One of the main groups involved in organising the mobilisation of millions of people in opposition to the Iraq war of 2003 was the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB). Much recent commentary has focused on the involvement of MAB (an offshoot of the Arab Muslim Brotherhood) in the coalition of organisations that led the anti-war movement. Less attention has been paid to how MAB activists themselves understood their working relationship with the other organised groups in the Stop the War coalition. Based mainly on interviews with MAB activists, this article examines their perspectives and experiences of working within a broad Left movement.
The research referred to in this article, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (Grant RES-000-22-1785), involved interviews with leaders, members, supporters and critics of MAB and other organisations involved in the anti-war movement. Interviews were designed and conducted between Autumn 2006 and Spring 2007 by Richard Phillips, Naima Bouteldja (a journalist and broadcaster) and Jamil Iqbal (currently completing a doctorate at Leeds Metropolitan University). In the following references, interviews are identified with details of: the interviewee's name and affiliation or position when the interview took place, who did the interview (where Naima Bouteldja is NB, Jamil Iqbal JI and Richard Phillips RP) and the date on which the interview took place. Naima and Jamil did not simply conduct interviews; they played a central role in determining who should be interviewed and what should be asked. Naima also commented on earlier drafts of this article, as did my colleague Pete North. While these contributions are gratefully acknowledged, I accept responsibility for the final version of the article and any shortcomings that remain.
Atif Nazar, Member of Marxist International, StW activist, JI, 11/02/07 and 9/03/07.
4.
Naima Bouteldja, personal communication, March 2007.
5.
Ibid.
6.
Osama Saeed, MAB spokesperson in Scotland, Scottish National Party candidate 2003, NB, 23/2/07.
7.
R.S. Leiken and S. Brooke, `The moderate Muslim Brotherhood', Foreign Affairs (Vol. 86, no. 2, March/April 2007), pp. 107-121.
8.
MAB is run by an elected president, supported by a seven- or eight-member executive board nominated by the president and subject to the approval of an elected council of fifteen members. The executive board, supported by a handful of full-time staff and a number of volunteers, runs the Association, reporting to council every three months. Belgacem Kahlalech, MAB London office manager, NB, 22/02/07.
9.
Osama Saeed, MAB/SNP, NB, 23/2/07.
10.
Anas Altikriti, MAB director of media and public relations 1997-2003, president 2003-4, NB, 25/04/07.
11.
Anas Altikriti, MAB, NB, 25/04/07.
12.
Ibid.
13.
Shahed Yunus, founding member of Bangla 2000, JI, 08/03/07.
14.
Osama Saeed, MAB/SNP, NB, 23/2/07.
15.
Azzam Tamimi, former MAB spokesperson, RP/NB, 17/2/07.
16.
Alladin Fida, former MAB spokesperson, NB, 16/5/07.
17.
Mohammed Sawalha, former president of MAB 2001-3, managing director of IslamExpo, NB, 26/04/07.
18.
Azzam Tamimi, MAB, RP/NB, 17/2/07.
19.
Anas Altikriti, MAB, NB, 25/04/07.
20.
Ibid.
21.
Alladin Fida, MAB, NB, 16/5/07.
22.
Anas Altikriti, MAB, NB, 25/04/07.
23.
Ibid.
24.
Alladin Fida, MAB, NB, 16/5/07; Anas Altikriti, MAB, NB, 25/04/07.
25.
Ibid.
26.
Azzam Tamimi, MAB, RP/NB, 17/2/07.
27.
Alladin Fida, MAB, NB, 16/5/07.
28.
Leiken and Brooke, op. cit.; S. Hamed, `Islamic political radicalism in Britain: the case of Hizb ut-Tahrir,' in T. Abbas (ed.), Islamic Political Radicalism ( Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2007) pp. 145-159; Mohammed Sawalha, MAB/IslamExpo, NB, 26/04/07.
29.
Anas Altikriti, MAB, NB, 25/04/07.
30.
Ibid.
31.
Reza Kazim, IHRC volunteer, NB, 05/04/07.
32.
Nazmul Hoque, member of HT, JI, 19/02/07.
33.
Nazrul Islam, member of HT, JI, 11/03/07.
34.
Anonymous member of Hizb ut-Tahrir executive, NB, 15/05/07.
Mehdi Hassan, Respect, RP, 13/11/06. C. Peach, `Islam, ethnicity and South Asian religions in the London 2001 census', Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers (NS 31, 2006), pp. 353-370; J. Eade, T. Vamplew and C. Peach, `Bangladeshis: the encapsulated community' , in C. Peach (ed.), The Ethnic Minority Populations of Britain, Vol. 2: ethnicity in the 1991 census (London, HMSO, 1996), pp. 150-160. P. Hopkins, `Young, male and Scottish: a portrait of Kabir', paper presented at annual meeting of Association of American Geographers (San Francisco, April 2007); G. Marranci, `From the ethos of justice to the ideology of justice: understanding radical views of Scottish Muslims', in T. Abbas (ed.), op.cit, pp. 131-44.
42.
Ansar Ahmed Ullah, Nirmul Committee, JI, 10/01/07.
43.
Massoud Shadjareh, IHRC chair, NB, 19/04/07.
44.
Naima Bouteldja , personal communication, December 2007.
45.
Mohammed Sawalha, MAB/IslamExpo, NB, 26/04/07.
46.
Ibid.
47.
Azzam Tamimi, MAB, RP/NB, 17/2/07.
48.
Ibid.
49.
Ibid.
50.
Massoud Shadjareh, IHRC chair, NB, 19/04/07.
51.
Mohammed Sawalha, MAB/IslamExpo, NB, 26/04/07.
52.
Osama Saeed, MAB/SNP, NB, 23/2/07.
53.
Belgacem Kahlalech, MAB, NB, 22/02/07.
54.
Mohammed Sawalha, MAB/IslamExpo, NB, 26/04/07.
55.
Azzam Tamimi, MAB, RP/NB, 17/2/07.
56.
Glyn Robbins, chair of Tower Hamlets Respect Party, RP, 4/10/06.
Mahir Sayar, Islamic Forum for Islamic Dialogue, volunteer, JI, 16/02/07.
63.
Catherine Hossain, MPAC, JI, 13/02/07.
64.
Shahed Yunus, Bangla 2000, JI, 08/03/07.
65.
Azzam Tamimi, MAB, RP/NB, 17/2/07.
66.
Anonymous member of Hizb ut-Tahrir executive, NB, 15/05/07.
67.
Catherine Hossain, MPAC, JI, 13/02/07.
68.
Massoud Shadjareh, IHRC chair, NB, 19/04/07.
69.
Julian Goss, former chair of StW South Wales and SWP member, RP, 21/12/06. He recalls how StW forged an activist network in South Wales that could be used at a later date, if required, to avoid a repeat of the `dead period that we had after 9/11'.
70.
Osama Saeed, MAB/SNP, NB, 23/2/07.
71.
Shahed Yunus, founding member of Bangla 2000, JI, 08/03/07.
