The future of Muslims in the West

Bismillah, alhamdulillah

Where the future of Muslims in the West lies is a difficult question to answer but an important one to consider and plan for. I was rustling through my notes when I came across this conversation.  I had made a note of it while sitting in a hospital waiting room a few seats away from an elderly white couple in the United Kingdom.

Man: "I went to see a young doctor, he was more like a plumber."


Woman: "Yes ... but they are the best."
Man: 'Yes they know all the latest technical things. He said first we'll do your blood test and then he took my blood pressure. The other (older) doctors never did that!"



... the conversation meanders on ...

Man: "I would never take pain killers it's like having a noisy radio and you cut the speaker. The radio is still noisy. Pain killers always mask the pain they don't let the real problem come out."



... they switch topics to frozen shoulders ...

Man: "I was offered an injection or physiotherapy. Cortisone is only a drug, b... drugs! The doctor gave me Ibuprofen, and some patch to give morphine. The I went to see an acupuncturist who said you have a frozen shoulder didn't your doctor know? 'No' I said. Then I went to see another doctor and he said stop all these tablets, and I did and I found I did not need them!

Woman: They just do it (give drugs)  because they don't know what to do. If you have a bad leg and take pain killers when you wake up you still have the bad leg!



... the topic switches from medicine to foreign cleaners ...

Woman: "They make the job worse. 70% are foreigners. One carer came in to clean the house and she left her muddy boot marks on the stairs. They don't really want to do the job, they just want to collect the money. They take 5 minutes to take their jacket off!"

The above conversation especially its later content is not unusual. The under current of racism is generally quite strong, usually a result of ignorance and lack of interaction with non-white peoples. Sadly the current economic downturn which is predicted to potentially last for a further 15 years may exacerbate and inflame this inclination in the majority of citizens in Europe. This is the prediction of various economists recently discussing the extent of the global recession on the BBC. The example of Germany and the nationalism of Yugoslavia are but recent events.

Long term planning is not a forte of Muslims in general but it is worth remembering the lessons of history and plan accordingly. Muslims are easily portrayed as outsiders in the West, this coupled to the fact that the majority do not share the same racial background as the indigenous population will make it easy to single this group out. Muslim leaders should anticipate these effects and work together to slow down the momentum of such feelings.

Another important factor that has been on the slow burner is the demographic one. The birth rate of many European nations hovers around or just under 2, not enough to keep the indigenous population steady in many states. The birth rate of Muslim minorities in these nations is probably much higher and further inflated by immigration through the institution of marriage. As this discrepancy becomes more pronounced it will be more readily exploited by forces that find the presence of such a sizeable minority of Muslims in the West an anathema. When this minority becomes significant is a very significant question to which Allah only knows the answer, but doing a very rough back of the envelope calculation I would expect the minority population in the UK to reach a critical mass (of 10% of the total population) in the next 20 - 40 years.

As the pressure on Muslim minorities grows I hope that Muslim nations will offer a greater degree of support and interest in the affairs of Muslim minorities. I admit that the likelihood of this happening currently is remote. But from my stay in a Muslim majority country it would be fair to say that the man on the street does have concern for his or her counterpart in non-Muslim countries. This should not be underestimated or overlooked. Converting this interest into concrete action and support while difficult and an uphill struggle is something that minds should concentrate on.

Western governments have a vested interest in isolating Muslims in the West. This is done through the promotion of a 'Western brand of Islam', sadly for whatever reason they have found willing pawns in this great political game. Leaders in the Muslim community should be aware of this greater game and sacrifice their shorter political goals for the greater good of the whole community.