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Name
Tamir
-
Profession
Question
Brother Anas, can you tell us how the media try to highlight people as speaking on behalf of Muslim communities while they have not been appointed or asked to do so? What is the western media trying to do?
Answer
Bismillah.
The issue of representation, or the authority to speak or to act on behalf of Muslim in the West, or elsewhere, has recently become a serious issue which many believe that we need to resolve urgently, or otherwise face a real crisis of credibility.
However, the case of Muslims in the West and the lack of a proper representative platform is not unique and is not new. One could argue that since the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate, Muslims around the world and particularly where they exist as minorities have suffered from this ailment. Indeed, some argue that unless a form of political representation or a government which truly represents its subjects on an official platform, it is virtually impossible to find such a body whom all or at least most Muslims fall and to whom they adhere and seek for guidance. However, I think that we need to look a little deeper into this issue and to try to understand what representation really entails, what conditions need to be in place and how this representation can be manifested in practice so that it becomes an effective reality, rather than an empty vehicle with no substance. As a community, Muslims are diverse in their affiliations, their backgrounds and their tendencies, and therefore it is very difficult to agree on one single body that can claim to represent the 30 million or so Muslims that live in Europe or the 7 million or so that reside in the US and so on. However, one can imagine that the collection of a variety of organizations and associations from a diverse array of backgrounds, i.e. legal, political, Fiqh, social, etc. etc. can all collectively be considered as a form of representative of the Muslims in the West. Obviously this is not ideal, but we have examples in practice where such a phenomena has met considerable success. Obviously when we talk of representation, we are also addressing the issue of whom Muslims are trying to address, i.e. the Western societies or media or political authorities, etc. We have found that unless Muslims themselves nominate and largely agree on a representative platform, such entities, and especially the media will find, and almost create a representative entity which they can deal with and there we will face a huge problem on all levels and appear divided and incoherent as a community.
Name
Faisel khan
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
What a nice topic and guest!! As you can see Muslims are represented by unqualified people or people who don't have any credentials even. Where does the problem lie? Is it a problem of weakness in the Muslim communities? Lack of qualifications? Lack of political approach? Lack of media people? The media will always focus on the goats, not the sheep! How can we solve the problem from within?
Answer
You have asked a number of questions, the answer to all is basically: yes. However, we cannot carry on accusing ourselves and those who speak on our behalf of being unqualified, without actually doing something to put the situation right. Whilst you mention the media, and obviously when you talk about representation you cannot avoid addressing the issue of the media, its a wide and diverse set of bodies and authorities that you have a problem when facing without proper representation, including political authorities, security forces, the intellectual element within society, the society within you exist and also your own Muslim community and the issues that surface from time to time. One of the practical steps that may lead to the resolution of this problem is the building of alliances, cooperation and joint ventures created by the main Muslim organizations within the Muslims community and their respective abilities to come up with a joint leadership which can successfully claim to have some essence of representative powers. At our current rate, I fear that after a number of years we will be addressing this same issue and asking how we can move forward.
Name
Yahia
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Profession
Question
Salam. Is it better that here in the West a representative of the Islamic faith should be one who call to "moderation" and the faith for in your heart that in your "outside"?
Answer
Although I don't fully understand the question itself, the brother has possible raised an important issue. I ask: would it be possible to have a representative body in the politics of the Muslim community, or its Fiqh issues, or its economic problems, or any other specific area, but that does not necessarily serve as a representative on any other level. An example of that would be the European Council for Fatwa and Research, which would be an excellent and in my view an ideal representative of Muslims in Europe on all issues relating to Islamic teachings and jurisprudence, and would be the source of reference before governments, the media and all other organizations and bodies that make Europe's civil societies. In Economics, finance and Banking, we could establish or have another body that represents Muslims and so on. Obviously, this is not an ideal situation, as there may be overlapping and conflicting stands and views, but if we at least agree the concept, maybe we can resolve the emerging issues as they arise and move forward towards finding the overall representative body that we not only need but also deserve.
