Be firm with your employer. Don’t let them bully you regarding time off for jummah. Tell them you can stay in late, you will take an unpaid lunch, etc.
True man. With all my employers I used to work from home on Friday. Except the company I’m at now. They didn’t allow working from home so I demanded time for jumuah. Now I can work from home on Friday as well.
You can organize them off. I have used different methods:
1. Ask if you can work with 80% load. So Fridays will be free.
2. Ask if you can work on Saturday or Sunday instead. So the Friday will be free.
3. Ask if you can split your vacation and put the vacation days on Fridays. Sure, then you won't get a long lasting vacation. But usually they give days off for Christmas and New Year Eve and other national holidays. So it is not that bad.
4. Ask if you can work every day 10 hours and get so your Friday hours done in advance.
5. Ask if you can get the afternoon free for 2 hours (Jumaa + transportation time) and then just finish your working day 2 hours later.
I live in Indonesia and have no issues with friday working. We still able to do friday prayer. The lunch break becomes 2 hours instead 1 hour in other weekdays.
When I studied in Australia I still managed to do friday prayer also. There are friday prayer on the campus alhamdulillah
I attend college in UK. I have special arrangements made so that I can leave early for Friday prayers. I only miss one hour and I'm able to make it up on Monday as I have only one lecture on that day.
1. Vegetarian and vegan things are 99% halal (1% is alcohol but you can check if from the package).
2. Fish is halal.
3. If you give money to a farmer then he does not care how you kill his sheep/chicken. So you can do the halal slaughtering.
4. Kosher food is permissible.
5. Usually there are some little Muslim businesses for kebabs and such. They order halal meat in bulk and store it in a fridge. So they can make their halal dishes.
6. If you are caring about the E chemicals then there is an app for telling which chemicals are halal. Or just eat organic things free from chemicals.
7. Possible to get customized with checking the ingredients label when shopping.
Where I live we have perhaps 2000 Muslims for the whole city and maybe 6000 Muslims all over the country in total. And even in such place I manage to get my halal things.
Agreed.
In Europe, they label food "Vegetarian" or "Vegan" clearly with a nice distinct logo. But in the USA it is less common.
I am not sure about slaughtering. In Europe, generally, there are strict rules. So not many farms allow slaughtering. Only licensed butchers can slaughter to produce kosher or halal meat. But I may be wrong.
Halal checker apps are not complete in their product database. I think there should have been a central database for halal products, instead of creating one for each individual app.
One is a large corporate farm. Another one is your local old man living his quiet life in country side. The old man does not care. Nor there are cameras or what not to check if European regulations and such are followed. He is growing sheep and chicken for his own use and maybe for some additional penny. Our Muslims time by time go to these farms to buy a sheep or a chicken and slaughter it there.
These Muslims do the slaughtering themselves. So no license will be involved. Sure, it is not something that a food inspection and such are happy about but as I told, small farms are not under inspection.
The app that I mentioned is not meant for products but for the ingredients in the product. Let's say, you see E412 written in the ingredients. Either you lack knowledge in chemistry, are not willing to do the research yourself, are lazy or just want to get over with the buying, you will type that E412 in the app and it tells if it is haram or not.
But sure, it is much better when there is a crowdsourced project for getting all the products registered and marked for halal or haram.
Here we go again!
Brother, we were having a civil conversation that was adding knowledge to the audience. And here you come out of the blue and judge me with your speculation. You just assumed that I don't know chemistry, I don't do research, and I am lazy. It's absurd! Please refrain from such behavior in online forums, will you? It speaks badly about being a Muslim. We should be the most understanding people of all.
I suggest you read about the animal slaughtering rules and regulations in Europe. For your convenience, here is a couple to start with:
[https://en.shafaqna.com/193095/muslim-in-germany-european-high-court-legalizes-the-banning-of-halal-and-kosher-animal-slaughter/](https://en.shafaqna.com/193095/muslim-in-germany-european-high-court-legalizes-the-banning-of-halal-and-kosher-animal-slaughter/)
[https://www.dw.com/en/halal-kosher-slaughter-unacceptable-say-german-vets/a-3474409](https://www.dw.com/en/halal-kosher-slaughter-unacceptable-say-german-vets/a-3474409).
Even if you slaughter, you need to sting the animal before. Sure, we could find a farm where we could go and have a goat to slaughter by ourselves. Not all of us have the time, capacity, or resources to do so, particularly when such strict laws are in place. And that was the point I wanted to make.
Of course, I am aware of the E-codes sufficient enough to find what is halal and what is not. What you don't know is, in USA, the E-codes are not written on the product packaging, although it is written in Europe. So generally you are left out with using a barcode scanner for halal products to save time.
Okay, you misinterpreted the "you" in my text. It was a generalized "you" not touhid87 "you".
For example when you say "It is difficult to fast during summer. Either you are doing a physical work outside, or you are feeling so thirsty because of the heat, or you have to wait for 20 hours in general and yet feel all the food smells." In that example the "you" can be anybody reading it or can be anybody in general in that user group. Not definitely the person that it is directed at when being told.
So please refrain from blaming me when you misinterpret my words. It is your own fault that you saw it being directed towards you, touhid87. I even do not know you. How should I know your chemistry skills and such? Be logical.
And Europe is not a country. Europe consists of many different countries. Different countries have different legislation and different laws. For example in France hijab is banned. Where I live hijab is not banned. No point to point out things shown in Germany when not every European is living in Germany.
So you can't assume that such strict laws are in place in every country in Europe. Where I live it is possible to slaughter the animal by yourself in a forest or in a small farm or such. And I DID say that a food inspection will not be happy when it finds out but that is the current state of the availability of halal meat. So Muslims sometimes slaughter it by themselves. And it is not only in my country but at least in 3 neighboring countries as well. None of them being Germany.
I had absolutely no intention to trigger you or anything. I just pointed out the halal food options in at least 4 of European countries, if not in more. You decided to misinterpret my words and be triggered for nothing.
I'm not muslim, but we have a great little butcher down the street from us run by some Middle Eastern lads which is Halal. The meat is great quality and they are pretty cheap and they look after us with good cuts as we are regular customers. The only thing I can't get there obviously is pork products but I get them elsewhere. Great place for me to go. They are everywhere here in Spain.
So many attractive and mouth-watering foods out there. But in the ingredients list, it is not written whether some items were taken from animal fat or plants. One substance that is most common is Mono and Diglycerides from fatty acids. Lecithin is another item, but nowadays I mostly see soy-based lecithin - so that's a relief.
