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Day 17 of 30
By Steve from the Mahabba team
Inspired by today's entry in the 30 Days of Prayer booklet, but with a UK twist!
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Daily verse
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Thought for the day
Progressive Muslims - reforming Islam
Some British Muslims are part of a growing ‘movement’ to reform Islam. Dr Taj Hargey (Chair of the Muslim Educational Centre, Oxford) won a High Court libel case against a “conservative” Islamic newspaper, which falsely accused him of being a ‘heretic’ who should be excommunicated from the Muslim community. Hargey hopes his victory emboldens all progressive Muslims to also put their heads above the parapet and speak out against what he calls ‘self-appointed’ conservative mullahs who have taken over with their own ‘warped’ and ‘backward-looking’ manifestation of Islam, based on ‘fabricated hadiths, which are passed off as infallible’. He encourages all ‘thinking Muslims’ (particularly female writers) to continue resisting the ‘foreign’ Wahabi ideology and to create a ‘British Islam’.*
Maajid Nawaz, a former radical turned progressive media spokesperson, fully agrees with Hargey and asks, “Where are the missing voices of ‘liberal Muslims’; ‘feminist Muslims’ and ‘gay Muslims’ and even ‘ex-Muslims’?”**
* Taj Hargey, My persecution by the Muslim McCarthyites: Islam has been taken over by a distorted faith. We need a reformation to rescue it, The Times, April, 10, 2009
** Maajid Nawaz, Quiliam Foundation, Multiculturalism is Dead, on LBC Radio, using Home Office statistics
Prayer for the day
Lord God, We worship You as the Lord of history and the affairs of humankind. Thank you for those in Muslim communities who are calling for a preferable future where their faith resonates more with the issues of the 21st century. May Your Spirit brood over the ‘progressive’ movement'. Speak Lord into searching hearts, shine the Christ light into questioning minds and call them into a new fulfilment of their heritage, in you. AMEN
Daily action
Please note: actions were written before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consult the latest advice from your local public health authority or government and adhere to any current restrictions on travel or social situations.
Why not Google details of the writings of influential progressive Muslims, such as The Quiliam Foundation; Wafa Sultan; Irshad Manji; Ayan Hirsi Ali; Maajid Nawaz; Taj Hargey; Ali Abd al-Raziq; Abdel Wahab El-Affendi; Sheikh Ali Gomaa; Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na‘im; Adnan Khan and Amir Taheri. Pray for some of these by name.
Your turn
Let us know how it went! Leave a comment on our online community platform, Discourse, or tag us on social media with the #lovefast hashtag on social media.
Resources
Guidance on hosting iftars
A reminder of some some helpful guidance and food for thought from the Church of England in light of past media coverage of churches hosting iftar meals.
Also, please consult the latest advice from Public Health England or your relevant authority for guidance on travel and social situations.
You can read and discuss the guidance and recent events on Mahabba's online community area, Discourse.
Alternatively, a PDF version is available here. If you've not registered for Discourse, you can do so quickly here.
Prayer materials
Do you want to involve your church in blessing Muslim people through prayer and friendship?
There are new 30 Days of Prayer church resources available for you:
Pray Together as a Congregation
Small Group Session
Night of Power Prayer Meeting
Prayer Walk Guide
What’s your next step after 30 Days? There are loads of resources to help you on your journey.
Partners of 30 Days of Prayer
Please see the footer on the 30 Days of Prayer website