Name
Tayseer
- United States
Profession
Question
How to be a successful spokesman? What kind of training you need to be qualified to undertake such a hard job? I see the Muslims in the West lacking in these areas?
Answer
I agree with your final point that we do have a serious shortage of qualified and able spokesmen and women for the Muslim communities. However, I know for a fact, that there is no shortage in enthusiasm and willingness, especially on the part of the emerging generation of Muslims who speak the language of their European countries as their mother tongues, appreciate the culture and the contexts as well as the audience they are addressing and realize the sensitivities and the pitfalls of addressing a public audience on sensitive matters such as we have today.
Of course we require training courses which qualify such people and we also need to exploit the resources available to us within media circles throughout the West and take advantage of whatever education, training and literature within this context that will further promote this aim and aspiration. Among the elements of the training courses that I offer in this regard is presentation, posture, dress and the words and phrases that you ought or ought not say. Sometimes it is the very small details that decide whether someone has spoken well or otherwise and we don't pay enough attention to that unfortunately.
Name
Ms. hashemin
- Canada
Profession
retired
Question
after completing my Hajj is it wrong or right if i perform umra on behalf of my deceased mother? if ok what are the benefits to both of us. Also is it ok to pray tahajuud half hour before fajr? and is it ok to recite only ikhlas and kafiroon for tahajuud? what surah is recommended to say and do we only say subhana Rabiyalla in sujjud? why did the Prophet stay longer in sujuud? Is it wrong for me to live in my son's house if he is not practicing Islam? He has a pet dog in the house and although he sells halal meat in his restaurant he also sells alcohol to the public. I have already performed Hajj but I am single and retired, so should I move out?
Answer
Editor:
We would like to apologize for not answering your question since this page is not dedicated to this type of questions. Please re-submit your question on the following page:
The media is focusing on things that distracts us from major issues that concern the ummah. They have their own agenda and we must have our own agenda, as Dr. Taha Jabir said in response to Dr. Tariq Ramadan yesterday. They will keep distracting us from the attacks and vital issues. imama of women, hudud, etc. If we keep responding and responding, then who is going to speak on issues of great concern? If Sheikh Al-Qaradawi spent 3 episodes talking about Amina wadud today, and about others issues tomorrow, when is going to talk about civil liberties, freedom, lack of social justice in the Muslim world, the dictatorship that is the norm with Arab regimes, the reform needed in the Muslim societies, etc.
Answer
Thank you very much for your question/interjection. I agree largely on your argument and on what you seem to be proposing, but allow me to try to strike a balance between the two arguments.
I agree entirely that we need to create our own agenda and address the issues that we know are much more important than what is being proposed by the Western -mostly tabloid- media nowadays. I also agree that the issues of civil liberties, public freedoms and launching a true, proper and comprehensive dialogue on a number of levels between Muslims and their societies in the West are vital and must occupy a position of priority in our approach, our work as well as our discourse. However, if an issue is raised by the media or by certain official sources time and time again and attacks Muslims or at least approaches them from these pretexts, it is almost unrealistic to say that these issues are not on my agenda, and therefore, I will not address them or respond to them. You arrive at a stage where these issues become almost a reality and a pressing need and they require some form of action or statement on your part.
Therefore, in a sense I agree with both arguments and understand where they have respectively come from, accompanied with my deepest respect to both Sh. Alwani and Dr. Ramadan and all our scholars, thinkers and public figures. However, I believe that we need to find a strategy on how to deal with such issues, one of which for instance here in Western Europe is Islam and homosexuality. No one can state that this is an issue which the Muslim community and organizations are heavily concerned with, nor is it truly an issue throughout the Arab and Muslims worlds. However, media portrayal as well as governmental and social organizations which we have an interest in dealing and interacting with, demand that this issue be addressed, and therefore it would be almost nonsensical to state that since this is not an issue to Muslims, which we refuse to address or respond to the claims being made publicly. I therefore, fully appreciate why it is that the honorable Sheikh Al-Qaradawi has spent so much time on the issue of the imama of women in prayers, although you and I may think that it doesn't deserve such extensive attention.
