I conducted an interview with a teenage Muslim girl, who has lived in the United Kingdom all of her life. She goes to an all girl secondary school where Islam is a minority faith. During this interview I tried to find out what it is like to be a second generation, seventeen year old girl, obliged to take part in Islamic tradition. I asked her if she felt isolated by being a Muslim in the UK. And amongst other things, I asked her about prayer, by doing this, it was possible for me to understand if she took a differing attitude to a Muslim who lived in an Islamic country. She told me that she didn’t consider herself to be very precise when performing the salah and didn’t always do them at the correct times, as it is impossible for her to disrupt her school day to pray in the middle of a lesson. She said, “I am not as strict about prayers as other Muslims I know, some catch up during their lunch hour, but I don’t do this very often, I tend to catch up at home, if I have the time.” She also told me that her school had set aside a prayer room where Muslims could go and pray at lunchtimes, they also made special provisions for students during the month of Ramadan, which she found very helpful when trying to stick to her fasting.
Unfortunately, in the case of many other Muslims living in the UK, schools are not always as sympathetic and understanding; which results in a downside to practising Islam in the west, especially in a multicultural society. As prayer times cannot be set, due to other responsibilities, prayers cannot be heard recited from mosques as they are in Islamic countries where everything comes to a standstill at
prayer time, this is impossible in a multicultural society as it would be very disruptive to non-Muslims.
The third pillar is Zakah; the compulsory payment to those Muslims who are less fortunate.
Living in a multicultural society does not pose an issue with regards to the zakah, apart from the Muslim having to decide whether to keep the money in the local community, for Muslims who are less fortunate, but live locally or send the payment to Middle Eastern countries.
The fourth pillar is Sawm, which means fasting, the Qur’an is definite on how a Muslim must practise Sawn during the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the year. “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was to those before you that ye may learn self-restraint, fasting for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the prescribed number should be made up from days later.”5 This indicates how important sawm is considered to be. It offers some leniency whereby exceptions can be made so long as they are accounted for afterwards. However, to those living in a country where sawm is not always recognised as an Islamic obligation, it poses a problem. Similarities in the difficulties that arise with performing the Salah can be drawn. For example, the complications involved when a Muslim has other commitments such as work or school, concessions cannot always be made. My interviewee told me that although her school was fairly tolerant of those who were fasting they were not excused from any school activity, such as PE, which she found very tiring and made keeping to the fast incredibly difficult.
The aim of sawm is to bring Muslims together socially as they all fast at the same time, however, those living in Islamic countries find that the country comes to a standstill during Ramadan and it is possible for them to “eat the early morning meal and ten sleep late, it is possible for them to pass the difficult hours of the day.” It is not possible for those Muslims who have other commitments and are unable to take time away from them. Fortunately, those living in the UK find that the month of Ramadan usually falls in December and the hours of daylight in which they are expected to fast, are a lot shorter than it is in countries closer to the Equator, predominantly Islamic countries. However, there are some Muslims who live in a minority who have to endure Ramadan when there are more hours of daylight then there are of darkness, it is virtually impossible for them to perform the pillar successfully without making some allowances. As Ahmed says, “…this is like Scrooge missing the spirit of Christmas. The aim of the month is to revive ideas of the other world, to heighten spirituality, to make people break their everyday routine. Abstinence invigorates the spiritual condition.” However the issues faced by a Muslim who is not living in an Islamic country are sometimes crushing and the aims are forgotten.
The fifth and final pillar is Hajj, this, like Zakah, is not likely to be affected when living in another country, because pilgrims travel to Mecca where it takes place. Its is expected that every Muslim should complete the Hajj at least once in his/her lifetime but only if they have the sufficient funds to do so, in effect, those who move to another country to ensure they are more financially stable have a greater chance of being able to afford going on Hajj.
Outside of the scope of the five pillars other major factors which could pose issues to a devout Muslim would be, amongst other things, the facilities available to a Muslim where he/she could worship or talk to other Muslims. Shahid Athar says in his article how places of worship and facilities are limited in most areas and the effect this has on a Muslims attitude towards Islam. “Not every American city has a community centre or a mosque. Even those with such facilities (places of worship) are not active five times a day, seven days a week. Most of the activities are confined to congregational prayer and Sunday school.” He comments that it is impossible to be a devout Muslim if there is no place of worship to attend. Akbar Ahmed gives a far more positive and contrasting view on places of worship. “The growth of this Muslim community (in the west) has been impressive to judge by the mosques: both Germany and France have about a thousand, Britain about five hundred (although they may only be a room or two) The central mosques are full of worshippers, they are beautifully constructed and the hub of Muslim social and religious activity.” His opinion on the advancement of Muslim worship in the west is more positive and gives a brighter outlook to the future of Islam in the west, whilst remaining realistic about the size of mosques in Britain.
