Muslim Council of Britain
Introduction
1. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is an
inclusive umbrella body that represents the interests of Muslims
in Britain and is pledged to work for the common good of the society
as a whole. It was founded in 1997.
2. The MCB is made up of major national, regional
and local organisations, specialist institutions and professional
bodies. Its affiliates include mosques, educational and charitable
bodies, cultural and relief agencies, women and youth groups and
associations. At present it has over five hundred affiliates.
3. The Muslim Council of Britain is a non-partisan
organisation that does not endorse any political parties. But
we do have a duty to encourage greater political participation
amongst Muslims, and in helping Muslims make informed choices.
4. MCB's specialist work is undertaken at a committee-level,
and this submission is based on consultations involving members
of its Legal Affairs and Public Affairs Committees. The MCB welcomes
this opportunity to comment on the Coalition Government's white
paper and draft bill on the reform of the House of Lords.
Background
5. Muslims are a community with a sense of the
sacred, believing that a civilised society depends on the strength
and preservation of sacred values. It is for this reason we respect
the leadership role of the Church of England in the matters of
faith. It is on this basis that in the wake of the Satanic Verses
affair of the early 1990s our community did not call for the abolition
of the law of blasphemy which affords protection to the Anglican
faith1[118]
. Similarly the MCB does not covet the historical pre-eminence
of the Church of England in English law and in our unwritten Constitution.
6. The MCB is committed to supporting measures
that promote a socially cohesive and genuinely pluralistic society
free from all forms of discrimination. Muslims are the second
largest religious community in the UK but stand under-represented
in both the Lower and Upper House. The political parties have
much more work to do in mentoring and encouraging Muslims with
political ambitions. Similarly there is no dearth of Muslims who
have a record of public service and who are capable and willing
to contribute in the highest political and democratic institutions
of this country.
Substantive Response
7. The MCB is concerned that the proposals for
an elected Upper House will adversely affect the checks and balances
on power that is currently in place. If the majority of members
of the new Lords are elected on party lines, then the level of
scrutiny and debate on legislation will be reduced if a single
party holds the majority in both Houses. The 80/20 allocation
of elected/appointed members should therefore be reconsidered.
There is also a risk of stalemate in legislative process if a
more assertive Upper House claims equal authority by virtue of
same popular electoral mandate as the Commons, which should retain
primacy in the legislative process.
8. The Lords presently provides a mechanism for
the men and women of distinction and wisdom to contribute to national
affairs, without dependence on any party political machinery because
they have largely eschewed ambitions of gaining political power.
This arrangement has evolved over many years and after much experience
and should not be jettisoned for change's sake.
9. The Lords' capacity for expert oversight and
impartiality has been affected by the disqualification of the
12 Law Lords from sitting or voting since October 2009. Moreover
newly appointed Justices to the Supreme Court no longer have the
right to sit in the Lords.
10. The proposal now to reduce the number of
Lords Spiritual from the current 26 to 12 will be disastrous because
there will be practically a further reduced voice for the spiritual
and moral dimension in formulating new law or influencing public
policy.
11. To reflect the diversity and plurality of
modern Britain and to add to complement the Lords Spiritual, there
should be representatives of the country's minority religious
communities2[119].
If this principle is accepted, then clearly further reflection
is needed on the modalities for such appointments. However, this
should not be difficult to formulate as all major religious communities
have well developed national representative bodies which can provide
the link. MCB would be pleased to present specific proposals in
this regard for our community.
12. A strengthened 'voice of faith' within the
heart of British governance will go some way in addressingthe
various corruption scandals that have befallen both Houses in
recent years thus eroding public confidence.
13. The MCB does not have a view on whether the
Peers should be appointed for life or the duration of three Parliaments.
However it questions the requirement for Peers to be full-time
parliamentarians—this may exclude senior figures e.g. vice
chancellors of universities—who can provide essential expertise
and knowledge to bear on debate.
14. The right of Peers to sit in the House of
Lords and play a role in the shaping of legislation by virtue
of inheritance is an anachronism and the MCB would support the
gradual reduction of hereditary peers from an Upper House.
15. In conclusion, we are supportive of this
consultation in terms of providing the space for faith and community
organisations to offer feedback on the reshaping of our constitutional
hierarchy.
20 October 2011
118 For example, see 'Muslims and the law in multi-faith
Britain - Need for Reform', UK Action Committee on
Islamic Affairs, Autumn 1993; p.39 Back
119
The generally accepted main minority faith communities are: Buddhist,
Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh e.g. in the National Census
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