A while ago on the forums I was linked to a Channel 4 Production titled "My Big Gypsy Wedding" - a look at the gypsy community, its challenges and its customs.

It was quite an eye opener for me and I think we should envy some of the things they have accomplished and others they have managed to keep. Ideas that many Muslims are rebelling against, they have managed to keep. Using words written by Rawrrs to describe a few of the things I am talking about:

The parents don't want kids to drink, smoke, do drugs, or go out on their own/without their permission.

No 'relations' before marriage

Marriage at quite a young age, and quite a sacred thing.

Just imagine how much trouble the "not going out without permission" is causing to young Muslims, yet they manage to accept and approve of it - and lets forget how much of an issue early marriage can be!

The average age for marriage in their community is just 17. (and yes, I do think that for the Islamic system to work, marriage in general needs to be something that is done young - otherwise the system simply cannot work.)

While the dress sense may not be too appropriate, other things such as early marriage, no sexual relations before mariage etc would fit right in with Muslim ideals - and this is something they seem to be keeping.

The Romani community seems to have resisted the cultural revolutions of the last 50 or so years and managed to hold onto its ideals in a way that Muslims should really be looking into the whys of.

There is a strong sense of belonging, and the people reject changes to their culture (which is based on religion - catholicism).

How have they managed to do this? It seems a good contender for this is not something most people would expect - almost universal prejudice.

Yes you heard that right. They may have managed to hold onto what was dear to them because people are and were prejudiced against them.

What that prejudice has done is give them a very strong sense of belonging.

It has also given them a certainty - this is who they are and there is no namby pamby need or desire to change themselves to conform to others' ideals.

There is no false ideal, no doubt about where they belong. As such, the people are less likely to stray from their ideals, simply because they will not be accepted.

More they accept and relish this unlike many Muslims who try to circumvent the measures and twist things. There are many Muslims (including me) who do many things that are unislamic and we can do this because of how things are less prejudiced against us.

There are many Muslims who date, have relations before marriage, smoke, drink, take and sell drugs. They are even accepted by Non Muslims and allowed to integrate into such things - tell me how many working muslims HAVEN'T been invited to the pub? I would suspect that would be a very very small number.

It should not be easy for people to slide into decay and chaos subconciously - it should be a case where if they want to, they have to actually and consciously choose such things, but currently, under the mantra of integration lines are becoming so blurred that people are just falling off the bandwaggons in ways they do not even realise - possibly with no way back.

So people, prejudice is not all bad and we have much much to learn from the Romani community.