A Long Jihad. Muhammad Abdul Bari
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We discussed these ideas and soon signed up to Neil's project. Hence the ELM became a founding member of The East London Communities Organization (TELCO). Various faith organizations from Abrahamic and other backgrounds, as well as non-faith groups, came together to unlock the potential of grassroots community activism on issues such as living wages for low-paid workers in London. It was the start of a bold new experiment that was to bear fruit in the coming years. TELCO gradually expanded London-wide to become London Citizens, an alliance of four chapters with a membership of over 200 institutions from an array of churches, synagogues and mosques as well as union branches, voluntary agencies and residents' associations. London Citizens premier works included a London Living Wage campaign, an urban Community Land Trust and CitySafe havens to tackle knife crime and violence.
At the time of writing the parent body, Citizens UK, has over 350 affiliates in major cities across the UK, and has embarked on many other projects under the leadership of Neil Jameson, now its executive director. With multiple activities involving communities and other bodies, such as educational and trade union groups, CUK has emerged as the premier grassroots civil society organization in the country. In its bid to foster 'change at the local and national level', CUK's unique training programme is the 'combination of theory, practical tools, stories and real action' covering areas including 'Power, Self-Interest, Negotiation, Building Relationships, Leadership, Developing Institutions, Culture, and The Case for Broad-Based Organising.'
Community activism or citizen organizing is vital in shaping a nation as well as giving it a moral anchor. Without individual moral anchoring and public ethics, a society cannot function effectively, and in civic regeneration no section of the society or community should be left out. A vibrant civil society, including a strong voluntary sector, is the eyes and ears of any country. A government alone, however efficient, cannot run a country effectively and harness all its potential. Grassroots participation and non-partisan power politics has been the essence of citizen organizations in several countries. The Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) in the US has been doing this with religious congregations and civic organizations since the 1940s and has since spread to other continents.
In the midst of a growing 'me first' culture, a greater sense of communal solidarity and community spirit is needed more than ever. Half a century ago, the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr made a remarkable observation of his time: 'Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men'. As technological progress is changing our lifestyles, how true are his comments today!
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