{"id":2465,"date":"2014-09-02T09:04:59","date_gmt":"2014-09-02T09:04:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/?p=2465"},"modified":"2014-09-02T14:25:58","modified_gmt":"2014-09-02T14:25:58","slug":"scottish-independence-the-muslim-viewpoint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/index.php\/scottish-independence-the-muslim-viewpoint\/","title":{"rendered":"Scottish independence : the Muslim viewpoint"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Scotland\"<\/a>Hassan Joudi
\nMuslims in Scotland are split between staying within the UK or going independent, as Scottish citizens gear up to decide the future of their country at the referendum on independence on\u00a0 September 18.
\nEver since the Scottish National Party (SNP) won in 2012, the independence debate has captured imagination but divided opinion. Scottish voters will be asked to answer Yes or No to the question: \u201cShould Scotland be an independent country?\u201d
\nScotland has approximately 77,000 Muslims in a total population of 5.3 million (1.5%), with the majority describing themselves as of Pakistani descent, according to the 2011 census. This compares with 4.8% of the population being Muslim in England and Wales.
\nSpokesman for the Muslim Council of Scotland (MCS), Ali Salamat, told, \u201cMCS encourages Muslim communities of Scotland to take active part in social and political affairs of wider society. We are currently in the process of arranging a husting event for the forthcoming referendum to help Muslims make their choice.\u201d
\nWesun Kraish, 25 year old primary school teacher in Glasgow, told, \u201cI\u2019ve studied and travelled extensively around Scotland. It is culturally and ideologically different from England. I think the proposal for independence is a reasonable one that many Scottish people agree with. But people are concerned about the practicalities of being independent, in particular the economy.\u201d
\nEconomic issues are dominating the debate for Scottish Muslims voting to stay in the Union, with No campaign slogans like \u201cIf it\u2019s not broken, don\u2019t fix it.\u201d
\n\u201cThink about the currency, there is no clear answer. How will we manage financially? What about pensions, ageing population, education, welfare benefits. We have a very ageing population, we don\u2019t have that many youngsters compared to London,\u201d\u00a0 Zahira Hassan, 43 year-old children\u2019s special needs carer and community activist in Edinburgh, told. \u201cThere\u2019s just so many open questions. And the SNP white paper doesn\u2019t give any answers.\u201d
\n\u201cThe major problem common to both the Yes and No arguments is that they are all based largely on hunches and guesses, not sure facts, and so neither side\u2019s can be proven,\u201d says Ali Abbas, 19 year-old student at Edinburgh University. \u201cHowever I\u2019m voting Yes inshAllah, less by arguments for the economy, transport, or education. I vote from a moral stance. I want to rid myself of the Westminster Government. We all know about their foreign policy and its effects on Muslims abroad, such as the devastating Iraq invasion in 2003,\u201d he told.
\nDameer Ahmed, Optometry student in Livingstone, told, \u201cWe have the best of both worlds which is a Scottish parliament with power over health and education, and the security of being part of one of the largest economies in the world. The risk of independence are far greater than the benefits, the only benefit is the emotional one where you get free from Tory control.\u201d<\/p>\n

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