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Name
student
-
Profession
Question
Youth rebelling against deeply rooted racism, injustice is understandable and commendable. But why with violence only? What do they think they'll achieve this way? Is there no one leading them through this? Or is this just a spontaneous mob response?
Answer
All Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, may He send His peace and blessings on Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and those who follow him until the Day of Judgment.
Alhamdulillah anyone standing up against injustice in any form, be they Muslim or Non-Muslim, young or old, is commendable. What is questionable is how we stand up to that in justice.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recommended that if we see something that is wrong that we should change it with our hands, proactively and if we cannot do that, we should change it with our tongues by speaking out against whatever it is and finally if we cannot do that to hate it in our hearts, and he added that this is the weakest form of faith.
Sadly though, this hadith along with several other verses in the Qur'an are often misinterpreted and used to encourage violence.
Violence is considered to be hateful and actual physical fighting is only to be used as a last resort to deal with severe oppression or to defend from being attacked.
Often in difficult circumstances where people have been marginalized, silenced, oppressed or persecuted and it happens over a period of time, one tragic event can spark a knee jerk reaction as in France. Many of the scholars have been speaking out against it but it is time as youth that we start to take responsibility for our actions.
The type of horrid violence that is now occurring in France is WRONG, HARAM and cannot and should not be tolerated. In this case, Muslims should work with the officials to UPHOLD the law WHILE AT THE SAME TIME mobilizing and advocating for ALL who are being discriminated against in society.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Juweira
- Canada
Profession
Student
Question
How are youth supposed to uprise when the older people of society are not allowing them to take charge in special tasks or events?
Answer
I am not sure that we are necessarily meaning the same thing when we use the word uprise. From your statement, I think that you mean how Muslim youth are expected to become empowered in society if the older people are not giving them room to grow.
This is indeed a sensitive topic, one which I have addressed in an article entitled "who will inherit the Muslim Community" on Islamonline. We value our elders and hope that we can benefit from their collective experiences and wisdom. One of the examples of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was that he was an amazing mentor/teacher/role model - murabbi. He would take the youth around him and mentor them by putting them in key roles of responsibility for the ummah. With his help and guidance, masha 'Allah a unique generation was created - in fact it was the best on earth, who were able to spread Allah's message throughout numerous places simply through their character and examples.
It is high time that our elders started to think of such sustainable capacity building because many of the youth are leaving and going elsewhere, where they can have opportunities to do more than stack chairs and mop floors. The boards of organizations and masajid must be open to young people -BOTH BROTHERS AND SISTERS for the welfare of the community to be assured.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Islam
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Profession
Question
Salaamu alaikym, Do you think this uprising is a reaction to the discrimination against people's ethnic background and religion, or it is just the fear of the "other" which is an age old phenomenon.
Answer
I think that both have played an important part in the current uprising in France. The French government's policy is one of assimilation and not acceptance of diversity as Muslims are encouraged to uphold in the Qur'an.
"[O humankind! We (Allah) have created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Verily, the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous (or Allah-conscious) of you. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.]" (Al-Hujurat 49:13)
Because they have embarked on a forceful policy to make Muslims leave discard some aspects of their faith, marginalizing immigrants and basically violating their human rights, this has led to a backlash.
However, Muslims must look at their role in all of this. In as much as we have been casted as "the other" we have to take responsibility for "otherizing" ourselves by keeping ourselves in intellectual and geographic ghettoes; by not interacting with society at large; by not doing as we are commanded by Allah to stand up against injustice against anyone. Now too much time has passed and French Muslims, who have been born in France and identify as French have been left voiceless.
Unfortunately, some of our young brothers and sisters have taken to violence as a recourse which is HARAM and can only hurt the community more in the long run.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Muslima
- Canada
Profession
Question
Assalamu alaikom wa rahmatu Allah, thank you for giving me the chance to ask about what is happening nowadays. I want to know if the French policy against minorities in France, especially Muslims -such as banning Hijab- is one of the main reasons of the youth rioting there?
Answer
I believe that the hijab ban is one of the elements that has caused French Muslims to feel more alienated and has only added to the rage currently being expressed on the streets of France. Much can also be said about the Turkish ban on hijab which people seem to be forgetting. It is not just a "western government" that has banned hijab but an apparently Muslim government has taken on a policy that violates the human rights of their Muslim population. It is one thing to say someone has the choice to wear it and another to say altogether that No one should wear hijab. This is the opposite extreme to people who enforce rigidity when it comes to hijab, to the extent that women are left shut up in houses and are not allowed to leave for fear that they may cause some type of problem by going about their daily business.
