A person's need to mingle with others like him is not a luxury; rather, it is a basic need no less than his need for food and drink.
A person may be able to fill his stomach with anything and still be satisfied, but his mind is only filled with those who share the same concerns and interests.
What Muslims in Western countries need most is a place that brings them together and contains them, where they can share their similar concerns and problems, discuss and offer advice to each other, each according to his or her experience.
The place I'm referring to is more like an open gathering place, the purpose of which is to meet the social need for sharing rather than being a platform for sermons and exhortations. It has a section for women, a section for children, and another for men, so that each section focuses on the conversations that interest it.
It should be an open, public place that is not subject to any particular trend, and that accommodates the community in all its spectrums. Women can talk about their problems, young men can form friendships similar to theirs, and girls can find women who share principles and rules similar to those in their homes. It should also meet men’s need for conversation and discussion away from the home and its needs.
Indeed, the loss of this place has made expatriation burdensome and made the expatriates’ expatriation more severe, and has made the expatriates in two categories: either more escapist or more isolated.
And someone might ask: Isn't this the role of Islamic associations and mosques?
The answer is yes and no. Mosques are affiliated with specific sects, diverse religious movements, and different countries, and each mosque attracts those who share the same orientation as those in charge of it. No mosque is large enough to accommodate all members of the community; rather, each mosque has its own people.
This division has taken society back to the era of pre-Islamic fanaticism, which has led people to turn away from the idea of seeking refuge in the mosque and being present in it.
The sanctity and holiness of the mosque make it a place of worship only, where prayers are performed, while the mosque is far removed from the Muslims’ need for a place to shelter them.
Although I do not deny the importance of integration and mingling with the citizens of the country in which one resides, nor do I disdain the opportunities offered by dealing with them or the benefits expected from them, integration does not negate the need for tranquility and peace that such a society can provide.
His presence does not force anyone to isolate himself, but we need him as a person needs a home.
Because the suffering of expatriates is not limited to being away from family and homeland, but extends to include the loss of real social relationships, and the existence of such a place alleviates the burden of alienation for them.
We are in dire need of a corner that brings us together and helps us create activities, events, meetings, and even celebrations for our occasions.
And our holidays.
Even if we are far from our homeland, the task of creating an alternative homeland falls upon us, and the attempt to shape and unite it can only be achieved through our efforts.
Written by Batoul Watfa
