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Name
Malcolm
- Mexico
Profession
Question
I'm under the impression that most Muslims leave their countries because of either poverty or persecution, or general hostility to their beliefs. If this is the case, don't you think Muslims would perhaps be better advised to stop complaining and just thank their lucky stars they're not back where they came from?
Answer
Thank you, Malcom for your question. Part of it is right and the other part is wrong. That some Muslims immigrated due to poverty is not right, because some of the most well known intellectuals in the West who are Muslims were well bred and some of them are wealthy, but they immigrated as you said due to persecution and other sources of pressure. They are however, human beings, and they have rights and duties. Some complaints are unacceptable, but others are due to racism or Islamophobia, and should be considered properly.
It is a bad sign that some Muslims should be subjected to persecution because of religion or colour in the West. Hijab is an example. If any women has the freedom in the West to go out almost naked, why cannot society accept Hijab as a personal right? It is not a big problem for the society, but it is big problem for Muslim women who are willing to commit their lives to Islam.
Name
hassan
- India
Profession
journalist
Question
Why aren't Muslims all over the world following a common method in determining the start of Ramadan and celebrating Eid on the same days?
Answer
Thank you very much for your question, Hassan. You are dreaming of a source of unity, but in fact, there are differences in timing. In India at present you are several hours ahead of Muslims in Britain; it could be almost mid-night in India, and we did not yet pray Maghrib in London.
The second reason is that those who see the moon should fast, as the Prophet told us to fast when we see the new moon, and to end our fasting when we see it again, so it is a committment for those who see the new moon.
In my life time, I remember that whole countries were ordered to fast from mid-day because they discovered that the moon should have been seen the night before, but they had not seen it. Some people in other countries were fasting and discovered it was Eid, so they broke their fasts and celebrated Eid, but they fasted later on 1 or 2 days, as replacements because they did not catch Ramadan from the start.
There are also some silly political reasons, and the penalty for the rulers who are behind them is serious, if they did indeed do so for political reasons.
Thank you, brother, for your question, and pray to Allah for a good Ramadan, towards unity and a good Eid, where the problems of Muslims are decreased and their participation in shaping the future is greater.
Name
Ziad
- France
Profession
Question
What do you think is the greatest challenge facing us as Muslims these days in Europe?
Answer
Thank you, Zyiad, for your question. The greatest challenge is how to involve ourselves in society without losing our identity; how we can participate in all aspects of life, political, economic, social, technological, educational, without committing Haraam (sins).
How we can understand the society in which we live, and learn to deal with it through a proper understanding is one of the greatest challenges. Domestically, I mean it comes from our circles, like some extremist ideas or extremist persons who would like to oblige the entire socitey to live according to their own narrow vision, because they don't believe in dialogue or a multi- opinion society, and would like to impose their own version of Fiqh.
Name
Omar K.
- Ireland
Profession
Question
We keep hearing about the regression of muslim civil liberties in Europe... isn't this an exaggeration? I'm aware that some countries have been giving veiled women a hard time, but that in itself doesn't mean there's a general "regression" in civil liberties.
Answer
Thank you very much for your comment. If we compare between Western societies and other societies (especially Arab), we will find that Muslims enjoy more freedom in the west. B there is still some racisim in the West, especially after 9/11, when the phenomenon of Islamophobia grew in most Western countries for a certain period due to bad media and programs, but in any case, any Muslim has more rights in the West than he can enjoy in all Arab countries; for example, any one who lives in the West and works for 5 years will be naturalized and becomes British, French, German, etc.
While well known scholars who worked in some Muslims countries for more than 30 years were expelled and returned to their countries, or their children could not continue their education where they were working, and they could not vote as well, in the West you can become an MP (member of parliament), or establish a political party, and if you are qualified you will gain your real status, and you will be what you should be.
Name
Muaaz
-
Profession
Question
Assalamualaikum Shaykh. What do you think should be done when we face a situation like in France, where hijab is not allowed in state schools?
Answer
Thank you for your question, Muaaz. There are always many things that can be done. First of all, we should remind the government of the principals of their revolution: brotherhood, freedom and equality, and we should pressure them to allow personal freedom in dressing and eating, as well as in all personal affairs that will not harm the society. Secondly, we should aim also to have our own schools, where hijab would be allowed, if this is possible, and thirdly, under emergency situations, girls can wear their hijab in the street and buses, and whenever they go to the school they can stay without hijab as an emergency measure.
I don't like them to be deprived of their education, but we have to struggle until the authorities come to appreciate our situation. Give the authorities examples of Britain and other countries where hijab is accepted everwhere, even in Parliament and the House of Lords.
When Muslims are more involved in public life and are not isolated from society, their religion and culture and traditions will gradually become appreciated.
