A young Muslim in United Kingdom cities faces a whole range of difficulties. Apart from having to deal with the cultural differences if they have just moved into the country, even for those born within the UK, life can be extremely frustrating and at times utterly confusing.
Often part of very
strict families, they are rarely permitted to take part in many activities
English teenagers take for granted. Although many families that have lived here
for years are much more relaxed about the rules in general, some things are out
of the question, especially for ,muslim girls.
The role of the
females within a family are often viewed very differently, and while boys
generally have the ability to blend in much better through clothing and also
enjoy a lot more freedom as a whole, girls are usually watched much more
closely and are also expected to wear certain traditional garments.
This often makes
them feel like outsiders, while at the same time inducing a lot of unwelcome
and often embarrassing questions, as well as sometimes misplaced pity when
their friends at school misread certain Muslim traditions as oppression.
Dating in particular
presents a problem and often a point of serious arguments between teenagers and
their parents. According to Islamic law, dating as English teenagers know it is
not allowed. While families are aware that they can not keep their daughters
from having to interact with boys at school, university or work, they will not
allow them to mingle, in particular alone, with them.
Friendships with
members of the opposite sex are actively discouraged by most families, making
it very difficult, if not impossible for individuals to find someone they can
love and wish to spend the rest of their life with.
As it is, most
families have readily embraced modern technology, including computers and the
Internet as part of their every day lives. This enables young Muslims to engage
in Internet dating, a facility offered by Alnaddy, among others, and something
few parents object to.
Because they are not
actually in physical contact with the people they talk to, parents usually
happily approve this and, after checking out any individual their daughter or
son wishes to communicate with, often even leave them to get on with it without
continually looking over their shoulder.
This tends to
generally improve parent/ child relationships, while simultaneously enabling
the young singles to find the person they are compatible to and discover
much about a potential future spouse before they actually meet them
and get married.
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