Interview : Farhad Ahmed of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association on raising money for the poppy appeal

Farhad Ahmed is a London-based Imam who represents the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association. They are currently raising money for the poppy appeal and usually raise around £50,000 a year for the Royal British Legion.

NewStart spoke to him about why the poppy appeal is important to Muslims and how to tackle misconceptions around Islam.

Why is it important for young Muslims to raise money for the Royal British Legion during the poppy appeal?

The main reason we raise funds is for the servicemen who gave their lives for the defence of our country. If we are ever in any difficulty it would be their requirement to help us.

It’s a show of our gratitude. Charity is blind and we help anybody whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims.

Here in the UK, the poppy appeal is a way of showing loyalty to your country. It’s also an expression of the fact we are British and we love Britain. It’s a responsibility on every Muslim to show loyalty to the country they are part of. It’s a religious obligation.

Are some Muslims critical that the British military often goes to war with Muslim countries?

We’ve had certain people on Twitter and other places who say that as a Muslim they can’t raise funds for the poppy appeal because of unjust wars. That’s where we make a difference between a political statement and charity.

When there is an unjust war we’re not shy about raising our voices even when many Muslims are being injured and harmed.

In Yemen, huge amounts of injustices are being done. We speak out against it, but this is a charity and a show of loyalty to our country and expression of gratefulness to the benefits we enjoy here.

Here in the UK, we’re not able to just build Mosques, we are able to preach our religion and tell people about our religion freely and openly. That’s one of the greatest freedoms you can have. That requires a show of gratitude.

What else can you tell me about the charity?

Nationally we are the UK’s largest Muslim youth organisation with over 8000 members and 120 chapters across the UK.

The main purpose of the organisation is to engage youngsters through positivity and tell them what the true message of their faith is. We want to drive home the message that Islam is a religion of peace.

Our task is to try and nurture the energy the youth has through positivity, otherwise it might get misused.

The word jihad literally means ‘a struggle’ and to try and learn your faith is a constant struggle, which is the true meaning of the word. It means self-reformation and self-reflection.

We can’t do it one day, we have to engage youngsters from a very young age. We do that through volunteerism, discussion circles, organising sports and charity events.

During the Cumbria floods of 2015, 250 youngsters from across the UK travelled and helped the army and local people.

We have a strong sense of service. They enjoy it and it’s how they are brought up. You can’t just be a silent member of society.

Things get misunderstood in terms of faith. That’s why we’ve been successful because we’ve had a constant focus on guiding people to the true message of Islam.

Where do the misconceptions around Islam come from?

We believe in the Quran and the words of the prophet Mohammad yet there are other people who claim they are following the Quaran and they do a lot of wrong things, so why does that disparity exist?

My answer would be often religion is misused as an excuse for political gains and personal interest. For certain religious clerics, to get a following they need to motivate people and that can be done by using energy in a negative way. They cherry pick verses in the Quran and misuse it.

In the Quran, there is no punishment for blasphemy, but some religious clerics call for beheadings. This has no basis in religion. It’s for their own benefits so they can be the champions of public opinion.

How has life changed for young British muslims in recent years?

In the last couple of years, there has been a significant change in the attitudes towards Muslim people. More and more far-right parties are using Islam as an excuse to gain support. They use greivances and say it’s all the fault of Muslims.

One of the major factors of people turning to far right parties is the fear of immigrants and this is heavily dependent on a fear of Islam. They think we are coming from a different culture and we want to impose that culture on us.

If you tackle some of these misunderstandings then you tackle a lot of the problems that exist.

What other initiatives does the charity take part in?

In the run-up to Christmas, we do a lot of care home visits as a lot of people feel lonely at that time in hospices and hospital. Our youth goes and visits these people and gives out gifts. We also go out and meet homeless people too. That’s a big campaign coming up.

Also on New Year’s Day, a large number of Muslims do a big street clean straight after morning prayers at 6.30am. So whilst everyone else is probably still asleep we head out early and help clean the streets across Britain.