Islam for today and tomorrow…

People often think: ‘Islam cannot help me in a worldly or materialistic way.’ But to be honest, it does. Having a faith like Islam can give you the support of a community and the structure and the discipline to move forward towards your goals in life.

And it’s important for Imam’s to keep the teachings of Islam up-to-date to show you how relevant they are to you lives.

As an Imam I try give advice – to Muslims and Non-Muslims – but not just from an Islamic point of view but also from a logical point of view.

I also do drug education and youth work about substance abuse within my community and I council people from different ethnicities, backgrounds, social groups and faiths. At first, you can see them all thinking;

‘Whoooah who is this guy with a beard who is going to be talking to me?’

But after I have broken the ice and build up some common ground with them, their preconceptions begin to melt. They forget I am an Imam; I’m just a person who is offering my advice and knowledge to help them.

Just after I graduated as an Imam for the Islamic institute I bumped into some old friends that used to be in my class; some of them were doing the wrong things or had been in prison and they said to me: ‘If we had the chance to do what you did we would do the same now.’

If I had not studied Islam then I think I might have fallen into the same kind of holes that my friends have with done with relationships or even crime – the same ones that many young people do today.

A positive environment is really important for all of us. If you walk through a perfume shop – even if you don’t touch anything – you come out smelling of roses; if you walk through a garbage dump with bad smell that effect will come on you too.

It’s good to spend time with educated and good mannered people – it will rub off on you too! And it will help you achieve your goals in life and make a better person of yourself!

A few tips on dealing with prejudice…

I know it can be hard to deal with prejudice against you; especially for young Muslims who have just starting practising the faith and who might be wearing headscarves and beards for the first time.

You will get looks from people on the bus or on the streets; some of them might think you are ‘an extremist’ or a ‘Looney’; you might even hear racist comments or be the subject of bullying. But don’t get discouraged or disheartened. These people are ignorant and need to be educated. Stay focused on your prayers and Allah will Inshallahu Ta’la (God Willing) support and help you. This is where the faith kicks in.

My advice to you young people is: don’t give up and don’t be afraid to speak up.

Do not fight or argue just explain calmly what it is your doing and how you see yourself, in response to how they are seeing you.

Set them straight.

Talk.

Firstly listen and then explain.

Remember: first educate yourself – so that you can educate others.

If you can clear up one misunderstanding you will be educating not just this person, but their family, their friends and their children as well. Here you would be dealing the root of the problem and you will be preventing misunderstanding and even violence in the future.