What is it like living in a western country as a Muslim?

Question

Problems

Advantages

Conflicts

Solutions

Answer 1

Well i'm 18 years old here in Ireland and I wear my hijab so you'd think I face many obstacles but I don't. The Irish have a reputation of being very welcoming and hospitable and honestly alhamdulilah they are.

I might get funny looks sometimes but I brush them off and I try to be extra nice to people who may come across as anti Muslim just to show them what being a Muslim is really like. I guess the advantages are getting a chance to represent Islam here in a way I see as appropriate. Living here broadens my horizon and I can learn new things and at the same time teach new things to other non Muslims. I think the solution is that we Muslims have to stand up for our selves in a respectful way. Going crazy and burning embassies isn't the best way. We have to ask ourselves "what would the prophet (pbuh) do? We have to be an example and if we carry ourselves properly I truly believe this "islamaphobia" will soon die off. We shouldn't demand respect we should show people that we deserve it.

Answer 2

Problems:

1.Absense of Islamic environment.

2. Absense of islamic law.

3.Ur kids can bercome easily against u coz they r given complete freedom & R supported by the gov if parents do something to the kids.

advantege:

1.U can practice ur reliogion with out the inteferance of state.

2. Society is mostly free of cheating, bribes,.....

3. U earn according to ur efforts( effort & good work is apreciated).

Conflicts:

1. Potray Muslims as their enemy & present it in a bad way by the media.

Solution:

1. Try to build A true Islamic society & environment By practising Muslims & their dawah efforts.

2. Learn Islaam proprely & pass it on 2 the coming genetartion.

3. hold tight to ur belief & be proud of Islamic laws, values & manners.

Answer 3

Let me just say its better to live in the West, than it is to live in a Muslim country. More freedom in the west !i

Answer 4

I am Americn and live in US.

It depends on wear you live. I am from a very small town (only 150 or so people) in Arkansas and there are 5 Baptist churches and 1 Church of Christ church. Very Protestent area, only a few Mexican Catholics, and no other religion represented in that area. The KKK is secretly active there but only a few really backward ignorant people are into it and they would never admit to it.

The people in my childhood church are "self righteous" when it comes to religous matters. they think that they are the only ones who are going to heaven, and some even think that the Baptist church is the only real church, that Jesus himself was a real Baptist. (Crazy!) Some think all other Protestants are non-Christian, and especially Catholics. their actual knowledge of religions outside Christianity was simply "Baptist" and "everybody else." They will speak pleasently to non-Baptists in public, but on Sunday at church, they "feel sorry" for them because they go to the wrong church. Many people who go to the other churches probably feel the same way about anyone who does not go to their church.

Any non-Christians in this area (international college students in the near-by college town) will either be ignored, pitied or harrassed. After 9/11 many preachers started telling their congregations about Islam, of course, giving them false information. Some people will try extra hard to convert Muslims, more or less "killing them with kindness", day after day after day inviting them to church and constantly telling them Islam is a false religion, they need the blood of Jesus. But some will start harrassing and insulting Muslims in public, trying to start fights just to prove that Muslims are violent, Muslims can never fit into American society, Muslims hate Jesus, hate God, hate freedom.

My husband was pumping gas one night and a guy at the other pump asked him if he was a Christian. Total stranger, never saw him before. He said, no, he is a Muslim. the guy said, "Well, you're going to h**l." Got in his car and drove off. A friend of his was actually attacked outside the McDonalds by a group of rednecks, his jaw was broken and he had to have surgery. Once, my husband and I were driving on a freeway and we were rammed and ran off the road, by another redneck.

Now we live in Houston, it has a huge Muslim community and I have never had a problem wearing hijab or anything because so many other women wear it as well. Many people seem to theink that TEXAS is the worst place for Muslims, not true if you live in Houston or Dallas or even Austin, because there are many Muslims living there already and most of the time no one bothers us. I have been preached to a few times but i find it more amusing than anything else. One man came to the store i was working at week after week until I finally got loud with him and told him to back off.

