Asalamu alaikum :
I believe the question was valid ,it my have lacked a bit more of a solid direction ,but inshallah I think I understand what she is asking ....Sis I also live in the west (Canada) and I find it very easy to intergrate and live my life fully as a muslim,Alhamdulilah .What problem I have encounterd and so have many other reverts is this tug of war muslims have with reverts ,depending on the comunity one is told they must eat dress and live either asian or arab cultures and this is soo wrong .Show me where it is 100% that my country's culture is all harram ? Canadians dont eat just pork dishes nor do Germans ,nor do they all drink alcohol . Islam teaches ,that there is no culture in Islam ecept what a person brings with them and as long as it does not violate any of Allahs laws and rules then its ok. So Apple pie is halal as long as the crust is made with shortening and not lard ,and yes lemonade is as well ..as for how I wear my cloths ,and what I sleep on ,again these as long as they are in congunction with the rules and laws are very permissable ......Why is it Muslims need to make and bring hardship upon themselfs and upon others...As is said islam is easy ,the hardship muslims bring upon themselfs.... I live and work and play with in this comunity ,and I have never had to give up my faith or my belief at any point and I have not had to sit in my home feeing isolated from any one ...I swim ,I skate , and I even bowl and mashallah life could not be easier AlahUAkbar...but then I do not waste my time trying to come up with reasons to hate the land I live on or the people I live in it with ,for Allah made man to be gardianship over all things and how can one do this if one can only find wrongs and errors in everything..seek out the good and the correct and then Inshallah you will find the beaut of his creation
Masalaam
As Muslims we could never and should never integrate into any society other than Islam. I'm an American and I'm proud to be an American. Allah made it so that the world would consist of many different places, people, languages, cultures and species. That is part of the ayah. Allah SWT made The Americas and Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia and Antarctica. Islam is the only thing that truly binds all these things together. I live in America it is almost impossible to break the laws here as a Muslim because you follow Sharia law. There are things here in this secular society that are legal that you should be put to death for in Sharia law. So I integrate well into American society not because of the American way but because I follow the ways of the prophet pbuh and the prophets before him. I follow the path that Allah has set. As a new Muslim early in my journey I grapple with this historic election. I'm an African American woman and as a citizen I have to protect myself and the world. So I have to vote. John McCain is more evil than Bush. I will do everything in my power to keep this man from leading this country so I will cast my vote for Barak Obama. I'm an independent because I don't subscribe to any party besides Allah's SWT. That doesn't make me say that I'm as American as any American That makes me say I'm as Muslim as any Muslim. I will cast that vote to protect myself and the Muslim world from An evil man.:tti_sister: Imagine a man more psychotic than Bush.
So I must participate in the American system but the American system is not my creed. We as Muslims need to get more involved in our governments and justice systems. Sharia and secular so that we can make sure our needs as Muslims are met.We need Muslims involved in secular governments that we live in to protect Muslims and Islam. To provide a better environment in the communities for Muslims. For things such as access to mosques and the building of new mosques and Islamic centers. To protect our civil rights to be able to practice Islam in our communities. We need to be more involved in Sharia law. To make sure that the leaders of the Muslim lands are treating the people as the Qu'ran says they should. To make sure those leaders follow Sharia as they should and protect it from being tainted by the secular world. I don't think its integration I just think its man living side by side with their different creeds. We live by ours and they live by theirs. You decide what you are.
