Living in America vs living in a Muslim country
 

Assalaam alikum

What are the pros and cons of living in a western country (like America) versus living in a Muslim country (like Qatar or UAE)?

wswrwb -

cons:
-difficult to find halal work/work environment
-difficult to raise family
-difficult to lower gaze
-may not be halal to live in non-Muslim country (varying opinions)
-what will we tell Allah when he asks us why we lived among the kuffar when we could have gone somewhere else?
-what we tell Allah when our kids end up astray?

pros:
-political stability
-the laws of the kuffar actually protect your rights better than the laws in some Muslim majority countries
-for second-generation, you might have a better chance in the non-Muslim countries because you know how to function there since you grew up in that environment, whereas relocating to Muslim country, you will be a foreigner there and have to start from the bottom, and when you are struggling like that it will be hard to practice deen or help your family...

http://discussworldissues.com/forums...lies/salam.gif

Just to let you know, you can't actually become a citizen in most of the Gulf nations such as Qatar or the UAE. They give their native citizens considerable benefits, and as such, do not allow foreigners to become citizens except with the explicit permission of the royal families--which usually involves wedding a citizen (which you really do not want to do--Gulf women require MONEYZ!!! http://discussworldissues.com/forums...cheesygrin.gif)

My advice, if you're seeking to do such a thing, is to move to Turkey. The country is quickly becoming an economic powerhouse (which means you'll be highly appreciated as a western educated individual), and the country and people are very nice. Istanbul is simply amazing.

If you can't fight em, join em. They'll protect you.

Perhaps rather than considering the UAE or Qatar, you should consider nations like Indonesia, Malaysia, or, perhaps as a more distant choice, Turkey.

Avoid middle east. A big war might engulf the whole region. Better go to South Africa. Many forum members are from south africa here. Ask them.

For the middle east war , check this article below.

#############
The Destabilization of Syria and the Broader Middle East War

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.p...t=va&aid=25312

Dangerous Crossroads: The Broader Middle East War

Israel and NATO signed a far-reaching military cooperation agreement in 2005. Under this agreement, Israel is considered a de facto member of NATO.

If a military operation were to be launched against Syria, Israel would in all likelihood be involved in military undertakings alongside NATO forces (under the NATO-Israel bilateral agreement). Turkey would also play an active military role.

A military intervention in Syria on fake humanitarian grounds would lead to an escalation of the US-NATO led war over a large area extending from North Africa and the Middle East to Central Asia, from the Eastern Mediterranean to China's Western frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It would also contribute to a process of political destabilization in Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. It would also set the stage for a conflict with Iran.

######################

I'm considering staying in America, but moving to California

i read elsewhere on sunniforum that they were building a gated Muslim community in Hayword, CA at the old site of Zaytuna Institute, maybe you could check it out and let us know how it is developing...

also, read these...

http://www.suhaibwebb.com/islam-stud...-abul-hussein/

http://www.suhaibwebb.com/society/in...at-our-people/

Reading that second article, I've decided to stay in America

http://discussworldissues.com/forums...lies/salam.gif

@ Wolf

As far as i know, Uae and Qatar are good places. No severe oppression in those two countries. Maybe others who live their can help you understand more about UAE and Qatar.

Are you a new Muslim ? Moving out of USA depends a lot on your personal background.

stick with the yanks, whilst loads of em may claim to hate muslims, thats only a tiny extremist minority, theyre mostly an uneducated lot that need educating about foreign cultures, and are really friendly and generally pretty cool once you get to know them.

Qatar, however, is still my all time fav country because its rich and muslim but not a cultural sell out like a certain emirate in the UAE..

Situation in the UK is deteriorating quite fast. Soon , there will be discrimination along ethnic lines. This message from a British govt offcial portends a bleak future.
-----------------------
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/minister-ur...075117373.html

Businesses should recruit more young, unemployed Britons rather than taking on migrant workers, the work and pensions secretary said on Friday.

Iain Duncan Smith said more than half of the new jobs created in Britain over the last year went to foreign nationals.

One of the British government's key strategies in its drive to cut "painfully high" unemployment is to get immigration under control so that British workers face less competition for jobs from migrants, Duncan Smith said.

But he called on businesses to play their part by giving jobs to unemployed British youths rather than recruiting labour from abroad.
-----------------------------------------------------

is there any difference in your recommendations to do hijra or not if the person involved is young versus retired and older?

if you are older, it might make more sense to move to Muslim country if you are living on savings or pension, then you don't have to work in foreign environment and can just do ibada?

Regarding Turkey , you should not be too much optimistic , if you are a practicing Muslim brother keeping beard. I mean, in Turkey many companies are owned by secular elite who do not allow the employees to keep beard. However, if you start your own business there , or find companies owned by religious minded people , then you may have a good chance to do work without shaving your beard.

I'm a white-looking convert to Islam

Nomadic saab....you mention turkey? Try getting a job in Turkey with a beard. Newzeland and Malaysia have their fare share of problems. UK is a lot better than these countries in my own humble opinion. For a white guy UAE and Qatar are very good Wolf Man. Same as Saudi Arabia. As a white man you will get respect so don't worry. Your presence could be a form of dawah to the people.

I think, the core issue of widespread sick mentality of the Arabs in the middle eastern countries originate from the lack of spirituality. So, we need to promote spirituality in those countries in a large scale.

Since white Western people are highly respected in those areas, we should use them to promote Sufism ( Islamic spirituality) in those countries. I mean , our dawah brothers in the West should encourage the white Muslim brothers to be well trained in Tasawwuf ( Islamic spirituality ) . Then if they come to the Gulf countries , they can promote Tasawwuf to the local and other arabs !!

Sadly, at present, most of the white revert brothers in the West fall in the hands of Salafi brothers !!

http://discussworldissues.com/forums...lies/salam.gif....sorry am asking it on this thread, does UAE in general discriminate on the beard when it comes to jobs??

It is not due to a lack of spirituality. It is a huge social phenomen even prevailent amongst some people of taswuff. It would require indepth analysis. The best means of countering this on a large scale in my humble opinion is 1 of 2 things. 1. Revert shaykhs coming to gulf. 2. Revert brothers joining tabligh work and showing practically that we muslims are 1.

I think the best solution would be some grandscale tabligh jamaat effort. This is the only way of eradicating the problem in my opinion.