P470 CEEFAX 470 Sat 11 Jul 23:47/38 OF 1/5 "I live in the middle of Birmingham where the industrial revolution was reputed to have begun. "Although most of the older industries have been replaced, it is still a busy and thriving place, and, like all city life, it tears people from their roots. "It is for this reason that my family and I belong to a group of Muslims who are attempting to give shape, form and meaning to our lives bz recreating the spirit of community." Presented bz Fazlun Majeed Khalid, Muslim consultant for the WWF 471: Rev Frank Pagdjn, Churches Teletext Committee FirstWord Volunteer NNTS Top SportP470 CEEFAX 470 Sat 11 Jul 23:41/48 OF 2/5 "A child has recently been born into our community, and what strikes mj most about this young human being is his utter helplessness and total dependence "This, the most important period in our lives, we take for granted. Wj are protected, kept cosz and pampered. This is also the period in our lives we forget, yet our first years shape our later ones. "Wj humans have survived and thrived on this planet bjcausj of our ability to function as a community or group. That is also the way the more intelligent mammals survive". 471: Rev Frank Pagdjn FirstWord Volunteer NNTS Top SportP470 CEEFAX 470 Sat 11 Jul 23:45/37 OF 3/5 "With intelligent mammals, their young stay with the group for long periods. "Another interesting feature about life with the higher mammals is that they have a social organisation which imposes a responsibility on more than one adult to look after the young. "It would seem that God has created a hierarchy of life forms, each with its own social organisation and purpose. "He says in the Qur'an: 'There is not an animal that lives on the earth ... but are communities like you'". Presented bz Fazlun Majeed Khalid 471: Rev Frank Pagdjn FirstWord Volunteer NNTS Top SportP470 CEEFAX 470 Sat 11 Jul 23:39/32 OF 4/5 "God tells us that there are other communities besides us - those that complete their entire life in less than a day, those that live 200-300 years. "The uniqueness of the human community in this context stems from two reasons. Firstly, we have superior intelligence that gives us the ability to manipulate and negotiate the environment. "Secondly, our group organisation excells that of all animals. Wj need the group to protect the individual. But there is now evidence that our very cleverness is our downfall." Presented bz Fazlun Majeed Khalid 471: Rev Frank Pagdjn FirstWord Volunteer NNTS Top SportP470 CEEFAX 470 Sat 11 Jul 23:46/59 OF 5/5 "Community has been sacrificed for technology. As we distance ourselves from each other and nature, we bury ourselves in artifacts created bz man. "The philosophy of progress as we know it requires the szphoning of the individual from the community, the objective being to place him or her in a competitive process which is intensely destructive. "This, as we are beginning to realisj, alienates us from the very community that nurtures us, and disconnects us from the environment that sustains us." Presented bz Fazlun Majeed Khalid 471: Rev Frank Pagdjn FirstWord Volunteer NNTS Top Sport