In fact, Islam is the only link between people and their Lord, from the beginning of creation until the Day of Resurrection. And many societies have emerged in human society, and we can say that the Holy Qur’an includes all the principles and teachings that the great prophets of Allah and the Great messengers of Allah (S.W.T) decrees and the owners of important missions have propagated and includes them all.
In fact, the religion of Islam has been and will be applicable in every age and time, and this means that Islam is timeless is one of the distinctive features of this religion.
And on the other hand, the universality and all-inclusiveness of the religion of Islam has made it have something to say in all parts of the world and provide a plan and solution for them in different civilizations and in open and closed societies.
Based on this, it can be said that Islam is actually one of the most important beliefs among the people of the world.
In this section, we will discuss the tendency of the people of Scotland towards Islam and examine its causes, and I will examine the factors of Islamophobia in this country.
Where is Scotland?
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Scotland forms the northern part of the island of Great Britain and has a common border with England from the south. Besides the mainland, Scotland also has 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides. Of these, 93 islands with 2% of the country’s population are inhabited. The capital of Scotland is the historic city of Edinburgh. With a population of nearly 5.5 million people, Scotland is about 8% of the UK population and with an area of more than 78,000 square kilometers, it is about a third of the UK area.
There are significant reserves of crude oil in Scottish waters in the North Sea.
Scotland and England (including Wales, which was annexed to it) were countries with independent kingdoms until 1707, but on May 1, 1707, the two countries were united through an agreement and created the “Kingdom of Great Britain” country. Later in 1801, with the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed, which lasted until 1922. With the separation of a large part of Ireland in 1922, since the same year, this country and the independent government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of which Scotland is a part, have existed.
The tendency of the Scottish to Islam
Islam is one of the beliefs and religions that had and has followers in Scotland, Muslims in Scotland live their lives with religious spirit and Islamic motives.
Undoubtedly, if the heirs of Islam, including princes and rulers, scholars and scientists perform their duties faithfully and correctly, the thought will not arise that whether Islam has the ability to manage affairs in different communities or not?
Surly, this question is the result of a vacuum and a shortcoming that has been created in the public life scene of the people.
It should be known that if Islam was a backward and reactionary religion, or if it caused the halt of human civilization, we would not have accepted it as a religion that would lead its followers, but also the world to progress, and we would have left it. But real jurists and scientists and Islamic experts say, wherever there is justice, mercy and kindness, Allah’s law is there! And wherever there is real virtue and freedom, and expediency, God’s law and order is there!
In fact, Allah Almighty says to all the peoples of the continents and developed countries of the earth: Turn to me sincerely and from the bottom of your heart and do every act that you are obligated to do well, then you will achieve safety and security. You will be saved from sorrow, and you will gain this world and the hereafter.
It is because of this thinking and opinion that the people of today’s modern world find all their goodness and happiness in religion and Islam.
Based on this, many people in Scotland have come to believe that they should embrace Islam in order to live well.
The conversion of the people of Scotland to Islam takes place throughout the year and this process is observed in most of its places; The “Scotland Herald” newspaper states that the Glasgow Central Mosque alone sees more than 200 Scots convert to Islam each year.
The increase in the tendency of the people of Scotland to Islam has caused the mosques all over the country to set up groups to support the new Muslims in order to support them against social problems.
An example in this process is Hannah, 25 years old, a Scottish manager who has recently converted to Islam despite all the efforts to blackmail Islam.
He, who does not mention his last name due to security issues, said: “During my studies in the field of comparative studies of religions, I had to analyze and examine the texts of different religions. After some time, I realized that I was being drawn towards Islam.
Hannah continued: I started reading again, but this time with more passion, and I realized that I really like the simplicity of Islam.
After six months of thinking, he decides to become a Muslim and this summer he goes to the Central Mosque of Glasgow to testify that there is no God but Allah.
The story of Hannah and other young Scots’ conversion to Islam was posted online by the Glasgow Central Mosque Center.