All in all, what we must avoid at all costs, is that every time some newspaper or public figure throws some idea or accusation in our faces, that we as a community and as Muslim organizations representing the Muslims in the West, stop everything that we are doing in order to respond to this particular issue. We must continue our agenda, while addressing whatever comes our way, reasonable, proportionately, professionally and effectively.
Name
Yahmad
-
Profession
Question
Don't you see that sometimes we are tricked by the media to say what they want? I remember the debate between a US broadcaster and the Lebanese ambassador on Hizbullah. The interviewer kept asking the ambassador, "Is Hizbullah a terrorist group? While he always answered, "Yes, I believe Sharon is the real terrorist?" This is, in my view, the right way to talk to the media. When scholars are asked about beating wives in Islam, they always try to beat around the Bush, but if they try once to say that, "if you can explain to me what the Bible means by women being an evil creature I can explain to you the text of the Qur'an." There are issues that are not to be argued about. They don't ask us, they challenge us in fact and defensive approach will never success in all cases.
Answer
I know the interview that you refer to and which was broadcasted on Fox news in 2002, and I also found it an extremely clever and amusing tactic on behalf of the Ambassador. However, we can't approach every question tabled to us with another question about the Bible or about something that may represent the West. As a Muslim, I have no doubt whatsoever that Islam provided me with reasonable answers and logical explanations to everything. I know that we have nothing to hide nor anything to be ashamed of. Whether others accept or are convinced with what Islam has to offer, that is up to them and an issue relating to guidance of Allah (Hidaya).
However, what I find problematic is our own ability to portray or to present Islam's views on different matters. We must admit that there is quite a significant portion of Muslims who fail to present Islam's stand on a number of issues properly and coherently, and therefore, they find themselves failing to respond to the questions tabled. I am also often troubled by the failure of many Muslims when asked by the media or by a public meeting on something which they have little or no knowledge, to simply say: I don't know, instead of trying to come up with something that will appear weak and feeble. One of the factors that leads to this is our own shallow understanding of Islam and its teachings within the context of overall objectives and realizing the context of time and place which has a profound impact on rulings and the practice of the respective teachings. We also often lack the confidence and the courage to simply say what we believe in without fearing what may come as a result. There seems to be a need to please the audience, and possibly the media and governmental bodies by offering a particular portrait of Islam and its teachings, when we would be failing the community that we claim to be representing as a result.
Name
sister
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Profession
Question
As a young Muslim born in the west and trying to figure out more about Islam. I face a lot of difficulty in finding true Islam because Muslims have split themselves into groups and sects. So instead of asking the question are you Muslim? They ask you instead which group or sect do you belong to?
So who of those Muslims should represent Islam in the west? Muslims aren't united and that's the biggest problem!
Another thing is that all the mixed or different signals that comes from the Muslims confuse the western people a lot.. so what is the solution to this?
I guess we should start look at ourselves!
Answer
I agree with your final observation that we do indeed need to start solving this problem by looking at ourselves. But we should do so in a constructive manner rather than for pure self-loathing and self-criticizing aims. Whilst I agree with you that the disunity amongst Muslims is one of the main reasons, if not the main reason behind this problem of representation, my personal feeling is that the problem of division is being seriously addressed in a number of countries with initiatives to overcome this problem being put into place. In the UK for instance, I know that we have a number of coordination committees that try to create a sense of coordination among a number of Muslim organizations on a variety of levels. My own organization: the Muslim Association of Britain, for instance, is involved in a number of these and is also a national affiliate of the Muslim Council of Britain which has more than 400 organizations under its umbrella. I also know for a fact that there are similar efforts across Western Europe, such as France, Germany and others, and therefore I can personally see some light at the end of the tunnel, as they say.
