Maybe it is just me and I live a sheltered lifestyle, but all of a sudden, there seem to be articles about people leaving Islam and their "courage" that are doing the rounds in mainstream media.
A lot of Muslims will rather ignore this issue, but if it blows up in our face, we will all suffer.
The Guardian has had its piece and so has BBC News. There have been a few others too and when I have pointed them out to other Muslims, they have generally not wanted to read them or not considered apostasy a major issue for the Muslim community.
These articles suggest that there is an often hidden group of individuals who's parents and family background is one of Islam and Muslims, but they themselves have chosen to leave Islam, either publicly or in secret.
If these articles are only exposing something that exists to a greater extent, it is worrying.
We all know that Islam is a gift and if we do not cherish it, it can be taken away, given to other individuals and communities instead of us, but do we take this knowledge seriously or just see it as another bogeyman?
I may be naive, but I doubt many people that leave Islam will leave because they no longer believe. Often there will be social or cultural reasons.
Does the Muslim community do a good enough job of explaining Islam to Muslims, let alone non Muslims?
From these articles it also seems that youngish girls are the most likely to leave Islam. Is that just me reading too much into it, are these articles "marketing" aimed at such confused souls or is it the reality that we ignore?
The BBC News article was about a 17 year old who had eventually ran away from home. The article in teh Guardian featured a woman in her twenties who had secretly left Islam. Both of these cases involved relationships (and often this can go two ways - it can bring another person to islam too).
Islam does not demand celibacy - the Muslim community version with late marriages expects it and that can cause a strain.
Another part will be of feeling outcast - Not everyone can deal with issues thrown at them, especially if instead of feeling that Islam gives them strength and dignity, they feel it holds them back and makes them embarrassed about their origins.
Many people sin - most people will sin, but leaving Islam altogether seems like a rather drastic step. I don't think it's just about sin - I get the impression that a lot of these people are angry at something too.
Question is what can be done about this and what should be done about this.
If you have a friend that has left Islam, how should you react? What about a family member?
As always prevention is better than cure, so what can be done to prevent people being put in a position where they want to leave Islam?
May Allah (swt) guide us all on to and then keep us on the true path.
Comments
If you find the answer "losing faith" and exMuslims, then let us know. This is a question that Christians have asked themselves, the Church of England especialy.
Many young people, of whatever faith, go through three stages. The do as their parents say, [but they do watch what their parents do] acepting what they say as being correct. Next they think about what they are doing and what their parents say, think and do. Lastly they compare their, and their parents lifestyles, with the attitudes and lifestyles of people they know and come into contact with.
The problem for Islam, unlike Christianity is faith and trust in your own religion. When I say this I am not being negative against Islam.If you believe that your religion is the right one, and the only faith to follow God correctly. Then it is possible to allow people to leave your faith, if they wish to. Acepting the fact that God knows why this is happening. Also the fact that we all need God more then he needs us and in the final reconing we are all personaly accountable for what we do in the name of our own faith and our individual lives.
I know in my own life, I have relatives whose children are not practicing Christians have had children their done [the common name for un-believers to have their children baptised in the Christian faith] just to make their parents happy? But this is acepted by both sides and the children who are baptised into the Christian faith, but do not follow it. Even though on reaching maturity [be they practicing Christians, or not] are able to be confirmed into the Christian faith making the same vows that their God-parents made on their behalf when they were infants.
Indeed it as been stated many times that the Christian Faith is in serious decline and within generation it will cease to exist. They have been saying this for the last 60+ years. It as been pointed out many time by both Muslim leaders and Christian Leaders that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. But if you really look at the facts, what they mean is birth rates not followers of a faith.
I believe in the Muslim faith that children born to a Muslim family are automaticaly Muslim [assumes the faith of the father even if the mother is a non-Muslim] The child when he becomes an adult is not free to openly leave Islam, becoming either a Christian, or any other faith or indeed non] If he/she leaves the faith he comits the crime of Apostaty and could in extreme circumstances could be killed for it at the worst. Or feels that for his/her own safety keeps quiet, or leaves the area of their upbringing.
Islam is not alone in this, My Mother married outside the Jewish Faith, whilst not threated with death, her parents had a buriel service in her name, having nothing to do with her as in their eyes was dead.
Which comes back to faith in your religion and trust in God. It states that there is no compulsion in Islam. But if after acepting the Islamic Faith a person leaves [denies the faith] Islam he/she is guilty of Apostasy and should be put to death?
I can see a logic for people converting willingly and then changing their mind [my get out of jail card, avoid death or the payment of jizya] But to be used against a person who purely by accident of birth is born a Muslim is both unjust and is against a God who as given us free will and he will judge us? The link below explains better then I can.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/jul/21/apostasy-islam-quran-sharia
I dissagree with this, Muslims who maybe second/third generation British are probably adopting the very British outlook. They are our children, part of our family and are hoping that that things will turn out alright in the end. As for blowing up in our face, are you speaking for yourself or the Muslim community? IMHO it shows that sections of the Muslim community are adopting certain British values, one of which is religion is for personal consumption only, seperating religious life from public life.
The same could be said of Christians, whilst many people do not attend Church on a Sunday, still believe in Christianity. The same may be said of Muslims, “all don’t go to a Mosque on Friday.
As for cultural reasons, yes, they could be present? Forced marriage could be one problem. A young British Muslim girl, who is well educated, as plans for life is suddenly presented with a choice to marry a cousin back in either her parents homeland. This cousin a] she as never met and b] educationaly is not her equel. She his faced with do I go along with my parents wishes, or do I go against them and follow my own wishes?
Maybe the Muslim community need to update Islam for todays society that young Muslims live in? Whilst still maintaining Islamic values? This by the way is something the Christian Church as struggled with for years and is still a long way from solving.
Islam does ot demand celibacy? Maybe in a Male Muslim, but it certainly expects it of a Female Muslim? Maybe a case of dual standards?
That by the way was a Christian value, no sex before marriage, the woman must remain a virgin before marriage, whilst a man was free to do as he wished. Right or wrong what most people [Christian?] believe is what a woman, and a man as done before marriage is history and providing that they are honest and faithful to each other after marriage it should remain history.
Most people sin, because we are only human. As for leaving their religion? They may from time to time doubt their religion. But God is always with them and he as the final say, not us.
What I mean is that Islamically, while neither gender is allowed extra marital relationships, marriage is enouraged and made easy. So once people reach an appropriate age, people are encouraged to get married quite strongly.
However, society has also developed in a way where people now get married at an average of 29. Those two are not compatible and often something has to give.
Apostasy hasnt meant death from the start. There were even apostates in the time of the Prophet
who were not harmed.
There is a verse in the Qur'an against those who not only leave Islam, but then fight the Muslims. Some people have taken leaving Islam and fighting the Muslims to be understood as a single condition, but I dont think that is the mainstream interpretation of the classical scholars.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.