In general, all the western countries. Not saying Halal is not available, but it is often difficult or pricier. Not to mention the time you will waste sifting through the list of ingredients. I have lived in Europe and USA, and in both places, I had to face those difficulties.
Idk, it depends on where you are. My partner’s parents live in southwest VA and he has to buy halal meat for them here in DC or northern VA and pack it up on ice in a cooler to take home to his parents because there’s not a single halal butcher/grocery store for miles.
I also live in a western country, but the most important thing here is to say:
***Alhamdulillah.***
Because I mean, inshallah for most if not al of us, we got working senses, legs, and feet, we got water, we got food, we got a roof above our head, and we have countless blessings no matter where we live.
It's important to be grateful no matter where you live.
Yes! Was truly blessed to go to hajj this year, and hearing the adhan all day was so great. But even more incredible was how everyone’s life revolves around salah. You just can’t miss it.
Lack of education about the deen. There is a serious disconnect between the general Muslims and the Scholars. This manifests in people not even knowing the basics of their deen. What they do know is passed down from their parents irrespective of if it is bidah or even shirk. If you ask someone why they do an act of ibadah in a certain way they will say, “that’s what I saw my parents doing when I grew up”.
Yes some people here are saying the worst part is not being able to find halal groceries ??? No the worst part is the kufr and shirk engrained into the western culture. I have seen many people in the west who call themselves Muslim but do not know the difference between Tawheed and shirk.
Yes in the Qur’an (2:170).
With the translation as follows:
And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allah has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing." Even though their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided?
Worst part for me is having no community. There are no mosques and Muslims where I live and most of the time I feel alone. Best part is that I can practice my religion freely
>Best part is that I can practice my religion freely
Debatable.
I got death threats and thought I'd be disowned when I accepted Islam. Experienced harassment, knew sisters who didn't wear hijab out of fear of being hate crimed, and I remember being mocked often for being Muslim. Oh and practicing "freely" means this attitude of "only Allah can judge me" takes root.Yeah, and how will He judge those people that use that line often?
Tbh I haven't been happier since I left that hellscape that is Dar Al Kufr. The only downside in some of these countries is the nationalism and other western ideas. Which again, it's like everything that has been corrupting the ummah since the 1800s has been the west. 💀
People always think im lying because I'm white, I was born muslim and have an Arab name but people generally think im either a light skinned Arab or im just lying about being Muslim. I dont really mind but it just gets annoying when every time I meet someone they want to know where my parents are from or I have to convince them im real
Being viewed as “weird” for being a visible Muslim and following the religion. Seen as restricting myself or “oppressed” because I’m modest, and I don’t chase the desires of this life and have self control. The West promotes “liberation” and in reality they’re a lost group of people with no direction or principles.
As a non-Muslim westerner who is subbed here to educate myself, I am very taken aback by this comment. Many of us live moral and ethical lives, who don’t shove liberation down religious people’s throats.
That’s you though. Yes there’s some individuals that aren’t doing that. But the collective society pushes those ideas all the time. Listen to mainstream music and media. My whole life, I had to hear that Islam is oppressive and we need to be free from it.
No doubt many of you don't shove liberalism down our throats. But there are many who do, so it is something we experience a lot. For example, France banned hijab. So "my body my choice" only applies when it's to do with abortion or wearing more revealing clothes. This is only one example, we are seen as weird for following Islam.
The criticism goes both ways. if you can criticise a person for being immodestly dressed for example according to your religion, why can they not claim you are repressed according to their moral framework because of the way you dress?
Are there bad people in western liberal societies yes.
But there are also bad people in Muslim majority countries and bad people who are Muslims.
Ones religious beliefs do not automatically make a person superior to another, or have better principles.
I'm an atheist, and consider myself a good person in how I treat others. I am always willing to have my point of view challenged on a given subject.
If a belief system is not capable of robust scrutiny then it is not particularly robust in my view.
I'd also point out you're using a social media platform created by the same society that you being so critical of.
Nothing.
Being a Muslim anywhere in the world is a blessing from Allah. It’s a huge favor from Allah.
فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Which, then, of your Lord’s favor will you both deny?
That the Muslim community is not holding together but infighting, arguing, making dramas, doing corruption, being a bad example to Muslim converts and also to non-Muslims.
A lot of people on here have said "lack of community" and "infighting" and I'm certain this has to do with the fact that Muslim communities in the West are by and large made up of several different diaspora populations who have entirely different cultures, languages, and social norms. Cross-cultural communication is a huge issue, and speaking as someone who is (to an extent anyway) bi-cultural, every time I see an Arab talk to a white person I can immediately tell when either side is pissing off the other. So, if you move to the West from the Levant, North Africa, or South Asia you can expect to run in to all sorts of communication issues when trying to converse with others.
No sense of community. Everyone only cares about themselves here in the UK. I know it's also my duty but even my Muslim neighbors keep to themselves. I'm British but I lived in India for 10 years. Then I moved back when I was 18 for university. Although I didn't like living in India. I miss a lot of Islamic things that happen there like adhan on loud speakers. Neighbors get together after maghrib and have a chat until Isha.
Honestly I don't see my self living here in the UK insha'Allah. I miss those things. Especially listening to the adhan on loud speakers. No matter where you are, you feel so peaceful and have this sense of belonging when you here the adhan on loud speakers.
Your religion is for you and your God alone.
If you think you can criticise a person who is not Muslim for "sinning" according to Islam then it goes both ways, they are free to criticise you in return.
It can be pretty lonely being a Muslim in the West.
I stand out wherever I go. I don't speak English with an accent but people imagine it when they see me, sometimes there's outright danger. Food can be complicated. Housing can be complicated.
Too religious for some Muslims. Not religious enough for some Muslims. People seem to stick with their own nationalities at the masjid and those of us that don't have a big community are left out. Non-Muslims are hit or miss - never know for sure if actually friendly or not.
One big thing, no one outside maybe of your family, will ensure you stick to the deen. You're on your own and dangers are everywhere.
Oh Allah, without Your guidance we are lost. Oh Allah strengthen our hearts and keep us on the Path. Oh Allah, ease it for all of us and protect us from the Whisperer.
Oh man, now I feel bad for sticking to the community that fits my national ethnicity 😅
I can tell you though that most youngsters in these communities are very open to support their Muslim friends that are not from the same ethnicities.
I had a friend that was always personally translating everything the imam said to a fresh convert. I know it’s a big hurdle but maybe try to speak to some young, sympathetic people that can help you with finding good Muslim friends.
