London’s iconic red buses and public transport in other United Kingdom cities will carry banner adverts featuring the Arabic phrase “Subhan Allah” (Glory be to God) in a bid to encourage British Muslims to support Syrian war victims.
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The campaign by the UK’s biggest Muslim charity, Islamic Relief, is aimed at British Muslims at a time when many fast during daylight hours and give money to charity.
June 6 is the expected date when Ramadan, the holiest month in the Muslim calendar, will begin.
A number of Christian campaigners have accused the advertising industry of being biased against Christianity and questioned why a Muslim group has been allowed to carry religious messages on buses whilst a Lord’s Prayer advert was refused from cinemas.
Organisers of the operation hope it will encourage Muslims to channel anger about the war in Syria into humanitarian work. “The campaign is about breaking down barriers and challenging misconceptions”.
“How many people appreciate that global aid has helped halve the number of people living in extreme poverty in the past 15 years?”
“The bus campaign is part of a wider appeal, which will use videos, posters and leaflets to focus on our projects in Bangladesh, Kenya, Syria and Gaza. We want to celebrate and give thanks for the progress made in the fight against poverty, and the opportunity that Ramadan provides to give generously in support of people in need”. London has 50% of Britain’s three million Muslims.
“This campaign is about raising awareness as well as raising funds”.
Madden said: “Our Ramadan campaign will heavily feature the word “SubhanAllah”, which means “glory to God”. We hope it will be received very positively because we have a positive message to share”.
England cricketer Moeen Ali is supporting the initiative.
According to Islamic law, Muslims are supposed to donate 2.5 per cent of their income to the poor and needy.
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This intentionally fails to recognise that Christians have just as much freedom to express themselves as any other group – arguably far more considering the significant privileges still afforded to Christians in the UK.
