The theme for Islam Awareness Week 2008 is:

Please take our Survey on the Best of Britain.

It is often said that we don’t realise how good something is until it is gone. The grass always seems greener on the other side – but is it really? Britain today is one of the best countries in the world to live in. But if you were to read our national newspapers every day it might not seem that way. It’s not the fault of the journalists and editors – good news just doesn’t sell as well.

But a daily diet of bad news is not always healthy for us as a nation. Psychologists advise people who are depressed to try and look at the brighter side of life. Religious scholars advise unhappy people to count their blessings.

So, for Islam Awareness Week this year we are asking people to come and join us in celebrating what’s great about Britain. But this is not just about the weather! It is also about our institutions, traditions, places, habits, literature, phrases – in short it is about the values that we all share and try to live by.

Values that are important to us all include the accountability of government, equality under the law, justice, fair play, tolerance, education for all, compassion for the weak, protecting our environment, good manners, self-criticism and a spirit of creativity and invention. To be fair these are not uniquely British values but they are reflected in a unique way in British history and in our everyday lives.

This theme will show that we all have more in common despite our diversity of beliefs. It is an Islamic tradition to always look for the good in people and recognise goodness wherever it is. Hopefully this theme will also show young people how Britain became the way it is today, often through hard fought gains in difficult circumstances.

This is not, however, an exercise in re-writing history or denying that there are challenges in society today. It is not a narrow kind of exclusive patriotism, because from the Islamic point of view we are all on Earth as children of Eve and Adam and are thus brothers and sisters of one another.

By taking part in Islam Awareness Week this year, you will also be joining many others in a national discussion about what kind of Britain we would like to see in the future. So, join in the discussion and tell us what you like most about Britain.

You can email us at admin@iaw.org.uk

Themes that we will be concentrating on:

1. Accountability of government and equality under the law
2. Religious tolerance
3. Racial equality
4. The Welfare State
5. Work ethic
6. The importance of education
7. Fair Play
8. Women’s rights
9. Appreciating and protecting our environment
10. Charity and compassion
11. Volunteering
12. A modest patriotism
13. Stoicism
14. Manners
15. Creativity & Invention