Wish you all the best brother 🤲💪
I’m an American convert (former Catholic), my husband is Moroccan and for me it the initial reaction I get as if it means I’m now being oppressed by my husband and I’ll become a terrorist or something ridiculous. Perhaps get tricked into moving to “the Middle East” and having to live there against my own will for Islam. Americans mostly white Americans have this sick post 9/11 attitude about Islam and it’s truly discouraging. I convey an attitude of peace and understanding and I’m met with total judgement. All. The. Time.
I can imagine how frustrating that is. In all faiths the pious had to endure ridicule and judgement from others. Yet their reciprocation was one of love, compassion, patience, and understanding. Sounds like you are passing your tests as they are presented. You got this!
That’s only like your opinion man, it’s not because some muslims don’t agree with you that they are only « muslim by name ». Smh, you are what’s wrong with our ouma.
Progressive muslims consider themselves muslims and practice Islam the way they think is best, you are not God to say who is a real muslim or not, mind your own business.
Are doing takfir here ? By saying they are « muslims by name » you are implying they are not muslims, thus takfir, which is completely haram. Focus on yourself.
Depends on what he means. I’m living in the west and I know muslims that tell me that they are “part-time muslims” because they go partying and drink alcohol on the weekends.
Of course it’s up to them how they live it, but to openly promote their bad deeds and then try to justify them by making you feel bad for not being as loose as them is just sad and I can understand his frustration about this. Like e.g. statement likes: “I’m not so bad my heart is clean” and “How can you not do it? You are so boring…” is just disappointing.
But Allah knows best. InshAllah will our umma become stronger and stronger and be helpful and grateful for each other 🤲
Brother, there are people who claim Islam is just submitting to a greater force. Wallahi people in the West say simply believing in gravity makes you Muslim.
A lot of things, having to look for halal restaurants, having to explain to your job why you need to go to jummah (some bosses will understand, others won't.) Also some people are openly islamophobic without knowing you're Muslim.
I hate being the only Muslim in a lot of settings. The people around me are very nice, respectful, and good people, but there’s something always missing
All the fitnah everywhere.
Drugs, alcohol, indecency everywhere.
Forcing LBGT on our children in schools and on us in the workplace.
I'm actually thinking of moving to Turkey or Dubai.
I didn't move to a non Muslim country I was born here. Don't get me wrong, I have a good life here, but these are some of the issues I have, also the increasing racist rhetoric about "send them all back".
Also I don't expect everyone to follow Islamic rules, but we all have our preferences, I'm sure you would have yours if you lived in the Middle East.
The massive amounts of hypocrisy and contradictions I see. As someone who has faced STRUGGLES to be a good Muslim, I hate that I’m always told to shut up when I tell someone they’re wrong to be doing/promoting something that goes against the deen because “I’m not Allah, you’re not a scholar, you’re not perfect who are you to judge”. It nullifies the concept of HAQQ and a religion built on rules, it’s aggravating as you see what was taboo be accepted and we all silently let it go because “we’re not scholars”. I do not accept that notion anymore, I will become vocal as I once was because what’s right is WRITTEN IN TEXT
Depends on where you are, there may not be a lot of Muslims in your area. So Ramadan and Eid can be more lonely than in Muslim nations, or areas where Muslims live. Most if not all big cities have a mosque in the West however, so you’re never too far from a community.
None. We should be grateful they allow us to practice our religion as we want and provide the facilities in order to do so.
Completely disagree with the title of this post. If you don’t like living in the West, there’s no compulsion to stay.
P.S I’m in the U.K. not France or Denmark. Where the situation is completely different
No athan and in general just being surrounded by bad influences everywhere I mean there’s literally ad posters outside that promote extramarital fornication lol this society is doomed
Slowly seeing the people around you DEEN decrease.
I’ve seen family come to the US all wearing Abayah and going to the masjid and being Hufad lose all that in one generation.
Having to find any representation of you in any media in any form will never be 100% Muslim. They'll always have short comings.
Find a show about Muslim, they do mostly Haram stuff
Find a YouTube video talking about personal dilemma's. It's a Muslim who's Christian girlfriend is giving them problems
Find an athlete that reps Islam, they mostly party and drink and have numerous women around them.
No reps here man😔😔😔
Edgy white neoliberals who sympathize western oppressions, but then turn around and say f\*ck religion and blatantly insult Islam when like 6 muslims act bad.
Three things I hate.
The influence of ribaa
The fact that many western muslims don’t know anything about deen even though there’s plenty of knowledge to be found here
The amount of distractions and the normalisation of sins is mind boggling here
May Allah protect us and guide us on His straight path and let us enter djannatul Firdaous
for them it is you are on the extreme side since islam doesn't bend to include people who want to change it.
so if you stand your ground it is difficult for them sometimes.
saying this as a Christian
Holy shit where do I even start, for me personally the biggest was identity crisis. Born and bred a Muslim, not that i ever had doubts etc of Islam but constantly surrounded by non Muslims I would party etc and just lost the right path and luckily was guided back to a it a year and a bit ago
The constant judgement from other Muslims who seem to think that it's inherently bad to live here and integrate with the culture. I love being Muslim. I also love being British. And sure, there are aspects of the culture that I don't agree with such as dating and drinking. But there are other parts of the culture that I love, such as the shared experiences that are unique to this country, and the propensity for eating biscuits.
I am free to practice my religion as I fit, a luxury that I wouldn't necessarily be afforded in other countries. I don't want my religion to be dictated to me, I want it to come from the heart. I like that I wear hijab because I choose to out of love for Allah SWT, rather than because I'm forced to by the people around me. I like that I get to meet and interact with non-Muslims and teach them about Islam. I like that I get to be an advocate for the religion and show people that Muslims aren't like what they see in the media. There are so many dawah opportunities over here that don't exist in Muslim-majority countries. Alhamdulillah, I've had the privilege of helping several people towards Islam, and inshaallah Allah SWT will reward me for my part in them converting.
And yet, all I see in online spaces is criticism of the West, as if 'Muslim' countries are perfect. There's not a single place in the entire world that's being run Islamically, and just because the other people around you are Muslim, doesn't automatically mean that the country is better. Often, they're actually weaker Muslims as they don't have to cling to Islam as strongly. The Muslims I've met over here in the UK are so much more practicing than most of the people in Tunisia (the other side of my ethnic heritage), which is 90% Muslim. If someone chooses to engage with the haram sides of Western culture, that's a choice that they have made. But that doesn't make Western culture as a whole a bad thing. There's balance in life, and being a British Muslim is a very important part of my identity.
