Aslaam-u-alaikum to you all. I haven’t been using GupShup for that long so most (if not all) of you probably will not know me. You already know my name, Im 28 years old and have been living in England most of my life with the occasional trip back to Pakistan. Anyway I have been reading the various threads within GupShup have paid particular attention to those which cover Islam/Belief. As someone who has spent his young and impressionable years in the west I have noticed that many of our young brothers & sisters not only refrain from talking about Islam but also seem to be drifting further and further away from it. I know belief is always a very sensitive issue and please bear in mind I don’t intend to make any judgments about people or to force my own personal beliefs on them. All I want to know is the truth regarding your views on Islam in todays world. Why are so many of our brothers & sisters cutting all their links with Islam and adopting the western approach to life (ie you only live once, do all you can, get all you can and have no concerns about being held to account for all your actions). I am not talking here, about making sure you perform your five daily prayers and fasting, and all the rest. What I am talking about is the blatant rejection of faith, Where people almost go to the extent of saying ‘Islam does not fit into the life I lead..and I have done just fine without Islam what good can it do for me’. I am sure some of you will have heard /seen such examples.
Once again, I don’t intend to start any wars here nor do I intend on condeming people to the fires of hell !. Just tell me where you think we are going wrong, what are your personal views are and maybe what we can do to turn things around.
I personally know that I can do so much more towards being a better muslim, and I also know that the day will surley come when I will have to account for each and every one of my actions. I am as certain of the day of judgement as I am of the sun rise in the morning. And yet I too don’t do as much as I could as regards leading a muslim way of life. But to this day, Al-hamdu-lillah, I have not rejected faith nor dismissed Islam as being part of my life.
"...nor do I intend on condeming people to the fires of hell !."
Sister, you couldn't, even if you intended to...
condemn people to the fires of hell, that is....
For, it is not the mortals, but only the Almighty, the All Knowing, the Creator who can condemn...or not...
"As someone who has spent his young and impressionable years in the west I have noticed that many of our young brothers & sisters not only refrain from talking about Islam...."
Khulay aam apni Muhabbat ka izhaar/elaan karna, har kisi ki pasand naheeN....
You know the problem in UK is that there is no single platform available in UK for the muslim, you might have heard.
Daidh eent kee masjid.
So most of the maulana's have their own daidh eent kee masjid and they are not prepared to do anything on a single platform with co-operation. So in this age and time I would say its time for them to say Bye bye and the young generation have to come in and take the charge but shouldn't work with that old narrow mind but to work with co-operation with each other.
Najim,
As far as the Maulana's are concerned I think
the problem is that they don't know how to communicate with the younger generation. As well as other factors, language is the greates barrier. Many young Muslims in the UK
have difficulty in understanding Urdu. And there aren't many Maulana's who can speak english. The other factor is that Islam is not 'Marketed' (for want of a better word) properly to the young. Unfortunatley Muslim
youngsters who have grown up in the west need more than just to be told that it is their faith and they must follow it without question. We need to tel people that Islam is more than just fasting and performaing the five daily prayers. The best method would be for the fortunate few young people who do have an interest in Islam and who do have a good grasp about the teachings of Islam, to go and talk to other young muslims. However, tjhe sad fact is that some of our young brothers have distanced themselves so much from Islam that there is no easy way to approach them. I am far from being a perfect muslim, but somehow even I cannot imagine a life without faith and I dredd to see the day when our brothers & sisters will call themselves Muslim but act no different from the Kafirs. Alas, the signs are all around us..we only have to look !.
Naz is terribly confused about what religions are and what society is. She is confusing openness of the “West” as an alternative to “religions”. Westerners are as much religious as Desis. What majority of them do is not sanctioned by their “religion”, but by them not paying much attention to their “faith”.
Generation gaps and issues are not peculiar to the West, it happens in Pakistan as well. We have the largest numbers of Heroin addicts in Pakistan, would it be fair to say that Islam tolerates drug use? Or honor killings, or Bribery at every step of the way.
Before being so harsh on people or societies, one needs to keep things in perspective. Condemning Western values is no answer to one’s own pitiable way of dealing with issues that are confronted by the younger generations. If elders are so upset by their kids adopting Western attitudes and values, what did they expect? They should have never left their land, and if they did, they should have sent their kids back to Pakistan when they were born.
Ok first off, I am MALE !, so please stop referreing to me as SISTER or SHE !. I don't know where you guys got the idea that I was female!. Secondly,
NYAhmadi, you wrote :-
'Westeners as just as religious as desis'...'what majority of them do is not sanctioned by their relegion'...
OK, maybe I was taught by some wierdo but I have always been led to believe that if you don't follow your religeion ..then you're not religious !.or is that too simple to understand ?.
you also wrote:-
'Naz is terribly confused about what religion is and what society is'..
well forgive me for being so blunt but I'm sure that ALLAH Taala has said in the Holy Quran ..'I have completed my favour upon you and have chosen Islam as your way of life'.