I do not in any way, however, dispute that we have still a tremendous amount to do and a long way to go, but I hope that soon, we won't find anyone asking us from which sect or political group we come from, but seeing us as Muslims that have a vested interest in making our communities, indeed our European societies better and more prosperous, In sha'Allah.
Name
Aisha
-
Profession
Question
I thought the issue of representing the fiqhi issue was solved when the European Council for Fatwa and Research and Fiqh Council of North America and others were established. But I don't know why these councils are not famous yet across the western media. Is it the problem of the Islamic centers that do not fully support them or what would be the problem then? I think we need to support these councils in a way that will enable them to do a better job.
Answer
I agree. There are a number of issues that need to be done in this regard, amongst them the financial problems that all of these councils face and which prevent them from promoting their publications and their literature as they should be promoted. I also agree with you that Islamic centers must play a greater role in adopting, or at least acknowledging these fiqh establishments within their communities. Also, and I submitted this proposal to the ECFR a few years ago when I was assisting its General Secretary, the Council's publications need to be printed in languages which the various sectors of the Muslim community use, such as Urdu, Bengali and the such. Whilst this issue may decrease in importance over the next number of years, it is an important issue today and we must try to overcome it if these blessed councils are to succeed in reaching out to all corners of the Muslim community in the West.
Name
Hani
- Belgium
Profession
Question
You are saying the proper presentation can be done by a collective work among the Muslim organizations in the west. I think this is a long way to go. Muslim organizations, especially in the west, are working separately, they don't cooperate on vital issues, and they sometimes clash due to political pressure. There must be a collective effort led by a very respectful organization like MAB, which you represent, who can push this among the sister organizations in the same and outside the country, and follow up with the media on every issue. This way the media will get the impression that those people are representing the Muslims and that they are many. This will make it easy for them to counter the argument of those who come from nowhere and speak on behalf of Muslims.
Answer
Thank you brother Hani. I agree with you on your proposal, but as I wrote in a previous answer, there are steps being made on this issue, although I agree that they maybe too little at this stage. Allow me to give you a recent example of what we have attempted here in the UK; on the1st of March MAB invited representatives from more than 27 Muslim organizations to attend a workshop titled: British Muslims and the General Election. Our aim was to achieve a widespread acknowledgement of the importance that Muslims work together to prove the value of the British Muslim vote in the next General Elections to be held in the next few weeks, Insha'Allah. At the end of the workshop, we had achieved a great success by the grace of Allah, despite there being some differing views over some details.
However, since we managed to agree on the main and most important issues, we gave the British media the impression that Muslim organizations weren't divided on this issue. We are also attempting to create a similar sense of accord amongst Muslim organizations on other levels, and from what I have seen; there is much hope in this regard. Of course we may never achieve total unanimity - that wasn't achieved even during the glorious earlier days of Islam -, but I have much hope in the Grace of Allah that we will be able to achieve a joint platform from which the majority of Muslims in the West are represented on the most vital issues that concern them.
Name
Dania
-
Profession
Question
PEACE. Is secularism here in the West the best option, and to maintain one's faith for the private? I live in Spain and if somebody asks me questions about Islam, I say don't know, because people here are closed to Islam and they do not understand although you explain it. Please shed some light on this.
Answer
Although this may seem to be a controversial issue, allow me to be frank in addressing this important question of yours. I have no doubt that secularism has led to the downfall of western societies and will create havoc socially, politically, economically and demographically unless a concerted effort on behalf of the faith communities is launched. In a number of renowned books, intellectuals and researchers have argued how secularism is in actual fact contradictory to democracy itself. We as Muslims in the West are involved with a number of dialogues and joint ventures with faith communities (Christian, Jew, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, etc.) and we are all in agreement that it is secularism that has instigated the moral and social decline of the Western societies, and it is only with faith and the discipline of religion that some rescue attempt can be made.