The Editor:
Dear visitors.. For Juristic views on point of Hijab, read these fatwas:
El salam alykom... What do you think a muslim should do, and what is his duty when he is living in Europe?
Answer
Thank you very much my dear sister. There are many duties for Muslims in the West. On the personal level, they should be good examples by offering prayers and other pillars of Islam, going to the mosque wherever and whenever it is possible, working with the society and supporting just international issues, including Palestine, Iraq, Kashmir, and other similar causes.
Additionally, Muslims in the West should have a daily program of reading the Qur'an and sunnah and fiqh. They should also marry when they are young, in accordance with the advice of the Prophet Muhammed, and marriage in the West, thank God, is not as diffcult as it is in our Muslims countries.
On the general or public front, a Muslim should participate effectively in Islamic activities and in political life wherever he is, (of course, if he is allowed to), through for example elections, demonstrations to support just causes, seminars and conferences. Also, Muslims in general in the West should work to fill vacancies in research study centers, human rights and media organizations, and in the preparation of leadership to lead societies, not only to lead muslim communities.
One major duty of Muslims in general in the West is to participate in saving the West from materialisim by dragging it to a balanced life, concentrating to an extent on the spirit and the intellect.
Another major duty is to clear-up and do away with doubts and fears and accusation against islam.
Name
ALTAF HUSSAIN
- Pakistan
Profession
DOCTOR
Question
ASSALAM O ALAIKUM,I would like to know whether you feel that scholars are fulfilling their responsibilities under these critical circumstances, or are they are also afraid of the Western world, and what will they reply to ALLAH when they will ask for?
Answer
Dear sister; thank you for this question. As you know, scholars are not all one type. They are not all the same. Some of them are brave enough and educated enough to answer in view of their understanding of the Qur'an and the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammed. They give their fatwas as they believe and understand, and do not yeild to pressures; that is why the West hates them sometimes. Even America prevented some of them from visiting the US; for example, Sheikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi.
There are also some scholars who have "ready made" fatwas, and they follow their rulers. I don't know how they will respond to Allah on the day of judgment, but Allah warned them of the price they pay in the world and the penalty they will have in the hereafter. There are many verses in the Qur'an and many tradtions in the sunnah that indicate that matter clearly.
We hope for a better generation of scholars, especially in the West, who will remind us of Ibn Hazam who was born in Andalusia (Spain) and became a great Faqih (Islamic jurist) not only for Muslims in the West, but for Muslims everywhere. I am sure that the new generation of Islamic studies students in the West, whether in France, Britain, Germany or elsewhere, will create a good environment for improving standards, and for scholars who are accustomed to freedom and will not be afraid or reluctant to express their proper opinion infront of anyone, especially in the West.
There is now the European Council for Fatwa and Research. It includes many independent scholars, some of whom were brought up in the Islamic movement and are accustomed and trained to express their opinions without fear or reluctance.
Name
A.K.
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Salamu 3aleikum. I'm a Muslim Arab. I'm a bit resentful of the amount of media coverage being given European and American muslims. Basically, what I want to ask is this: Why should I care what happens to a Muslim minority that choose to go live in Dar Al Kufr, while millions of us suffer and have suffered for decades under our own, home-grown dictatorships? Why should I care about Muslims in the US, Germany, France, etc, while thousands of Muslims die in China, Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, and under Middle Eastern dictatorships. It seems to me they're alot better off than we are.
Answer
This is a serious question. First of all, the scholars of the present time did not classify the world in terms of Dar al Kufr (The Abode of Disbelief) and Dar al Islam (The Abode of Islam). There is also Dar al Dawaa wa Al Hidaya (The Abode of Call and Guidance). This is the first time in history that Muslims live in the West without military wars, and Muslims are brought up as French or British or German or Europeans in general because they are born here; this is a good phenomenon, and we thank Allah for that. This is a real fatah and opportunity that Allah extended to us to make dawa (the call to Islam) in the West, and most of the doors are open for dawa.
We must care for each other. The Hadith of the Prophet, which in translation means that those who do not care or do not concern themselves with other Muslims are not good Muslims is absolute. So we have to care for others whether they are under dictatorships or they are living in Western societies which sometimes are wrongly called Dar al Kufr.
What is Dar al Islam? It is a place where a Muslim should feel safe to practice his Islam with honour and dignity. My dear brother or sister, can you find a place in the Muslim world that can be called that? Where Muslims are safe to practice their islam? You know what is going on in the prisons in most of the Arab and Muslims countries.
Sometimes I feel that there is Dar al Islam in the West where I can practice all Ibadat (rituals and worship) and Islamic ideals without being afraid of prisons or dictators. There is no other place in the world, specifically in the Muslim world, that can accept a man like Abu Hamza Al Masri, but he is accepted in the West, in spite of all his beliefs and practices.
I hope this is a hint or gesture to your question, which needs more discussion and a more detailed answer.
