The Holy month of Ramadan has been a trying one for MPACUK. MPACUK believe in the principle that the Holy month is a time when we do more good deeds. We could have spent this blessed month in pious contemplation but we have instead spent our time disregarding our own will and emotional needs to be at the forefront of the Muslim defence.

We could retreat into our religion and that would not be wrong, but as there is a lesser of two evils, there are greater goods, and MPACUK during this Holy month, a tired, hungry, bedraggled eclectic mix of people, rose up and rather then slow down and spend precious time with our families, we ramped up and ensured that the blessing of this month came not just from fasting, reading the Quran, praying and Taravih, but that our blessings came from our Jihad. The MPACUK team were physically, financially, mentally exhorting for the sake of Allah.

We ran the Boycott Israeli ‘Blood’ Dates campaign; we challenged the commercial interests of petty Muslim shop owners and the state of Israel by pushing for Muslims to shop ethically. Groups like the Enough Coalition have for too long promoted a boycott without real Muslim partnerships. Well, MPACUK have become that partner. And during Ramadan, after work, after Iftar and before Taravih, MPACers took the issue to three major cities in the UK. We wrote articles, made 'phone calls and highlighted the symbiotic links between Israel and Muslim businesses on the dates that were watered by the blood of Palestinian children and the tears of Palestinian mothers. For our efforts to protect the oppressed or at the very least make Muslims aware so they do not share in the complicity, Muslim businesses attacked MPACUK and transferred the blame to the Palestinians.

During this Holy month, we kicked off our opposition to increasing the detention period without trial. Our Activists, alone, under-funded, hungry and tired ensured that this important legislation would not pass us by without Muslims knowing how their MPs will vote, that this legislation that would have profound implications for the entire civil society in the UK, would not be passed without opposition. And for that, the team at MPACUK have been attacked, sidelined, marginalised and ignored. But we fight on, we remind ourselves this is not a popularity contest.

And then MPACUK caught the election fever. Gordon Brown (in my view anyway) would probably have won the election, with a reduced majority, but nonetheless he would have won, let the rumour mill produce a staggering amount of speculation that there was going to be an autumn election. Then all of a sudden he pulled a stunning own goal or a brilliant coup, only time will tell. But to get back to the election, before the no-go, even with MPACUK already focused on two national campaigns, raised their game. Already busy trying to raise the issues of ‘Blood’ dates, and Anti Muslim legislation, the team then took on the extra burden of identifying areas where we could campaign to remove Zionist MPs or promote MPs who are sympathetic to Palestine. And while we planned and mobilised, being hungry, under-funded, missing our families and the blow of opening a fast at a Mosque we are hated by the political cliques, Muslim and non-Muslim. Yet we continue because our duty to Allah is paramount, our love of the Ummah is a higher goal, our hunger, our cold, our families and our introspection, will all have to be sacrificed for the good of the Ummah.

We are constantly looking for new people to help maintain the momentum, to help us deliver our projects, to help us provide the defence Muslims so badly need. We are constantly in need of funding and as it is it the time when Muslims make their Zakat contributions we can only make a plea for some of that to come to MPACUK. While we do the work at least you can contribute some of your hard earned money.

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