Do we know how to live in the West?

Do we know how to live in the UK?

We were talking to a friend the other day who was shocked at local events which lead to many problems. There seem to be real deep seated social problems with second generation immigrants. Then he said something that I could not disagree with. He claimed that the second generation and third generation did not know how to live in the UK. He had a good point. Is this our problem? Do we not know how to live into this land in which we have been born? There seemed to be more questions and not answers that would occur to me after hearing what he said.


Many immigrant communities come to the UK with the promise of a better life. They escaped the poverty that they were born into, of their countries. As we know the Maliki School of law does not allow someone to live in an area were Islam is not practiced over one where Islam is not. Yet we came over in significant numbers to work as cheap labour and then we were disguarded when situations changed.


So for the first time in Islamic history we have many Muslims who have left their countries and sought to achieve other goals outside their homelands. Not just in small numbers, like in previous centuries, but in large and significant numbers. The other only other historical example that we can think of are those Muslims who remained in Spain after the last caliphate ended in 1492. They remained there in large numbers but suffered for their beliefs as the Christians sought to ‘cleanse’ Spanish soil of Islam. The bitter fruits of this were mass murder and eventually expulsion of all the Muslims by 1610.


We now live in a secular society which does not hold any religion superior but the roots of Christianity can be clearly visible in every town and city. There could be a valid argument that could claim that if the UK was a Christian country then it would not allow other races of other religions to live in such large numbers on its land.


Although at the same time we do benefit greatly, living in the UK, from the places and the communities we live in. Sometimes I feel that this is taken from granted. Local governments do a great deal to assist their minorities. Sometimes they fail but they do a lot.


Going back to the question; do we really know to live in the UK? As children growing up we really need to understand our environment, this is something that we really lack. We give our children two almost polar opposite environments to live in, side by side. The first is our home environment which can be harsh and doctorial; the second is our work or education environment which seems to have the attitude that anything goes! So how can we understand this? How can we live with these contradicting environments?


The way our minds work is that we incline to ease and thus so many Muslims incline to the world. Then we incline to what others are doing and this is about following the machinations of the self. Now we are on the downward spiral to ruin.


If we look at many Asian youngsters they seem bereft of any manners at all. This thought alone should scare everyone half to death! How can we as Muslims not know good manners? Is this down the fact many of our houses have parents who do not understand the world and thus their children do not? We know that we have to make lots of money but are we taught how or does that not concern us?


We bring our children up as we were brought up but hang on a moment; we are not in the same environment or country. So many we should do some things differently.


The solution

The education of children is something that we have to take great care in and we cannot leave our children to the public education system. What a parent can do at home with a child is more than what a teacher can do given the same amount of time. The second generation parents must take their roles seriously and set examples of ways in which they educate and support their children.


The parents have to know exactly where the child’s weaknesses are and try to develop them but at the same time the children should be allowed to play because they develop whilst playing as well.


This type of mob mentality really needs to be erased is it not needed and not welcome. Drugs and alcohol are things that should never be part of any Muslim community and these need to be erased from our areas.


We really need to look at the role that Masjid committees play in our societies. They should be at the forefront of the good work that comes out of our communities. Rather than the forefront of local petty politics, rivalry and family politics which is what are great deal of them are.


People should be honest and step down and allow people who are willing to work and build a better future for their children through correctly applying Islamic teachings. How many a masjid fails to do this?


We need to give children the balance of religious and non-religious teachings because they will need both to succeed. A good level of English is needed as well as understanding the language of their ancestors. Many first generation parents totally neglected the religious education of their children which caused the children problems later on in life; there needs to be a balance. We need to guide our children through the jungle of this world.


Their free time should not be filled with games consoles or endlessly watching television because children with too much visual stimulus are unable to concentrate for long. As the games have already done their damage. We need to know that education is the sound grounding of all children and then we must encourage them to follow a profession; a profession that is not illegal or harmful to people. We must encourage honesty and truthfulness in our children.


Parents have a massive role to play to solve these problems. I have seen some parents do wonderful things with their children but this needs effort and time, on behalf of the parent.

As for those who are older then we have to try to support them and assist them securing honest professions for their future. Even if they do not follow our career choice for them.

We as a community must learn from the mistakes of our past and move forward. We have to learn to live in the West because were else would we able to live?



See other posts about the rights that Muslims have over each other

http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com/2009/08/rights-that-muslims-have-over-each.html