Still my dear sister, we must remember that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent as a prophet of mercy and met untold injustices with patience and kindness to his oppressors. It was for this reason that many of those who opposed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) eventually themselves became Muslim.
What is being done in France, by looting, torching peoples' property and recently the death that resulted from the violence from some youth are all HARAM and violate what is known of the laws of Jihad. Furthermore this is NOT jihad and so those who are doing this will be held accountable by Allah SWT for their actions.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Nermin
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Salam all, my question is: is there any relationship between youth uprising and what is happening now in Iraq and Palestine? Do you think it was a reaction against unjust western power?
Answer
If you mean if there is a connection between what is happening in France and what is happening in Iraq and Palestine- Allah knows best.
As Muslims we must realize that our first and foremost consideration is our relationship with Allah SWT Who is the Lord of all humanity. Our actions must be guided by His Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)which is the embodiment of the Qur'an itself.
Injustice can never be met by injustice, especially by Muslims who are aware of their relationship with Allah. What is going on in Iraq and Palestine is something which we must be aware of and call awareness to, but our first duty is to Allah and the community in which we live. We cannot allow what is going on in foreign lands to dictate how we act at home especially if it means that it can lead to destroying property and people losing their lives. This goes against the very moral fabric of Islam and the practice of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
And Allah knows best.
Name
madizer Aroan
- Belgium
Profession
Question
I think people like you who may have not come through the difficult experiences like people in the French suburbs, usually speak in this kind of language is diplomatic, tactical and a bit apologetic. Where were those Muslims voices when those people were suffering for years? Where did this peaceful stand for justice place? I can guarantee for you that if violence took place – and I am not justifying it – the French government would not have taken measures to solve the problems and the President would not have spoken in this kind of language condemning malaise and racial discrimination. Why do we blame those youth for taking this step?
Answer
First of all, I do not believe in being apologetic. Islam calls for standing against all injustices regardless of if they occur against Muslims or non-Muslims. We know from Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, when he was khalifa that he was worried about a goat possibly stumbling and falling on an unpaved path and that he would be accountable to Allah for even this act that would happen to an animal.
The story of France is not unlike other places where I have been, but this dialogue is not about my personal stories. It is about doing/responding in a way that is appropriate to the Qur'an and Sunnah. In no place does it say that we are allowed to burn people's property or to engage in civil disobedience that can hurt others. Even in jihad there are rules which must be followed. And yes I have taken a tough stance on how we as Muslims need to be self reflective primarily because Allah will NOT change the condition of a people until they first change what is in their hearts.
The conditions that French Muslims have to currently live in are atrocious in every possible way. There is no excuse for their actions in treating Muslims and other immigrants as second/third class people who are not deserving of the basic standards of a safe and comfortable living. Especially when these are the people on whose backs, France has grown and prospered. There is no excuse for what or how the government has continued to deal with the issue and you are right to some extent unfortunately, the French Government would not have dealt with this issue if these incidents did not occur. It has brought international shame upon them and showed the double standards that exist.
That being said, we cannot justify that innocent people's property has been lost, that people have also died and been injured because of this. How will WE answer to Allah for these things?
We cannot achieve something good or right by doing something wrong. When the Muslims were boycotted in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) such that they had little or no food at all, children were crying and even the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had to tie rocks to his stomach because of the pains of hunger what did they do? Or when the angel of the mountains came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and offered to crush the people of Ta'if for stoning him and making him bleed profusely? Instead he made du'a' and said (paraphrase) - Allah if you are pleased with me, I have no need for anything else. At the end of the day my dear brothers/sisters is this not supposed to be our first goal?
And Allah knows best.
Name
Mahmoud
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Profession
Question
Assalamu `alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, what do you think is the cause of what happened in France, and do you think this could be repeated in any other country in the near-future?
Answer
I have addressed some of the reasons of what I think contributed to what happened in France and insha'Allah I will add some more.