I disagree with you that you constantly respond by saying 'I don't know' to any question that is posed to you. How then do you make Da'wah and promote Islam within your community? Why do you presume that the people who are around you are closed to Islam? If they have asked you about Islam, then that is a sign that they request an answer. Maybe they won't be convinced the first time round, by why force them to go to a non-Muslim or a feeble person who will give them the wrong answer instead of either responding to them, or guiding them to how they can find the answer to their query? I visit Spain regularly, and I don't agree that people are more closed to Islam than in the UK or France, etc. It is how you approach them that makes the difference and opens doors for you. First and foremost however, I advise you to make your intention clear that whatever you say and do is for the sake of Allah alone, and then seek knowledge. After that you have nothing to fear or be ashamed of Insha'Allah.
Name
Zahid
- United Kingdom
Profession
Student
Question
Assalamu Alaikum,
Do you not think it would be a good idea to have a sort of Muslim Association of Europe which includes Islamic Scholars, Imams, political activists & thinkers from all the 47 nations of Europe from Iceland to Russia in order to create a more cohesive & unified structure to Muslim population in Europe? This de facto Muslim Parliament would be able to tackle challenges facing Muslims in Europe on a bigger scale & give a more unified response to problems like finding marriage partners, forced marriages, so called honour killings, unemployment, discrimination, da'wah activities, political participation, educational under-achievement, assistance to newly emigrated Muslims etc.
I say this as there are 20 million Muslims in the European Union & as well as around 40 million Muslims when you include the whole of the European Continent from Iceland to Russia.
Our numbers are growing every year due to above average birth rates, legal & illegal immigration as well as some conversions.
Answer
Thank you very much. I agree with the methodology of your thinking. However, may I suggest that everytime we get tired of the disunity amongst Muslims, we attempt to start from scratch and establish a new organization, and that is one of our main problems, because now we have a huge number of Islamic organizations across Europe all claiming to represent Islam and Muslims. We have an organization such as what you propose called the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), which has representative and affiliate organizations across more than 28 European countries, MAB being one of them from the UK. Whilst I do not claim in any way that FIOE is working ideally and perfectly to address all the issues that you mentioned and even more, my suggestion is that we work with such organizations to develop and enhance its performance. We do not have, either the time or the resources to keep working on new entities and establishments. We need to focus on what we need, what we have and how we can develop it to serve our objectives.
Name
Abdullah
-
Profession
Question
As-Salamu'alaikum. Where I live there is on the left-side (i.e. in politic) in the congress one Muslim but his ijtihad is so "liberal"¿? He talks about that religion cannot be opposed to the state, and he's against for example to cut hands' if theft people, and so on... Is this an accepted ijtihad based on his understanding of Islam or he is in the error? How can we deal with this kind of people?
Answer
My first recommendation is to meet this person and establish a relationship with him, where you can debate and dialogue with him as well as advise him on certain issues on which you disagree. I am often amazed as to how happy we are to establish a connection with a non-Muslim politician, but seem totally unwilling to do the same when it comes to a Muslim politician with whom we disagree. Secondly, we need to understand his point of view and to find out whether he is basing his views on a proper reference, i.e. fatwa of a renowned scholar. The issues which you have mentioned are not clear-cut, i.e. black and white, and they allow for a certain degree of variance in views, but the most important thing is that they are based on a proper source of reference and are not taken haphazardly.
Name
JMZ
- United States
Profession
Student
Question
Assalamu alaikum again.
1. I would like to know if it is islamically allowed to have any kind of dealings with stock market/exchange
2. I was told by one of my friends that there are 3 verses in Quran that talks about prohibition of alcohol. He said the first verse that was revealed totally banned it and the last verse that was revealed took a milder stand and says that drinking alcohol would lead to haram things and hence should be avoided. He was kind of implying that alcohol is permissible in very limited quantities..like in the cough syrups we use. I would like to have a better explanation of the verses that talk about alcohol and under what circumstances, they were revealed.