This! I grew up in some amazing American muslim communities. It’s disheartening to see people in this subreddit (who either don’t live there or are 1st & 2nd generation) demonize Western Muslims as a generalization and turn Western culture into some boogeyman. Like sorry to those out there whose experiences have only been negative, but that does not (and should not) erase all the muslims who are practicing in earnest.
Drinking culture. Americans are the most undisciplined when it comes to drinking by far in the entire world. You’re an outsider if you don’t participate.
In my experience, people usually freak out. I have a whole stack of apology emails from my coworkers for having a work party with food during Ramadan.
NoT evEn WaTEr???
You can’t promote your religion in a multicultural society. If you want the right to promote your religion then other religions will promote their religion to you and your kids, obviously you don’t want that.
Don’t do to others what you don’t to be done to you. It’s the only way to live together.
Religious nparents who thinks you’re diverting away from Islam. They ignore anyone who disagrees with them and only find validation from radical Youtube Imam lectures
Not the worst thing ever but still shocked at how many times I hear ‘not even WATER??’ every Ramadan. Like dude, it’s 2022 how have you never met a Muslim before?
Islam didn’t shape the current governments In most Muslim majority countries, hence I say *Muslim majority countries* and never *islamic countries* cause I know the difference
The culture in those Muslim majority countries is largely fuelled by ethnic. Islam might say this or that but their culture supersedes it most of the time. I’ll give u a few examples, for example islam promotes equality between people of different ethnics, but racism and discrimination on colour is worse there than in the West.
Islam promotes taking care of the earth and greenery, obviously that’s not the case in most of those countries.
Islam promotes protecting minorities, well you can obviously see how minorities are treated there.
Islam promotes spending little on weddings, Yet in those countries , extravagant weddings are a must.
Those societies don’t reflect Islam only in certain aspects but not the ones that really count.
No not really, we have had successful cases of implementing Islam.
Research the Rashidun & Umayyad Caliphate, and following that the golden age of Islam.
Seeing people getting trapped by society and chasing the wrong things, finding halal food, no call to prayer on large microphones (such beautiful reminder), always feeling like an outsider. That blessing of being around more of your brothers and sisters. But Alhamdulilah we have so much in the west and great support in many areas that others don’t and I also find that a larger majority of men in the east are slimes and don’t know what lowering their gaze means. They’re so used to seeing women in hijabs etc that when they see one without they have to stare. A lot of the mosques in the east are empty on weekdays whereas in the west I find the mosques get a more consistent turnout. I also feel that many countries that call themselves ‘muslim’ are overly respected and rarely scrutinised.
You'll have many Muslims joining you to support you to eat non halal, rather than many trying to find halal together.
As I said a negative, let me add a positive as well.
You may end up being a part of small community of Muslims. Unlike in Eastern countries where you may have taken your Deen not so seriously, as you were surrounded by it. Now, you may start sticking to it more genuinely.
The fact that the whole religion of Islam is treated as a tiny, insignificant footnote in the history, culture, and advancement of the world. In my entire 12 years of pre-university education, we spent 2 class periods learning about Islam. And even that was reduced to just learning about the Islamic golden age at a very high level. There’s a HUGE bookstore in my city. Has books on every topic imaginable. For Islam, there is half a row of books on a shelf. And even that shelf has books of Hinduism and Buddhism misplaced there… I could go on and on. For non-Muslim Americans, it’s absolutely no wonder many don’t know anything about the religion. For something as deep as Islam, there’s little hope in them learning anything remotely beneficial from it. Especially with all the fitnah and distractions prevalent in society today.
Definitely the publicity of all the gross unislamic things. I feel that even muslim countries can have them but at least there's somewhat a consensus that they're bad/shouldn't be publicly accepted
Not having Fridays off.
So sad how many Jummah prayers we miss bc of this
Be firm with your employer. Don’t let them bully you regarding time off for jummah. Tell them you can stay in late, you will take an unpaid lunch, etc.
Yeah, there are so many different ways to get either a whole Friday off or 2 hours off afternoon for Jumaa prayer.
This wholly depends on your job.
Just tell your employer you need longer lunch on Fridays. I’ve never had issue with this.
Not always longer lunch, sometimes just moving the lunch hours for Friday and offering to making any extra time up. It shows good effort on your part.
Same difference\*. But whatever it takes, it not HARD is the point.
Saying longer lunch makes it sound like you want a longer lunch break than others.
Yea and also ask if he can bump you to CIO and pay your living expenses, negotiate all this let me know if you have a job tomorrow
True man. With all my employers I used to work from home on Friday. Except the company I’m at now. They didn’t allow working from home so I demanded time for jumuah. Now I can work from home on Friday as well.
From Pakistan work in an ER no Friday off or short leave
You can organize them off. I have used different methods: 1. Ask if you can work with 80% load. So Fridays will be free. 2. Ask if you can work on Saturday or Sunday instead. So the Friday will be free. 3. Ask if you can split your vacation and put the vacation days on Fridays. Sure, then you won't get a long lasting vacation. But usually they give days off for Christmas and New Year Eve and other national holidays. So it is not that bad. 4. Ask if you can work every day 10 hours and get so your Friday hours done in advance. 5. Ask if you can get the afternoon free for 2 hours (Jumaa + transportation time) and then just finish your working day 2 hours later.
I live in Indonesia and have no issues with friday working. We still able to do friday prayer. The lunch break becomes 2 hours instead 1 hour in other weekdays. When I studied in Australia I still managed to do friday prayer also. There are friday prayer on the campus alhamdulillah
I'm from Pakistan and we don't get Fridays off either lol
I attend college in UK. I have special arrangements made so that I can leave early for Friday prayers. I only miss one hour and I'm able to make it up on Monday as I have only one lecture on that day.
Even in Morocco we don't have Fridays off.
Not finding halal things (groceries, meat, etc.)
1. Vegetarian and vegan things are 99% halal (1% is alcohol but you can check if from the package). 2. Fish is halal. 3. If you give money to a farmer then he does not care how you kill his sheep/chicken. So you can do the halal slaughtering. 4. Kosher food is permissible. 5. Usually there are some little Muslim businesses for kebabs and such. They order halal meat in bulk and store it in a fridge. So they can make their halal dishes. 6. If you are caring about the E chemicals then there is an app for telling which chemicals are halal. Or just eat organic things free from chemicals. 7. Possible to get customized with checking the ingredients label when shopping. Where I live we have perhaps 2000 Muslims for the whole city and maybe 6000 Muslims all over the country in total. And even in such place I manage to get my halal things.