Do I think it will be repeated in any other country - Allah knows best, it could. Right now there are fears that it will spill into Germany. More and more we are hearing stories in Iraq and other places where young people are giving up their lives by killing innocent people - something that is a grievous and heinous act in Islam. How will we stand before Allah on the Day of Judgment when we have taken away life that we cannot give ourselves? When even our own bodies are trusts from Allah and we have to take care of it.
Some of the other reasons people may act this way is because they misunderstand what it means to stand up to injustice. Many times, we want a rapid solution, one that happens right away. I say sometimes that we want Medina but we are not willing to go through Makkah.
How is it that the best of creation - the prophets were tested so severely but they were often patient and tried to teach through love and kindness? Why is it that we want everything solved overnight, but we are not willing to work and engage our societies? We must be very introspective right now. Too many times we are ready to jump to conspiracy theories and not willing to stand up and do as Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, told us - to "take account before being taken to account". We need to let the peoples in our respective people realize that Islam is a French religion, just as it is an American religion, a Canadian religion, an English religion and so on.
This means that we have to work together with the peoples of our societies on the common universal platforms which we share - justice, truth, love, compassion etc all of which are rooted in the Qur'an.
We must leave the place of complaining, conspiracy theories, looking down on other Muslims who do not look/act the way we do and on Non Muslims and just LOVE PEOPLE in a proper Islamic way while standing up for what is right and forbidding what is wrong.
[And (thus, O Muhammad), We have not sent you, but as mercy to all the worlds.] (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:107)
[But if they turn away (from accepting Allah’s message, then know that) We have not sent you to be their keeper. Your duty is only to convey (the message).] (Ash-Shura 42:48)
And Allah knows best.
Name
Elladen
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Profession
Student
Question
Do you think the Muslim youth in US should take the same response to fight against those laws delaying millions of Muslims and Arab immigrants?
Answer
Absolutely and categorically NO.
We need to understand that here in USA/Canada and the west, there are many of our brothers and sisters in humanity who are standing with us. Anger against unjust government policies cannot be dealt with by rioting and engaging in illegal behavior. Instead as Muslims we need to develop our cultural capital and learn how the system works and use that system to engage the government and try to create a platform for justice. There are many people in the US who are against these unjust policies and we have to work with them to stand for justice.
One of the things I remind myself and others is that as Muslims we did not do our duty when it came to the injustices against the black and aboriginal communities in the US and Canada. Until now the First Nations/Native people live in Fourth World conditions on reservations in Canada and as a community we have done little to help their plight. This has now come to haunt us.
There must be a collective rising and call for justice but we must be willing to be patient and walk the path of diligence, sincerity and commitment. This means despite the ease at becoming angry we must be patient and stand up for justice, call for it, call others to call for it as well and to act for it in ways that will unite those who are willing to walk this journey with us.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Ibrahim
- Canada
Profession
Question
Assalamu 'Alaikum. Can you give us examples of how we can work to change things in the West through peaceful means. How do we go about expressing ourselves and our values? Jazak Allah!
Answer
1) The first and most important way is to speak with one tongue. Too many times, we speak one way in public among the general public and another way in private. Islam is one religion, one way from Allah SWT and we should be able to speak clearly and straightforward at all times. There is nothing to hide or be apologetic about.
2) We must continue to build our own knowledge because a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. This is why people can believe it is ok to act in certain ways that run counter to Islam.
3) Let people know us, invite our neighbours to our homes, help them with their chores, mow their lawns, help them with their groceries. A personal face to a "mysterious other" will be destroyed when people come to know us. And this is not a public relations tactic; it is rooted in the actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
4) Get active in our schools, universities, colleges, work places, do activities that help to explain Islam to people. Encourage local mosques to do open houses and to help to clean up the surrounding communities. Let Muslims be pillars of light in all communities not only living in a cocoon looking after themselves, but instead looking after the needs of the community.
5) Write into newspapers, magazines on the internet and raise issues as they pertain to both Muslims and/or general society. Especially from Islamic organizations. When other groups see us standing up and enjoining right and forbidding wrong, they will grow to respect us.
6) MEDIA TRAINING is a must. Too many people try to talk to the media without knowing how to talk. This can then be quite detrimental to the community especially if statements are taken out of context.
7) Develop coalitions and work with other Muslim and non Muslim groups to stand up for issues of justice, peace and human rights.
