Pull of two cultures can create deadly tension

04Dec06

Extract from The Scotsman

I SOMETIMES feel like a pair of 501s during the testing stage. Tugging on one leg, gently but steadily, is the machinery of capitalism and the West. On the other, the erratic yanking of a wild beast is pulling me back to my roots. Like many young Muslims living in Scotland I feel confused, a little lost, distressed and largely powerless to do anything about it.

There is no excuse for the awful, despicable crime committed by those who murdered Kriss Donald. However, we should try to learn lessons where possible. Did these killers suffer an extreme sense of the same frustration I feel – and did that contribute in any way to the warped rationale behind their targeting of an unknowing, innocent victim? If so, what do we need to do to prevent the same thing happening again in the future?

Muslims face a particularly complex set of challenges when trying to integrate into western society. Youngsters are constantly juggling western ideals with traditional values in an attempt to accommodate both their family and their friends. However, as links with their country of origin weaken generation after generation, more and more Muslims are successfully integrating themselves into society and are comfortable with their “Scottish Muslim” identity. On the path to the development of this new westernised Islam, though, there are inevitable difficulties…

… Muslims feel misunderstood locally, under-represented nationally and threatened internationally. They feel like their whole way of life has come under attack. Multiculturalism is proving to be a delicate and potentially explosive process. These are important times as Islam grapples with westernisation in an attempt to find a mutually acceptable balance. Both ideologies have a massive contribution to make to the 21st century, but the key is compassion, communication and choice. So what am I going to choose? Well, I’m a believer in taking the best of everything (a cultural “third way”, if you like), so I’ll just keep on smiling and hope that the jeans don’t tear.

Read this article in full: http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=1523&id=1673662006

 

Filed under: Edinburgh Evening News, Gang Violence Scotland, Islam, Kriss Donald Murder, Mosarrof Hussain, Muslims, Scotland on Sunday, Scotsman, War Against Terror   |  Leave a Comment