We are living in increasingly xenophobic times. Many people from the mainstream population are becoming increasingly hostile towards those who are perceived as outsiders within Western countries. We can see this with the rise of recent massive anti-immigration rallies in the UK and Australia. We can see it in the Canadian government’s walking back on its commitment to increase immigration into Canada in response to the growing resentment towards those policies. And it is increasingly obvious in the heart of the global superpower, where the Republican Party of the United States seems to be rhetorically retreating from the world stage, and espousing “ethnonationalism.”  We see many news stories about ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) rounding up those who “look” foreign, those not deemed loyal, or those who are not productive enough to the United States.

Even in Canada, we find far-right groups advocating for “re-migration” and protesting in favour of making life difficult for immigrants so that they will re-migrate back to their countries of origin. While these protests have not been particularly frequent or well attended, they still represent a sentiment that exists within the Canadian populace.

Inevitably, Muslims have come into the crosshairs of this increased resentment. In the US, Muslim elected officials are having their citizenship questioned and there is a narrative building up that Muslims are uniquely resistant to integration and have an aggressive and invasive ideology. 

What are we to make of this increasingly perilous situation in Western countries as a community, and how should we navigate it?

Staring into the abyss

Understanding this new reality is crucial. It is easy to write people off as bigoted or racist, but this does not create any possibility for having a meaningful impact on them. We must understand that this rising bigotry is a natural result of the social conditions people are subjected to. Economic anxiety is rising to crippling levels as ordinary people are priced out of the basic necessities in their life. In the past, this may have been manageable due to a shared belief in the government or public institutions, or a connection to the political values of secular-liberalism, but people are becoming increasingly aware of how meaningless these institutions and values actually are to their daily struggles. What is left is a public that is highly politicized but feels entirely powerless to address any of the issues they care about whether it is affording rent and groceries, buying a home, protecting the environment, or ending the genocide in Gaza.

In the absence of a system that takes care of the people’s needs or a set of values that would give meaning to the hardship they are facing, people are increasingly resorting to anti-establishment thinking. This has led to a rise in political violence, as was seen in the assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO by Luigi Mangione, or more recently in the assassination of conservative influencer, Charlie Kirk. But many are also espousing a particular type of populism which is critical of migrants, seeing them as the cause of the decay in their government and public institutions. And there will always be self-serving politicians who are willing to scapegoat minorities to shore up their political fortunes, such as the premier of Quebec and his party.

What we are left with is a nihilistic, distrustful and increasingly polarized society, in which a certain segment is unifying on a resentment of those perceived as foreign. And as Muslims, whose commitment to and practice of the deen can be very visible, we can expect to be targeted. 

Do not fear them

The purpose of understanding the increase in bigoted politics in Western countries is not purely academic. Rather, it is a reminder to ourselves, and especially our younger generation, to not operate from a place of fear. Even if we feel an increased pressure to abandon our deen, submit to nationalists, and demonstrate how assimilated we are as an argument against their bigotry towards us. 

Although it is important to show thankfulness for the bounties we receive from the wider society and those who are sincere towards us, our true loyalty is towards our Creator, and to the Message He (SWT) revealed. In other words, we cannot let the fear of creation allow us to abandon our obedience to the Creator. 

Furthermore, we understand that the bigoted politics we are forced to confront do not emerge from a healthy culture. They come from the polarized, distracted, and violent culture of the Western nations themselves.

Why would we choose to adopt political values that reject the Creator, glorify hyper-individualism, encourage addiction to consumption, and nurture the resentment of others. As Musa (AS) asked the Children of Israel:

“Do you exchange what is better for what is worse?” [TMQ 2:61]

A way forward

Instead of looking for ways to show subservience to the dominant culture, we should use this as an opportunity to provide moral clarity and demonstrate a way forward to a people without guidance. We are a community that has been entrusted with the comprehensive final message of the Creator, which illuminates every aspect of our life, our personal behavior, relationships and communities.  Instead of feeling obligated to fit in, we should feel obligated to convey this light that we have been given to humanity. 

While the people around us are angry, sometimes at us specifically, they are also deeply aware of the intellectual and spiritual bankruptcy of their society. By engaging them boldly yet sincerely, we can channel their frustrations towards their actual problems – an economic system that does not meet their needs while enriching an economic and political elite that are willing to pit them against each other, so they do not notice the real authors of their misery. A social system that glorifies hyper-individualism, resulting in a society rife with loneliness, gender wars, and mental health concerns. A political system that is more concerned with feeding a global war machine that rips apart the bodies of children and families in Gaza, than prioritizing the health and education of the children in Canada.

Ultimately, Canadians are decent people who have time and again shown a resistance to partaking in the kind of bigotry and xenophobia that is found in other portions of the world. The outpouring of support for refugees from Syria and Ukraine is a testament to this. More recently, to an even greater degree, the outcry we are seeing from Canadians week after week in defense of Palestine is a testament to this as well. We owe it to them to share the truth with them.

 What is to be done?

Firstly, we need to fortify ourselves in the deen. We cannot be a community that shares this guidance unless we ourselves have internalized it. We need to ensure that we are making the time to understand the intellectual proofs of Islam and ensure that we are not harbouring any doubts. We then need to deepen our understanding of the basics of the deen, at least to a point where we can determine how to act correctly in our personal lives, relationships and transactions. And we need to collectively learn about the systems and institutions of Islam so that we can demonstrate how it solves the problems created by Capitalism and the so called “freedoms”.

Finally, we need to connect ourselves to the global struggle to revive the system of Islam in the Muslim lands. There is no better way to show the world the correct solutions to the problems that plague society than by demonstrating them ourselves. The weakness, corruption and chaos that afflict the Muslim world (due to the treachery of the rulers and the corrupt system they impose on the ummah) is one of the main reasons that people do not consider our message. It is only when a righteous Islamic leadership emerges in the Muslim world that we will be able to utilize its resources to establish justice and defend the Muslims. Also, it is only through this authority that we will be able to protect and convey the message of Islam to the world; inviting all to live under its guidance and mercy. May Allah (SWT) make us part of this victory

“O believers! Whoever among you abandons their faith, Allah will replace them with others who love Him and are loved by Him. They will be humble with the believers but firm towards the disbelievers, struggling in the Way of Allah; fearing no blame from anyone. This is the favour of Allah. He grants it to whoever He wills. And Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing.”. [TMQ 5:54]