Can you think of the unthinkable? Can you ever imagine an Islamic state in Scotland? Can you imagine kilt wearing, haggis eating, Ironbru drinking and sentimental scots taking Islam as a better alternative to staying stuck to the United Kingdom ? Can you imagine scots giving up on alcohol, pork and gambling?

Have I got your full attention now? I am glad you are wondering where I am going with this article? Don't worry, relax! I am not advocating an Islamic State of Scotland or ISS in short. I am simply trying to grab your full attention. Please read the rest of the article to understand what I am about to say.

If you are a Scot I would like to apologise from the outset. My intention is not to insult you.

I spent the entire day in Glasgow today helping facilitate a community conversation event about the recent terrorism cases that has cast a huge shadow over the local community in general and the Muslim community in particular. A young Scottish girl called Aqsa Mahmood left her home and family to join ISIS in Iraq and the news of the barbaric slaughter of David Haines, the Scottish aid worker, by the British Jihadi John from ISIS has left the community in serious turmoil. The entire community in Scotland are worried about what's going to happen and the potential rise in race and Islamophobic related violence on the local Muslim community. The participants at the event were clear that David's murder had nothing to do with Islam or the Muslims and were very angry at the evil that was being perpetrated by ISIS in the name of their religion Islam.

However, the purpose of this article is to provoke a discussion about the upcoming referendum. I am not here to pass a judgment about scots choice of faith. If the Scots want to be Muslims it's their business and not mine! However should Scotland become an independent country breaking away from the 300 years old union is every bit my business. I care about remaining together and I strongly oppose separating. I feel the independence of Scotland would be a grave mistake and I would like to urge Scottish people in general and Muslims in Scotland in particular to vote NO in the upcoming referendum.

As a Muslim I am wholeheartedly opposed to nationalism as it only foments division, tension and unnecessary barriers for human beings to form closer relationship with their neighbours as well as explore the entire earth as it's true custodian and heir. Islam encourages bringing people together regardless of their ethnicity, race or religion. I believe we are better together even if we are different. It is our differences that create the excitement and vibrancy on this earth. It is the diversity and multiplicity of human beings that make our species so unique and attractive. I would hate to live in a country purely based on one specific ethnic identity.

In this Scottish referendum you should vote NO and serve a severe blow to Alex Salmond's march to independence. He is not going to deliver to the Scottish people anything new than they already enjoy and in the view of experts his party is going to sink Scotland into political and economic uncertainty.

Subdividing the United Kingdom will be counter productive both for Scotland and the rest of Britain. This small island has built a fantastic history for its people and country with political and economic influence all over the world. It is one of the most powerful countries in the world today. Despot it's shortcomings it is still one of the best countries to live, it has better race relations than any other country in the world and it has one of the best places for opportunities. I know that not everything it has done in the past has been all good but it has achieved far more than most countries in the world in the last 300 years. Separating Scotland from United Kingdom is not going to put right any historic wrong but add another wrong in the history of its people.

I agree that British foreign policies in the Middle East are unethical and hypocritical but annexing Scotland from the United Kingdom is not going to change anything in the Middle East. What we need is for devolved Scotland and it's parliament to exert its influence and power on the Westminister government to change course and become a country that champions freedom, democracy and rule of law in the Middle East. In fact the Yes campaigners are not even bothered by what foreign policy the British government pursues, for them it's all about their nationalistic dream and must be achieved at all cost.

More devolution of power to the Scottish parliament and it's people is a good thing but to achieve that you don't have to throw the baby with the bathwater! There is nice story my father once told me -

A man was having a dispute with his neighbour whose huge oak tree branch was hanging over the neighbours garden causing continuous shade and impoverishing his garden's vegetations from growing properly. He tried to resolve the dispute mutually but he failed to do so. He decided to take drastic action.

One day he climb the tree and sat on the branch that was at the heart of the trouble. Using a big sharp saw he started cutting the branch that he sat on. Eventually when he was able to cut the branch from its main trunk he fell with the severed branch, breaking his bones, nose and loosing a few teeth.

The moral of the story is when you make a hole on the boat that you have been jointly navigating and riding when the boat sinks you will sink with it. Similarly I believe Alex Salmond's misguided and divisive agenda of making Scotland independent will cause Scotland go adrift on the North Sea facing potentially disastrous consequences. In my view the uncertainty of sinking or surviving is not worth the colossal risk. It's a huge gamble especially with the future of education, healthcare, pension, economy, EU membership, security and international standing. Scotland has enjoyed its peace, stability and relative economic growth over the last few hundreds years. On its own it will struggle to provide the Scottish people the same prosperity and stability.

I feel this referendum is being driven by nationalist ideology of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and they have duped the younger voters with false hope of quick richness and prosperity as well as woken the older generations to the nostalgia of Scottish nationhood. The reality is far from this romantic ideals. It has exaggerated how much North Sea oil and revenue it would generate and how much natural resources it owns. It has failed to answer how it intends to pay for the pension of the growing elderly population when the number of young people at work are depleting. It has no idea what would happen to its EU membership and how much it would cost to renegotiate all it's international trade and political treaties. This wasted money and resources would be better used to fund and secure the pension of its fast ageing population.

As a proud British Muslim I would be extremely sad to see the United Kingdom breakup. In fact I feel morally obliged to remind the Scottish people in general and Muslims in particular that seeking to divide is counter to the teachings of Islam and sighing up to nationalism is in fact strictly frowned upon. The true purpose diversity in human beings is to come together and unite and certainly not divide. I would urge the Scottish Muslim masses to vote NO at the referendum and remaining united. Let us change the way United Kingdom does it's business and make it more productive, ethical and fair instead of pressing the self destruct button.