The session has just started. You are invited to join us with your questions.
After the session, you could view the whole dialogue in the recent sessions.
Yours,
Islamonline Live Dialogue Editing Desk
Name
Rida Mahmoud
- United States
Profession
Question
One of the most common problems that faces the Muslim youth is the issue of evil influences. Even I remember some Muslim students who have been to the elementary in the Islamic school, but once they left the Islamic school to the high school, they found themselves in a vortex of kuffr and all kinds of evil where almost everybody is thinking, talking, and inviting them to join the haram. Can you give us some tips on how would Muslim youth be immune from those evil surroundings that drag them away from the right track.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
We have to understand evil influences in the context of the global challenges that are impacting the whole world. No one is ever immune from evil surrounding unless he or she is vaccinated against such surroundings and the vaccination that Allah SWT has willed for us is the strong Islamic conviction.
When a person, whether young or old, is well aware of Islamic teachings and enjoys living by Islamic rules, the evil influence will be diluted to get to a point where it will stop affecting the individual. Some tips may include:
1. Keeping Muslims friends for supporting.
2. Attending Islamic recreational functions.
3. Avoiding evil influences as much as possible.
4. Keeping abreast of Islamic history to learn from past examples.
5. Entertaining a strong family and community support.
While all these things are happening one should not isolate him or herself from the rest of the society, because escaping the influence can provide only temporary relief from such an influence. Let us remember that Allah SWT presents us with challenges to test the strength of our conviction.
Name
M. S Lebanon
- Canada
Profession
Question
As you might you, the issue of marriage between families of different cultural of ethnic backgrounds is very complicated in the west, especially in North America. I personally come from a Lebanese family while I was born and raised here in Canada. The problem started when I told my parents that I am interested in proposing to a girl of Pakistani background but she is Canadian born like me. Both my parents and her parents are complicating the issue and they are considering it a heinous crime. For my parents it is the worst mistake to marry someone from outside the day'ah (small village), whereas for her parents it is a completely wrong idea to get married to an Arab. Here is the problem. As I said, we are all Muslims, and our parents believe that but they don't practice it, and there is no difference between a Lebanese or Pakistani Muslim. But the other side of the story is that we were born in an environment where we don't have such notions of nationalistic views. We grew up in a multi-cultural society, and our parents want to impose their own culture on us. I believe this is a common problem with so many. In your view, how would someone in my place approach his parents in a nice and gentle manner?
Answer
This is a very common problem. I encounter this problem almost on a daily basis. It is a real challenge which impacts both parents and children alike. As the community starts to age and the first generation Muslims approach the age of marriage, the question of purely religious teachings and cultural practices starts to surface. Muslims have encountered this conflict between religion and culture throughout their history. In North America this is becoming a real problem; Muslims from different cultural backgrounds are conversing to the new world. Parents find it difficult to separate their homeland culture from pure Islamic teachings, whereas children are developing a new culture based on new experiences and new global realities and they are required at the same time to maintain their parents' religious conviction.
My advice is first and foremost to the parents who are following this dialogue: you really need to place your religion and culture in the proper priority order. You may discover that the culture you have been practicing all your life is not in line with the true Islamic teachings. In this case you should be prepared to change as did the early Muslims who basically made an abrupt turn in their customs and practices.
Consider for example, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, who was in his way to kill the Prophet (peace be upon him) when suddenly he hears a few ayat (verses) of the Qur'an and his whole conscience is transformed one hundred and eighty degrees.
Islam DOES NOT recognize ethnic backgrounds as a basis for marriage. Parents should know that. The Prophet (peace be upon him) identified two criteria for the man, namely deen and morality, and four criteria for the woman, namely beauty, lineage, wealth, and deen, but within an emphasis on deen. Anything other than these criteria is alien to Islamic teachings.
Now my advice to young Muslims who find themselves in conflict with their parents' cultural attachments is to seek the help of respected members of the community who can influence the parents' decision. Moreover, children should demonstrate a degree of maturity that will help the parents to overcome the cultural barrier.
Having said all of this, I submit that the community and specially religious leaders within the community have a special role to play in holding educational seminars, workshops, functions and other related activities to help over time break cultural barriers and establish a live model in history for future generations to immolate.
