reflection of american muslim Written by Madiha Najeeb
Continued from page 1
Therefore to establish our future, we must establish Muslims youth. Our fear is that it is possible that many of our Muslims youth will be lost to community by one way or another. I hope that this does not happen. The reasons for my fear are as such: The America is a melting pot. The heat is enough of social peer pressure that people do get melted down in their values. They get lost. They may not be able to preserve their Islamic identity. It is possible that a new revised, modem and reformed version of Islam and Muslims will emerge which will based on more on secular lines with “modern” thinking than basic Islamic teachings. We see this in many civilizations who have pursed line of modernization without deep thinking, whether it is in turkey or Iran during days of Shah. The second fear is that of their being lost with intermarriages. Unless we encourage Muslims youth to marry only Muslims when they reach that age and make that decision, it is possible that future generation may be lost. Although it is permitted for a Muslim man to marry a woman of people of book, there are several problems related to this. Unless his wife becomes a practicing Muslim, future of children and their children to remain Muslims is not guaranteed. If there is a divorce in family, which does happen frequently, then custody of child goes to mother, who will remains a Jew or a Christian. More important, question is what will happen to Muslim girls if all Muslim boys choose to marry people of book? Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-Muslim men, and if they do, they would not be able to maintain Islam in their children, whose father are not Muslims. Therefore, development and maintains of intact Muslims families is key to survival of Islam in America. My third concern about youth is regarding their education. I m not talking about secular education, rather then Islamic education. Parents have this attitude to drop their kids off at Sunday school and for it to provide a full Islamic education and secular ideas. Therefore Sunday schools with a lack of funds and resources are not able to do right job, either. The result is that most of education which Muslims youth receive is superficial and “hearsay” rather than basic didactic Islamic education, unless some of them study on their owns. With lack of true education, our outlook about issues many change, and we may develop an attitude that” there is nothing wrong in this” as there is no mention in Quran and suunah, will become part of Islam, or at least of practicing habit of people. This is how culture Islam develops. With regarding to secular education, parents can play important role in directing their youth’s educational future. The desire of most parents that children become doctor, engineers is always not necessary. There are other fields as well that Muslims should go into to serve nation. In order for us to have a significant impart on decision-making process in this country, we need to have a lobby in each organization with grassroots support. We must create such types of organizations in which they must keep youth together, where we should not give them an umbrella to do their own things in their own way without parental supervision. There has to be adult supervision. The rules of shariah should apply to them, and they must follow their daily routines of Islam. There is a fear that an American version of Islam may emerge among American Muslims, especially youth. Our hope is that this will not happen, and Muslims in America will raise themselves on being just Muslims, caring for loving all other Muslims around world. Our love for our family should not reflect in providing for them all worldly facilities like clothing, food, house, car e.t.c., but more importantly safeguarding their future in both worlds.”O you who believe, save yourself and your family from a fire”. In this regard, Islam and education of Muslim women is a matter of prime importance! The first school for a Muslim child is going to be his or her home. What kind of”teacher” has he? Yes, our hope is in our family, and hope is in our youth. We hope that our families will remain intact as Muslims families and will be to preserve Islam in their homes and propagates it outside home. We hope that youth and adult of tomorrow of today are better Muslims in future, in term of practicing Islam and love and unity among themselves. We hope that they will be better prepared to deal with situations and American issues. The present-day Muslim adult are living in isolation, not being part of mainstream American society. We hope that Muslim youth who are born and raised in this society will be able to mix with non-Muslims with conviction, maintaining their own identity in order to offer solutions for country in which they are born. Society as such is on a decline because of its moral decay and breakup of social fabric. We hope that Islam in its pure form, when practiced by a large number of Americans, will be able to save America from such decay by offering a viable social alternative. The future of Islam is not at stake, but that of those who profess to be its followers is. “By token of time mankind is at loss except as those who have true belief and pure actions and join together in mutual teaching of truth and patience.”CONCLUSION:- The main point is that Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) had said: “The nations will be gathered against you like those who are invited to a feast while they are starving.” The companions asked, “Is this going to occur when we will be few in numbers?” The messenger of God (P.B.U.H) replied: ”No, you will be in large numbers, but you will be like foam, that floats on ocean. Your enemies will no longer fear you. The wham will be in your heart.” They asked what is wham? He replied: “The love of this life and fear of death.”
None
| | US Marine Kills Unarmed IraqiWritten by Gary R. Hess
Continued from page 1
Q: Is this a one time only instance or has this sort of thing happened before? A: Numerous underground news agencies have reported instances where soldiers have shot and killed civilians since early days of war. One instance which I remember quite well was a group of soldiers taking two teenage brothers from a home and killing one and drowning other. Also cases of rape of women have been told as well as murdering males within villages. Q: What action should United States take towards Iraq now? A: The United States should seek immediate help from United Nations and pull 90% of its troops out of Iraq making way for a broader spectrum of nations helping cause and putting soldiers under less stress.
For more articles like this check out Opinion Articles.
|