8) Ensure that actions are not knee jerk but are rooted in the Qur'an and Sunnah. This is where we can benefit from the wisdom of elders and scholars.
9) Never underestimate the power of du'a' and tahajjud. Allah draws closer to hear the prayer of His servant and to answer their prayers.
10) Be patient, as Ayub (peace be upon him) was and as Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was. Patience is based on the Hope of Muslims in Allah and the fact that with Patience comes victory in this life and the next!
And Allah knows best.
Name
zaki
- Malaysia
Profession
trainee
Question
As-Salam`alykum, can you tell me in brief what actually happened there? What is the prime factor which led to this chaos? Why the chaos could not be refrained at the first place?
Answer
I cannot say that one thing caused this. It has been fermenting over time and is the result of chronic and systemic discrimination that has continued to plague the French Suburbs. When a group of people continues to be marginalized and treated as second class citizens while the prosperity of the country depends on their work it is only a matter of time before it erupts into the chaos that we have seen in France.
This should send a strong signal to all governments in all countries around the world that the oppressed will not accept their oppression forever.
There is the story of a group of people who were in a ship. The fortunate ones were on the top while many were left below. Those on top would not allow those below to come up and feel the sun/breeze or to get water. As time went on, those below kept trying, arguing to get some water and to go up but they continued to refuse. One day, one of them came up with a "brilliant" idea - why not just drill a hole at the bottom since they were already there to get some water. They all agreed and followed through. The end result- the ship sank!
Oppression is hated in the sight of Allah and there is NO BARRIER between the prayers of the oppressed and Allah.
Allah will rescue those who are being oppressed but we need to ensure that our actions meet the standards that have been laid by Allah and His messenger. We cannot arbitrarily decide to act in ways that run counter to Allah's path.
The reason why the chaos may be difficult to refrain - I think one reason (of many) is that the leadership have become out of touch with the reality of the lives of the people. Many times, they don't address the issues that people are dealing with; they do not advocate for their congregations' rights or do so in a very limited way. As such when they call on people to do something at this late point, they may not be willing to listen. It is also a wake up call for our scholars and imams.
This is NOT to say that all imams/scholars are like this, but it is a general comment reflecting the malaise of leadership in our community to be relevant.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Aden
-
Profession
computer engineer
Question
How could we make a peaceful, yet effective uprising?
Answer
Islam is based on several universal principles which are shared by almost all religions/traditions.
As Muslims we must at first be willing to uphold these standards to ourselves and encourage each other to do what is right at all times.
Second, we must be willing to step out of the "sanctuaries" we have built for ourselves and engage our societies. We must be able to speak on that universal level not simply on "Muslim issues" but on a variety of issues that affect our societies.
Third, we cannot be driven by foreign politics in our local regions. For too long, Muslims only stand up or mobilize around foreign issues that affect Muslims in other countries. I am not saying that we should stop this. But how do our local communities get to know us when the only time they hear from us is when we react to something happening elsewhere? How do they understand that you are like them in many ways but there is something else that is different? That difference is Islam, not something that alienates you from them, but in turn shows them even more compassion, they see Muslims standing up for issues of truth and justice.
We must seek to build viable coalitions with other groups both within the Muslim and Non Muslim communities. This means, Muslims who do not look like us, who do not express their Islam the same way we do, who we may even disagree with AND the same with non Muslim groups whose basis concurs with the same shared universal principles. We need to all sit at the same table and as the famous Islamic worker Imam Hasan Al-Banna said, be prepared to work together on what we agree and forgive/excuse each other on what we disagree.
Finally, one other point is developing good Public relations strategies, putting local, homegrown voices to represent the issues plaguing the communities (as opposed to the popular commentaries and rants given by people who are still connected to the country from which they migrated, who may not be understood when they speak etc), the minbars (pulpits) of the masaajid need to become a place to address the issues and to build Muslim unity and the mosques need to become the hub of the community where youth, women and children as well as non-Muslims are welcomed and where a variety of voices can speak to the issues that they deal with!
And Allah knows best.
Name
Editor
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Profession
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank Jeewan Chanicka for taking the time to answer the questions of Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We apologize for not being able to accommodate all the questions within the time allocated to this session. If you feel your question is very important, feel free to contact us at EngLivedialogue@islamonline.net and we will try our best to answer your question. We request our readers to join us in upcoming sessions.
