Salman, you raise some interesting points. Although I agree there are no contradictions between one’s faith and citizenship some may not see it in this way. Your points regarding loyalties has raised some interesting questions about the fact that we are playing into the hands of narrow minded individuals. We cannot create our own ghettos here. Very well written.

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Our prophet(saw) said, “whoever gathers among the mushriks and lives among them are one of them.”
And it is said in the Quran, “…Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein?…”
It is rather alarming when a religious person with a religious background is not only unconcerned about living in a mushrik country but is encouraging others to become part of it. Even if a person can supposedly save his deen in such an environment can he claim with certainty that he can bring up his children according to the teachings of islam in such an environment? Shouldn’t a man be concerned about next generation too? Why comfort of few days is so important that one has to be ‘loyal’ to the mushriks? We were created for no other purpose but to worship Allah. Exactly what part of living in a mushrik country serves that purpose?
Sorry if I sound rude, but I guess I’m rather upset over this.

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Dear sir
You don’t have to agree with me at all, but every muslim should accept every decision made by Allah and His Rasool. What do you have to say about the hadith and ayah of the Quran I mentioned.
Will we be asked about our patriotism in the next life? Rather we’ll be asked, “Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein?”
Our prophet(saw) said, “Allah doesn’t accept the deeds of a mushrik after s/he embrace islam except s/he is keeping distance from the mushrikeen.” Islam puts great emphasis on ‘Hijrah’.
You mention the patriotism of our prophet(saw). No doubt he had great love for the place he was born and raised, still left it for islam. But what about us? We born in a country where our ancestors also lived, grow up in that country, then move to a country which enslaved our country for two hundred years, our ancestors had to give their lives to earn the freedom and call that country our own and think showing loyalty to them is patriotism! What about all those people living in our country of origin, enduring everything the country has to offer? What is patriotism exactly? Not staying in our country like everyone else, but to move to another for more comfort and luxury and showing loyalty to them for providing those? Very patriotic, indeed.
Allah created us only for worshiping. Everything, absolutely everything we do must be only for pleasure of Allah. How can moving to secular country be for seeking the pleasure of Allah?
It’s not just law that prohibits a person from living an islamic life. Just praying 5 times or wearing hijab isn’t complete islam, whole life should be according to instructions of Allah and his Rasool. Which is very hard in a secular country, specially for the next generation, in such a society with all the co-education, free mixing, sex education. The culture is totally different. Only the next generation gets deviated from true islam much, for the generation after them it’s much worse. Of course there’re few in later generations who still practice islam as it should be practiced, but most don’t. You’ve to just look around a little to see it. It’s really sad to see a person going astray from islam (becoming modern) when his or her parents and their parents and many more generations were very much religious. Which didn’t happen in that family for generations till one of them moved there. I highly doubt you can claim your children are practicing islam the same way you did or your parents did or those before them.
If a person from Turkey made that excuse it’d have been somewhat acceptable, but not for someone else, someone who lived in a much better country.
We should be more careful where we put our priorities. Should it be on few days of comfort, fame, money, luxury etc in this world or should be it on what is said in the Quran and hadiths?

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One of the problem with English language is it has the same word for both singular and plural form of second person. I didn’t use the you to mean you individually but rather to mean the muslim british emigrants. Maybe yours is one of those exceptional families. But I’ve heard many many parents showing concern the way their kids are growing up there, I wonder how you’re unaware of the whole situation.
And there’re still the hadiths. Are you going to just keep ignoring them?
Well, I wasn’t even aware that we were debating. So doesn’t matter.
Best regards

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Does it matter what I think acceptable? There’re clear hadiths and Allah has given everyone intellect so they can decide things for themselves. Personally I don’t think uk is the best place to live in on earth, not with highest teen pregnancy rate in europe, not when there’re still many countries with muslim majority.
I was talking about those who did have a home in a muslim majority country then moved to a country like UK, where they didn’t have any home before. If they can move there, the opposite shouldn’t be impossible. I’m not saying every revert should emigrate, that won’t be that easy for many. Allah doesn’t put any burden on us that we can’t carry, and He’ll judge us by the situation we are in. My objection was why put ourselves and our families in such a situation voluntarily. Can anyone claim he moved to uk not for pleasure of this world but to please Allah?
I don’t want to debate. I think I’ve already been misunderstood. And really the hadiths speak for themselves.
So, salam.

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Dear Opiya,
Maybe I’m wrong about making correct interpretation of those hadiths and ayahs. Can you kindly inform me what’ll be the correct interpretations?
“Actions are only by the intentions and every man shall have only what he intended. Thus whose hijra was for Allah and his messenger his hijra was for Allah and his messenger and he whose hijra was for some worldly benefit or to take some woman for marriage, his hijra was for that for which he made hijra.” Al-Hadith.
We can give examples, make excuses, but was it too hard to practice islam in the country we left or has Islam been established there? How many of us moved from a developing country to a developed one, not for more comforts, but to spread Islam? Can we claim our intention were only to please Allah?
I think I’ve said enough. We all have our consciences, if it doesn’t bother us even after hearing the hadiths and ayahs then that’s that.
Good luck.

