Half-Stranger In A Half-Strange Land

As a Muslim woman in the UK, Schaz Halfaoui feels both at home and estranged from the surrounding society.

Establishing a Muslim identity is becoming more and more difficult for young Muslims in Western society. Many Muslims feel they must neglect their religion in order to pursue their materialistic desires. A Muslim’s duty is strictly to worship Allah by following the way of the prophet Muhamad, peace be upon him (PBUH) and the holy Quran. It is vital for Muslims to be able to avoid deviation from the right path to guarantee themselves a place in heaven, or as Muslims call it, Jannah. Muslims believe the purpose of our existence is purely to worship Allah and to do this well in the present life in order to avoid punishment in the next life or on judgement day.

Off course, that does not mean that we isolate ourselves from society or abandon our surroundings. In fact Islam teaches us to be tolerant and respectful towards all beings regardless of their race or religion, and to keep educating ourselves. This means integrating with those from different faiths and backgrounds in order to widen our understanding and most importantly to live in peace and harmony.

Being brought up in a non-Muslim society has both advantages and disadvantages. Growing up in the West has proved to be a challenge for some young Muslims. With the increasing tension between Islam and the media, there is no doubt that Muslims feel threatened and exposed to hatred and racism. Today youths struggle with issues such as low self-esteem brought on by the negative media attention surrounding their identity and faith. In some cases, when an individual suffers from insecurities they tend to disguise it with an outward pretense of confidence. This can lead to them taking on extremist views in order to be heard. An example of this is the attention paid to ISIS. In the past two years, a number of Muslim girls and boys have traveled to Syria to fight with extremists. They say they feel it is their duty to defend their religion against the interference of the West. Unfortunately, this small minority of Muslims have triggered hate and anger towards Islam. This has led to Islamophobia and hate related crimes.

With the rise of Islamaphobia, Muslims are increasingly in danger – especially women. Young Muslim boys are in some ways less exposed to Islamaphobia than girls. A large number of young girls in Britain wear the hijab and the long black abaya dress to preserve their dignity and modesty. This unfortunately means that a Muslim female can instantly be recognised and targeted as a result of her religion.

But it’s not all bad news. There are positive aspects of growing up in a Western culture such as the UK. In fact the majority of Muslims contribute to UK society in a positive way.  As mostly second generation Muslims, these young people are more intellectually engaged and socially active than ever before, and are striving to achieve. But this is only possible because of opportunities being offered to them by Western countries like the UK. Unlike France or Denmark which ban the hijab, Britain allows women to study at universities and work while wearing their hijab. Prayer rooms are also available in most public place such as malls, schools and work places. This helps Muslims to remain on the right path wherever they are.

Another very important aspect of being raised in a Western society is the encouragement to keep an open mind. Mixing with other faiths and different people allows Muslims to become more open to different ideologies which would have been harder to accept if we were back home.

Britain, especially London, must be the most multi-ethnic society in the world. No other city has such a diverse mix. This is positive in that it means Islam and other faiths can learn and identify with each other’s teachings and values.

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