Advice to the Muslims in Finland
Question

                We are a Muslim community of 35 000 to 40 000 members including all different sects. The people who make statistics do not make a difference between a Shiite, bahaa’i, Habashi and a Sunni! These Muslims are assimilated in a Christian country of around five million citizens. Even the flag of the country presents the symbol of Christianity, which is the cross. During these last months one group of recently converted Muslims (Sunnis) formed a political party and as their goals they have e.g. trying to stop selling alcohol in the shops, and they went even further to claim that they want to establish sharee’ah in this Christian country! It has to be taken in consideration that the Muslims do not have even their complete usual rights like own graveyard, right to do ritual sacrificing of animals and so on! Before we had a graveyard but it became full and because some errors had been committed in its handling additionally there is also some differing between the parties who will take charge of it, the authorities profited from all of that and made it difficult for us to have a new graveyard! So now if some one dies, he is buried in the same graveyard with the Christians and atheists!!! These recently converted Muslims try to be united between each other and to be far from the qabaliyyah and hizbiyyah of the Somalis, and far from the “talks of the Arabs and their assimilation”. Now the media is focusing on Islam and Muslims here in a negative way by bringing up subjects as: - Divorce is in the hand of the man and the women can not get her complete rights and be free in Islam if she does not want to stay married to her husband… - Corporal punishment of children in homes (because it is a crime in this country if you slap your children) - Muslim families try to isolate their children from the society and not let them to participate in swimming hours (boys and girls together) and attending the music hours… - And whether Muslims would like to follow Islamic law or the law of the country. The goal of the media is to distort the image of Islam and to grow hatred in the chests of the common people for they will hate Islam and Muslims: common people usually complain that we are taking their money and enjoying their services and now they will add to that the claim that we would like to apply here Sharee’ah which we do not even apply in our home countries! And among the Muslims those who practise their religion are a minority while the majority has become assimilated!!! The media and the researchers base their research results on the opinions of every Tom, Dick and Harry i.e. every common ignorant person is qualified to answer. Especially when the most of people nowadays are just running after fame and worldly gains and are enough fed up with their origin and their home countries which neglect their rights and do not appreciate them as citizens. So the appreciation of non-Muslims can make them to take whatever steps … even we heard some who gave up Islam for Christianity! When the head of this group that formed the political party was advised concerning the steps that he is taking, he merely answered that he is trying to get publicity to Islam… (this person was active in politics already in his youth). Now we ask from you to give a general advice to the Muslims in this country and especially to these recently converted Muslims, and to remind us all of our duty in a non-Muslim society and towards its citizens and authorities and to draw for us our limits for we will not be as a hammer that will be used to destroy our own homes or at least not to be a cause to stop even these few rights we enjoy because not everyone has got the possibility to emigrate to an Islamic country. Please if you need more details about the subject you can contact us and we will be pleased to give you more detailed information. I wish to get a quick answer still when there is time to lock doors of evil and before it is too late! Wa jazaakumullaah khayran! There can be some mistakes in our expressions and you are allowed to drop such things that do not fit da’wah and to shape it in the way that you want. The thing that concerns us is to get a complete advice.
Praise be to Allah.
    We have read more about the country – Finland – in which you 
    are living; some of it saddened us, but other things made us happy.  We are 
    saddened by the division that there is among you, and by the fact that many 
    neglect to call people to Allaah or pay attention to their families and 
    children. We are also saddened to learn that some Muslim women have married 
    Christian men in that country, as these are invalid marriages; and that many 
    people have failed to obey Allaah and adhere to His religion. All of that 
    makes the burden of the people of knowledge and goodness even greater, and 
    lays upon them a huge responsibility towards the Muslim community in that 
    European land. 

    But what made us happy is the news that the number of Muslims 
    in that country is increasing, and the Muslim community is now one hundred 
    thousand strong, according to some reports, although we do not know how many 
    of them are Sunnis. And we are happy to learn that many of the people of 
    that country have entered the religion of Allaah. 

    What we advise you, and we hope that our words will have a 
    good effect on your hearts and actions: 

    1.

    First and foremost, every Muslim should try to return to his 
    homeland, and those who have become Muslim should move to a Muslim country 
    where they can practise their religion safely. They should leave that 
    country where the religious commitment, minds and hearts of many Muslims 
    have been corrupted, whenever they are able to do so. 

    2.

    Those who cannot leave or who do not want to should fear 
    Allaah with regard to themselves and the members of their household; they 
    should advise them sincerely and take good care of them, and protect 
    themselves and their families from the Fire of Allaah. 

    3.

    You must strive to establish study circles for learning 
    Qur’aan and (Islamic) knowledge, in which the ignorant may be taught and the 
    young Muslims (?) may learn to obey Allaah. It is not permissible for you to 
    be careless about this matter. We have read how the Tatars in Finland 
    preserved their language and culture; your Islam and Arabic language are 
    more important and you must take great care of them in your daily lives.  

