I would like to share with you challenges that Muslims face in the UK. These problems are serious and disagree with Islamic principles. Though the UK has many obstacles for Muslims, it also presents many opportunities. 

There are many issues in the UK that include: the education system, materialism, a godless society, alcohol, and drugs. However, overriding all of this, we have the identity crisis and if this is solved then the rest can be resolved.

What I mean by the Identity crisis is the fact that most Muslims don’t know their origin. The plain fact is that most Muslims living in the UK go through a phase when their life is changed, where they don’t know who they are. Lots of young Muslims might start a new school, and according to certain statistics, 1 in 3 children didn’t want to tell their fellow pupils that they were Muslim. When you know Allah, you know you are a Muslim, and you are proud to be a Muslim. The youth might face an Identity Crisis as they have a lack of understanding of the Quran, Muhammad (SAL), Islamic history and contemporary knowledge such as science, mathematics, philosophy, language, and politics. 

We also have many opportunities for example: A world-class education system; the best universities like Oxford and Cambridge; democracy; freedom of speech and social security. Therefore, we have to utilise these privileges to learn the knowledge that belongs to Allah. However, Allah says in the Quran “Read in the name of your lord.” (96:1) This fact is neglected in school, and it is our duty to read in the name of our lord no matter what.

Other youth hear people talking about Islam in a negative context, then fear that people might find out they’re Muslim. Adults must support the youth and their children so that this is not the outcome of Muslim youth that we work so hard for. Us as youth must thrive as good Muslims and this is only possible with help from the adults that care for us so much, and it is those adults’ duty to help the youth and prevent them from facing Identity crisis. 

1 in 2 children didn’t know whether they could have multiple Identities, for example they could be Muslim, British, Sri Lankan or Arab. In reality, you can have as many identities as you want, from having as little as one to as big as twenty. The Quran states “Allah created all people from Adam and Eve and made them in different cultures, races, and faiths to compete and cooperate together for the mankind prosperity and not to fight.”  He mentions in another verse “And of His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colours.  Indeed, there are Signs in this for the wise.” In this ayah Allah states that there are many different languages, cultures, races, and religions. He also explains that there are signs from Allah in diversity and in the creation of the heaven and the earth. 

It doesn’t matter how many identities you have; it only matters as long as you know who you are. Knowing who you are is vital to solving all the other problems that we might face in this world. 

As a conclusion, I would like to state that we have a duty to empower our youth based on the Quran, Islamic principles, and values to live as a proud Muslim. Also, we have a duty to guide our fellow Non-Muslims to find their true identity, so we can help the identity crisis among them.