A PhD student discusses what it’s like being a young Muslim man in today’s world.
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“I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better”
Abraham Lincoln
Like everyone else I was horrified by the recent shootings in Orlando which killed 49 people… perhaps more so because I am a Muslim. Islam teaches Muslims around the world to be peaceful. In fact, the word ‘Islam’ means peace and there are hundreds of examples of being patient and tolerant towards others in the Quran (holy book). At a very young age I was taught how to read the Quran in Arabic. My Arabic teacher was a great man who had the patience of a saint, while I was never the ideal student. Like many young Muslim boys at the age of 8 , I made mistakes with my Arabic pronunciation. Nevertheless, Islam has played a major part in my upbringing and from a very early age I learned that religion can indeed shape a man’s character.
I grew up in a normal family just like many other Muslim young men around the world. My parents were always keen that I attended school, got the best education, and continued to work hard to have the opportunities that they never had. My friends would always tell me at school that I had the best parents. At the time I may not have agreed as my parents would make me stay behind at school and attend extra classes to complete homework. Today I have a different view; my parents are two of the most important people in my life and they are indeed an inspiration because they taught me the real Islam. Cainkar (2014) in her essay discusses the religious upbringing experiences and reflection of 53 Muslim American youth as part of a larger sociological study of Arab American teenagers living transnationally. An interesting finding by Cainkar (2014) was that young Muslims who grew up in vibrant communities in the United States (US) of America, attended mosque congregation and Islamic schools, and had extended family close by had a positive American experience. It appears that a proper understanding of Islam helps young people integrate as they are able to share commonalities and values (Cainkar, 2014).
The religion of Islam that I know reminds me on a daily basis about the importance of listening to my parents, valuing life, showing respect to others and distancing oneself from all acts of evil. Yet writing this article I question what has happened to young Muslim men who commit acts of terrorism around the world and what makes them so different from me. Unfortunately, there are no simple answers. There is still not enough known about why young men carry out acts of terrorism and there is not a great deal of research undertaken in this area. Yet given that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States (Post and Sheffer, 2007), one would assume that more research is required to understand the perceptions of young men and their cultural association not only to the country they claim to be home, but also the temptation of radicalization.
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Like everyone else I was horrified by the recent shootings in Orlando which killed 49 people… perhaps more so because I am a Muslim.
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Post and Sheffer’s (2007) paper found that young Muslim men feel ‘alienated and rejected’ and this is a growing problem. What is even more alarming, though is how the authors themselves state that there is confusion “among some in the U.S. population about what it means to be a Muslim.” (Post and Sheffer, 2007, p, 108). Interesingly, Cainkar (2014, p, 621) also made the same point in her conclusion (2007) about ‘experiences that inform subjective interpretations of what it means to be Muslim’. While perhaps in the US there appears uncertainty about being a Muslim, in other parts of the world (for example, in the United Kingdom) discussions about ‘Muslim identity’ are taking place and a current a survey in the UK has shown that 64% of Muslim young people associate with being ‘British’ (Thomas and Sanderson, 2011).
This article was written in response to current events in Orlando. I do not claim to have all the answers and I am not a religious scholar. However, I do have an important role to play just like every other young Muslim man around the globe to put a stop to acts of terrorism. My message to all young Muslim men is this: Think about your actions and consequences before you carry out acts of crime which are not Islamic, understand Islam properly and if you are searching for answers, approach the right people to guide you.
The world can indeed be a complicated place at times. However, that should never stop us coming together in enlightening young minds, driving out darkness and putting down our weapons.
References
Cainkar, L. (2014) Learning to Be Muslim – Transnationality. Religious 2014, 5, 594-622
Kundnani, A. (2009) Spooked: How not to Prevent Violent Extremism. London: Institute of Race Relations.
Post M, Jerrold and Sheffer, G. (2007) The Risk of Radicalization and Terrorism in U.S. Muslim Communities. The Brown Journal of World Affairs; Spring 2007; 13, 2; ABI/INFORM Global, pg. 101
Thomas, P. & Sanderson, P. (2011) Unwilling Citizens? Muslim Young People and National Identity. Sociology, 45 (6) 1028-1044
Photo: Flickr – LASZLO ILYES/”Sultanahmet Mosque”
Good article and I appreciate you writing it. “I question what has happened to young Muslim men who commit acts of terrorism around the world and what makes them so different from me.” They are no less and no more then “radical”, What you’re experiencing is what Christians in the US have experienced for years and that is a society that’s taken the radicals and made them the norm. I could easily ask the same question where it comes to Christian faiths in that I don’t know what’s happen where these radicals are so venomous and cruel in the name… Read more »
Thank you for your feedback. I think for me its about coming together regardless of what religion we represent. The world has enough problems and I am trying to say in the article that we need to unite. No matter what religion, whether Christianity or Islam, we all share similar values of love and respect and I just hope that we can all find it in our hearts to show care and compassion towards each other. Every time I read about someone dying it makes me sad, regardless of who they and I hope I can do my small bit… Read more »