The
Muslim Teenager in a Chaotic World
http://www.theunseen.co.uk/Content.asp?ArticleID=5&ArticleTypeID=2&category=social&RootArticleID=5
This
article is a personal look at the world of the Muslim teenager living in
Modernday Britain.
It aims to paint a critical picture of the pressures and influences faced by
young muslims as they grow up and the importance of Deen in overcoming and
dealing with these problems. The article is not aimed at being an inclusive
guide to all that Young Muslims need to know in bringing Deen into their lives,
but to the contrary I hope it acts as a stimulant for further and more proper
steps towards finding out more, i.e. via further reading, consultation with the
Ulama and the significance of attending, if possible, an Islamic teaching
institution.
Anyone briefly interested in Sociology would know that many
theorists argue that - The way we live our lives and grow up is not a
personal thing, instead it is decided and shaped by the society we live
in. Now as a teenager a number of years ago if somebody said that to me, it
wouldn't mean a thing let alone make me bothered or concerned, but what would
have been astonishing to hear is that, I am just another marketing target
for people to make money off and that am always fed information about life
according to the perspective of people who don't know or don't care anything
about my religion, my family life nor my heritage.
The two things
mentioned above are commonly to do with;
( a) Capitalism: which
basically means to make huge profits (greedy amounts of money) whatever it
takes!
( b) The Media: which is the name given to institutions who
make money by providing news or entertainment such as Newspapers, Television
programme makers, Films and Film makers, Showbiz Magazines and those to do with
the Music industry.
Capitalism is a very powerful system as almost all
countries want to be part of it, simply because they want to become more
wealthier and more advanced. In a very simplistic example it is all about
competing with others and spending as less money as possible to make massive
amounts of profit.
There are countless examples of this dominant
behaviour. For instance, many multi-national companies like Nike have been
accused of getting their products made in third world countries like
Bangladesh
where the cost of employing someone is dramatically less than it is in
Europe.
They then sell them on to us in Britiain for extortionate prices (eg. a hundred
pounds for a pair of trainers). Big companies like Car manufacturers would
often agree to fix prices so that the customer is unaware they are paying more -
again to make Billions of pounds of profit.
In fact, by now you may
probably be wondering well where does the Muslim Teenager fit into all this.
Well, my dear brothers and sisters Capitalism is a very clever system because it
never runs out of areas to make money and one of it's biggest places where it
makes ridiculous amounts of money is in the Teenage
market.
Teenagers in Britain
as in all western countries are big business, simply because unlike in poor
countries where young people mostly seek above all a better standard of living,
the modern day teenager has become addicted to a life of luxury. Therefore,
teenagers via the Media (as will be discussed shortly) are bombarded with
expectations to be fashionable, trendy, and be more concerned with image and
lifestyle than with leading a good life. The Muslim Teenager is also part of
this chaotic world simply because he or she is exposed to this material culture
in almost all aspects of their life, whether it's at school, at home, or with
friends.
In fact, I do not wish to condemn anybody but I would like to
use this opportunity to point out to my young brothers and sisters that some
will say to you that you are going through a phase and that when you get older
you will probably laugh at yourself, but what ever you enjoy, whether it's
fashionable clothes or a trendy image you have to bear in mind that Muslims have
always been the icon of the rest of the world for their simplistic but yet
productive way of life.
Even if the simple and humble way of Islam
appears very unattractive to some of my brothers and sisters I would like to ask
you to consider some mere ethical questions:
1. Think about where and who
made your trendy gear?
2. How much does it really costs to make it? i.e. Did
it really cost the price on the tag?
3.Who really benefits more: your image
or the pockets of fat cat company executives?
The second alarming thing
to hear is that what you read, watch and listen to is decided by a very powerful
institution called the Media. The Media is not simply one particular person or a
group, in fact it is the entire system of newspapers, magazines, television
programmes and movies by which we get information and entertainment in society.
On the outset they seem perfectly harmless but many writers and commentators.
mainly non-Muslim will tell you that your lifestyle, choices and ideas are
decided by what you pick up from the Media. This may seem harsh to believe but
just pick up any media studies text book or watch any news programme to find out
more.
The media is held responsible for promoting young people to be
thin, attractive and trendy like famous celebrities and seek things which
everyone else is supposedly seeking: a perfect partner and poupularity amongst
people. It also, for want of a better word, brainwashes you to see things in
terms of , what your lead to believe is, the values of the rest of society. So,
you find yourself analysing problems acordding to knowledge gained from watching
soaps like Eastenders and talk shows like The Ricki Lake show and you may even
be directly or indirectly influenced by reading agony aunt pages in teenage
showbiz magazines.
Although, this seems like an extreme version of how
teenage Muslims find answers to life's problems, personal inquiries tell me that
the magnetic effect of drawing from these types of sources is so powerful that
it overshadows other ways of seeing things. For instance, we may question the
judgement of our elders and subsequently openly welcome advice given by TV
personalities who may sound sympathetic despite not having a clue about our
culture and family ties.
Many Sociologists argue that the British Media
does not represent adequately the muti-cultural dimension to British life. It is
accused of discriminating against people outside
London,
people from ethnic minority groups and especially against the belief and views
of religious groups such as Muslims. Recently, there has been an increased
concern about the 'Islamophobic' attitude of the Media, as Muslims are very
unfairly and poorly represented. Examples include the constant hammering of the
stereo-type of practising Muslims as terrorists and a danger to public
life.
In summary, this article is not intended to uncover a particular
conspiracy theory, but to highlight to young Muslims that although the material
culture of the west is difficult to escape, it is highly imperative that Muslim
teenagers maintain a slight if not complete awareness of exactly what is going
on in this seemingly cosy society of ours. .
Being critical does not
mean you have to be a monk distant from all your family and friends, but to be a
bit more aware that although we live a comfortable life in Britain we should not
easily be distracted or exploited by the Media and greedy multi-national
companies out to shape our belief s and values as well as rip us
off.
Whilst these Satanic institutions aim and try so hard to keep us
busy we must bear in mind that Islam gives the young person a very high and
rewarding role of being dedicated and active followers of the true Deen. There
are countless rewards available for the young person who fights the ills of the
temptations of this world in return for the sanctity of the hearafter and to
those who can see beyond the fake surface of the Media and
Capitalism.
