<\/p>\n
Growing up in a Western country, I have encountered many Muslims struggling to keep up with their faith, feeling like they will be left out if they openly practise or simply fearful of being\u00a0associated with the unfortunate misconceptions people have about our beautiful religion. This peer pressure that led some to hide part of their identity often comes with\u00a0an understandable yet questionable statement: “It would have been easier if I was living in a Muslim country<\/em>.” But would it really?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In theory, being in a place where you can hear the adhan and pray on time, where you can\u00a0feel the spirit of Ramadan when it approaches, or where no one stares at you because you\u2019re\u00a0wearing hijab would make the laws of Allah easier to follow indeed\u2026 But aren\u2019t we forgetting how globally connected our world has become and how temptation is everywhere? Sure, all\u00a0the above serves as great reminders of His commands, but isn\u2019t it\u00a0naive to think that all it takes to be a good Muslim is to be in a Muslim country? And isn\u2019t it deceptive to believe the opposite; that if you’re living in a non-Muslim country, it somehow makes disobeying the Almighty acceptable?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don\u2019t get me wrong, I understand how it feels. I grew up in France, mostly surrounded by non-Muslims, and although I\u2019ve always been close to my faith alhamdulillah<\/em>, I remember\u00a0often telling myself: “Oh how simple life would be if I lived in a Muslim country<\/em>.” But that only lasted until I met people from countries like Saudi Arabia, Morocco or Indonesia who sadly didn\u2019t\u00a0feel any sort of connection to Islam. In fact, they saw it as a burden, just like some Muslims in western countries, and were surprised about how I practised Islam. Some of them\u00a0would even ask questions like, “Why do you even bother with religion? You\u2019re lucky enough to live in a country where you\u2019re not forced to do anything, where people won\u2019t judge you if you\u00a0smoke, drink, have sex or wear short skirts\u2026 So why?<\/em>“.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That\u2019s when it hit me: this had nothing to do with your environment and everything to do with your heart<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now you should be reflecting upon the biases you\u2019ve let yourself be blinded by, that which has\u00a0undeniably affected your faith, but also feel a sense of relief because being a Muslim in a non-Muslim country doesn\u2019t set you up for failure in obeying Allah whatsoever! However, this can only happen if there is a genuine desire to build a strong relationship with\u00a0Him and to educate yourself on what Islam is truly about.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n1. No Space for Denial<\/h2>\n
2. Overcoming Your Own Biases<\/h2>\n