Advice to Muslims in the West and Response to Waseem Youssef

Greetings: Advice for Muslims in the West and a Response to Waseem Yusuf

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah

Introduction: Advice for Muslims in the West and a Response to Waseem Yusuf

A video of someone answering a question from a Muslim sister living in Norway has gone viral. Today, we will discuss his statements and use this as an opportunity to advise our brothers and sisters in the West.

The sister from Norway mentioned that in Norwegian schools, children are asked to represent different religions as part of "coexistence." So, whether a boy or girl is Muslim or not, they are asked to imitate Jews by wearing a hat like theirs, with curls, and bowing before a wall like the Jews do. Children are taken to a church to witness Christian prayers, they sit in a meditation session in nature representing atheists, and the call to prayer is recited with verses from the Quran representing Muslims.

Then, the sister asked about the ruling on allowing children to go to church to witness Christian prayers.

Summary of the Responder's Words and Refutation

The summary of what the responder did is that he praised foreign countries and their kindness towards Muslims living there. On the other hand, he belittled Muslims, degraded them, and blamed them for the actions of oppressors in Muslim countries. Then, he made it the duty of the humiliated Muslim to flatter the great foreigner in his religion, and to live in foreign countries according to their conditions, and do as they wish. All of this was promoted by the mentioned person using psychological methods that we will see.

My Personal Experience in the West

But before I continue, dear audience, I lived in a foreign country, in America, for four years. I witnessed one of the most embarrassing periods, the events of September. I dealt with different sects there, Jews, Christians, Hindus, atheists, and Buddhists. I held fast to my religion in all of this, left a positive impression on those I dealt with, and invited them to the religion of Allah. I did not flatter them in anything related to religion. And I lived with that, more honored and respected by Allah, much more than those who flattered them, praise be to Allah. What I will say to you and advise you is not a general and theoretical speech from afar, but something I have experienced myself.

Response to the Fatwa of Going to Church

When the person in the video was asked about the ruling on allowing Muslims to take their children to church, he said: "So if you prevent them, are you living in their country and not benefiting from their good, and so on? If you prevent them, what will you say to them? Are you calling them infidels?"

But we say to the asking sister: It is not required of you to say to them: "You are infidels." However, the division is not binary as this person presents it: either you let your children go to church or you say to the school authorities "You are infidels" in a confrontational manner. No, the Sharia is vast enough that you can preserve your religion and the religion of your children, and at the same time, you do not expose yourself to being expelled from the foreign country, especially since you are from Syria and returning to your country may pose a danger to you.

Alternatives and Solutions for Muslims in the West

First, some European countries, as well as America, Canada, and Australia, allow homeschooling. The child takes periodic exams and obtains certificates. This is a list of countries that allow and do not allow homeschooling, and this is a map of these countries, those in green allow it, and those in yellow allow it with conditions.

Norway, where the asking sister lives, allows homeschooling. If there is a danger to your child's religion in going to school, homeschooling is an option. Establishing Islamic schools is an option. When there is a strong emphasis on religion and we remember that it is the most important thing we strive for for our children, there are a thousand ways and methods. Indeed, before all of this, a Muslim may emigrate to a poor country and endure the difficulty of living there in order to preserve the religion of his sons and daughters and not expose them to the fire.

The Ruling on Dissimulation and Taqiya

But let's assume that the sister is in a forced situation? At that time, every situation has its own context, and a pious scholar who fears Allah should be consulted about the specific case. You are not then obliged to say to them: "You are infidels" in a confrontational manner as the mentioned person portrays. The Sharia does not put you in difficulty (And has not laid upon you in the religion any hardship). If there is a justified fear, Allah the Almighty has said: (Let not the believers take disbelievers as allies rather than the believers. And whoever does that has no relationship with Allah at all, except that you may guard yourselves against them, guarding). Except that you may guard yourselves against them, guarding. The Muslim does not deceive people or lie to them. But if he fears that injustice or harm will befall him from them, he can act with the minimum necessary to repel their harm. But you should know that you are repelling injustice, with the minimum of speech or action that repels this harm, not that you are flattering them at the expense of your religion and the religion of your children because you see them as the benefactors and the generous ones to you.

Critique of the Idea of "The Beauties of the West"

The person in the video, in an eight-minute response, reminded the sister of the beauties of Western countries six times. Question: Who supports the killers of Muslims politically and militarily? Are they not the foreign countries themselves? Who contributes to the bombing of Muslim countries? Who sells weapons to the killers with the money of the Muslims? Who plunders the wealth of the Muslims in coordination with the officials in Muslim countries? Are they not the foreign countries?

Someone may say: "Then do not go to their countries." I, for myself, do not live in their countries, and I could have stayed in America after finishing my studies but preferred to return to my country and family. But I excuse the Arab Muslim who has been constrained by his country and is in danger there and is forced to live in the West.

Comparison with the Story of Moses, Peace Be Upon Him

If a jailer imposes on you a guard from his guards who tortures you, beats you, and humiliates you, and opens a door of the prison for you to escape to his room, will you come and accept his hand and say to him, "You are the source of my blessings"?

Moses, peace be upon him: Pharaoh wanted to impose a favor on him, so he said: (Did we not bring you up as a child, and you stayed with us for years of your life? And you did what you did, and you are of the disbelievers). Deny my blessings, O Moses! Among what Moses responded with was that he said: (And this blessing that you offer me is that I should serve the children of Israel). Do you bear me a blessing, O Pharaoh, that I was raised in your palace? What brought me to your palace except that you enslaved my people, the children of Israel, and subjected them to severe torment until my mother was forced to cast me into the river? Does your kindness to me erase your injustice to an entire nation?

The Real Motivations for Receiving Immigrants

Western countries did not open their arms to Muslims for the blackness of their eyes! But do not forget that with the moral corruption and avoidance of marriage in Western countries, there are no longer families or new births enough, and their societies have been afflicted with old age, so they want children in large numbers to be melted in their crucible and imprinted with the characteristics of their countries. A call like the one made by the mentioned person helps to achieve this goal exactly.