Muslims communities living in the West face various challenges and have great opportunities too. It is quite normal to encounter campaigns that seek to demonize Muslims or at least dub them as the other in an attempt to isolate them from the environment they are actually rooted in.

Though constitutions guarantee freedom of conscience and freedom of worship, attempts are often made to distract discussions related to Muslim away from this framework to other secondary considerations.

How should Muslims define and introduce themselves in such societies and what roles should they play to create a positive atmosphere that is in the interest of all?

This lecture by Dr. Tariq Ramadan provides important insights and answers in this regard. His comments on the questions of the Shariah and the US Constitution and his advice to Muslim leaders in the US are deep and valuable.

 

Watch in this video

• Defining the reference framework.
• Shariah and the problem of terminology.
• Should we give up the term of Jihad.
• Determining what we want.
• Having a vision and being proactive.
• Being smart when demanding rights.
• Who decides what makes a good Muslim?
• Building on the experiences of other communities.