Adhering to Islam- Challenges and Prospects Faced by Norwich Muslim Youths

Abstract

It is the unflinching belief of Muslims that the only religion acceptable to Allāh the Glorious is Islam. The Islamic faith has been perfected and completed as per the statement of the Most high in surah Al-Maidah. Thus, it must hence forth be practiced as espoused by the Prophet and his companions (RAD). Undoubtedly, adhering to pure Islamic values in our daily lives is challenging in modern times. These challenges are more pronounced in Western societies. Youths being the future of any given religion necessitates that their welfare be safeguarded and adherence to their faith be promoted to facilitate the passing of pure Islam from generation to generation. The aim of this study was to explore the challenges faced by Muslim youths living in Norwich in their quest to adhere to the teachings of Islam as espoused by the prophet peace be upon him. The researcher used qualitative research methods and recruited 11participants all resident in Norwich. Semi structured interviews were performed to collect data for the study. Recordings were transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis. The study found that Muslim youths face enormous challenges amongst which are difficulties in reconciling their supposed Britishness with their Islamic values. This seems to be much of a problem due to them being minorities within the predominantly non-religious population of Norwich. Although the majority of the participants stated they observe their five daily prayers, their access to Islamic knowledge is somewhat limited due to the small number of Maktabs or madrasah available in Norwich. The lack of suitable prayer facilities for females as well as in the basic cycle schools was also found to be a challenge. However, the environment is generally friendly and not hostile to Islam thus presenting good prospects of practicing. The local community have scholars who can guide the youths adhere to the unadulterated form of Islam. In conclusion, dedicated prayer spaces in masjids and schools, more functioning Maktabs, and youth friendly programmes need to be provided under the guidance of the local scholars to guide and support the practice of these youths. Declaration and Statement I declare that this thesis is my own work and the materials presented herein have not been copied from other sources or substantially used in another academic award submission.