A good Muslim, who was a strict follower of the religion, would want to do what is asked of him/her in the Quran, as it is the word of God. The Quran plays a vital role in a Muslims’ submission to Allah as it is revealed by Allah to Mohammed, the last prophet. It is considered to be the last offering of guidance before the day of judgement as to ensuring entrance to paradise and avoiding hell, by pleasing Allah. However, living in a multicultural society means having to live alongside people who have different beliefs, which can cause conflict. The Quran states that Allah does not approve of non-Muslims (non-believers) so it can be very difficult for a Muslim to accept that everyone does not share common beliefs, and this is an issue that any western Muslim is faced with. It says in Surah 13, Ar-Ra’d, verse 14, “…Ad those
whom they (polytheists and disbelievers) invoke, answer them no more than one who stretches forth his hand for water to reach his mouth, but it reaches him not: and the invocation of the disbelievers is nothing but an error (it is of no use).” There is clearly a negative attitude towards non-Muslims being depicted in the Quran, which influences a Muslims actions, but when living in a multicultural society, there are restrictions, such as British law which stop Muslims from acting on these statements made.
The five pillars constitutes a large part of a Muslims practise of Islam and this, as I have found, can be somewhat effected by living in a multicultural society, however, other factors also are affected, such as the family. In my reading on the subject, I found that the family is a vital unit which all Muslims are expected to be associated with. “Undoubtedly, the family lies at the core of Islam’s social laws just as it is the basic unit in all Muslim societies.”7 To what extent, if any, does a multicultural society effect the Islamic family unit?
The issues that face an Islamic family living in the UK vary but all converge to relate to whether a British Muslim family should adopt or be influenced by its multicultural values in any way. The issues that they face in this context range from
deciding upon an Islamic or mainstream education and the problems they face in the long term to the subject of arranged marriages and if there should be some degree of leniency.
Second and third generation Muslims, and even those who have converted to Islam from western religions are considered to be they are leading their lives away from Islamic roots and backgrounds. According to W. H Siddiqui, they are becoming distanced, “Thus, it is observed that few Muslims care for five daily prayers. Some do not feel bad about drinking, dating and dancing…seventy to eighty per cent of all Muslims do not belong to any Islamic centre or mosque, and do not care about them.” On discussing this point with my interviewee, I asked her what she felt about the statement. She told me that she agreed, but only to a certain extent. “As a
second generation Muslim living in the UK, I have restricted myself in being a devout Muslim as I would have been if I was living in Bangladesh. (Where her parents were born and raised) I definitely have a more relaxed attitude to Islam, this is because I am aware of other viewpoints on God, and they do have some influence on my attitude to life, but ultimately for me, it confirms the truth that I have been taught by my parents and the Quran, I couldn’t see myself practising another religion other than Islam.”
As new generations of Muslims emerge, more problems they are faced with surface. As Siddiqui identified, newer Muslims are being distanced from Islamic tradition and are far more relaxed toward the religion; although their families are attempting to remain devout Muslims, religion is not as strictly controlled as it would be in an Islamic country.
Peer pressure is one of the greatest problems facing Muslim youths, as much as they are expected to conform to the expectations of the Quran and ultimately, Allah, it is difficult to resist being seen as normal and like other people of their age. When you are not expected to make friends with non-Muslims and follow the guidance of the Quran, it can be difficult for a person to be accepted by others.
When posing this question to my interviewee, she replied, “Depending on where you are living in the world, it is impractical to stick to what is expected of you if you were to be living in Saudi Arabia. When living in Britain, you simply have to accept certain things, like having to mix with people who have other religious backgrounds, and not being able to follow all of the rules set out in the Quran. I see it as being like this, Allah will love and send you to paradise if you are relatively good, you cannot do all of the things expected of you when living in a totally different country that has different values and such a huge combination of differing values all together.”
As more Muslims are going on to further education, more so than their parents or grandparents did, they are again, widening their perspectives on life and are coming across more people who have different belief, even none at all. Recently, there has been a huge demand in the UK for state funded Islamic schools alongside Jewish and Christian schools. This is an issue that parents are faced with. If they choose to send their children to a religious school they have some form of a guarantee that till a certain age, the child is learning what he/she needs to know about Islam.
When at this school, parents are reassured that their child is a good Muslim and they have been good parents and made the right choice by seeing that Islam comes first. This is a fair enough concept, but there has to be a point where the line is drawn between segregation of children. People with different religious backgrounds that live in the same country cannot be segregated for their entire lives, this just makes living together harder when they actually have to live in the same place.
By choosing to send a child to a Muslim school, its parents are denying the child, the right to learn what other people believe, and to construct his/her own viewpoints from doing this, which to be good Muslims the parents should do. Tory councillor, James Hutchings said, “the key to fewer racial problems was early integration.” It is important for a child to know its background, but to ignore what is going on around you creates more problems in the long run.
