ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

Available for over a year

In a couple of weeks I’ll be going to America to speak at Boston University. I always look forward to my trips to the US and in over twenty years have never faced any problems at any of the American airports. And this year I should feel the same except that that I don’t. I realise that I probably won’t be affected by the current Presidential ban on Muslims travelling from certain countries. Unlike many others, I’m protected to some extent by a British passport but the very fact that I’ll be a little more apprehensive as I go through immigration, makes me a little sad at how fragile our certainties have become. With the rise of Isis and what we call radical Islam, many nations have rightly committed o extra security measures. This issue has been complicated with the numbers of people seeking refuge/ asylum or simply migrating to the west for want of a better life. Many of them are coming or fleeing from Islamic countries and whatever their reasons, their hopes lie in the west because they know the west offers them a chance. As people travel, so do ideas but while you can ban people from entering, you can’t ban ideas. Everything in life starts with a desire, an idea and ideas which grip us emotionally and intellectually will always find expression. Today, we are living with one of the most profound effects of globalisation, that physical borders no longer limit the possibilities of either communities or politics. The fluidity of identities and attachments is reflected in banners and protests everywhere. In the last few days, the Muslim who so often represents otherness in the West, has also become synonymous with the debates on liberalism, constitution and American values. The speed at which ideas have mobilised into action is both inspiring and unsettling. But in an age of soundbites, hashtags and now fake news, we need to stretch a sympathetic imagination to meet the challenges of our time. And these challenges however polarising, will not be resolved by harsh words and clashes which are increasingly informing the politics of our time. Words do matter because peace, justice and community are all fragile. As reflected in the Prophet’s words ` Do you know what is better than charity and fasting and prayer? It is keeping peace and good relations between people, as quarrels and bad feelings destroy mankind.’ I want to continue looking forward to my trip to the US because I have always found the welcome to be warm and generous. But I also know that I want to travel as me, like so many others, with multiple identities and loyalties, not simply as the Muslim with a British passport.