Name
Aly
- Yemen
Profession
Question
I notice on your "Guest CV" that you were formerly a spokesman for the Ikhwan. What made you leave the group, and how did your experience with them shape your perspectives on your work?
Answer
Dear brother, thank you very much for this question. I joined the Ikwan Al Muslimeen (The Muslim Brotherhood) when I was a young student in secondary school in Munufeia, Egypt, in 1951-52. I joined the Ikhwan because of the good qualities and reception that we had from the senior brothers at the school, and their kindness to us. They used to educate us in the Qur'an and in the Sunnah and Fiqh, and they used to help us achieve good standard of 'ilm (knowledge) and character and behavior.
I worked in Dawa (the call to Islam) in many fields and in many countries as a member of the Ikhwan. I was selected to be a spokesman in the West in 1995 and I continued for 2 years, until 1997. At that time especially there was a lot of pressure on the Muslim Brothers in Egypt and in other countries. In Egypt, the Murshid (Supreme Guide) and many senior members were prevented from travelling abroad, and many of the Muslim Brotherhood's senior members who are teachers, professors, doctors, engineers, and accountants were tried by military courts and put in prison without any vaild reason.
But I resigned because I had some other work to do at present, and Alhamdulilah, there are many other Brothers who can do the job better than me. Also, the situation in Egypt has become a little bit easier than these very restrictive years, although it is still bad for freedom of expression and for the freedom of the Muslim Brothers and for dawa in general.
The Ikhwan is not a group; they are a Jama'at. You can say a nation or you can say a school, but it is not only a group. It is an organization well structured to work for dawa and to guide people to a proper, comprehensive and global understanding of Islam, as indicated earlier by Imam Hassan Al Banna, who understood Islam like Al Salaf Al Salah ((The Pious Predecessors - the first generations of Muslims) and as close to the Companions.
I resigned from this job but I did not resign from the Jama'at as a member. It is an honor to be trained by and affiliated with such jama'at, or any other Jama'at that work properly for Islam. There is nothing in that that goes against my presence in the West or my status as a British Muslim, since the Ikhwan teaches us to be positively involved in our societies and to cooperate to spread the word of God and be productive human beings, not a negative member of any socitey.
Name
mhamed
-
Profession
Question
Why don't Arab leaders start a war against the kafirs?
Answer
Arab leaders should not start any war if they are good Muslims. Of course, they do not start wars at present because they are weak and they are controlled mostly by America.
Islam teaches us not to start aggression because Allah S.W.T does not love aggressors, but at the same time Islam, as well as the UN Charter, teach us to defend ourselves, and both do not tolerate military aggression like what is happening in Palestine or Iraq, even in Rwanda in Africa. Muslims fight if there is any just cause, and after all peaceful ways and means are exhausted.
I am sorry for our Arab leaders; their weaknesses are because of their dictatorship and because of their corruption. If they depend on Allah first of all and then on their people, they become stronger and would not tolerate for example Israeli or American aggression. I am sure and confident that the new generation of leaders in Arab world will be wiser and more committed to their mission, and they will know that they are employed by the people and not vice versa. At that junction, they will be able to defend themselves and their countries, but not to start wars or aggression.
Name
Layla
-
Profession
Question
Does Islam allow that in France women don't wear hijab? I'd like to wear it, but many people look at you with faces... Here in the Occident, it's difficult to wear, and Allah says that if something isn't good for you in some circumstances you are not obligated to, for example, wear hijab. What can you tell me? Thanks.
Answer
Thank you very much for your question. Hijab is a committment and a must in Islam. The Muslim demonstrates Ta'ah (obedience) as much as he can. Muslims must work hard to explain to the West that this is not against the West at all in any respect, and that hijab is a sign of committment and innocence. There is no harm at all for Western societies to see people wearing hijab; they are accustomed in the West to different types of fashion and cloths. The West must concentrate on problems and challenges and causes of the problems.
You interpreted that if wearing hijab is a danger, that could be a reason for not wearing it. If people make faces at you, this is not a valid reason for not wearing it. The only reason for not wearing hijab could be if some lady would be subjected to killing or dishonoring.
The more you increase your iman (faith) the more you will insist on wearing hijab. In Germany, I personally know of two cases who were pressured to remove their hijab and were dismissed from their teaching profession, but they went to court and they won the case. Don't be afraid of people when they look at you, especially as there are nuns who wear a similiar hijab. I came across the Amish people in America, whose ladies live very simple lives with hijab, and they don't even talk to strange men, and it is a big community..
I don't invite Muslims to do so, but I am giving them examples that the society will get accustomed to our committments and to our traditions and to our culture when we insist on them and behave in a good way. Society in the West will hate hijab only when they find that some women with hijab steal in stores, which I came to know of in Britain for example. This is a bad image for Muslim women, but peaceful Muslim women who wear hijab are good callers for the sake of Allah.
