The Islamic State, Part 2

Okay. So, in Part 1, I talked about what the grassroots organization thingy, improving the Muslims so that when insha'Allah we establish the Islamic State, we'll be worthy of it, and able to keep it going properly.
But then someone reminded me that while the stuff I suggested in my last post might work for Muslim communities in the West, the Arab world is totally different. The Arab world has many, many issues - some similar to what we are going through in the West, but also some that are unique to the Arab world.
Now, please know that I have nothing against the Arabs - I love them - but I'm simply trying to bring these issues out in the open so that we can know how to deal with them, how to solve them.
I'm not an Arab, but my dad lived in Saudi for almost 7 years, I have Arab friends, and I've started reading some Arab blogs, so I *think* I'm getting an idea of some of what the Arab world is dealing with. However, if I get anything wrong, please feel totally free to correct me, and of course all other comments are welcome :)

First and foremost, culture. I think that culture is a HUGE thing in the Arab world. Arab culture, and the Western culture that is creeping in. The youth are extremely attracted to the West, what it has to offer - or what they percieve it has to offer. Freedom, they think. Freedom to do what they want, freedom to experience things that they couldn't do or experience before. And then there is Arab culture, where many issues - such as sex and drugs - are taboo and thus aren't discussed much, if at all.

Something has to be done about that. The taboo issues, I mean. Like it or not, these issues are there, and if you try to sweep them under the rug, they'll just fester and get worse. They will not go away, no matter how much we want them to. So, we have to bring them out in the open, make people face reality, and then start dealing with it the Islamic way.

Muslim (Arab and non-Arab) teenagers need sex ed - but not the Western version, where 'it's okay if it's safe!'. No, they need Islamic sex ed. They need to know that there is a reason that pre-marital sex is haraam - ever heard of HIV and AIDS?At the same time, 'honour killings' are totally wrong. I know, I know - it's not a common practice, but we've gotta admit that it does happen, and when it happens, it gets all over the news, and then Arabs and Muslims are once again cast as the 'backwards, barbaric' people. There are also many other cultural practices that sometimes contradict Islamic teachings, and so those things need to have attention brought to and an Islamic solution formulated.
Then we have stuff like alcohol, and drugs. People need to get educated about them! They need to know WHY it's haraam, and there are many examples - especially in the West.
And then, Islamic education, straight up. I'm sorry to say, but being in the Arab/Muslim world doesn't guarantee that you'll have a good understanding of Islam, or all that much knowledge. In fact, according to my 'sources', a lot of what they learn is culture, or stuff that they're just told to 'know' without a thorough understanding. The 'average Arab Muslim' may pray five times a day, but they're also engaged in a lot of haraam - and often without even knowing about it.

In the end, I somehow don't think that the issues in the Arab world is all that much different from stuff we're dealing with in the West. There are only a few variations, when it comes to the culture. But otherwise, it all boils down to the same thing: problems due to lack of Islamic knowledge, and furthermore, lack of people actually practicing the Deen.

So step number one for everyone: Learn about Islam, starting with basic 'aqeedah, and then DO IT!

May Allah grant us knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, and may He help us be the bestest Muslims ever! :)