Muslims hope to go to hajj once in there lifetime. However, this can disrupt jobs and life so it is difficult for them to go.
Problems facing Muslims living in Britain today.
Clothing
The Qur'an tells both women and men to be modest. For some Muslims, clothing for women is a head covering called a 'hijab', but this was not worn in all medieval Muslim societies. Whenever a woman entered a mosque, however, she would always have her head covered.
The Qur'an tells men that they should not wear silk or gold jewellery to show off their wealth. Clothing should not attract attention or be worn to show off. Clothing must cover the entire body; only the hands and face may remain visible. The material must not be so thin that one can see through it. Clothing must hang loose so that the shape of the body is not shown off. The woman's clothing must not resemble the man's clothing, nor should the man's clothing resemble the woman's. Women should not artificially lengthen their hair with wigs or weaves, nor have tattoos. A Muslim should not wear clothing to look like a non-Muslim. While praying in a mosque, clothing should be plain and not be distracting. A man's hair might be criticized if it was shoulder-length or longer. The Prophet Muhammad preferred men to wear their hair neat and cut a little below the ears. This can be difficult for Muslims if they are required to wear a uniform or are not allowed to wear head covering or something alike. Also for security reasons sometimes, they will have to constantly remove religious clothing.
Problems facing Muslims living in Britain today.
Why are there so many
Muslims in Britain
More than 1.6 million Muslims live in Britain.
The first Muslims to settle in the UK were the Yeminis in 1641. Britain's first Mosque opened in Cardiff, in 1860.
Between 1940 and 1960, many Muslims moved to Britain from places such as East Africa and South Asia. This period has been described as a "golden era" of Muslim migration.
Other Muslims came to Britain because they could get jobs and send their money back to their family. When their pounds were exchanged to local currency, it would work out as much more money.
Some immigrants planned only to stay for a while, but ended up staying permanently.
Problems facing Muslims living in Britain today.
Muslim views on other religions
The Qur'an describes Christians and Jews as members of the family of Abraham (one of the prophets) and Muslims respect these religions because they believe that they all worship the same God. Muslims do not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, but that he was one of God's prophets, just like Muhammad. Muslims believe in many of the stories about Jesus that the Christians believe in. For example, they believe in the virgin birth and that Jesus will come again.
In fact, Jesus is regarded within Islam as a special prophet. His name is in the Qur'an 25 times - more times than Muhammad's.
This makes it easier for Muslims to live in peace with other religions in Britain and makes harmony between them.
Problems facing Muslims living in Britain today.
Marriage
In Islam, marriage is essentially a contract. However, the difference between sacred and secular was never explicit in Islam. Any action or transaction in Islam has religious implications. It is not quite accurate, therefore, to choose marriage in Islam simply as a secular contract. The appropriate term of marriage could be a "Divine Institution".
For a valid marriage, the following conditions must be satisfied:
- There must be a clear proposal.
- There must be a clear acceptance.
- There must be at least two competent witnesses.
- It is recommended that marriage should be widely publicized.
- There must be a marriage gift, little or more, by the bridegroom to the bride.
There are many more complicated rules for Islamic marriage, and rules about the people who they marry. Which make it very difficult for Muslims to marry. They have special standards, which make it tricky to find an appropriate partner for marriage. This is made more difficult in Britain as there are less Muslims and people who fit the required pattern.
Problems facing Muslims living in Britain today.
Violence and war
Muslims believe in peace and no violence unless they are trying to protect their religion or peace. You can only hurt people that hurt you, your religion, or homeland. In addition, they do not encourage terrorism. Islam is not a terror religion. People who are suicide bombers and terrorists are not really following Islam. They are very wrong for doing these actions.
This is very good for people in Britain as the Muslims who live here hope to do Britain no harm. However, if people abuse there religion they do fight back.
Problems facing Muslims living in Britain today.
Views on Capital Punishment
Islam overall accepts capital punishment.
However, even though the death penalty is allowed, forgiveness is preferable. Forgiveness, together with peace, is a major Qur’an theme.
Muslims believe that capital punishment is a most severe sentence but one that may be commanded by a court for crimes of suitability. While there may be more harsh punishment at the hands of God, there is also room for an earthly punishment.
Methods of execution in Islamic countries vary and can include beheading, firing squad, hanging and stoning. In some countries, public executions are carried out to heighten the element of prevention.
Each case is regarded individually and with extreme care and the court is fully able to impose more flexible sentences as and when they see fit.
Muslim countries vary in the extent to which they practise capital punishment.
Problems facing Muslims living in Britain today.
Views on homosexuality
Islamic views on homosexuality have always been influenced by the rulings prescribed by the and the teachings of the Islamic prophet . Traditionally, Qur'anic verses and have condemned sexual acts between members of the same sex.
The Qur'an cites the story of "people of ” who were destroyed by the anger of because they engaged in homosexual acts. The legal punishment for homosexuality has varied among different schools: some prescribe ; while other choose a milder optional punishment. Homosexuality is a crime and forbidden in most countries like , , etc. In some relatively worldly or multi-religious countries, this is not the case such as in , , and . Even though , homoerotic themes were in poetry and other literature by some Muslims which celebrated male love, and were more common than expressions of attraction to women.
Some movements in Islam, such as the , accept and consider as natural, either regarding Qur'anic verses as out of date in modern society, or pointing out that the Qu'ran speaks out against homosexual desire, and is silent on homosexual love. Writer , a herself and a staunch , is of the opinion that homosexuality is permissible within ; however, it only remains a small viewpoint. People have argued that the legality of .
Whereas some rule that the Islam disallows homosexuality and ordains a capital punishment for a person guilty of it.
Problems facing Muslims living in Britain today.
School and children
Teenagers living in Britain will have an incredible amount of difficulty especially in their school lives. Muslim parents believe that their children should be educated in single sex schools as soon as the children reach puberty (single sex secondary schools). Some Muslim parents also believe that girls should not have an academic education. In school P.E for girls is a problem as women are not allowed to show flesh and therefore they will have to cover up and not wear uniform.
