People like Asghar Bukhari and others. None of them is perfect but take the good things from each and leave the bad from each. And also by asking all the questions that come to your mind, even issues of doubt etc. Actually, especially the issues of doubt. Because they are the most useful to sort out first. We shouldn't be afraid to ask anything. This should be a cardinal rule. High importance. High priority.

4. These interactions with the enlightened youth and the enlightened scholars can be done by booking events at community halls or more easily using Facebook by setting up groups. Whether private or public etc. I find this easiest.

5. Once the youths have become confident in their understanding of Islam and are able to deal with all or most questions that anyone can ask then it's time for them to start delivering khutbas. If everyone can do that in their locality then we can cover all our areas Inshalah.

6. With social media we now have the ability for each speaker to have their own Facebook page for instance and the muslims
can tell them what khutba topic they want to hear about each weak. They can discuss with them online issues relating to the khutba and then give follow up khutbas if they see that the they are needed. This interaction with the khutba audience will be vital, i believe, in reviving the community. And so on.

There will be lots of key principles that speakers will need to learn and dig into their minds eg that people are free to think how they want. Freedom. That it's ok if someone disagrees with you. It doesn't mean you start calling then kafir or mushrik etc. Try to find out first why they see things the way they do etc. Don't jump at takfeer. We have a big problem in this.

The other principle is to be anti sectarian. And to believe in Muslim unity. Not just unity of your own sect. But across all sects. Again this will be very very hard because sectarian hatred has become so entrenched in our mindset thanks to the many corrupted and ignorant scholars.

The other is love. When did you last hear the Khateeb ( the khutba giver) talk about love. We don't do love unfortunately. Only hatred.

These are bad habits we need to get rid of if we want to be a good united and respectable community. One that Allah himself loves. Not an easy task. Probably closer to impossible rather than possible. But because we know that Allah can do everything then we know Alhamdulilah that it can happen. Because Allah can being us together to him once again (الف قلوبهم, unite the hearts) .

So are you with me for this or not?

If yes then sign up to it. Maybe I'll try to set up a Facebook group that is for this task specifically. But in the meanwhile feel free to join my current group ( Muslim Free-Thinkers Club 2015).

Inshalah there will be a movement based on this kind of thing that would unite all such like minded muslims who want to activate and revive the Muslim community and use it for the good of all humanity Inshalah. ( Rahmatan lil alameen, A mercy to all mankind, Quran).

Let me have your feedback and questions please.

Salamu alaykum

Your brother
Ali Twaij.

PS: I did a blog about doing new type khutbas. Here it is:

New Era Khutbas
Friday sermon khutbas for a new Era. No more khutbas that put you to sleep. Say yes to khutbas that make you awake.

http://newerakhutbas.blogspot.co.uk

Part 2
I think this means that those enlightened youth need to come together and present their own complete understanding of Islam. And then present these understandings to the youth to see how they see it and if they want to take parts of it and build their own complete understanding before then presenting it to the community. So that then everyone presents their view. And people are free to think about what is said and think for themselves.

But people may not want to think for themselves. They may not want to think at all. In which case we are doomed. Or they are, more specifically. But we should try to present a vision for a revived community. Where the audience cares and thinks. If they don't do that then there is no point. Then we just need to look after ourselves.

But if they care and think then we may be able to help. We may be able to create good speakers that give good khutbas that youth benefit from. And who can help uplift the community and become active and proactive and beneficial to humanity Inshalah.