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The hadiths warn us about living with mushriks, if one is living in a muslim majority country at least he’s not ignoring those warnings.
If it’s so hard and impossible to live in those muslim majority countries then how come only a few leave? What makes us so special that we can’t endure what so many other muslims are going through? Actually who move are rather privilaged, those who suffer much more don’t get any chance to move to another country.
Okaye, you find yourself there, and can’t move back. But why wanting to become integrated to that country, which is something man made?
We’re told to pray for well being in this world and the next. But seeking the pleasure of this world is prohibited. We can’t go after it, but accept what Allah bestows on us. The balance is really hard, we all struggle.
One thing, though I don’t agree to others view, I realise I had been rude. The least can be said I didn’t acted like a muslim should to other muslims. I was upset for some reasons. My sincere apologies to everyone I’ve hurt by my words. I hope this will be the end of all these arguments. I’m not going to continue.

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This kind of talk about patriotism often seems very artificial to me. Articles such as this expect people to ‘love’ a country just because they are born within its borders, or have been granted citizenship. Had the author not been given UK citizenship, would he still love this country so much?
Words and phrases such as “should” and “Is that acceptable?” contrive a moral superiority on the superstition that we have a duty to love the nation-state whose name is printed on our passports.

“It is time that we embrace this country as our own.”

What does that even mean?

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I came here with a conscious decision to stay here and make this country my new home. I went through the process and became its citizen. Most of the ethnic minorities did the same, so what is wrong to be loyal to this country? Whether you like it or not, nation state is a reality and there is no harm in accepting that. My loyalty would not be the same if I did not go through this process or if I had not decided to make this country my own. As far as your second question is concerned, I have given enough reasons to support my statement. You may not agree with them, but I don’t think there is any ambiguity in what I meant.

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As a Muslim Canadian I was a pit disappointed to read Muslims debating their loyalty to UK, the country they chose to emigrate, and live. The debate, and its reasoning followed the logic, and reasoning that we often hear from the ultra right groups, who use loyalty, and patriotism to hide their hate towards Islam and what it stands for. It was rather unfortunate that some of you, Brits took bait and fall for it…….my Muslim brothers it is not us Muslims they object to, but the spread of Islam in their homes, and across Europe…….and the tactics they us are nothing more than the old cliché ” If you can not attack Islam, attack the Muslims.”

As I said before, I a Muslim Canadian, and I am as patriot a Canadian as anyone could ever be, and I will not take a back seat to anyone even to the Prime Minister of my country Canada, let alone any one else.
As for loyalty, and patriotism I will defend Canada against any enemy whoever, they maybe and would willingly die defending its people. Let us put this queation to rest, shall we?

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Dear Ahmed
I’m surprised and a bit confused by your reply.
First of all, not all of us have emigrated to another country, some of us have remained loyal to our own country, even when it can’t provide us with everything. And what do you mean by ‘hate towards Islam and what it stands for?’ I just don’t get it, who’s showing hatred towards islam and how?
And no one is attacking any muslim, it’s just the action of some muslims that are being criticised. Like deciding to emigrate and showing loyalty to a state, the only reason I can see, is for better facilities. I know that I can’t know the intentions of others, but I’ve yet to heard a single person say otherwise, that he emigrated to spread Islam. What’s the point of showing such loyalty? Allah will not ask us whether we were loyal to UK or Canada!
You’ll defend it against any enemy, whoever they maybe!!?? What if Canada goes in a war against muslims, or say innocent people, like America did. Would you still want to die for your country? Would you fight against muslims because they’re against your country?

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You decided your country wasn’t good enough for you, you decided some other country was better for you, so you emigrated to that country. But why do you have to die for it? In future you can just decide another country is even better, move to that country and make that your own. You can be loyal to that country and feel very patriotic. No reason to give your life for a country when it’s only temporary! I think it’s easier to just change the country you belong to. Don’t you agree?

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One of the many problems developing countries face is the flux of talents. If only all the scientists and scholars remained in their own countries and tried to make contributions, conditions could’ve improved for those countries. Of course those countries are poor, can’t provide the facilities the developed countries can. But there’re still some who don’t sell their talents to the developed countries, make the sacrifice of thinking beyond themselves and contribute to their own country. Now that’s true patriotism. Why can’t we all show that kind of patriotism?
We compare our countries with mothers. We don’t choose it, it’s choosen for us. We can’t suddenly consciously decide someone is a better mother and go through some process to make her our own mother! Just because it’s a reality and can be done doesn’t make it any less ridiculous.

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I understand that the author has posted a new blog. But before posting a new post shouldn’t he try to first resolve the argument on this one? The last three comments raise some interesting questions, I’d like to see what the author has to answer, instead of just side stepping them.

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