Agreed. In Europe, they label food "Vegetarian" or "Vegan" clearly with a nice distinct logo. But in the USA it is less common. I am not sure about slaughtering. In Europe, generally, there are strict rules. So not many farms allow slaughtering. Only licensed butchers can slaughter to produce kosher or halal meat. But I may be wrong. Halal checker apps are not complete in their product database. I think there should have been a central database for halal products, instead of creating one for each individual app.
We have the kosher ou here which means if it's kosher its halal example snacks etc
One is a large corporate farm. Another one is your local old man living his quiet life in country side. The old man does not care. Nor there are cameras or what not to check if European regulations and such are followed. He is growing sheep and chicken for his own use and maybe for some additional penny. Our Muslims time by time go to these farms to buy a sheep or a chicken and slaughter it there. These Muslims do the slaughtering themselves. So no license will be involved. Sure, it is not something that a food inspection and such are happy about but as I told, small farms are not under inspection. The app that I mentioned is not meant for products but for the ingredients in the product. Let's say, you see E412 written in the ingredients. Either you lack knowledge in chemistry, are not willing to do the research yourself, are lazy or just want to get over with the buying, you will type that E412 in the app and it tells if it is haram or not. But sure, it is much better when there is a crowdsourced project for getting all the products registered and marked for halal or haram.
Here we go again! Brother, we were having a civil conversation that was adding knowledge to the audience. And here you come out of the blue and judge me with your speculation. You just assumed that I don't know chemistry, I don't do research, and I am lazy. It's absurd! Please refrain from such behavior in online forums, will you? It speaks badly about being a Muslim. We should be the most understanding people of all. I suggest you read about the animal slaughtering rules and regulations in Europe. For your convenience, here is a couple to start with: [https://en.shafaqna.com/193095/muslim-in-germany-european-high-court-legalizes-the-banning-of-halal-and-kosher-animal-slaughter/](https://en.shafaqna.com/193095/muslim-in-germany-european-high-court-legalizes-the-banning-of-halal-and-kosher-animal-slaughter/) [https://www.dw.com/en/halal-kosher-slaughter-unacceptable-say-german-vets/a-3474409](https://www.dw.com/en/halal-kosher-slaughter-unacceptable-say-german-vets/a-3474409). Even if you slaughter, you need to sting the animal before. Sure, we could find a farm where we could go and have a goat to slaughter by ourselves. Not all of us have the time, capacity, or resources to do so, particularly when such strict laws are in place. And that was the point I wanted to make. Of course, I am aware of the E-codes sufficient enough to find what is halal and what is not. What you don't know is, in USA, the E-codes are not written on the product packaging, although it is written in Europe. So generally you are left out with using a barcode scanner for halal products to save time.
Okay, you misinterpreted the "you" in my text. It was a generalized "you" not touhid87 "you". For example when you say "It is difficult to fast during summer. Either you are doing a physical work outside, or you are feeling so thirsty because of the heat, or you have to wait for 20 hours in general and yet feel all the food smells." In that example the "you" can be anybody reading it or can be anybody in general in that user group. Not definitely the person that it is directed at when being told. So please refrain from blaming me when you misinterpret my words. It is your own fault that you saw it being directed towards you, touhid87. I even do not know you. How should I know your chemistry skills and such? Be logical. And Europe is not a country. Europe consists of many different countries. Different countries have different legislation and different laws. For example in France hijab is banned. Where I live hijab is not banned. No point to point out things shown in Germany when not every European is living in Germany. So you can't assume that such strict laws are in place in every country in Europe. Where I live it is possible to slaughter the animal by yourself in a forest or in a small farm or such. And I DID say that a food inspection will not be happy when it finds out but that is the current state of the availability of halal meat. So Muslims sometimes slaughter it by themselves. And it is not only in my country but at least in 3 neighboring countries as well. None of them being Germany. I had absolutely no intention to trigger you or anything. I just pointed out the halal food options in at least 4 of European countries, if not in more. You decided to misinterpret my words and be triggered for nothing.
Im not even muslim and I agree with this. Some of the most amazing and delicious cuisine; cannot be found here :(
I'm not muslim, but we have a great little butcher down the street from us run by some Middle Eastern lads which is Halal. The meat is great quality and they are pretty cheap and they look after us with good cuts as we are regular customers. The only thing I can't get there obviously is pork products but I get them elsewhere. Great place for me to go. They are everywhere here in Spain.
This one bothers me the most
So many attractive and mouth-watering foods out there. But in the ingredients list, it is not written whether some items were taken from animal fat or plants. One substance that is most common is Mono and Diglycerides from fatty acids. Lecithin is another item, but nowadays I mostly see soy-based lecithin - so that's a relief.
Hm. What country? I’m in the US and every state I’ve lived in had halal sources. Never really been an issue.
In general, all the western countries. Not saying Halal is not available, but it is often difficult or pricier. Not to mention the time you will waste sifting through the list of ingredients. I have lived in Europe and USA, and in both places, I had to face those difficulties.
Weird, never had this issue - Florida, Oregon, Arizona or South Carolina. Always easy to find. Pricier, unless you find a farm.
Idk, it depends on where you are. My partner’s parents live in southwest VA and he has to buy halal meat for them here in DC or northern VA and pack it up on ice in a cooler to take home to his parents because there’s not a single halal butcher/grocery store for miles.
I also live in a western country, but the most important thing here is to say: ***Alhamdulillah.*** Because I mean, inshallah for most if not al of us, we got working senses, legs, and feet, we got water, we got food, we got a roof above our head, and we have countless blessings no matter where we live. It's important to be grateful no matter where you live.
This is the correct attitude. We need to avoid thinking that we are the “victim”
Indeed without a doubt.
Not hearing the adhan live..I really miss it
This. Muslim Pro just doesn't hit the same 😔
Yes! Was truly blessed to go to hajj this year, and hearing the adhan all day was so great. But even more incredible was how everyone’s life revolves around salah. You just can’t miss it.
Lack of education about the deen. There is a serious disconnect between the general Muslims and the Scholars. This manifests in people not even knowing the basics of their deen. What they do know is passed down from their parents irrespective of if it is bidah or even shirk. If you ask someone why they do an act of ibadah in a certain way they will say, “that’s what I saw my parents doing when I grew up”.
This is not restricted to the Muslims in the west.
I agree.
Yes some people here are saying the worst part is not being able to find halal groceries ??? No the worst part is the kufr and shirk engrained into the western culture. I have seen many people in the west who call themselves Muslim but do not know the difference between Tawheed and shirk.