However, most people will not bother trying to convert non-Christains and will just stare. Most people have enough self-respect to avoid any conflict or conversation,only a few people seemed to not have a mama who taught them manners (or their mama was just as white trash as they are.)

So it really depends on where you are and if there is already a Muslim presence there and the people are used to seeing Muslims and have learned already that Muslims (and most other non-Christians and non-Americans) are normal people.

Answer 5

It made me realize how weak the ummah is and not want to change their way of djahilliyah, proclaiming that "this is the shareeah."....

i have more problems with the ummah than the koefar.

It is mainly the ummah itself that cause me problems, simply they can't say honestly: "listen carefully what i say: "i follow my nafs, don't listen to me again, i don't resemble islaam".

No, the "muslim ummah blames the ullema from difference of opinion and abuse their conflict to leave something behind, the one that practice it, is in his eyes a radical and the koefar will abuse their speakings against the moemiem. Under the statement they are also believing in islaam and according to them you don't need to. If you disagree, you are going into extreme.....

Problems:

If you want to make ibada' you must make sure that you have approval of everyone. Like KSA the shops close by adzaan and go open by tasleem. Ibada' is normal, when you don't make ibada', it is been regarded as strange. Even then it would be "just pretent". But in the western country, not making ibada is normal, but making ibada' is not liked. One aghi got fired because he didn't want to shake hands with women. Even me, as other would say "housewife", the koefar and the nafs following sisters, make it their daily work to get me out of the house.

NO KHOSHOO': the salaah is like gym. Up down up down up down in 10 minutes: adzaan, 4 rakaat sunnah, iqama, 4 rakaat fard.

Advantages:

non only materialistic things, but there is no difference between non muslim and muslim, we all want to shower with clean water... Some would say dawah, but ipoint people out, that we have nowadays "internet and telephone", if one of the koefar wants to enter Islaam, he can search Islaam on Google.......

Conflicts:

More than i can write; the muslim men from our local masjid changed the salaah time according to their nafs, who want the correct time, is radical. We thus...

Solutions

Emigrate to a worse ummah, mainly based with nifaaq. That wants the "freedom" of the West...

Smile, your life is a test!

Answer 6

Here in the UK there is ALOT of bad media and "Islamaphobia" being spread after 9/11 and the London bombings. This has given muslims living in the UK and mainly London a bad name. However the people are not really that racist, i have come across a few racist londoners but nothing extreme. There is also a large number of muslim communities within the UK and it's nice to be so far from home, but still have your own around you :)

Answer 7

with all due respect i live in Bradford England and Muslims round here are racist, not true to there religion and down right vile, unless all the Muslims on here agree with drugs, rape, GBH, ABH etc etc etc. how do i know this, I've been raped, beaten and drugged by at lest 5 different Muslims on 6 occasions.

and as for political correctness etc. do you think it,s politically correct that as soon as i mentioned the word Muslim or mosque to the police they called off the investigation, after doing the rape tests etc.

Answer 8

well i live in canada...since its a multicultural country there aren't reallly any problems..

people here have respect for others religion

Answer 9

I live in US...nothing really wrong.  An occasional racist, but you get that everywhere.  Our muslim community reached out to the non-muslims and let them know who we really are

I think the best part is you don't do anything "just because".   You're religion and culture are completely separated.   The muslim communities are multi-cultural which has benefits towards one's faith.   I met some very religious people form different countries that went to islamic school on a college level....thing is, they would argue with eachother about "islamic" things.   Then they realize some of their culture made its way into their religion.....some of the things may not be anti-islamic.....but it is their culture.   Or they made a cultural interpretation of something in the quran rather than a generalized world-wide interpretation.    

You can get hte problem in "islamic" country of people doing things because the culture and religion is mixed.....one might pray 5 times a day just because thats what everyone does.....but their prayer will have no meaning.....you also get the case of people praying just so others don't gossip about them....and then this hypocrisy is worse then not praying at all.  