The Central Mosque of Glasgow says: The number of new Muslims is gradually increasing and now more than 4 times a week Tashraf ceremonies are held there.
Glasgow Central Mosque along with Edinburgh Central Mosque have set up groups to support these new Muslims.
Although the exact number of new Muslims in Scotland is not known, but according to the statistics of the “Faith Matters” organization, 5,200 people are added to the population of three million Muslims in the UK every year.
The majority of new Muslims in Scotland is women.
Hannah says: In my opinion, men and women are equal in Islam, but they have differences. The issues raised about the equality of men and women in Islam have cultural roots.
Razi Mohammad, one of the officials of the central mosque in Glasgow, says: There are various reasons for the increase in the tendency of the people of Scotland towards Islam, but it is interesting that after the September 11th incident, which was done with the aim of blaming Muslims, many people started to research about Islam, and many They converted to Islam.
Muhammad said: The spiritual dimension of Islam is also an important issue. They used to be a part of the material world and were busy with profit and profit, but today they are looking for a deeper meaning for their lives. And everyone admits that this meaning and giving meaning to human life cannot be found anywhere else except in Islam.
It is true that Islam is the best and the most worthy for humanity, when man will understand this value and worthiness and will achieve it when he purposefully obeys the orders of Islam and all the divine orders based on the fact that he sets the formula of life. They make him see.
In different countries such as Scotland, countless people have come to the conclusion based on study and research that Islam is the best option for living and living well, and anyone who intends to live well should surrender himself to the warm embrace of Islam.
Optimism of Scottish Muslims
In fact, the Muslims who live in this land are very optimistic about the future of this country and hope that in the future they will be able to live a peaceful life in this society with a more suitable and softer approach.
Because the Muslims of this land adhere to the instructions of the religion of Islam, they do not cause any harm to the society of the people of that land with their behavior, but by learning from them, several thousands of people turn to this religion and divine practice every year.
It should not be left unsaid that in any political unit and country, the possibility that its politicians will apply some inappropriate actions based on the prevailing political situation should not be ignored.
But these factors were not and are not so strong that they can turn people away from their religion and beliefs.
Muslims have countless centers in this country and every day they organize their programs based on the instructions of the religion of Islam and call their fellow believers to do worthy deeds, and this practice and spirit has caused many people of this land to be fair with Muslims. Live the best possible way.
However, some events should not be ignored and mentioned, for example, the Elgin Islamic Center in the north of Scotland was attacked by vandals at around 11:00 p.m. Islam is also found on the wall of the mosque. Police Scotland described the incident as “totally unacceptable”.
Lancena Bangura, the director of the mosque, told reporters: Of course, we are worried. If we do not say that this story worries us, we would be ignorant.
He added: “We are worried, but at the same time we know and expect such encounters.” But I hope this will not happen again.
Bangura pointed out that such events broke the alliance agreement that the Islamic community does not make with its neighbors and they have always had the support of the non-Muslim community in this neighborhood.
The fact of the matter is that Muslims are sometimes attacked and invaded based on some motives and the idea of Islamophobia has also spread in this land, but this does not mean that Muslims have come to terms in the field of calling and propagating their religion and belief and stop They will pull it.
Rather, it has been observed in many cases that the injection of Islamophobia in civilized societies has never had a positive impact and its consequences have been very destructive.
Those who are enmity and enmity with the programs of Islam and think that they can make Muslims weak and away from their religion with the Islamophobia program, they should know that pressure has always brought about the unity and cohesion of Muslims and added to their unity and from They have opened the eyes of the world to Islam and embraced it.
In the land of Scotland, many Muslims with beautiful and artistic designs in many different fields have been able to motivate others to come to this religion and do proper research about it.
Artistry of Muslim women
In many different dimensions, Muslims in Scotland have been performing arts and have presented various plans and programs in various fields, which have been very useful and useful in their society.
As an example, we can mention Ms. Amina Dini, who acted in the field of filmmaking and presented herself as a Scottish Muslim female character, and showed everyone how to act according to the Islamic instructions with the correct Islamic hijab design. They made an eight-episode documentary mini-series and they plan to showcase the creativity and artistry of Muslim women in this city.