I would like you to pay particular attention to the 'WAY OF LIFE' part of that verse. Islam goes beyond the mosque, The Holy Prophet (PBUH)tought us everything we need to know, in order to live life the way Allah intended us to. So, I cannot comment on any other faith or religion, but as far as Islam is concerned, there is no difference between religion and society.
You also wrote 'condeming western values is no answer to...' No-one is condeming anyones values, the point I was trying to make was that, what is perfectly ok for a westerner to do may not be ok for a muslim. There was a time in Islamic history when people from other faiths use to adopt the values and principles of Muslims, simply because it led to a better way of life, it is so sad that today muslims are forgetting about Islam & its teachings and adopting the ways of the Kafirs.
you also wrote:-
" If elders are so upset by their kids adopting Western attitudes and values, what did they expect? They should have never left their land "
If people stayed at home and did not venture out in the world for fear of loosing their faith, then Islam would never have left the borders of Arabia !. Where you live or who you come into contact with is no excuse for loosing your values, faith and religion !.
Look, Naz is Naraaz. My apologies for referring to you as female. My ignorance of not knowing that it could be a Male name also. Sorry.
'I have completed my favour upon you and have chosen Islam as your way of life'.
It is well and good, but Cultures and Religion are two different matters. An Eskimo is an Eskimo whether s/he is a Muslim, or Jew, or Zoroastrian. If younger generation is adopting Western norms, it is not the same as saying that they are adopting Judo-Christian values. You seem to confuse the two as one of the same. It is a wrong way of looking at things (in my opinion).
NYAhmadi,
OK I see your point and I also agree with you somewhat. But the underlying question is that if our youngsters adopt western norms that conflict with Islam, then what ? Are we to turn a blind eye and say 'it is the culture in which they live in...nothing can be done about it' ?. I know how difficult it is to keep hold of Islamic values & principles when
you're living in the west and constantly surrounded by things which go against Islam. The point is that if we don't make a concious effort to hold on to Islam, then as each day passes, it will become more and more acceptable to do things that are un-islamic. Take for eaxmple, the consumption of Alcohol. There was a time here in the UK when very few if any muslim consumed alcohol, and today there are very few muslims who don't. I know of muslims who consume alcohol, and their excuse has always been that they do it to 'fit in' with their white friends. Personally I think thats a very lame excuse. Secondly just because the number of muslims who drink alcohol is on the increase does not mean that all of a sudden its ok to do it. please bear in mind that im just using alcohol as an example, there are many other areas that can be mentioned but not in this thread. If the younger generation were given the opportunity to gain a better understanding of Islamic culture & society, then I'm sure their attraction towards Islam would increase. (in my opinion). I think to summarise, would be to say that we as Muslim have some enormeous issues to resolve, and as time goes by, these issues will become more and more difficult to resolve. Its my religion, I DO care about it and regardless of the generation gap between the youngsters and our elders,I think that each generation needs to do as much as it can to preserve our faith. You don't need me to tell you that as each generation comes along,the less they seem to know about Islam. It would be reckless for us not to do anything. Islam is not an Individual system of belief, its the very fabric of muslim society and we each must do what we can to make sure that as a society we still function within the boundaries of Islam. I would like to end by praying that Allah taala gives us all the will to work for our deen and to stay on the right path. ameen.
Guys i know this is a cheesy example, but the best i could come up with give the time. Picture a kite, as long as u have the string in your hand the kite is within your reach. But the moment the string slips your grasp the kite is lost. Though u may still be able to view its beauty from afar the kite is gone. But gone forever??? who knows, but the search/journey to retrieve it will most likely be long and difficult. Anyways what i want to say is that never lose sight of Islam for it is the very fabric of our beings..IT IS OUR BEING.
NY Ahmadi
[quote]
Originally posted by NYAhmadi: It is well and good, but Cultures and Religion are two different matters. An Eskimo is an Eskimo whether s/he is a Muslim, or Jew, or Zoroastrian...... You seem to confuse the two as one of the same. It is a wrong way of looking at things (in my opinion).
[/quote]
Yes, culture and religion may be two different matters, but that does not mean they are necessarily unrelated. Both are major factors in one's attitude, beliefs, etc., in life, and thus they both influence one another.
But the question is do you put your religion first or your culture??? Do you say u are a first a Muslim then a Pakistani or a Pakistani then a Muslim??? For one who says the former, religion and culture become intertwined in such a way, that whatever is not desirable in Islam from the culture is discarded, and whatever is not offensive to Islam is kept. First and foremost is Islam,
Hmmm well i hope some of that made sense if not all.
Wassalam.
[This message has been edited by Girl from Quraysh (edited May 09, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Girl from Quraysh (edited May 09, 2000).]