    4.

    Try to invite scholars and seekers of knowledge to come to 
    you, so that they can undertake the duties of calling people to Islam, 
    exhorting, guiding and teaching. Such meetings will play a part in uniting 
    you and helping you adhere to the rulings of sharee’ah which have to do with 
    the realities of your lives. 

    5.

    Do not leave any room for the devils among mankind and the 
    jinn to cause division in your ranks and spread disunity among you. You have 
    to be aware that you are living in a Christian society, a Christian country, 
    whose flag bears the cross! You have to remember that what happens between 
    Muslims who have differences is not like your differences with other 
    religions. The difference between Muslims who pray in the same direction 
    (ahl al-qiblah) is may be a difference between Sunnah and bid’ah, and in 
    some cases it may be the difference between a correct view and a less 
    correct view, but the difference between you and the other religions is the 
    difference between Islam and kufr. These are two different issues.  

    6.

    With regard to this party that is trying to establish an 
    Islamic state in Finland, they should think on the basis of reason and not 
    emotion; they should look at reality and not turn a blind eye to it. You 
    cannot even bury a Muslim in a graveyard that is just for Muslims, so would 
    you be able to close liquor stores and establish an Islamic state there?! 

    What is this, O slaves of Allaah?! This is imaginary dreams 
    and farfetched thinking, which may be excused in a man who does not know the 
    reality of where you live and does not know anything about the difficulties 
    that you face. But a man who sees what you see and knows what you know 
    should think soundly on the basis of fitrah, sharee’ah and reason, and his 
    efforts should be aimed at achieving whatever he is most able to of the 
    Muslims’ interests in your country, and warding off whatever evils, harm and 
    oppression he can. 

    Based on that, if those people have an Islamic party, they 
    should invest their efforts in establishing Islamic institutions, schools, 
    Muslim graveyards, and stop thinking about establishing an Islamic state, 
    because in fact that is virtually impossible and is just an illusion, based 
    on what we have seen of the Muslims’ inability to achieve that, even in 
    their own countries, so how can they do it in a non-Muslim country? Just 
    demanding an Islamic state will bring evil consequences such as only Allaah 
    knows, so how about if they took practical steps towards it? If the state is 
    unable to stop them – which is not the case – then let them imagine their 
    fate if the European Union were to get involved in stopping that. What would 
    be the fate of all the efforts that have been made for decades?  We have 
    read about the situation of Muslim men and women in your country after 
    September 11th, so how about if the anti-Islam establishments 
    were to spread the idea that the Muslims only want to rule in order to apply 
    Islam and limit freedoms and oppress women? Yes, they are exaggerating and 
    lying, but we are giving them the ammunition that they are throwing in our 
    faces.  

    7.

    One of the priorities of that Islamic party should be to 
    preserve Islamic identity and strive to spread the message of Islam, free of 
    distortions; they should present it to the Muslims so as to bring them back 
    to commitment and righteousness, and you should prove to non-Muslims that 
    your religion is a religion of unity, brotherhood and cooperation in 
    righteousness and piety. 

    8.

    The Muslim brothers who are of that land should continue to 
    call people to Allaah among their families and relatives, and tell others of 
    the joy they have found by entering Islam. It seems that they will have more 
    impact on the people of that land than Muslims who have migrated from other 
    countries. 

    9.

    Strive to buy a piece of land as soon as possible to be used 
    for graves for Muslims who believe in Tawheed (the oneness of Allaah), and 
    try to move the Muslims who were buried with non-Muslims to these Islamic 
    graves. 

    10.

    It should be a priority of Islamic groups and political 
    parties, especially those that are trying to establish an Islamic state, as 
    we said, to preserve the identity of the Muslims who are living there. One 
    of the most important means of preserving their identity is for Muslim men 
    to marry Muslim women and to strive to create an Islamic atmosphere in their 
    social lives. In the Islamic parties and organizations there should be 
    people who direct the Muslims’ private matters such as marriage, divorce and 
    social relationships in accordance with the laws of Allaah, without trying 
    to impose that on everyone in the Christian country which, as we have said, 
    is a very farfetched idea, the consequences of which will be bad for you. 

    11.

    We advise everyone to be gentle in calling people to Allaah 
    and to follow the way of the Prophets and Messengers and successful 
    daa’iyahs. You should direct your da’wah to leaders, politicians, decision 
    makers, journalists, writers and all classes of people. Perhaps Allaah will 
    guide one of them who will become very influential. And strive to remove 
    evils from the lives of Muslims in the way that is best. 

    12.

    You should always be in contact with your Muslim brothers in 
    Europe and in the Muslim world, so that you can consult them about your 
    affairs and ask the scholars about issues and problems that you are facing. 
    The Muslim is the mirror of his brother, and two brothers together are 
    stronger than one on his own. 

    And Allaah knows best.