Ghayasuddin Siddiqui
Encyclopedia
Ghayasuddin Siddiqui is an academic and political activist. He was born in Delhi
, India, migrated to Pakistan
in late 1947 and moved to the UK in 1964.
He has been leader of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, which he co-founded in 1992, and director of one of the oldest Muslim think-tanks in Britain, the Muslim Institute, which he co-founded in 1973.
Siddiqui claims to have met Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi (whom he considered "charismatic") and much of the early Jamaat-e-Islami
and Muslim Brotherhood
leadership. Rejecting their methodologies, he forged a close relationship with Iran
and met the more radical Ayatullah Khomeini and other members in the revolutionary Iranian leadership. This explains some reports that the Institute was http://www.isic-centre.org/archive-list-view/34-briefings/125-isic-bulletin-augsep-94.html?f3adf1a5ef7c4227495916afa78f4b3e=ca5da0aa070ba0fd90a45e4c3b37c4bd funded by the Iranian government.
against the author, Siddiqui remained a supporter of the decision, criticising the Iranian leadership by saying to the BBC News
that it had no authority to revoke the fatwa, and "the position of the Muslim Parliament is independent of what may or may not happen in Tehran".
His support for the fatwa issued by Khomeini continued as late as the year 2000, as The Independent
and the Press Association reported. He said "We support the fatwa but at the same time we have always said that Muslims in this country should abide by the law and not carry out the killing." And added: "It has always been the situation that the fatwa remains in operation and valid."
, joining its inaugural Central Committee. Siddiqui is patron of the Guantanamo Human Rights Commission, and a commissioner on the Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia. He is a founding trustee of British Muslims for Secular Democracy
. Siddiqui criticises Saudi Arabia and Saudi-sponsored institutions, accusing them of having destabilised the world by working with the CIA against the Soviet Union during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
His son http://www.guardian.co.uk/islam/story/0,,1362385,00.html is Asim Siddiqui
, Chairman of The City Circle
.
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, India, migrated to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in late 1947 and moved to the UK in 1964.
He has been leader of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, which he co-founded in 1992, and director of one of the oldest Muslim think-tanks in Britain, the Muslim Institute, which he co-founded in 1973.
Siddiqui claims to have met Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi (whom he considered "charismatic") and much of the early Jamaat-e-Islami
Jamaat-e-Islami
This article is about Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. For other organizations of similar name see Jamaat-e-Islami The Jamaat-e-Islami , is a Pro-Muslim political party in Pakistan...
and Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
leadership. Rejecting their methodologies, he forged a close relationship with Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and met the more radical Ayatullah Khomeini and other members in the revolutionary Iranian leadership. This explains some reports that the Institute was http://www.isic-centre.org/archive-list-view/34-briefings/125-isic-bulletin-augsep-94.html?f3adf1a5ef7c4227495916afa78f4b3e=ca5da0aa070ba0fd90a45e4c3b37c4bd funded by the Iranian government.
Support for fatwa against Salman Rushdie
Siddiqui supported the death sentence placed on Salman Rushdie. In 1998, despite an apparent relaxation of the fatwaFatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
against the author, Siddiqui remained a supporter of the decision, criticising the Iranian leadership by saying to the BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
that it had no authority to revoke the fatwa, and "the position of the Muslim Parliament is independent of what may or may not happen in Tehran".
His support for the fatwa issued by Khomeini continued as late as the year 2000, as The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
and the Press Association reported. He said "We support the fatwa but at the same time we have always said that Muslims in this country should abide by the law and not carry out the killing." And added: "It has always been the situation that the fatwa remains in operation and valid."
Post-9/11 views
Today, Siddiqui pursues Muslim social issues such as an end to forced marriages. He was the first Muslim leader to join the Stop the War CoalitionStop the War Coalition
The Stop the War Coalition is a United Kingdom group set up on 21 September 2001 that campaigns against what it believes are unjust wars....
, joining its inaugural Central Committee. Siddiqui is patron of the Guantanamo Human Rights Commission, and a commissioner on the Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia. He is a founding trustee of British Muslims for Secular Democracy
British Muslims for Secular Democracy
British Muslims for Secular Democracy is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting secularism in the United Kingdom, founded by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown...
. Siddiqui criticises Saudi Arabia and Saudi-sponsored institutions, accusing them of having destabilised the world by working with the CIA against the Soviet Union during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
His son http://www.guardian.co.uk/islam/story/0,,1362385,00.html is Asim Siddiqui
Asim Siddiqui
Asim Siddiqui is Chairman and a founding trustee of The City Circle, a network of young British Muslim professionals established in 1999...
, Chairman of The City Circle
The City Circle
The City Circle is a network body of mainly young Muslim professionals located in England and is a registered charity . On 7 November 2006, The City Circle announced that it had appointed Yahya Birt as its first Director with effect from December 2006...
.