**Gangsters, Wannabes, Where’s Islam ?
**by I.H.Ali (PAG)
The average Muslim youth in the West, who or what is he ?
He stands on a street corner with his funky hairstyle, latest designer gear, gold rings, bracelets and necklaces; Maybe he’s cruising in a hired Beemer checking out the talent. Blasting out the latest beats, smoking weed, using foul language every other sentence. We all know him, we might even be him!
This youth will fall into one of two groupings: 1. The Gangster, he is part of a gang, sharing a sense of belonging, loyalty and pride, he will never sell out his mates even if it means taking the ‘rap’ or going to jail. He gets into fights with other gangs mainly over drugs or girls. 2. The Wannabe ! This curious phenomenon is not a real gangster. He spends time and money attempting to convince his mates that he is ‘street’. This will involve having the latest Ja Rule CD and talking about who he ‘sparked up’, bouncing (not walking) with pride. The ‘wannabe’ sees the designer clothes and flash souped up motors as something to admire and emulate. If anyone asks this youth; ‘Why ? Why do you act like this ?’, The response would most likely be : ‘I get respect man’ ‘It impresses my mates innit !’ But what’s the real reason ? Why are many Muslim youth in this mess ? The reality is that the idea of individualism and the ‘me, myself and I’ mentality is responsible for the behaviour of these Muslim youth. There is no doubt this concept stems from the western way of life which places sensual pleasure above all other values. The key idea stemming from this is the value of pride and the ego, which goes hand in hand with the lifestyle of a gangster. No one should be able to put him down if he is a gangster, if someone does, he’s in trouble ! After all, the gangster is the ‘baddest’ ! These values do not breed stability in society rather they create an atmosphere of fear. What Does Islam Say About The Gangster ? Islam has a solution to all aspects of man’s life, including man’s relationship with others. Islam defines what makes a true man and the correct way to live life. Islam has attracted people from all sorts of backgrounds including gangsters. If we look to how some of the Sahabah embraced Islam, one particular story stands out, that of Abu Dhar al-Ghifaary. One morning he went and found the Prophet (SAW) sitting alone. He approached him and asked him to recite the Quran for him. The Prophet (SAW) recited and he listened, it was not long until Abu Dhar embraced Islam by shouting: “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger” The Prophet (SAW) asked him: “Where are you from, my Arab brother?” Abu Dhar answered: “From Ghifaar” On hearing this the Prophet’s (SAW) face was filled with wonder and astonishment. The question one has to ask is why was the Prophet (SAW) so astonished? The reason behind this was that Ghifaar was a tribe with a nasty reputation for highway robbery. Its people were famous for theft, they were a tribe of gangsters similar to the modern day hustler ! Upon embracing Islam Abu Dhar showed the courage to go and declare Islam openly in front of the Quraish. It was the first time anyone had declared Islam openly and challenged the arrogance of the Quraish. What was even more amazing was that Abu Dhar had no protection in Makkah which resulted in him getting badly beaten by the kuffar. However, so strong was his faith, instead of running away he came back the next day to disgrace the idols of the quraish, which meant he was beaten even more. Abu Dhar was a gangster, from a particular tribe of hoodlums. Yet Islam transformed his personality and he showed bravery that the modern day gangster cannot even dream of. Imagine going into a rival gangs ‘patch’ to challenge the way they run things without any protection where you know you will get a ‘kicking’, yet you return the next day to challenge them again. This is the meaning of being a true man in Islam, the one who calls for the good (al-maruf) and forbids the evil (al-munkar) and in the process fears no one. Muslim youth should aspire to be like these great men. The men who demonstrated for Allah’s sake what bravery and courage really is. They were men who did not fear anyone except Allah and men who had the most outstanding personality. So, Muslim youth – Who do you want to be remembered as ? Tupac or Abu Dhar ?
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I had someobody preach this to me today.