Answer 10

people from muslim majority countries always think thid. but life every where same. there are some people rascist every where.

Answer 11

Brother Waqas, life is the same thing where ever you go!!      

Answer 12

Well i never faced any problem so far so good i mean in USA because USA is the best place for everybody Muslim,jewsh, and Hindu. People are friendly and not racist and they never judge you by your color or religion. The only country that i hate is Austria, and Germany because these 2 nations are the most racist nation in the world and I'm happy that I'm not there anymore and never be there i hate them. Answer to your question  i think its solution and advantage.

Answer 13

Freedom

PURE ISLAM

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 14

Advantages:

Education

Education

Education...

Conflicts:

umm... I miss my country:(

Bless:)

Answer 15

I think its safe to say that its a d**n-sight better than Christians living in Muslim countries have it:

Christian Theology Students Forced off Campus by Mob of Islamic Hard-liners

Friday, August 22, 2008

JAKARTA, Indonesia —  Hundreds of Christian theology students have been living in tents since a mob of angry Muslim neighbors stormed their campus last month wielding bamboo spears and hurling Molotov cocktails.

The incident comes amid growing concern that Indonesia's tradition of religious tolerance is under threat from Islamic hard-liners.

In talks since the attack, the Arastamar Evangelical School of Theology has reluctantly agreed to shut its 20-year-old campus in east Jakarta, accepting an offer this week to move to a small office building on the other side of the Indonesian capital.

"Why should we be forced from our house while our attackers can walk freely?" asked the Rev. Matheus Mangentang, chairman of the 1,400-student school.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,4086...

Answer 16

umm its a lot easier. i've experienced both, and im dying to go back to Canada.  

Answer 17

My sister lives in America as well as some of my cousins they are perfectly fine.

Advantages I would say would be freedom and open-society but many eastern countries like Turkey, japan has that as well.

I visited america many times and lived there for 3 months I don't have any problems.

I heard that some Muslims get discriminated once in a while because extremists has destroyed our reputation so badly but its not true that Westerners are racist I havn't experienced any racism in fact they are very nice people

Answer 18

No problems, for me the advantage is my work, no conflicts.

Answer 19

problems: ignorance of islam, having to always be aware of haram food ingredients, feeling sometimes like you do not "fit", raising kids as good Muslims (though this is absolutely possible), learning Arabic



Advantages: (I will talk about the US only here) absolute freedom of religion and federal laws to support that, the opportunity to meet Muslim from all over the world, opportunity for dawah, ability to break away from cultural practices which are un-islamic

conflicts: politically it is difficult, especially when there is a conflict with a Muslim country

solutions: being open-minded but sticking to the foundations of Islam

Answer 20

With due respect,

I have been with some Westerners(French,English) and they are pretty racist than Muslims are,

We get along,Black with white and vise versa....

seriously,

they are not like that!!

Prophet Muhammad's Last sermon had a great impact on Muslims Mashallah and we can feel it even now too.........

Answer 21

Problems:

* If you are covered or have a beard most of the time  the police etc interrogate you and keep you locked away

*Knowledge seems to be weak

Advantages:

* Some people mind their own business, one can practise freely

Conflicts are always ongoing

Solutions: need to return to the Haq (truth)

Answer 22

Its becoming tougher and tougher day by day

media is portraying muslims as terrorist.

So there is a lot of hatered

Specially school going kids

thank GOD that I moved out from there ,bcoz I had a hard time raising my kids in that environment .

Specially youn generation find it hard to practice ,

like it is almost impossible to cover your face  for girls,but MashaAllah some sisters r doing it,but they r V.V few.

Offering Salah some times bcomes a problem in the offices ,Bcoz meeting scedule r not based on Salah Timings

Specially raising kid is a very big challenge

I will not advice any body to take the risk of raising kids there.

If u r traped and you have to live there then u should live in a muslim cominity and send your kids to Islamic School,but still this is not the solution.

There is a lot to say but ,let other give a chance .

Answer 23

bruva everywher u go its the same :)