An integrated Citizen

Depends what you mean by integrated?
If integrated means i gotta start acting all westernised than thats not really appealing. What do you mean by integrated? That we gotta have bake sales and eat Shepard's pie??

There are Muslims in all professional areas. What else do you want? Not everyone is comfortable going around preaching 24/7. And the mosques are certainly not up to it. We lack organisation.

And it doesnt help that some people go around saying this innovations astagfarullah, and all that. We certainly dont help our own cause.

[quote=wednesday]
TBH intergrating with the community is an independant decision made by the individual. If some one has the ability, strength, finances, estate (?), status (?), 'will power', and passion to be around ppl and to work for the ppl/community, then yes, it's best if they went out and do that.

Frankly, every career allows you to do just that.[/quote]

I suppose there are many angles to the word and concept of integration.

If every career allows for that, then why do people volunteer? Why do people vote? Why do people speak up for the disadvantaged? Why do people work as school governors? Why do people write to their local MP when they want to complain?

We complain that non-muslims vilify us in the media, but we do not take action to counter-act that negative press. It could be as little as e-mailing BBC when we see a negative news report, or more long-term such as working over the weekend in the local Oxfam shop.

I know that we cannot force muslims to be active members of society, but we should encourage it, shouldnt we? :? Otherwise we'll always sit on the back-burner. :? I dont like the idea of living in Muslim ghettos :?

What about actively engaging and participating in our community?

Sure, we should be doing stuff like that. Your post really made me think, Good one! 🙂
In my community it is like all the muslims just stick together, and are all working hard to just improve things for the muslims, there doesn't seem to be much Da'wah work for the non-muslims. at least thats what it looks like from my perspective...

[quote=Amal]I recently read about a church that created a community action team to offer services to their local and wider community. What a lovely idea. Through their services to the community, they offered parenting courses, debt advice sessions, anti-drug initiatives, babies clubs, homework clubs etc. Our community isnt as developed as other groups who have a longer history in the UK (i.e. Jews, Catholics), but it would warm my heart if our own community could contribute to the wider society in that way. Many blessed souls sacrifice their time and energy into integrating with their community, and engaging actively with each other.

[/quote]

I think that this DOES already happen a lot (though there's always room to improve/grow), at least around North and West London.

My mum used to work in overseeing out-of school clubs, community groups and other similar things to the ones you have mentioned... the vast majority of these groups (which rely on volunteers) were from Muslim immigrant populations.

And I'm yet to see a Muslim 'ghetto', I think that this is made up by the Daily Mail/David Cameron. There are some areas which are predominantly Muslim, of course there are, just like there are areas which are mainly Caribbean, Italian, Jewish or Irish. A ghetto is when, by law, no one is aloud 'in' or 'out' of these areas, which is a myth.

Maybe in the North of England it is different - Oldham and Bradford riots etc MAY have been caused by something similar.

BTW, the title of this is incorrect, if it refers to the UK.

We are not 'citizens', we are 'subjects of the Queen'.

[quote=Ya'qub]
And I'm yet to see a Muslim 'ghetto', I think that this is made up by the Daily Mail/David Cameron. There are some areas which are predominantly Muslim, of course there are, just like there are areas which are mainly Caribbean, Italian, Jewish or Irish. A ghetto is when, by law, no one is aloud 'in' or 'out' of these areas, which is a myth.

Maybe in the North of England it is different - Oldham and Bradford riots etc MAY have been caused by something similar.[/quote]

My good friend (who lives up north) has told me on good authority of the clear division that exists between different the muslims (or should I say asians?) and whites. There is no sense of cosmopolitianism. To the extent that one race will not venture into anothers. I really dont like the idea of 'no-go' areas (as would most people), but it does exist quite evidently.

Will someone from up north please expand on what Ive been told?

Salam

We should all love Britain.

Thats integration enough.

Omrow

[quote=Omrow]Salam

We should all love Britain.

Thats integration enough.

Omrow

[/quote]

We can love Britain but still commit crimes in it, does that make us very itnegrated?

[quote=Courage][quote=Omrow]Salam

We should all love Britain.

Thats integration enough.

Omrow

[/quote]

We can love Britain but still commit crimes in it, does that make us very itnegrated?[/quote]

Well, after recent statistics, aslong as its knife crime then id say yes.

Salam

I love Britain. I would not do anything that would harm her.

If you love Britain then you would not commit any crime against your beloved country.

If you loved a chick, would you do anything to hurt her?

No.

Omrow

[quote=wednesday]Why in the world is Britain a femanine land?[/quote]

In old-fashioned times (when Omrow grew up) countries were referred to as female.

'the Motherland' etc.

[quote=Omrow]Salam

I love Britain. I would not do anything that would harm her.

If you love Britain then you would not commit any crime against your beloved country.

If you loved a chick, would you do anything to hurt her?

No.

Omrow

[/quote]

No, but that means in some ways a bearded Sheikh who can't speak English, but doesn't commit a crime is more integrated that someone who drinks, takes drugs and commits crime but calls himslef British.
As for the "chick", I'd hope you wouldn't hurt her but some people (men and women) hurt their other halves all the time, physically, socially and mentally. I'm not saying it always happens but it DOES sometimes.

I'm a firm believer in integration and assimilation, and the more Non-Muslims we manages to hook onto this idiology the better 😉
Being a respectable citizen and integration are not one and the same thing, I can respect the society I live in, thats not to say I should or will adhere to everything expected of me within that society.
An interesting question would be why anyone would actually want to intergrate into this society, cosidering the current state of it.
Either way I don't see the logic in intergrating into a society thats foundation is based on Un Islamic ideologies, better for us to strengthen the one we belong to, before that to turns sour.

Integration doesn't mean blindly following everything a society says, mate.

Though looking at some Muslims you might think so, Chum.

Yeah, but let's look at what is, rather than what it may seem to some.