The Muslim youth are caught in the cross fire between many elements of society, both in the Muslim and non-Muslim societies. The world is now witnessing a new style of colonization on an international scale where we now see, in most countries of the world, an influx of what is called “Western values” which are usually synonymous with the breakdown of the traditional concept of the family, an increase in immoral behavior in the name of individuality and freedom, disregard for responsibilities toward parents and the young, issues concerning identity and feeling valued according to the individual’s accumulation of material wealth, consumerism, and much more. So it is not surprising that the youth are in such a dilemma, as they are already going through the transition into adulthood as well as, from an early age, having to deal with finding and establishing their own identity and role in the world. My heart goes out to you all!

As a young person who loves Allah the Almighty and wishes to live your life in a way that is pleasing to Him, you must align your life with the principles of Islam and the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Don’t we hear these statements so often: “Live an Islamic lifestyle!” “Follow the example of the Prophet!” “Make the Qur’an the criterion of your life!” But the question still remains how to make these things happen in reality in your life. Following Islam will affect you, your family, your community, and the country you live in. And if it is followed properly, there can only ever be positive results for all.

Even within the Muslim community, you will find people who have adopted various approaches to how we should “live” Islam and how we should deal with non-Muslim people. This is simply another state of confusion for young people to deal with and wade through in their quest to gain the pleasure of the Creator of all.

Some of the points of confusion and division are caused by some Muslims saying:

People have different ways of reacting to confusion, turmoil, sorrow, and pain. I think we could safely say that being a Muslim in today’s world is a great challenge and it does involve sorting out confusing ideas and dealing with turmoil, sorrow, and pain. The young Muslims today often face unwarranted accusations of being terrorists from the non-Muslim society as well as sometimes from their own Muslim community; pressure from family who follow traditional values—to live their lives according to the customs of their ethnic group even though some practices, like forced marriage, are against Islam. They also face pressure from the non-Muslim world to adopt the Western notion of “freedom” and display the ability to behave morally and accept the immoral actions of others, or else be labeled as “intolerant,” which is often synonymous with “fundamentalist.”

So it is difficult for young Muslims to juggle these expectations and pressures and balance their life between living Islam, being kind and respectful to parents and family, and being a positive force in the society around them.

Under such circumstances young Muslims are often left vulnerable and have the urge to clutch onto something concrete so as to build their identity. Some young people find it easier and safer to stay within their family circle and accept the traditions and customs of their ethnic group even though such practices may be against the principles and spirit of Islam—they might justify their actions by saying that Islam teaches us to maintain family ties and please our parents. Other young people reject such practices and cling onto their understanding of the Sunnah, and they brand other people according to how far or near they might be to what they, or the scholars they follow, have defined as the Sunnah.

Allah the Almighty tells us that human beings have the tendency to rejoice in whatever they have, and to consider their perception to be superior to others’ perception. "But they (men) have broken their religion among them into sects, each rejoicing in its belief." (Al-Mu'minun, 23:53) As Muslims we must beware of this. As an example of this, a friend of mine was in a place a short time ago where there were two groups of Muslim men, all in their early 20s. One of the groups was Arab. They all followed the basics of Islam like praying, fasting, and so on. They were polite, helpful people but they did not have beards because of the policy of their country. The other group of Muslims was from a Western country and they had a very rigid idea of what it means to follow the Sunnah. They all had beards, wore jalabiyas, and generally followed the obvious (outer) actions of their interpretation of the Sunnah. Their feeling that they were “on the straight path” actually made them behave in a way that showed they thought that they were superior to the others. They even joked about the other group in front of them.

At one point in this meeting two men, one from each group, started to fight. It was Ramadan so everyone was shocked that two Muslims who both claimed to be practicing Islam would resort to fighting. Everyone who witnessed this incident had to stop and think. There must be something quite deep in the minds and hearts of these two people that only needed a little spark to ignite it. In an attempt to calm down the Western Muslim, one of his friends said to him, “But Bro’! You are on the deen and he isn’t!” This was said to bring the man to his senses and I noted that when he heard these words, he felt appeased as he remembered how superior he was (or thought he was)! Who was better or worse than the other? Who is really “on the deen”? Only Allah the Almighty knows!