Young Muslims tell Anita Pati why Bush and Blair are wrong to go to war over Iraq.
The common lament is that young people just don’t care about what happens in the world. That only two out of five 18 to 24 year olds voted in the last General Election is cited as proof of this.
But in the UK the picture that is emerging is of a government that doesn’t listen to its youth. Brit Awards winner Ms Dynamite recently said that the young are far from apathetic. On the contrary, she said, they care deeply about health, about crime, about the state of the world. It is mainstream politics that alienates them because they cannot relate to government ministers. And last month’s spontaneous protests by school children against the war on Iraq support the view that young people are far from apathetic.
At a youth project in central London, young men show that grassroots politics are still vital. Fitzrovia Youth in Action grew around a disused football pitch which local council estate residents decided to renovate. Young people attending the project, many of them Muslims, are concerned about the global situation and Britain’s role in a war. They speak passionately about their frustration with the government’s apparent failure to listen to its people.
"I don’t see the reason why Tony Blair has to go to war against Iraq," says Faisal, a 16-year-old student. "I mean, I can see why they need the oil - there’s an oil crisis and they depend on foreign oil. That’s the only reason they’re going to war - and regime change. I mean, Saddam Hussein does need to be removed, but not through war. I don’t think innocent civilians have to die."
Azam, 13, says: "I think the war is bollocks. Bush just wants oil from Iraq and wants to avenge what happened on September 11. But there’s no point, it’s going to kill millions of people and Blair doesn’t listen to his people and nor does Bush."
The sentiment is echoed by Shehzad, 15: "I feel this war is good for nothing. It’s not like Tony Blair’s going to get a gun and start shooting by himself. It’s millions of people, including British people, who are going to lose their lives in this war. And if they voted for him to become prime minister, he should listen to his people. And not only British people - the Iraqis will die too."
Some of the young people attended the Stop The War march on 15 February. Marches have given them a focus for unexpressed opinion. Yet despite enthusiasm for the demonstration, resignation is apparent. Ali, 18, and unemployed, says: "I don’t think the march made much difference, to be honest. People like Tony Blair, they’ve got the power in their hands and if they say they want a war, it’s not going to make any difference if two million people are shouting out. I don’t think the public have much power.
"I really think there is no point in having a war - a lot of people are getting hurt because of this war. The last time I got searched was ’cos of this war business - the police don’t really give a reason. But I think it’s connected to the situation because they mentioned Muslims at the time."
"The march should have made a difference," says Shuaib, 14, "but I don’t think it will because Tony Blair and George Bush - they don’t care. I would march again though."
James, 19, says: "I don’t really understand the point of demos - a million marched and that’s a whole lot of people but at the same time Tony Blair is not asking what the British people think. My personal view is that Tony Blair sucks up to that Bush guy. I rate Chirac. He’s arguing everyday ‘what’s the need for war’? Germany too. Whatever Bush says, Tony Blair follows. That’s all I’ve got to say about the situation."
Faisal has been on three previous marches. He feels he is sometimes targeted for being Muslim and mentions a Freedom for Palestine demonstration he attended several years ago: "I had a banner with me saying ‘stop the killings in Israel’ and for that, because there was a bit of wood sticking out of it which the cardboard was stuck to, the police stopped me. They searched me, they took my name down, they said the banner was an offensive weapon - they took my little banner that I made at home!"
He believes financial priorities are skewed: "They need to control the region to set up the economy. It’s all just self-interest. Not for the rest of the world...
"We don’t get anything out of a war. There’s no gain, actually there’s more of a loss. There will be a dip in the economy, there’s funding that they could put into schooling - the chancellor has put another £2bn into this war, come on - £2bn. Look at the NHS right now - there’s a big crisis - put that £2bn into it and it would be sorted."
Faisal is one among many Muslims who feel that others are treating them differently as a consequence of the destruction of the World Trade Centre on 11 September. He thinks the media has demonised Muslims such as Abu Hamza and this has caused problems for local Muslims he knows. "Around the mosque in Finsbury Park, people are coming up and saying ‘we’re having problems. People are spitting in our faces, they’re ripping off our hijabs [veils]." Others in the group nod in agreement.
"What about the people in Iraq?" he continues. "Look how much money they’re putting into the war there. Why can’t they use the money to stabilise the country and to give aid? It doesn’t matter if you have a dictator and an evil man in power, you can still give aid to the country - you know, they’ve put sanctions on the country, making it harder for the people to earn their own money or to try to get medical help. It doesn’t make any sense to me why countries like this do these kind of things."
The young men make a lively crew, joking, ribbing one another, laughing. But every so often when the jokes subside, there is evidence of a grave sense of responsibility among them
"It’s kind of hard ’cos you see pictures on TV of children dying there every day and you want to do something about it. I mean, that march was the one opportunity to do something about it. But it didn’t make any difference."
