Part one
From the social aspect
Recently, in my locality, there has been a spate of gang related violence. This is not limited to one area as other areas suffer from the same type of violence. They include attacks on people in the most brutal and shocking manner. This is something that many people including myself, find hard to understand and comprehend. Especially, when the participants are from the same place. This type of violence needs to driven out of our communities. I am tired of this “gangster” type mentality which breeds arrogance. This arrogance eventually leads to violence which leads to innocent people being harmed.
We do live in times where madness is the rule of thumb and whatever you do to make money is permissible. No matter the manner or the way it is obtained, how foolish.
It does not cease to shock me the lengths that people go to obtain something that will be worthless as soon as it is brought. One of the main problem is that people do not have the tools of education to better themselves nor do they perceive there being any reason to pursue qualifications. What’s the point? I have a job! There is a lot of difference between someone who has no qualifications and has a job and someone with qualifications who has a career.
Muslims must be smarter than this. We must think long term. Our children’s upbringing must be of utmost importance to us. The home is where learning begins. We all know the first language that a child speaks it the language of the mother. Why else is the language called the mother tongue? We need to be interested and focused on our children’s education. We cannot leave the children to the mercy of the education system and pray that they will be alright. We have to be actively involved in giving them the best education and add to it the balance of a religious education.
The problem of violence in our communities is not a new one but it is a brutal one that seems to be getting worse. It could be easy to condemn such people but it would be harder to try to understand their point of view. They have been brought into environments which they reject the English culture and then have an alienation against their own. So they are caught between two worlds, the East and the West, without belonging to either. This causes a tension and this tension can lead to adopting the ways of other “suppressed” peoples.
Muslims are not suppressed in the United Kingdom. Yes, we do face problems because external factors but on the whole we are quite lucky to be here. Chinese Muslims are facing stiff penalties for fasting in the month of Ramadan, All praise is for Allah, we do not have these problems.
The Asian youth is stuck because he does not know which way to turn. He can go to any numbers of ways. Religion seems not to be one of them despite the religious education that is received at schools and elsewhere. So the question now is, how come we have these children for many years but we do not affect them? How come we do not infuse them with love of the religion? Something is going wrong here. Most kids are dying to leave the extra education that they receive during the evenings.
The problem is not in the religion but in the manner that we are teaching it. We must seriously look into the teaching methods that are in place. We cannot relax and cannot afford to close our eyes. We have to bring in English speaking teachers who understand the cultures and can reach the children. Having someone who comes from an Asian village, who has never stepped outside his country until he was put on a plane, is not the answer.
We need to invest in teachers. We need to have homework clubs, football activities, sport activities, help centres, marriage guidance and places we can go to solve our problems. It does not have to be religiously centred but there must be support centres. We must have the door open for everyone. We owe our brothers and sisters that much and maybe more.
Part One
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2009/08/rights-that-muslims-have-over-each.html
Part Two
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2009/08/rights-that-muslims-have-over-each_19.html
Part Three
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2009/09/rights-that-muslims-have-over-each.html
Part Four
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2009/09/rights-that-muslims-have-over-each_08.html
This is an issue that I have wanted to speak about for some time. Not that I am someone who is giving the rights to his brothers and sisters. No, I have many deficiencies and I hope that from this I can remind myself about their rights and improve my self, myself. There are two aspects that I have identified: the social and religious aspect. (More parts will follow if Allah allows.)
From the social aspect
Recently, in my locality, there has been a spate of gang related violence. This is not limited to one area as other areas suffer from the same type of violence. They include attacks on people in the most brutal and shocking manner. This is something that many people including myself, find hard to understand and comprehend. Especially, when the participants are from the same place. This type of violence needs to driven out of our communities. I am tired of this “gangster” type mentality which breeds arrogance. This arrogance eventually leads to violence which leads to innocent people being harmed.
We do live in times where madness is the rule of thumb and whatever you do to make money is permissible. No matter the manner or the way it is obtained, how foolish.
It does not cease to shock me the lengths that people go to obtain something that will be worthless as soon as it is brought. One of the main problem is that people do not have the tools of education to better themselves nor do they perceive there being any reason to pursue qualifications. What’s the point? I have a job! There is a lot of difference between someone who has no qualifications and has a job and someone with qualifications who has a career.
Muslims must be smarter than this. We must think long term. Our children’s upbringing must be of utmost importance to us. The home is where learning begins. We all know the first language that a child speaks it the language of the mother. Why else is the language called the mother tongue? We need to be interested and focused on our children’s education. We cannot leave the children to the mercy of the education system and pray that they will be alright. We have to be actively involved in giving them the best education and add to it the balance of a religious education.
The problem of violence in our communities is not a new one but it is a brutal one that seems to be getting worse. It could be easy to condemn such people but it would be harder to try to understand their point of view. They have been brought into environments which they reject the English culture and then have an alienation against their own. So they are caught between two worlds, the East and the West, without belonging to either. This causes a tension and this tension can lead to adopting the ways of other “suppressed” peoples.
Muslims are not suppressed in the United Kingdom. Yes, we do face problems because external factors but on the whole we are quite lucky to be here. Chinese Muslims are facing stiff penalties for fasting in the month of Ramadan, All praise is for Allah, we do not have these problems.
The Asian youth is stuck because he does not know which way to turn. He can go to any numbers of ways. Religion seems not to be one of them despite the religious education that is received at schools and elsewhere. So the question now is, how come we have these children for many years but we do not affect them? How come we do not infuse them with love of the religion? Something is going wrong here. Most kids are dying to leave the extra education that they receive during the evenings.
The problem is not in the religion but in the manner that we are teaching it. We must seriously look into the teaching methods that are in place. We cannot relax and cannot afford to close our eyes. We have to bring in English speaking teachers who understand the cultures and can reach the children. Having someone who comes from an Asian village, who has never stepped outside his country until he was put on a plane, is not the answer.
We need to invest in teachers. We need to have homework clubs, football activities, sport activities, help centres, marriage guidance and places we can go to solve our problems. It does not have to be religiously centred but there must be support centres. We must have the door open for everyone. We owe our brothers and sisters that much and maybe more.
Part One
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2009/08/rights-that-muslims-have-over-each.html
Part Two
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2009/08/rights-that-muslims-have-over-each_19.html
Part Three
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2009/09/rights-that-muslims-have-over-each.html
Part Four
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2009/09/rights-that-muslims-have-over-each_08.html
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