This documentary series, which is scheduled to start production on August 31, is produced with the aim of showing the ethnic and religious diversity in the society.
Amina said: I have started a journey to find out what my fellow Muslim girls and women in Dundee do in their free time.
He added: I feel that Muslim women in our city do not have a place to display their talents and artistry, as in other parts of Britain. For this reason, I have decided to make a series of 5-minute mini-documentaries in which I will show eight Muslim women or a group of Muslim women and their creativity in their free time. And with this work and my idea, I will inject this thought into the world that complete hijab and planning according to the instructions of Islam will be possible and better, and man will be able to expand his body in different fields in a better way.
Social status of Muslim people
Ramadan days
Muslims have been able to show themselves as an example in the Scottish society with various plans and programs and attract the attention of others.
In Ramadan last year, the Muslims of Scotland came to the idea and belief that they should make an effort to take part in the cleanliness of their city and country, based on this, they went to clean the environment and thousands of other people joined them.
A local resident in Scotland said that your work was wonderful and put a smile on our faces.
Others also appreciated the volunteer group of the Islamic community. Someone said that if everyone does their small part in cleaning the city, we will all have a cleaner environment to live in.
It should be noted that during the holy month of Ramadan this year, Muslim volunteers collected 40 bags of garbage from just one road in Newcastle. Nearly 12 people participated in this campaign, which actually took place in the last week of Ramadan.
40-year-old Kamran, who lives near this street, said: We made this decision among our friends because during Ramadan we came to the conclusion that we should go out and participate. We had seen the situation here, which was getting worse day by day!
He admitted that he was afraid of this work, but in the end he added: “You have to have a positive mind to start working.”
In this regard, a Salmani shopkeeper, who was inspired by the action of Muslims, asked the members of the campaign not to clean outside his shop, so that he would do it himself.
It should be noted that as part of the “Visit My Mosque” day, which was also hosted by the Muslim Council of Britain this year, volunteers from more than 250 mosques in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland participated in the street cleaning initiative that took place on February 24. Participated. In fact, Muslims have set an example for their fellow citizens by planning various programs, and all their eyes and hopes are the Muslims of this city, who are waiting to see what good deeds Muslims do so that they too can learn from Muslims and participate in social services.
Abuse of poor people
Unfortunately, this thinking is present in many societies that, in order to deceive the people of a society, they turn towards the poor people and first by providing regular meal plans and various economic promises, they pull them towards their hidden goals and cause them to These poor and oppressed people should give up their beliefs and move towards the thoughts of this group.
And the society of Scotland is not exempted from this law, and the biased and racist people have turned their face of deception towards the oppressed Muslims and are trying to wash their thinking and thoughts by showing their economic prosperity beautifully and make them abandon their beliefs. give up
In such societies, rich Muslims should be well aware and help the needy Muslims by distributing their zakat and alms properly.
This situation is far from the past and it will not end anytime soon. According to Muslim people, especially rich Muslims, it is necessary to think deeply about this issue and save the needy brothers from the bad economic situation so that they do not fall into evil traps. Let these people be.
This racist group has published pictures of their assistance to the homeless on social networks. The members of this group went to the injured and homeless people, they encouraged these people to join their group under the pretext of food, and they also distributed leaflets with racist ideas among the homeless and beggars.
Therefore, I find it necessary to say that in any society where Muslims have directed their unity and strength in one direction, they will be successful and victorious, and in any other direction, their destiny will be towards collapse. And it will be destroyed.
Therefore, it is necessary for the Muslims of Scotland to be aware of the issue of unity and cooperation and move towards their goals based on the fact that they are Muslims and the world was built for their rule.
And it is very clear that Islam has tied the fate of true Muslims to happiness and goodness, and if sometimes a person is moving towards a path other than this, he should know that he has distanced himself from the pure teachings of Islam and the way out of these journals is something. It will not be except to return to Islam.
In the hope of unity and unification of the Muslims of Scotland.