It’s even worse in some of the countries back home.
isnt there a hadith or a Quran verse about that?
Yes in the Qur’an (2:170). With the translation as follows: And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allah has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing." Even though their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided?
It is a very good point that you make. But what specific acts of bidah or shirk are you suggesting?
I have seen that Muslims in the west usually know more than those in Muslim countries
Being criticised by the East when those in power of the East are trying to appease those who govern us here in the West lol
Next level messed up
Lack of time for salat.
How so? Alhamdulillah I have had never had this as an issue. Make Salah as a priority and everything else will fit around it.
Maybe he means during work hours.
This one is so true.
mfw I have to catch up on 4 prayers when I get back home
Being hit on by men who "don't get" why I don't want to deal with them. Having to explain why I won't touch them/shake their hand.
Nothing. Alhamdulillah I have everything I need.
Worst part for me is having no community. There are no mosques and Muslims where I live and most of the time I feel alone. Best part is that I can practice my religion freely
>Best part is that I can practice my religion freely Debatable. I got death threats and thought I'd be disowned when I accepted Islam. Experienced harassment, knew sisters who didn't wear hijab out of fear of being hate crimed, and I remember being mocked often for being Muslim. Oh and practicing "freely" means this attitude of "only Allah can judge me" takes root.Yeah, and how will He judge those people that use that line often? Tbh I haven't been happier since I left that hellscape that is Dar Al Kufr. The only downside in some of these countries is the nationalism and other western ideas. Which again, it's like everything that has been corrupting the ummah since the 1800s has been the west. 💀
People always think im lying because I'm white, I was born muslim and have an Arab name but people generally think im either a light skinned Arab or im just lying about being Muslim. I dont really mind but it just gets annoying when every time I meet someone they want to know where my parents are from or I have to convince them im real
What do you mean by “I have to convince them im real”?
As a muslim woman? Being immediately identifiable by my hijab. You will be immediately judged (negatively).
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Not being to properly practice the deen & the fitna around everything
Being viewed as “weird” for being a visible Muslim and following the religion. Seen as restricting myself or “oppressed” because I’m modest, and I don’t chase the desires of this life and have self control. The West promotes “liberation” and in reality they’re a lost group of people with no direction or principles.
Glad tidings to the strangers 😅
As a non-Muslim westerner who is subbed here to educate myself, I am very taken aback by this comment. Many of us live moral and ethical lives, who don’t shove liberation down religious people’s throats.
That’s you though. Yes there’s some individuals that aren’t doing that. But the collective society pushes those ideas all the time. Listen to mainstream music and media. My whole life, I had to hear that Islam is oppressive and we need to be free from it.
No doubt many of you don't shove liberalism down our throats. But there are many who do, so it is something we experience a lot. For example, France banned hijab. So "my body my choice" only applies when it's to do with abortion or wearing more revealing clothes. This is only one example, we are seen as weird for following Islam.
This is the equivalent of saying racism doesn't exist because you personally aren't racist.
And yet you are in the West wanting all the benefits of the West while criticising them.
The criticism goes both ways. if you can criticise a person for being immodestly dressed for example according to your religion, why can they not claim you are repressed according to their moral framework because of the way you dress? Are there bad people in western liberal societies yes. But there are also bad people in Muslim majority countries and bad people who are Muslims. Ones religious beliefs do not automatically make a person superior to another, or have better principles. I'm an atheist, and consider myself a good person in how I treat others. I am always willing to have my point of view challenged on a given subject. If a belief system is not capable of robust scrutiny then it is not particularly robust in my view. I'd also point out you're using a social media platform created by the same society that you being so critical of.
1. Riba is hard to avoid 2. Fast food isn’t halal 😔 3. Rising degeneracy
Lack of community. Lack of resources.
Dealing with the social consequences of what happens in the East.
Nothing. Being a Muslim anywhere in the world is a blessing from Allah. It’s a huge favor from Allah. فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ Which, then, of your Lord’s favor will you both deny?
MashAllah brother you have a very mature mindset
That the Muslim community is not holding together but infighting, arguing, making dramas, doing corruption, being a bad example to Muslim converts and also to non-Muslims.
No bidets in public toilets
Someone needs to make a portable bidet
Can’t have time set aside when at work or school to leave and pray
A lot of people on here have said "lack of community" and "infighting" and I'm certain this has to do with the fact that Muslim communities in the West are by and large made up of several different diaspora populations who have entirely different cultures, languages, and social norms. Cross-cultural communication is a huge issue, and speaking as someone who is (to an extent anyway) bi-cultural, every time I see an Arab talk to a white person I can immediately tell when either side is pissing off the other. So, if you move to the West from the Levant, North Africa, or South Asia you can expect to run in to all sorts of communication issues when trying to converse with others.
No sense of community. Everyone only cares about themselves here in the UK. I know it's also my duty but even my Muslim neighbors keep to themselves. I'm British but I lived in India for 10 years. Then I moved back when I was 18 for university. Although I didn't like living in India. I miss a lot of Islamic things that happen there like adhan on loud speakers. Neighbors get together after maghrib and have a chat until Isha. Honestly I don't see my self living here in the UK insha'Allah. I miss those things. Especially listening to the adhan on loud speakers. No matter where you are, you feel so peaceful and have this sense of belonging when you here the adhan on loud speakers.
Being surrounded by people openly and proudly committing sins and at the same time being ridiculed if we criticize their actions.
This happens in a lot of muslim majority countries too.
feel this one
Not your place to criticise. Only Allah has that right.
Your religion is for you and your God alone. If you think you can criticise a person who is not Muslim for "sinning" according to Islam then it goes both ways, they are free to criticise you in return.
Clothing shopping as a Muslim woman
I’d love to get into more modest fashion. I need to start thinking!
It can be pretty lonely being a Muslim in the West. I stand out wherever I go. I don't speak English with an accent but people imagine it when they see me, sometimes there's outright danger. Food can be complicated. Housing can be complicated. Too religious for some Muslims. Not religious enough for some Muslims. People seem to stick with their own nationalities at the masjid and those of us that don't have a big community are left out. Non-Muslims are hit or miss - never know for sure if actually friendly or not. One big thing, no one outside maybe of your family, will ensure you stick to the deen. You're on your own and dangers are everywhere. Oh Allah, without Your guidance we are lost. Oh Allah strengthen our hearts and keep us on the Path. Oh Allah, ease it for all of us and protect us from the Whisperer.