Jazak'Allah
Answer
Editor:
We would like to apologize for not answering your question since this page is not dedicated to this type of questions. Please re-submit your question on the following page:
Assalamu'Alaikum,
Do you not think it would be good to have Muslims who care about the interests of Islam & the Muslims regardless of their level of religiosity? For example, to have Muslim women who wear modest clothes & a headscarf and also Muslim women who don't wear modest clothes & no headscarf. I feel this would reflect the Muslim community better to have Muslims regardless of their level of religiosity as long as they care about the interests of Islam and the Muslims.
Answer
Islam is a religion that encompasses and includes all people despite their levels of adherence to the teachings of Islam. We read in the Seera (life history) of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that he dealt with people of all tendencies and levels of religious discipline, with respect, sincerity and compassion. Our religion is not about creating classes and divisions according to religious adherence, although we must continue to promote the teachings of Islam and call for all Muslims to attempt to abide by those to the best of their abilities. What we must never attempt to do however, is to act as juries or judges upon people and issue sentences or rulings as to this person or that. That is for Allah and for Allah alone. What we need, as Muslims in the West is to utilize every iota of effort, skill, talent, resource that we have not only amongst Muslims, but also our fellow citizens, a significant portion of whom share our notions of justice, truth, peace and compassion for humanity regardless of race, gender, colour, creed or cultural background. To initiate a 'culling' exercise where we eliminate our supporters would not only be foolish but un-Islamic, in my view, and Allah knows best.
Whilst I say this, I also warn against concerted attempts to promote un-adherence to Islamic teachings. For example, I was invited to speak at an international conference recently and I was surprised to find the organizers actively seeking a sister who wasn't wearing Hijab to address the media, because they wanted to promote an image of tolerance within Islam! I told them that if the best suited person for this job was indeed a sister who happened not to be wearing Hijab, then so be it, but to actively pursue such a sister to give off a superficial image of Islam and Muslims would be entirely wrong. Equally wrong would be to promote a sister to a stage which she is unsuitable for, simply because she happens to be a 'good' sister who wears Hijab.
Name
JMZ
- United States
Profession
Student
Question
Assalamu'alaikum, I was having a discussion with some of my Muslim friends about women leading the prayers. They were all in support of it. So when someone pointed to them that it is not in the sunnah for men and women to mix especially while praying while that might cause distraction and lead to haram thoughts, they asked back why it is allowed in hajj while doing tawaaf for men and women to mix. I know that sounds too silly and stupid and ignorant. I read somewhere that women do become imams in china and lead prayers (FOR WOMEN)..but after reading the hadiths it makes a lot of sense as to see why it was not allowed in Islam. But I would be glad to hear the comments of knowledgeable people. Jazak'Allah
Answer
The issue of separating men and women is a newly promoted one and wasn't ordained during the times of Prophet Muhammad, as social and cultural norms stipulated a certain code of conduct within such contexts. What Islam promoted and stipulated was to talk, act and interact observing 'decency' and avoiding instances where wrong-doing may ensue, such as for a man and a woman to be alone in a closed venue. Islam also ordained the lowering of gazes when addressing or interacting with the opposite gender (please note that this is for both men and women).
When it came to prayers, the clear and simple guidance of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was the best rows for men were the front rows whilst the best for women were the back rows. Some misinterpreted this over the occurrence of time, and we ended up having mosques which forbid the entry of women or others which have separate and isolated rooms for women where they can't even see the Imam (some Scholars deemed this inappropriate, as one of the conditions of prayer in Jama'a is that each row of Muslims can see the row in front of it).