John Bowker gives a concept of both sides of the argument, but also introduces a new element to the issue. “Why can’t we talk about Muslim denominational schools rather than separate schools?” In this point, he was attempting to highlight the point that nobody mentions Christian ‘separate’ schools but Muslims schools seem to be classifies as this, which automatically leads to isolation from others.
Along with peer pressure and problems with integration, comes the pressure of having to fit into a group, most importantly, all having things in common. This can affect adults as well as children and youths who are faced with problems of not fitting into their surroundings. This can be a problem, especially when people from different backgrounds have not had the opportunity to mix with each other before and socialising as adults is the first time they come across the situation. Many people tend to drink and smoke when socialising; a Muslim is forbidden from doing this and this can put a lot of pressure on a devout Muslim who wants to be a part of a group but still be faithful to their religion. It seems difficult to try to seem sociable, but not really be able to feel equal when a person is restricted by religion.
Muslims, living in a multicultural society must compromise, to a certain extent, with the habits of his/her surroundings and by refusing to participate in such activities, can isolate a Muslim from others within that surrounding.
In an Islamic country, arranged marriages are acceptable and considered to be the norm. It is possible for a couple to marry outside of the parents intervention, so long as certain conditions are met and these are regulated again by the family, primarily, the parents or elders of the family. In the UK where there is a vary of culture, arranged marriages are not tradition and young Muslims are influenced by the traditions of their home. Again, the subject of compromise arises, a family must maintain they are good Muslims as well as keep their family happy. When I asked my interviewee about the subject she told me; “Arranging a marriage is what usually happens in Islam, it would be unusual and unacceptable to do otherwise, possibly, if your family is quite lenient, you can marry the person of your choice, so long as they are Muslim or prepared to convert and adopt Islam, otherwise, you would be disowned from your family, you couldn’t be a proper Muslim if you did this. It appears that is comes down to the leniency and circumstances of the family and how much they are prepared to tolerate.
Relating to the subject of arranged marriages, there are stark contrasts between men and women in Islam and the positions they hold in an Islamic society, although, in the Quran, women are seen as equal to men, in reality, they are inferior. In an Islamic country, a woman is expected to wear a veil or a burqa, covering her whole body as not to corrupt any men. This can be put into practise when living in a multicultural society, but again isolates women from their community. In the concept of work and education, a woman is not expected to have a very high level of education, although this does vary in different countries, she is also not expected to work, but be supported by her husband or male relations. In the west, this s very different, although some women choose to be homemakers, the majority, many
choose to go out to work and this may be a cause for concern for a Muslim woman. If she wants to be a devout Muslim, it may be seen as against what is right, it would be against Sha’riah law in Islamic countries, but this concept would have no effect in the UK. A woman may be expected to work if she has no real reason not to work, as her religious specifications do not qualify as sufficient justification.
On analysis of the key problems a Muslim faces when living in a multicultural society, it appears that remaining devout is a great difficulty. However, the Qur’an does offer a reassuring outlook for Muslims living as a minority. “And to Allâh belong to the east and the west, so wherever you turn (yourselves or your faces) there is the face of Allah.” Islam is a minority faith in the UK, but many Muslims tend to live in large, mainly Asian communities, and although there are many influences from the west, those who are in real isolation from others of the same faith, face the greatest problems.
John L. Esposito said of the five pillars, “Despite the rich diversity in Islamic practise, the five pillars of Islam remain the core and common denomination; the five essential and obligatory practises all Muslims accept and follow.” The five pillars remain to be a basis of belief in Islam and it is important to all Muslims to maintain these but living in a multicultural society does have some effect on how they are carried out. The pillars Zakah and Hajj are effected by a Muslims faith, which can be somewhat effected by the influences of the west.
The family is also a core unit in Islam and the issues faced by a Muslim family can all be controlled by leniency. For Islamic families living in a multicultural society, living in the west is all about temptations, being lured away from the practise of Islam and Allah (good) towards what goes against the teachings of the Qur’an. However, to remain pious, compromise is the key term. What a Muslim should and shouldn’t do can be determined by their interpretation of the Qur’an, which remains the highest authority in Islam, a guide as to how to be a good Muslim.
Social encounters can vary so greatly when a Muslim lives in the UK and not in an Islamic country. There is such a huge cross section of cultures and religions living together, that can, at times, cause conflict; but ultimately, the interactions of a British Muslim, be it a man or a woman, can lead to the exposure of different viewpoints, possibly which oppose the teachings in the Quran. But it is impossible to remain so absolute, at some point a compromise has to be made, whereby, there is a combination of Islam and British culture that merges. It has, today, become the new generation of British Muslims living in the UK, who adopt a viewpoint which is a combination of backgrounds and the influences of British culture which has formed to become a new British Muslim identity for the generations of Muslims living in the United Kingdom.
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