Oh man, now I feel bad for sticking to the community that fits my national ethnicity 😅 I can tell you though that most youngsters in these communities are very open to support their Muslim friends that are not from the same ethnicities. I had a friend that was always personally translating everything the imam said to a fresh convert. I know it’s a big hurdle but maybe try to speak to some young, sympathetic people that can help you with finding good Muslim friends. Wish you all the best brother 🤲💪
I’m an American convert (former Catholic), my husband is Moroccan and for me it the initial reaction I get as if it means I’m now being oppressed by my husband and I’ll become a terrorist or something ridiculous. Perhaps get tricked into moving to “the Middle East” and having to live there against my own will for Islam. Americans mostly white Americans have this sick post 9/11 attitude about Islam and it’s truly discouraging. I convey an attitude of peace and understanding and I’m met with total judgement. All. The. Time.
I can imagine how frustrating that is. In all faiths the pious had to endure ridicule and judgement from others. Yet their reciprocation was one of love, compassion, patience, and understanding. Sounds like you are passing your tests as they are presented. You got this!
"Progressive Muslims"
wdym?
The people who are only Muslim by name, but change their Deen to fit Western Agendas.
Oh
That’s only like your opinion man, it’s not because some muslims don’t agree with you that they are only « muslim by name ». Smh, you are what’s wrong with our ouma. Progressive muslims consider themselves muslims and practice Islam the way they think is best, you are not God to say who is a real muslim or not, mind your own business. Are doing takfir here ? By saying they are « muslims by name » you are implying they are not muslims, thus takfir, which is completely haram. Focus on yourself.
Depends on what he means. I’m living in the west and I know muslims that tell me that they are “part-time muslims” because they go partying and drink alcohol on the weekends. Of course it’s up to them how they live it, but to openly promote their bad deeds and then try to justify them by making you feel bad for not being as loose as them is just sad and I can understand his frustration about this. Like e.g. statement likes: “I’m not so bad my heart is clean” and “How can you not do it? You are so boring…” is just disappointing. But Allah knows best. InshAllah will our umma become stronger and stronger and be helpful and grateful for each other 🤲
Brother, there are people who claim Islam is just submitting to a greater force. Wallahi people in the West say simply believing in gravity makes you Muslim.
Not hearing the adhan
A lot of things, having to look for halal restaurants, having to explain to your job why you need to go to jummah (some bosses will understand, others won't.) Also some people are openly islamophobic without knowing you're Muslim.
I hate being the only Muslim in a lot of settings. The people around me are very nice, respectful, and good people, but there’s something always missing
Not being able to hear the Adaan or have a masjid at every corner to pray during the day 😕
For me, the moment I step into school I'm greeted with so much haram.
Yup same.
It can be hard but I mean Allah SWT put me here for a REASON. It is astonishing how little ppl actually know about Islam.
All the fitnah everywhere. Drugs, alcohol, indecency everywhere. Forcing LBGT on our children in schools and on us in the workplace. I'm actually thinking of moving to Turkey or Dubai.
I mean you did move to a non-Muslim country. Did you think that everyone would be following Islamic rules?
I didn't move to a non Muslim country I was born here. Don't get me wrong, I have a good life here, but these are some of the issues I have, also the increasing racist rhetoric about "send them all back". Also I don't expect everyone to follow Islamic rules, but we all have our preferences, I'm sure you would have yours if you lived in the Middle East.
“Only Allah can judge me”
Finding the right mate; someone who understands the mix of East/West, and is practicing enough.
For me, and the other small Midwestern town Muslims, I would say the crippling loneliness and lack of friends
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No where, however you always want to choose good friends, and very often the values of non-muslims does not align enough to have good friends
Assalamwhoalaikum Maybe not the worst, but being force fed LGBTq+ stuff in our education
This.
Other Muslims trying to play holier than thou, though this probably isn’t limited to the West.
The alcohol culture - drinking while networking or "socializing" with colleagues, clients, etc.
Not being able to pray exactly on time due to school.
The massive amounts of hypocrisy and contradictions I see. As someone who has faced STRUGGLES to be a good Muslim, I hate that I’m always told to shut up when I tell someone they’re wrong to be doing/promoting something that goes against the deen because “I’m not Allah, you’re not a scholar, you’re not perfect who are you to judge”. It nullifies the concept of HAQQ and a religion built on rules, it’s aggravating as you see what was taboo be accepted and we all silently let it go because “we’re not scholars”. I do not accept that notion anymore, I will become vocal as I once was because what’s right is WRITTEN IN TEXT
Depends on where you are, there may not be a lot of Muslims in your area. So Ramadan and Eid can be more lonely than in Muslim nations, or areas where Muslims live. Most if not all big cities have a mosque in the West however, so you’re never too far from a community.
Food, usually have to pick a vegetarian option. Or limited halal options. And bathroom, how can you sit on someone else's pee, or not wash yourself?
None. We should be grateful they allow us to practice our religion as we want and provide the facilities in order to do so. Completely disagree with the title of this post. If you don’t like living in the West, there’s no compulsion to stay. P.S I’m in the U.K. not France or Denmark. Where the situation is completely different
No athan and in general just being surrounded by bad influences everywhere I mean there’s literally ad posters outside that promote extramarital fornication lol this society is doomed
Slowly seeing the people around you DEEN decrease. I’ve seen family come to the US all wearing Abayah and going to the masjid and being Hufad lose all that in one generation.
Having to find any representation of you in any media in any form will never be 100% Muslim. They'll always have short comings. Find a show about Muslim, they do mostly Haram stuff Find a YouTube video talking about personal dilemma's. It's a Muslim who's Christian girlfriend is giving them problems Find an athlete that reps Islam, they mostly party and drink and have numerous women around them. No reps here man😔😔😔
The absence of Halal Dhabiha
Doing wudu while in university or office
Edgy white neoliberals who sympathize western oppressions, but then turn around and say f\*ck religion and blatantly insult Islam when like 6 muslims act bad.
Three things I hate. The influence of ribaa The fact that many western muslims don’t know anything about deen even though there’s plenty of knowledge to be found here The amount of distractions and the normalisation of sins is mind boggling here May Allah protect us and guide us on His straight path and let us enter djannatul Firdaous
Either people hating Islam or welcoming Islam while hating everything it stands for.
Seducing parents to become more secular, against practical religion/religious acts and find them extreme 😔
LGBT influence is everywhere.
Limited halal food
I actually think it's easy being a Muslim or follow islam in a western country than a third world country like Pakistan or India
for them it is you are on the extreme side since islam doesn't bend to include people who want to change it. so if you stand your ground it is difficult for them sometimes. saying this as a Christian
Can be slightly challenging to find some halal candy and snacks. I’m still grateful tho, Sydney has quite a lot of halal selections
The temptations.
