Increasingly, in recent years, the concept of Islamaphobia has risen, with violence against our brothers and sisters throughout the country. The idea that certain government institutions can be "institutionally racist" only adds to the increasing number of people who are struggling to find work and may be heading towards conditions of poverty with the cost of living spiralling out of control each year. In the world, there is a tension that forces a divide between different religions, pitting neighbour against neighbour. It is a stranger time for our children to be growing up, some say even dangerous. They will not be able to shy away from being Muslim and their identity is in the spotlight. While unpleasant, uncomfortable and unfair in
a certain sense, this spotlight is perhaps an opportunity for self-examination.

We are all familiar with our criticisms of Western governments - the aggressive imperialist behaviour, exploitation, the dominance of multi-national companies that control the lives of billions in the world. but what about the unacceptable practices of so many Muslim countries, practices which careful study will show to be completely un-Islamic. Random killings of innocent civilians were never condoned by the Prophet Muhammed (SAW). The intolerance towards women we see in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria amongst others take us back to the Middle Ages. While it is completely unacceptable for the Allied Forces to attack Iraq, and Afghanistan, we cannot allow this to close our eyes to the fact that many other actions are equally going unnoticed such as certain Middle Eastern governments overlooking the poverty stricken suffering of its own people only to further its own agenda in the modern capitalist world. Surely Muslims should expect better from other Muslims. Instead we tend to use excuse after excuse which is in complete contradiction to the tenets of any and then begin to consider of the world religions. Right-wing fanaticism is therefore not something exclusive to Islam. It is a
phenomena to be found in all religions.

The difficulty here is that we need to ask the questions about why we are seeing the rise of such tendencies within Islam. We need to understand why if there is anything that we can do to reverse or at least control this intolerance. The last few weeks of Ramadan particularly should have taught us the lesson that each of us in the end has a direct relation to Allah (swt). And it is up to all of us to collectively develop to the point where we demand tolerant and kind behaviour from each other. While these challenges lie ahead, Eid is a day of celebration.

It is a day when we need to pause and give thanks. Despite all the difficulties, there is much to be thankful for. No laws prohibit us from enjoying the beauty of our culture. We have been given access to the media allowing unprecedented communication between Muslims in communities across the country. Our children are free to express their religious affiliation at schools. Some say that Islam enjoys
the same status as other religions in the UK despite the fact that Muslims constitute
only a small percentage of the population. Muslim women are progressing in leaps and bounds as they enjoy access to job opportunities within the state and private sectors. In the world, there is a move towards combining religious practice with modernity that can only be healthy for the future. In Iran in recent years, several thousand women registered to take lessons in riding motorbikes. Students gather regularly and are vocal as free expression is increasingly guaranteed. In the Middle east and Asia, women are becoming candidates in their country's elections for the first time. The signs are there that times are changing, but for today, we pause to give thanks and spread joy and ask Allah to strengthen us for what lies ahead.