Whilst we acknowledge that this is wrong and nothing to do with the basic teachings of Islam, we are also against practices on the other extreme such as what we have been hearing about recently. Personally, I don't think we should treat this as an issue at the fore of the Muslim community's attention, but attempt to address it reasonably and proportionately. What I find disappointing is that people (Muslims and non-Muslims) fail to appreciate that every single faith and religion carries an element of arbitrary, i.e. inexplicable according to our limited logics and fallible code of reasoning. For example, why do we pray four Rak'a for Dhuhr, but only two for Fajr and three for Maghrib; why do we make Wudu' in a certain order and with the frequency that we are taught, and we could go on. Every religion including Christianity and Judaism has that element. As Muslims, we appreciate that this is out of our unconditional submission and devotion to Allah (swt); that we carry out His commands without question and without condition. Most acts of worship have this nature and that is why they constitute an essential part of faith and religion. Why is it that we have to logically and reasonably explain everything is something that surprises me greatly, especially that we will most likely fail if we attempt to do so on many occasions? For instance I attended a lecture where a speaker spoke of Fasting Ramadan and how that is because it reminds us of the poor and promotes our health. When the discussion came, many people argued that Muslims around the world spend their day sleeping and then wake up to great feasts of food, so the objective is defeated. Another doctor stood up and argued that it wasn't actually very healthy to deprive yourself of food for 10-12 hours and then spend the other part of the day eating and sleeping...so basically the argument was defeated. I advised the speaker that she should have referred principally to the verse in the Holy Quran in which Allah (swt) states clearly that the objective of fasting is to gain in piety and enhance your spiritual connection with Allah.
Coming back to the new phenomena of women leading men in prayers (women leading women in prayers is not a problem and most scholars have agreed upon this), this is being raised as an issue because of the attack against Islam that it oppresses women and gives men an exalted status over them (when in reality it doesn't). A proper response to this would be to understand the teachings of Islam when it comes to men and women and their respective roles and responsibilities and rights and then to observe and respect the teachings of Islam in this matter. Once again, allow me to say, that I personally regard this as a crucial issue that we ought to spend too much time on, but the ideology, the principle and the discourse behind this must be addressed properly and effectively, otherwise we will come to see far greater and much more shocking practices than this.
Name
Muxiiyadeen
- United States
Profession
Question
As-Salamu'Alaikum Brother Anas and all sisters and brothers participating in this discussion. I'm really interested in knowing how large Islam is spreading into the British non-Muslim communities? I mean, are the British accepting Islam to a large degree? May ALLAH reward you for your efforts!
Answer
Wa'alaykum assalam warahmatulah Dear Brother. Thank you for your question, which I would like to respond to in two parts. The first being the percentage by which Islam is spreading, and the short and simple answer would be that it is spreading in unprecedented levels and numbers and is seeing converts from all sectors of society, including the aristocracies and the intellectuals in Europe, that is all by the Grace and Mercy of Allah (swt).
The second part, however, is extremely important and one that I wish to shed more light on because it often goes unnoticed. What Muslims and Islam has really gained over the past four years in particular in the West, albeit in a variety of levels, is the friendship of the Western societies within which they exist. It is fascinating, Alhamdulillah, to see how it was mainly non-Muslims that led demonstrations condemning the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and it is Western organizations that is leading the protests against Zionism and the treatment of Palestinians, and recently we saw hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, join campaigns to condemn the recently proposed anti-terror laws in the UK which primarily target Muslims. Last year, we saw how the ban on Hijab in France was met with widespread anger and indignation thought many parts of the West and among non-Muslims, and I could go on and on and on.
All this is by the Grace of Allah, but also as a result of a concerted effort on the part of Muslim organizations and bodies as well as dedicated and devoted Muslims who have been brave and confident enough to step forward and put into practice the tenets of Islam in extending a hand of friendship to all people and all sectors of society, and have been confident enough to explain the standpoint of our faith and religion and found that others respect and admire those who are principled and devoted to what they believe in. That is why, I have great hope, In sha'Allah that the Muslims in many parts of the West have a very good future In sha'Allah, not only because Islam itself is spreading in record numbers, but also because Muslims are finding more and more friends within the non-Muslims community every single day, who support them and their most important issues locally and abroad. Whilst this is a great bounty from Allah, it also places upon our shoulders a hefty responsibility to return this treatment in even better terms and to continue to work to promote the notions of Islam which advocates compassion, mercy, justice and equality for all.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank both Brother Anas Osama Altikriti 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.