Name
Wess
-
Profession
Question
Do the American Youth suffer from intolerance as the Euorpians? We heard that Mumuslims r killed in America.. besides suffring discrimination..
Answer
The world nowadays is facing the challenge of hatred, intolerance, discrimination and power struggle. Many world events are adding to these destructive phenomena not the least of which were the events of 9/11. Muslims are being targeted for intolerance, discrimination, and in certain instances, severe measures of improper dealings in the form of physical abuse as well as mental and spiritual torture.
Now, let us not forget that this is not the first time in history that Muslims find themselves facing such challenges. Perhaps, this is just another manifestation of the ever-going struggle between right and wrong. Allah SWT granted the forces of evil, referred to as Iblis in the Qur'anic text, the ability to be in conflict with people of all convictions. However, we should not forget that Allah SWT told Iblis that he will never be victorious over those who truly understand the concept of servitude to Allah ('Ubodiyyah).
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself was subjected to verbal and physical abuse by his opponents. We vividly remember his daughter crying while removing the dirt from his body. We also remember his ordeal in at-Ta'if: his response in all of this was exemplary; revenge was not an option for him, because while tolerating such a hardship, he mastered the ability to put things in the proper perspective: victory over the forces of evil by helping to transform them by good example.
For American as well as European youth of Islamic background, the best strategy is that of tolerance, of hardship while continuing to press ahead in da'wah and asking Allah SWT to eventually win the hearts of the so-called enemy. Let us remember that those who started as the worst enemies of Islam become its most zealous supporters, for examples the Mongols who started by destroying anything Islamic, but eventually entered Islam on mass.
Name
Ahmad Mahran - Egypt
-
Profession
Question
How can a western Muslim compromise between Islamic identity & Western one?
Answer
This is an excellent question, because in my estimate the most difficult challenge facing Muslim youth in North America is the identity challenge. Islam came as a way of life for all times and all places. Islam has always demonstrated its dynamic nature in adapting to all cultural phenomena. In Islam law, scholars identify what is called rooh ash-shari'ah, or the spirit of Islamic law, and apply such a spirit to the ever-challenging realities. For example, there is no such thing as an Islamic press that applies to all environments and all times. However, there are well-known conditions that an Islamic press should satisfy by taking into consideration the unique nature of every society. Another example may be derived from the cutlery we use for eating nowadays, the toothbrush we use cleaning our teeth, the car we drive to do our chores, etc. These things, although not known before our time, can still be looked at as new adaptation of the Islamic spirit.
Islam is not in conflict with Western ideals. On the contrary, Islam can provide the best alternative to western practices that demonstrated their failure.
My advice to Muslim youth who continue to find themselves in a minority and are anxious to be accepted like other members of the majority community to be patient and accept the honor and privilege that Allah SWT shows for them. If Muslim youth living in the West show patience and perseverance, conviction and pride in what they believe is right, then it is a matter of time before Islam will flourish in the west after passing the test of initiation.
Let us no forget that human nature resist anything new, and since Islam in the western society is still in the embryonic stage it is normal to witness such identity challenge.
Name
Ibtihal
-
Profession
Question
The youth work in Canada and America started to grow after the 9/11 impact when Muslim organizations started to think of the next Muslim generations who are supposed to shoulder the responsibility of conveying the message of Islam. In your opinion, what are the most important priorities of youth work in North America?
Answer
Sometimes it is necessary to re-vivid our list of priorities in light of new realities. I do not fully agree that youth work started to grow only after 9/11, but I do agree that those events necessitated a change in strategies. In point form, without necessarily being an exclusive list, I see the priorities of youth work in North America as following:
1. Community support to provide strong social infra-structure for the youth. For example, marriage, carrier counseling, identity development, etc.
2. Educational activities to provide the youth easy access to the real Islam which is not diluted by divisional differences and unproductive arguments.
3. Openness towards the mainstream society. Isolation is never an option.
4. Doing things professionally. The time of amateur volunteerism is past gone. We can never match the sophisticated systems trying to undermine Islam by mediocre attempts here and there.
5. We need to show willingness as youth growing up with an understanding of how things work in this society to come forward and provide leadership for our community on true professional standards. This may lead us to number 6.
6. Building the financial strength of our communities based on sound Islamic investment startegiecs to be able to get to number 7.
