Travel From Africa to Australia by Friday Bulletin

In this Friday bulletin, we journey from the continent of Africa to Australia. Of course, we have previously hosted a Friday prayer leader from Australia, but this time, we are honoured to welcome a scholar and thinker from among the people of the pen.

Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Zaid al-Salami is the interim Friday prayer leader in Sydney, Australia. He has travelled to many countries with the aim of religious outreach and participation in conferences.

He is known not only for his missionary travels but also for his writings. For example, one of his notable literary achievements is compiling and translating the book Hadith of Life, which includes 246 hadiths from the fiqh lessons of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

While he serves as the interim Friday prayer leader in Sydney, our questions are mostly drawn from the topics he has addressed in his speeches regarding Muslim communities in the West.

1- First, could you explain the role and status of the Friday Prayer platform in Australia? How do you assess the strengths and weaknesses of this social tribune on that continent?

Salat al-Jumuah is conducted in numerous mosques and centres in Australia. There is no central congregation, as our cities are large and communities spanned out, in different languages as well. Participation is good, seeing that Friday is not a day off, but more work needs to be done to encourage mu’mineen to have stronger participation. It definitely is an influential platform to address necessary information the community needs to be aware of and also upholding this beneficial and spiritual ritual.

2- What is the lifestyle of Muslim families in Australia like? Has it undergone changes due to modern technology and the social gap between the new and older generations?

Like other parts of the Western world, the majority of Muslims here are migrants. We are fortunate that Australia has developed into a multi-cultural country, and we face less challenges in comparison to other Western countries. In general, Muslims continue to try their best to integrate and contribute positively to Australian society, while preserving their Islamic identity and values. In this day and age, this could be the hardest thing to do anywhere in the world. The dynamics of families have drastically changed, with the influence of social media, making things very difficult when wanting to preserve our values. The generation gap definitely exists between first generation migrants and the second generation who were born and raised in Australia. This has left some of the younger generation to drift away from religion and unfortunately lose their Islamic identity. Those who grew up here and adhered to Islam produced better results in the raising of their generation, which has shown a more positive interest in attracting the youth towards religion.

3- In one of your speeches, you referred to the cultural assimilation of women and youth into Western identity. Could you elaborate on this topic?

The major crisis we all have in today’s society is the cultural dominance and influence Western society has over the whole world. The influence is not only in culture and politics, but in all functionalities. The presence of social media has made this cultural invasion even easier. We see the damages of materialist life, capitalism, consumerism, obsession with brands, dangerous ideological trends that are fancy to follow, like atheism and feminism, and all other challenges we face. Being minorities living Western society, we are also always reminded that we are “different,” and will stay so, unless we adopt a secular lifestyle. The reality is, even if we abandon everything our religion stands for, there will still be something others will not be pleased with. This is why the more we adopt an Islamic lifestyle, the more thriving we will become. We will be better citizens in the country we have adopted and represent our faith in the best way possible. Of course, we believe it is only the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) School of Thought that can truly show that genuine image of what Islam represents.

• In a conference, you mentioned that divorce is on the rise in the West. Were you referring to divorce among Muslim families or society in general? What does this trend indicate?

Yes, divorce in Muslim families has become way too uncomfortably common, equal, or even more than non-Muslim couples. It is a very sad reality, and there are numerous factors that contribute to this, too long to mention here. We have distanced ourselves from seeing marriage in the traditional Islamic way, and our level of tolerance and moral conduct has become very weak. I believe one of many solutions is to see spouse selection through the eyes of Islamic teachings, and implement it to the teeth. We must make pre-marital counselling sessions compulsory, regulate mahr and wedding expenses to be as low as possible, educate the youth that marriage in not an individual choice, but a family involved decision, and other productive measures to make sure the marriage is successful.

• What are the solutions to help young people remain committed to religious values and their rich cultural heritage? What role can imams and religious leaders play in the West in this regard?

The mosque and Islamic centre is one aspect of what contributes to creating an Islamic identity for our children and the youth. There must be other activities outside the regular masjid programs, like recreational programs, outings, camps, and other community bonding activities. It is important to create a strong brotherhood/sisterhood network, and this needs a lot of groundwork and full-time dedication. Scholars, muballigheen and Islamic teachers can definitely play a strong role in this networking, if correct strategies are taken.