Muslims put faith in tolerance

Perhaps the only display of faith that is questionable is the one invested in the talents of Steve McClaren's underachieving footballing stars.

At a Muslim prayer group in Shrewsbury one worshipper proudly wears the red, white and blue of an England football team tracksuit as he kneels and bows towards Mecca.

It is an image which illustrates a perfect marriage of cultures.

Earlier in what resembles an episode of Changing Rooms, members of the group are seen moving rolls of carpet across the car park of the county town's United Reform Church into a small side room which is transformed into a Muslim prayer area, with prayer mats arranged diagonally facing the holy city of Islam.A few minutes later worshippers arrive in their dozens, happily greeting one another as they remove their shoes ready for worship. So full is the room that late-arriving members huddle into the passageway.

The group is home to Muslims from a host of different nationalities and social backgrounds, from Bangladeshis to Pakistanis and from taxi drivers to doctors from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

The Shropshire Star is invited in as a guest and to allow members of the group to talk about what it is like to be a Muslim living in Shropshire today. Most talk about life in the county as happy and harmonious.

John Mustafa, vice president of the prayer group, says: "It's my home, I have lived here for 22 years, my children have grown up here and gone to school and college here."

But in an age of world terror attacks they are keen to maintain that sense of harmony and understanding, and are quick to condemn any act of terrorism that is conducted in the name of the Muslim faith.

It was perhaps partly ignorance of non-Muslims that precipitated the reaction that followed, but after the London bombings there was a national rise in race-hate crime and John admits that "it probably did go bad". But it says something about the intelligence of the people of Shropshire in particular that the attitude towards Muslim people following the arrest of 26-year-old Dr Mohammed Asha, a former junior doctor at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital who is being held on charges relating to a failed terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport earlier this year, was generally one of support for their Muslim friends.

John describes how people would come to the restaurants run by the Muslim community and convey their support.

"People thought we might be ashamed for ourselves because of this man from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, but they gave us comfort," he says.

"They said 'You are not one of these people'."

And there is outright condemnation of any act of terrorism conducted in the name of Islam.

Says John: "It's not in my name, we don't tolerate that behaviour. We don't welcome those people who come into our community and use our name. They are evil."

Zohurul Hussein came to Britain from Bangladesh in 1963, eventually settling in Shrewsbury in 1970.

"There's good and bad in all communities," he says. "There's always a black sheep."

Acting Detective Inspector Ian Rous, of West Mercia Police, has built up a solid relationship with the Muslim group in Shrewsbury. A regular guest at their group meetings, upon his arrival there are jokes about how his football team, which will remain a secret, is currently doing in the Premiership.

He says: "After Dr Asha was arrested we came here because the community was concerned about how they were being perceived.

"They are a law-abiding community who want to contribute. I think they thought one person had put them in the spotlight."

That's not to say that life is always a bed of roses. Being the proprietor of an Indian restaurant, as John is, can have its moments, particularly when tongues are loosened by drink.

And another member of the prayer group describes how he gave up being a taxi driver after being on the sharp end of abuse.

It is sad to hear John describe the occasional race remark as "an occupational hazard, but it's wrong".

He also chooses to shut his restaurant before most of the pubs close to avoid attracting the wrong kind of clientele. But on the whole the issues that concern people like John are the issues that concern all of us: kids taking drugs, underage drinking, foul language, litter being dropped on the streets.

He, after all, has children of his own and wants them to grow up in a community where safety and respect for other people is paramount.

He says: "We live in this shire, this is our home and we want to be part of this town."