Abdur Raheem Green (born: Anthony Waclaw Gavin Green;
[ 1964][), is a British revert to ]Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
who is known in some Muslim communities for his work in Dawah
Dawah ( ar, دعوة, lit=invitation, ) is the act of inviting or calling people to embrace Islam. The plural is ''da‘wāt'' (دَعْوات) or ''da‘awāt'' (دَعَوات).
Etymology
The English term ''Dawah'' derives from the Arabic ...
, both in televised formal settings and informal contexts such as Hyde Park's Speakers Corner
A Speakers' Corner is an area where public speaking, open-air public speaking, debate, and discussion are allowed. The original and best known is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park in London, England. Historically there ...
. He is the chairman of iERA, the Islamic Education and Research Academy.
Early life
Green was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...
. His father was a colonial administrator in the British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
[
] and his mother is Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
. His father was agnostic
Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...
and his mother a devout Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
. Green was raised in the Roman Catholic faith from a young age.
Green attended a Monastic
Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
boarding school, St Martin's Ampleforth
St Martin's Ampleforth (SMA) was an independent school and the preparatory school for Ampleforth College, which closed in July 2020. Until 2018 it was at Gilling Castle, North Yorkshire, England, on the southern side of a valley opposite the Co ...
at Gilling Castle, and then Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the English public school tradition located in the village of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1802 as a boys' school, it is situated in the groun ...
. When he was 11, his father took a job in Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
, and so Green would travel to stay there during his school holidays. He studied history at the University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, but did not complete his degree because of a growing disillusionment with what he regarded as the Eurocentric
Eurocentrism (also Eurocentricity or Western-centrism)
is a worldview that is centered on Western civilization or a biased view that favors it over non-Western civilizations. The exact scope of Eurocentrism varies from the entire Western world ...
teaching of the British educational system.[
]
Conversion to Islam
At a young age, Green began to question his Roman Catholic upbringing. However, at the age of 19, he stated that he would "vigorously defend" the faith, even though he did not actually believe in it. He also practiced Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
for nearly three years, though never formally embraced it. In 1987, Green first became interested in Islam, picking up his first copy of the Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
. He embraced Islam in 1988.[
]
Personal life
Green has ten children. Whilst claiming two wives, Green was asked in the interview whether British law prohibits bigamy
In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...
. Green responded: "It does. Yet several Britishers are bigamists." He mistakenly claimed "But those who practise bigamy can protect the second marriage under the provisions of ' common law wives'. Under this children out of such marriages are legitimate and wives inherit property."[
]
Controversies
In 2005, Green was barred from boarding a flight with a stopover in Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
because he appeared on the Australian government's "movement alert list". This was for extreme views, "including that Muslims and westerners cannot live peaceably together and that dying while fighting jihad is one of the surest ways to paradise and Allah's good pleasure." Some Australian Muslims argued that the Government had gone too far by stopping a man whose views they claim are now moderate.
In February 2009, the BBC current affairs programme Panorama
A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined in ...
reported that the Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
had asked Green for advice.[ Green said that he was "part of the solution" to extremism,][ and that "participating in terrorist activities, violent revolution - is not something that I have ever thought was part of the religion of Islam."] It was reported in 2010 that Green had given a two hour lecture at University College London's Islamic Society on 23 November 2005, in which Green said that though Osama Bin Laden's terrorist strategy was rational, Islam did not support it.
In October 2011, Green was banned from giving a scheduled lecture at Concordia University in Canada after concerns were raised over statements that he allegedly made about how men may treat their wives.
In July 2012, Green was banned from the Emirates stadium of Arsenal F.C.
In May 2014, the ''Telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
'' reported that the iERA which Green chairs was being investigated by the Charity Commission[
] "amid allegations that its leaders promote anti-Semitism and have called for homosexuals and female adulterers to be stoned to death."[ The ''Telegraph'' reported that Green "has been caught on camera preaching at Hyde Park Corner, calling for a Jewish man to be removed from his sight. 'Why don’t you take the Yahoudi ewover there, far away so his stench doesn’t disturb us?' he can be heard to say."]
In 2015, he was asked to withdraw from speaking at event Against Racism, Against Hatred held at St James' Park, Newcastle.[
]
References
External links
*
Abdur-Raheem Green Lectures
on HalalTube
Abdur Rahim Green
on Peace TV
Peace TV is a non-profit Emirati satellite television, satellite television network that broadcasts free-to-air programming. It is one of the world's largest religious satellite television networks. On 21 January 2006, Zakir Naik created the net ...
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Abdur Raheem
1962 births
Living people
British Muslims
Converts to Sunni Islam from Catholicism
British former Christians
British people of Polish descent
People educated at Ampleforth College
People from Dar es Salaam