Modern Muslima.com: Articles : A Western Muslim's Guide to Hijrah

A Western Muslim's Guide to Hijrah

Part V: Politics and War

Don't Be Led to Dark Places

By now, we have all heard the sensational headline stories of people like John Hamza Lindh, Daniel Abu Muhammad Maldonado, Asif Mohammed Hanif, and others. We’ve heard of young European and American Muslims, particularly men, who went over to the Muslim world full of enthusiasm for the diyn of Allah and doing things for His Sake who got caught up in politics, war and violence. I’m not saying purposely or innocently. I’m not saying guilty or innocent. I’m saying because of naivte, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or whatever — these guys got caught up in something that they probably never dreamed they’d be involved with.

Hamza Lindh went overseas to lean Arabic, study the diyn, and be with the Muslims. Now he’s in prison for a very long time and his ability to have human contact, particularly with other Muslims, is severely restricted. He is not even allowed to recite his fajr, maghrib, and ‘isha prayers aloud because he is forbidden from speaking Arabic. He tells a story of a situation that spiraled out of control after he entered a country in a virtual state of anarchy, which had been in a state of war for 20 years. According to his own words, he was at a loss for what to do, and how to get out of that situation, and we all know where he next found himself.

Daniel Abu Muhammad Maldonado went overseas to find a more Islamic lifestyle for his wife and three children. He went from the US to Cairo to Somalia, in search of an Islamic society, and stumbled right into a war zone that they were forced to flee. Now he’s in prison, classified as a terrorist, his wife is buried on the side of a road somewhere in Kenya, and his children, one of whom is a toddler, are virtually orphans, being raised by their grandparents.

The enthusiasm of Western Muslims, especially converts, can lead us to some really dark places.

In many places in the Muslim world, there is politically inspired violence or war. This is a fact. Even in Jordan, a very stable country, we have had terrorist acts of violence. Is it any different than gang violence or other violence that we see in the West? In some ways, I think not, but I also think that potential muhajirun need to look at a country’s political situation with open eyes. I mentioned friends who made hijrah to a place in a lesser developed nation that is beyond the government’s control. One of my friends who went there told me it meant local men shooting at government soldiers or policemen with automatic weapons if they came anywhere near their villages. The local men, and many of the women, she told me, were armed almost all of the time. There have been several rebellions in that region over the last few decades. It is not so far fetched to imagine rebellions developing in something like civil war. It has happened all over the world time and time again. What will you do if you get caught in a situation like this?

Umm Muhammad, Daniel Maldonado’s wife, trusted in Allah when she had to flee the violence of Somalia. Insha’Allah, she died as a martyr (of fever / contagion while traveling and trying to protect her diyn and family). But no one can ignore the fact that her children are virtual orphans, being raised by non-Muslim relatives, while their father spends a minimum of 8 years in prison. Other muhajirun who were with her were arrested and treated horrifically by the authorities; according to their testimony, the men among them were tortured. In quite a few cases, the children were present with them in the prisons and subjected to maltreatment as well. So before you go somewhere because you’re told it’s really Islamic, ask yourself if you can cope with this sort of situation.

In other places, while the threat of violence is not that great, you may find the political situation close to unbearable. In the West, there is a significant portion of Muslims who have become used to liberal speech laws and used them to denounce their governments and many other things. Such speech, including talk of Islamic revolution, jihad, or the caliphate, is unthinkable and illegal in pretty much any Muslim country. Insulting the Leader, his wife, his family, his policies, his army, and his laws can land you, yes you O American or Briton, an extended stay in a prison. The best you can hope for in a situation like this is being expelled from the country and not being arrested by the FBI when you arrive back in the West.

Generally speaking, I would tell you to get used to the idea that your phone conversations, your e-mail, and your blog are monitored. Get used to the idea that your neighbors or anyone else may be willing to get paid by the intelligence services for informing on you. Get used to the idea that the intelligence services may come to check you out themselves. You should also start to adjust to the fact that in some countries, wearing a certain style of clothing (for men or women) signals allegiance to a particular party or minhaj / da’wah group. You may not intend to signal this, but local people may take it that way. I’m not saying you should avoid a style of dress if that’s what you like, but I’m saying you should be aware of it and aware of how some might react to you because of it.

My advice to anyone is to always, always stay out of politics, do not let yourself become involved in opposition movements, and do not engage in illegal activities, including speech activities. Do not allow yourself to be instigated into these acts by anyone — be they locals or fellow muhajirun. Prison in the US is no cakewalk. It's legions worse in the Muslim world.

Now, it’s easy to sit back home in the UK or Canada or the US and say that this isn’t right and that you can say whatever you want to, and Allah is your Protector. Well, it is true that He is your Protector, but it’s also true that He tries and tests His Creation, and for all you know, being whipped on your feet is part of your trial. Just think about this: when you’re arrested for seditious or illegal speech or actions, who will take care of your children? What will you do now that your property and goods have been seized? What if your innocent spouse or other relatives are arrested because of what you’ve done? When you’re in a dank, rat infested cell, or being pistol whipped, will those who encouraged you to do these things be willing to step in and take the beating for you? I doubt it. Will they put up money to replace the property that was taken from you? I doubt it. Will they offer to serve your prison sentence? Highly doubt it.

You are responsible for yourself and your children. If you decide to move to a Muslim country (or any country, for that matter), you must decide that you are going to obey their laws, even the ones that strike you as unfair, unjust, or unIslamic. If you can’t do that, then you have no business coming over here and you should probably avoid telling anyone who does how they should be living their life — especially when it is just as easy to criticize you for living in a country whose government … well, we all know where this goes, and don’t we Muslims criticize one another often enough? My point is that everyone has their own personal levels of what they can and can’t tolerate, their own lists of what is and isn’t most important, and their own personal situations. We need Muslims everywhere, including the West.

No one ever said life would be easy. There are political problems for Muslims in the West, and political problems for Muslims in the Muslim world. You know what you can and can’t compromise. For some people, it is electricity and running water. For others, the ability to criticize the government. For others, it is a more conservative standard of living and raising children. Each one of us has an idea of what we need to do in our own lives to keep on the path of faith and raise faithful children. Each of us has an idea, or soon gains one, of what situations put him or her close to the edge of their sanity or faith. Each of us learns how we can best manage our faith. For some, it is going to the Muslim world and accepting political restrictions, or the idea that there is a war raging 40 miles away. For others, it is staying in the West and accepting life in a society that often promotes ideas that run contrary to the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Part VI: Women's Concerns