Exposing Muslim Youth to American Culture

834 Words2 Pages

Every second of every day, the Muslim American youth is exposed to fashion, music, and entertainment. The American culture glorifies Hollywood and all of this special kingdom’s “stars”; immersed in this environment, Muslim Americans intuitively start to follow these trends as they yearn for popularity and acceptance. When one walks toward Hollywood, Hollywood runs toward this individual, sucking him or her into the utopian paradise through magazines, reality shows, and celebrity news like a high-powered vacuum. Once one takes a step into the innocent looking sand, he will quickly notice that he has just placed his foot upon the barbaric quicksand as the desires for fame and fortune overpower all else.
Walking through the halls of public schools in the U.S., Muslims are encircled by the Hollywood-like trials of the dunya from every angle: the way female’s dress, the way opposite genders mingle, and the way rumors run through the school like wildfire. Engrossed in such an environment for at least thirty hours a week, many Muslims drift away from their core values as they start to act upon their natural desires without any sense of restraint. They start to perceive notions such as a serious premarital relationship and a party replete with drinking and dancing as acceptable. Over time, fellow Muslims drag other brothers and sisters into this life of living without any restraints, causing the deterioration of the Muslim youth. At the end of the day, only the strong Muslims, who carry their Islamic faith in their hearts, survive.
The influence of the liberal culture stands as an inevitable reality of life in the United States. In the process of developing and crafting their identity in high school, Muslims face a prodig...

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...e Muslim youth are struggling to stay true to their central, Islamic values. Anas bin Malik (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “There shall come upon the people a time in which the one who is steadfast upon his religion will be like the one holding onto a burning ember” (Hasan) [Chapters on Al-Fitan: Jami At-Tirmidhi]. This hadith explains that the Muslim Ummah will pass through periods when wickedness, sinfulness and immoral behavior will personify the norm of society, and the believers will find it extremely arduous to preserve their iman and paddle against the surging waves of the worldly trials and tribulations. Grasping onto one’s iman under these conditions will be like holding on to a burning piece of coal in the palm of one’s hand. We ask that Allah protect our youth from the overbearing, malevolent pressures of contemporary society.

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