In France, there are more than 6 million Muslims. If 3 million of them are women and they wear hijab, how would socitey harm them? In fact, it will respect them, if they participate effectively in the society away from depending on social suuport from the government. But I recently read that the Minister of Interior praised hijab and said that France will have no problem in the future with hijab. It is good from the government to take this approach.
Name
sister in islamthe
-
Profession
student
Question
What do you think of a Muslim girl's limit and what she shouldn’t do, especially that she has non-Muslim friends… like, can she go to parties and not do anything there but just go... etc.
Answer
My dear daughter: the limit of a Muslim girl in one sentence is not to do any Haraam (committing sins). A Muslim girl should have friends, Muslims and non-Muslims. This is not a problem, but the problem is “boyfriends” and “girlfriends.” But if you have friends, you can advise them about Islam, so there is nothing haraam if you’re just sitting together in a university or talking or discussing serious things.
People can participate in programs of national songs or Islamic songs or dancing (if women or men only). Also, the limit for a girl is at least to do the prescribed Ibadat (rituals and worships) to distinguish herself by this Ibada and this manhaj (framework) from others who do not have such a manhaj.
The limits of a girl is also to know what is known from religion by necessity, which are fard (obligatory) and act accordingly. Finally and again, the limit is to know what is haraam not to do it and to know what is halal and to do it.
Name
Fawaz
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
What do you think the priorities of Muslim organizations in Europe should be for the next year? And what can we, as Muslim citizens of these countries, do to further our interests and protect our communities in the face of this new tide of Islamophobia?
Answer
Thank you for that question. Our priorities are summarized in the following: To give more time to thought. By that, I mean to establish one research center to give a clearer vision for Muslims in the West.
The second priority is to start a proper campaign to face Islamophobia and to clear-up accusations and fears of Islam.
The third priority is to understand that we have a role to play in the West and we are not without a mission, and to understand as well that there are vacancies for us as Muslims that will never be filled except by Islam. I mean, for example, the Usra or social relations or family ties which are not taught in any university or temples. These are taught in the mosque, in the Islamic media programs, and in study circles, especially in Ramadan.
Number four of our priorities is to establsh dialogue centers to engage in dialogue with Muslims and non-muslims, and to train our children for future careers in keeping with our priorities, as well as to represent Muslims through councils such as the Muslim Council of Britain, to be selected by Muslims to represent our priorities, as well as to support organizations and institutions like the Muslim Association of Britain that gave very good examples in supporting some of the just issues in the world, like Palestine and Iraq and Kashmir without offending or hurting anyone, and through cooperation with other institutions and parties and associations in Britain that are mainly non-Muslims, but who support justice and just causes. This needs a lot of explanation, but I hope this very brief answer can refer to what I want to say in detail.
Name
me
-
Profession
Question
I just became Muslim,
alhamdulilah. I'm not from a Muslim country, but immigrated to Egypt.
I will visit my family for the first time. They are not muslim and are very disappointed in me. How will I go about to let them accept it? I wear a scarf and am not sure if I should put it on when I meet them, for it will scare them off. Is that wrong?
Answer
Thank you very much for this question, and congratulations for becoming a blessed Muslim. I really appreciate your courage and appreciate your wisdom. This is guidance from Allah S.W.T, and a great prize for you.
I propose that you write a letter to your family, telling them about the benefits of Islam, especially social ones, and tell them that you selected this Islam because of it's benefits and because Islam teaches you and guides us to be more obedient to our parents and to be more lenient with them. Mention to them also one story from the Qur'an about how people should talk to their non-Muslim parents. Make sure, my daughter, that even if they pressure you to leave Islam you remain on good terms with them and keep their good company. I am sure that when they know that Islam taught you to become a good girl and help your parents and support them, and that Islam guides us not to drink or use drugs or commit crimes then they will know some of the benefits of Islam, and maybe they shall become Muslims. Pray God always to guide them as He guided you and as He helped you, and to accept them as He accepted you.
As for the hijab, write in your message to them before your visit that this is one of the requirements and commitment of Islam, and of course there is no harm not to wear your hijab in front of Mahram [non-marriageable relative] (father, brother, uncle, grandfather, nephews and other mahram).
If you find that it is difficult this year to visit them, and that they will not tolerate your hijab, tell them you will not be able to visit them this year and continue your discussion with them. You can even send a good Muslim to talk to them before your visit.
I pray God to help you. If I can be of any more service I would be more than glad to help in this matter. Maybe we can send someone like brother Yusuf Islam, who used to be Cat Stevens, to talk to them about Islam, or any other well-known brothers, or it could be a lady as well from Europe, or any area you belong to. May Allah give you patience, guidance, persistence and Jannah (paradise in the hereafter).