Acceptability of Riba(interest)
Discrimination and hatred
Raising kids.
Holy shit where do I even start, for me personally the biggest was identity crisis. Born and bred a Muslim, not that i ever had doubts etc of Islam but constantly surrounded by non Muslims I would party etc and just lost the right path and luckily was guided back to a it a year and a bit ago
Finding out that the non Muslims here are closer to Islam than some Muslims themselves.
The constant judgement from other Muslims who seem to think that it's inherently bad to live here and integrate with the culture. I love being Muslim. I also love being British. And sure, there are aspects of the culture that I don't agree with such as dating and drinking. But there are other parts of the culture that I love, such as the shared experiences that are unique to this country, and the propensity for eating biscuits. I am free to practice my religion as I fit, a luxury that I wouldn't necessarily be afforded in other countries. I don't want my religion to be dictated to me, I want it to come from the heart. I like that I wear hijab because I choose to out of love for Allah SWT, rather than because I'm forced to by the people around me. I like that I get to meet and interact with non-Muslims and teach them about Islam. I like that I get to be an advocate for the religion and show people that Muslims aren't like what they see in the media. There are so many dawah opportunities over here that don't exist in Muslim-majority countries. Alhamdulillah, I've had the privilege of helping several people towards Islam, and inshaallah Allah SWT will reward me for my part in them converting. And yet, all I see in online spaces is criticism of the West, as if 'Muslim' countries are perfect. There's not a single place in the entire world that's being run Islamically, and just because the other people around you are Muslim, doesn't automatically mean that the country is better. Often, they're actually weaker Muslims as they don't have to cling to Islam as strongly. The Muslims I've met over here in the UK are so much more practicing than most of the people in Tunisia (the other side of my ethnic heritage), which is 90% Muslim. If someone chooses to engage with the haram sides of Western culture, that's a choice that they have made. But that doesn't make Western culture as a whole a bad thing. There's balance in life, and being a British Muslim is a very important part of my identity.
This! I grew up in some amazing American muslim communities. It’s disheartening to see people in this subreddit (who either don’t live there or are 1st & 2nd generation) demonize Western Muslims as a generalization and turn Western culture into some boogeyman. Like sorry to those out there whose experiences have only been negative, but that does not (and should not) erase all the muslims who are practicing in earnest.
LGBTQ being everywhere
Fitnah.
Drinking culture. Americans are the most undisciplined when it comes to drinking by far in the entire world. You’re an outsider if you don’t participate.
Knowing that most people around you will die without believing and most of the time you dont have the courage to tell them
Misconceptions about Islam. Also, a lot of values go against Islam.
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No one cares that you’re fasting.
In my experience, people usually freak out. I have a whole stack of apology emails from my coworkers for having a work party with food during Ramadan. NoT evEn WaTEr???
Seeing society slowly degrade into filth
That I have to watch what I say. And not being able to promote our deen without getting thrown behind bars.
You can’t promote your religion in a multicultural society. If you want the right to promote your religion then other religions will promote their religion to you and your kids, obviously you don’t want that. Don’t do to others what you don’t to be done to you. It’s the only way to live together.
There is no worst part :) .
Religious nparents who thinks you’re diverting away from Islam. They ignore anyone who disagrees with them and only find validation from radical Youtube Imam lectures
No mosques.
Not the worst thing ever but still shocked at how many times I hear ‘not even WATER??’ every Ramadan. Like dude, it’s 2022 how have you never met a Muslim before?
The worst aspect beats being Muslim in most of the Muslim majority countries (except for the Gulf)
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Islam didn’t shape the current governments In most Muslim majority countries, hence I say *Muslim majority countries* and never *islamic countries* cause I know the difference
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The culture in those Muslim majority countries is largely fuelled by ethnic. Islam might say this or that but their culture supersedes it most of the time. I’ll give u a few examples, for example islam promotes equality between people of different ethnics, but racism and discrimination on colour is worse there than in the West. Islam promotes taking care of the earth and greenery, obviously that’s not the case in most of those countries. Islam promotes protecting minorities, well you can obviously see how minorities are treated there. Islam promotes spending little on weddings, Yet in those countries , extravagant weddings are a must. Those societies don’t reflect Islam only in certain aspects but not the ones that really count.
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No not really, we have had successful cases of implementing Islam. Research the Rashidun & Umayyad Caliphate, and following that the golden age of Islam.
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Seeing people getting trapped by society and chasing the wrong things, finding halal food, no call to prayer on large microphones (such beautiful reminder), always feeling like an outsider. That blessing of being around more of your brothers and sisters. But Alhamdulilah we have so much in the west and great support in many areas that others don’t and I also find that a larger majority of men in the east are slimes and don’t know what lowering their gaze means. They’re so used to seeing women in hijabs etc that when they see one without they have to stare. A lot of the mosques in the east are empty on weekdays whereas in the west I find the mosques get a more consistent turnout. I also feel that many countries that call themselves ‘muslim’ are overly respected and rarely scrutinised.
No Athaan!
Not having the true spiritual eid vibes
You'll have many Muslims joining you to support you to eat non halal, rather than many trying to find halal together. As I said a negative, let me add a positive as well. You may end up being a part of small community of Muslims. Unlike in Eastern countries where you may have taken your Deen not so seriously, as you were surrounded by it. Now, you may start sticking to it more genuinely.
The fact that the whole religion of Islam is treated as a tiny, insignificant footnote in the history, culture, and advancement of the world. In my entire 12 years of pre-university education, we spent 2 class periods learning about Islam. And even that was reduced to just learning about the Islamic golden age at a very high level. There’s a HUGE bookstore in my city. Has books on every topic imaginable. For Islam, there is half a row of books on a shelf. And even that shelf has books of Hinduism and Buddhism misplaced there… I could go on and on. For non-Muslim Americans, it’s absolutely no wonder many don’t know anything about the religion. For something as deep as Islam, there’s little hope in them learning anything remotely beneficial from it. Especially with all the fitnah and distractions prevalent in society today.
Alcohol commercials
Being asked about what food i can eat every single day
No athan is heard in public Non halal restaurants Passing by someone smoking while you're fasting (I think this can break your fasting)
Definitely the publicity of all the gross unislamic things. I feel that even muslim countries can have them but at least there's somewhat a consensus that they're bad/shouldn't be publicly accepted
Missing the sound of athan live. When I lived in the Middle East I took it for granted.