Inclusive Mosque Against Cuts

Ya Rabb, ease our fear and remove our hardships. Provide for us from sources we do not expect and make a way for us when all doors seem closed. Do not let unjust policies take away our dignity or our ability to live in peace. Protect us from those who do not value our lives and replace their cruelty with Your infinite mercy.

If the proposed cuts to support for disabled people go ahead, disabled people will be subject to immediate and long-term harm. This is state violence. State violence is when the government implements policies that harm the population. State violence disproportionately impacts disabled women, Black people, migrants, trans, genderqueer and nonbinary people. This will affect disabled parents, disabled children and young people, it will impact quality of life and for some disabled people, it will threaten their survival. We cannot let this happen. We call on the Inclusive Mosque community and Muslims everywhere in the UK to resist the normalisation of violence against disabled people. As Muslims, this is our fight. Half of Muslim households in the UK live below the poverty line. We are disabled, we are migrants, we are carers. This will affect our community directly.

Ya Lateef, We turn to You in our worry and our fear, knowing that You are the Best of Providers. You see the struggles that we face, the burdens we carry, and the injustices that weigh upon us. You know our needs better than we do, and nothing is hidden from You.

We send our thanks to everyone who protested at the end of March, everyone calling for an end to the cruelty of these proposed cuts. We urge everyone in the IMI community to take immediate action to make clear to the government that we will not be passive in the face of this violence.

As feminist Muslims working towards equity and liberation for everyone, we need our community to recognise a few things:

• A better world is possible. We just have to fight for it.
• These cuts come after decades of deeply damaging rhetoric that pushes disabled people to the edges of society. This government is capitalising on the cruelty of past governments and pandering to our harshest tendencies.
• There is a mountain of evidence that shows that the current welfare system and cuts to welfare causes death, increased rates of self-harm and suicide.
• Personal Independent Payment assessments (PIP) are already degrading and dehumanising. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) does not understand our needs and doesn’t show any compassion. Needs are poorly understood and compassion for the reality of being disabled and/or needing help is denied and ignored.
• There are lots of disabled people and collectives whose work you can amplify.
• As Dr Shani Dhanda said, if the government really wanted to support people to earn money through work, they would start with supporting employers to hire disabled people. The truth is this isn’t about employment; it’s about solidifying our willingness to neglect disabled people.

O Allah, soften the hearts of those in power, so that they act with justice and compassion. Make our struggles a means of drawing closer to You, and let us never despair of Your mercy. Strengthen our hearts, surround us with support, and grant us the ability to navigate these challenges with patience and dignity.

We call on all Muslims in the UK to:

• Speak up in your homes and in your workplaces. It is a powerful way to stop the normalisation of violence against disabled people.
• Listen to disabled people, quote them, cite them. This is the very least that not yet disabled people can do.
• Write to your MP and you councillors and demand they challenge the government on proposed cuts and instead campaign for more support for disabled people.
• Participate in protests, strikes and demonstrations that call for an end to cuts and more support for disabled people.
• Support campaigns and petitions. We have a list of organisations and collectives you can support at the end of this statement.
• Offer direct support to disabled people by joining mutual aid groups and build local support networks so that your disabled neighbours can access what they need.
• Support the places that help people experiencing poverty, such as food banks, day centres and drop-in services, night shelters and hostels. Donate your time by volunteering, promoting fundraisers or even doing some fundraising activities yourself!
• Become a regular donor instead of a one-off donor – this helps organisations and collectives prepare for the consequences of these horrific policies.
• Stay angry, stay raging and channel that into action and solidarity. Let it impact the way you think, the way you pray and the way you act.

What we are willing to tolerate for our siblings tells us a lot about who we are. Whether you are disabled or not yet disabled, you are part of this fight and we will not tolerate this violence.

Ya Allah, replace our fear with security, our sorrow with hope, and our hardship with relief. Make the world a place where disabled people are valued, supported, and treated with fairness. And if we face oppression, let it raise our ranks in Your sight. Ameen.

Organisations, collectives, campaigners and artists you should check out:

• Disabled People Against Cuts
• Crips Against Cuts
• WinVisible
• Sisters Uncut
• Synergi Project
• Project LETS (USA)
• Disabled People for a Free Palestine
• Disabled Hikers
• This Ability Ltd
• Shado Mag
• Abolition and Disability Justice (USA)

• Uncategorised