When Allah created humanity, He endowed each person with physical, mental, and psychological traits that differ from those of others. This diversity is a sign of His creation, as He says in the Quran: “And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge.” (Ar-Rum: 22)
Diversity in creation is one of Allah's laws and a reflection of His greatness in creation and innovation. It is no wonder that each person's identity differs from that of others, making them unique. As Amin Maalouf states in his book “Killer Identities,” “My identity is what makes me unlike anyone else.”
Identity is formed from a range of varying elements in strength and importance, starting with name, gender, religious practices, beliefs, sect, family or tribe, city, and country. All these elements and more shape one's personal identity.
Challenges Facing the Identity of Muslims in the West
There are numerous challenges facing contemporary Muslim identity in general, and specifically the identity of Muslims living in the West, whether they are newcomers or born there as part of the new generations, among which are:
The new generations of Muslims face complex existential questions for which many do not find sufficient answers amidst a materialistic civilization that heavily weighs on the heart and soul.
These questions relate to the purpose of life, the mystery of existence, what happens after we leave this world, our relationship with the universe around us, and who we are. Such questions might not be as explicitly posed in Arab and Islamic countries, but they press on the minds of the youth in the West.
The Western environment is a source of atheism, a breeding ground for doubt in established certainties, and a starting point for rebellion against religions.
The impact of the Middle Ages on the relationship between the Church and life is not far from us, which placed religion under constant scrutiny and attack.
There is nothing here that encourages being religious or calls for it, but rather the opposite, despite the increasing interest in Islam recently due to a variety of reasons that this article cannot fully address.
This challenge imposes numerous responsibilities on families and Islamic institutions to provide the new generations with solid knowledge that instills certainty, protects faith and religion, and shields the youth from the pitfalls of intellectual confusion, misunderstanding, and deviated purpose.
- Islam with Western Specifications:
Islam has never been an adversary to people; it has always aligned itself with the oppressed and the weak. Is there any other religion that has declared war for the sake of the poor except Islam? When the Arab tribes refused to pay Zakah to the first Caliph of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), he dragged their faces through the mud and declared war against them in defense of the rights of the poor.
Islam stands as an unshakable mountain against tyrants, those with self-interests, ambitions, and whims, and those who unjustly consume the wealth of others. At the same time, it extends its hand in peace, a path for constructive dialogue, with goodwill, generosity, and benevolence towards all people.
There are millions of dollars spent on research centers in the West and the East to turn people away from the path of Allah.
The influential “lobbies” view Islam as a challenge to their interests, an obstacle to their agendas and culture, and a barrier to the lifestyles they want to impose on the world. Hence, they repeatedly attempt to create an Islam that fits the Western model—an Islam that is domesticated, weak, and compliant with whatever is dictated to it. They want a Quran without the Sunnah, a creed without Sharia, and ever-changing rulings. Even then, they will not be satisfied with us, no matter how much of our religion and identity we give up for them.
This is one of the significant threats facing the new generations in the West. Tens of millions are spent on research centers to divert people from the path of Allah. The most dangerous aspect is that many Muslims consume what Western universities produce in terms of studies and knowledge, which predominantly aim to create an Islam different from the one Allah intended for us: “[And say, 'Ours is] the religion of Allah. And who is better than Allah in [ordaining] religion? And we are worshippers of Him.'” (Al-Baqarah 138)
In 2007, the “RAND” Corporation, affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense, issued a report on the suitable model of Islam that America wants. Colonial powers, past and present, can accept an Islam with a Sufi flavor, but they do not accept a vibrant Islam that connects this life with the Hereafter, reason with revelation, science with faith, balances material and spiritual aspects, constants and variables, and creates an independent Muslim personality in thought, perspective, direction, and choice. This personality accepts all that is beneficial and rejects what contradicts its values and beliefs without hesitation.
This is a significant challenge facing the identity of Muslims in the West. Nonetheless, we affirm that Islamic institutions and Muslim families are making tremendous efforts on all fronts to preserve the identity of the new generations.
- Family and the Challenge of Identity:
It is evident that the family in our time and environment has never faced a global war on its values, principles, and concepts as it does now. It is crucial for the Muslim family in the West to recognize the intellectual changes that have affected the concept of the family in the postmodern era. Dr. Taha Abdel Rahman, in his book “The Spirit of Modernity,” discusses the ideas that have emerged regarding the concept of the family from a Western perspective under the title “The Western Family System and Directed Specification”: The modern family was encouraged to separate from traditional morals, which are rooted in religion, on the grounds that they are, in their view, inhumane, irrational, and non-secular. Thus, they proposed the necessity of separating ethics from religion by adopting three principles:
- Human-centric Approach: This principle assumes that humans are capable of managing their own affairs independently, implying a separation from God.
- Rationalism: This advocates relying solely on reason in our thoughts and behaviors, abandoning the reliance on divine revelation, thus implying a separation from divine guidance.
- Worldly Attachment: This principle suggests focusing exclusively on worldly matters in our actions and dealings, abandoning concerns for the Hereafter, thus implying a separation from the Hereafter.
Threats facing the family institution through laws and legislation are a grim omen for the entire world.
The dominance of these principles over contemporary family ethics leads to further isolation of morals from religion within the family framework and isolation of the family from society and even from itself. The foundation of the world’s well-being lies in the well-being of the family, and the foundation of the world’s ruin lies in the collapse of the family. Hence, the significant attention to the Muslim family and its complete system is evident in the Holy Quran, particularly in Surah Al-Baqarah, through numerous ayahs.
Furthermore, the clear reference in Surah At-Talaq indicates that the ruin of the world lies in the collapse of the family. Allah the Almighty says, “And how many a city was insolent toward the command of its Lord and His messengers, so We took it to severe account and punished it with a terrible punishment. And it tasted the bad consequence of its affair, and the outcome of its affair was loss. Allah has prepared for them a severe punishment; so fear Allah, O you of understanding who have believed. Allah has sent down to you the Qur'an.” (At-Talaq: 8-10)
The threats facing the Muslim family in particular and the family in general through laws and legislation, the state of intellectual and psychological terror practiced by states and institutions in societies, and the frantic efforts to impose a deviant model from its innate nature on the masses are indeed a grim omen for the world. Every rational and wise person must hold fast to the identity of the family and its natural model that Allah the Almighty has created people upon.
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