7. Establish well-coordinated public relations campaigns to educate the west on real Islam.
8. Get politically involved and participate in mainstream organizations at the municipal, provisional (state), and national levels. When we demonstrate that as Muslim youth living in the west, we are as concerned in local issues as people of other faiths, our degree of acceptance will increase. Unfortunately, we are becoming news items only if there is a conflict overseas. This should stop.
Name
Jordan
- United States
Profession
student
Question
Asalamu Alaikum,
How do you suggest Muslim youth convince their fellow brothers and sisters in Islam to be more politically active and fullfil the religious mandate of enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong. It seems that Western life is much more stable and calm than where many youth's parents have come from, and that seems to make many youth apathetic and complacent to Muslim suffering. How do we reverse this?
Answer
In short, we need to demonstrate political activities by examples. This takes time. In the last two weeks, two Muslim brothers have been elected to the political office in the province of Ontario, Canada where I live. Insha'Allah this will become a trend as suggested by my answer to the previous question.
Name
Khairedeen
-
Profession
Question
Is it really possible to study Islam in North America, or should we go to the Arab world? If it is possible here, what is the best place to study Islam?
Answer
Absolutely, there are now Islamic institutions that provide education and the university level. For example, the Islamic Open University, the Islamic American University, etc. There are also many other well-established American and Canadian universities that provide graduate degrees in Islamic studies. For example, University of Toronto, McGill University, University of Pennsylvania, etc.
However, if someone is interested in depth study of Islam and would like to do that in Qura'nic language, it is advisable to go to any of the universities in the Middle East and learn Arabic before learning Islam.
Name
Omer
-
Profession
Question
I know this dialogue is about Muslim youth in North America, but I believe it won't be as much different as in UK. The question I want to ask is about having a good example in Da'wah. For people in the Middle East or even Arabs living in the west, the way to find a good example in the da'wah now is very easy. For example, when you talk about famous people of da'wah, you will mention Sheikh Al-Qaradawi, Sayyed Qutb, Ustadh Amr Khalid, Tariq Suaidan, Sheikhs from Al-Azhar and other Islamic universities. But the problem lies when you talk to the youth in UK, they don't find people like those, with my due respect to people of da'wah in the west. Can you mention some of those people living in North America or Europe? And secondly how could you solve the problem?
Answer
Let us no forget that Islamic da'wah in the west is still in infancy. That is why we don't see the same numbers of du'at (Muslim activists) in the west as we see in the Middle East where Islam originated. However, I can proudly mention some of the pioneer Muslim activists in North America and Europe.
1. Dr. Jamal Badawi.
2. Yusuf Islam.
3. Hamza Yusuf
4. Siraj Wahaj.
5. Aballah Hakim Quick.
6. Abdallah Idris Ali.
7. Shabir Ali.
8. Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi
9. Dr. Taha Jaber
10. Dr. Ahmad Saqr.
11. Sheikh Muhammad Nur
12. Sheikh Ja'far Idris
13. Dr. Mokhtar Maghrawi
14. Sheikh Ahmad Kutty
15. and many others
Name
Fatah
-
Profession
Question
Muslim youth in America or in any other English-speaking countries find it very difficult to learn Arabic due to the lack of practice and schools that teach proper Arabic. I myself want to learn Arabic well but I find it difficult. Do you have any suggestions for me?
Answer
To learn proper Arabic, one may try to go outside North America for that purpose. In due time this deficiency will be overcome. I know that in the University where I teach in London Ontario, there are two courses that teach proper Arabic. This is only a first step. We hope that with Muslim community becoming financially more secure they are able to establish departments of Arabic in cooperation with local universities.
Name
Mo'men
-
Profession
Question
How would we work together to stop this new law of legalizing homosexuality? I feel we must do something, otherwise we will be living in a society where we expect the punishment of Allah.
Answer
I agree with you. However, to be able to influence change within the society we are living in we have to be pro-active. These kinds of issues cannot be handled through emotions. Advocacy is essential in dealing with such issues. We should make submissions and not feel that we are helpless. Allah SWT says: "And act because Allah will behold your actions and so will His messengers and the believers. Therefore, our duty is to act. Making a difference is in the hands of Allah SWT.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank our guest for speaking to 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. We request our readers to join us in the upcoming sessions.
