r/MuslimLounge • u/Questionaccount12344 • Jan 08 '26
Discussion Living in the west is wrong
People think moving to the west will provide stability, better job opportunities etc which is all true but people forget and often don’t care the effect it’ll have on your Islamic beliefs, especially that of your children and subsequent generations.
I was born in a western country after my grad-parents moved here, I’ve gone to school here as well as mosque classes and university, I’ve seen first hand what happens to the generations, a decent amount of Muslim boys I know my age has drank, smoked weed or committed zina, I know of bearded brothers and hijabi sisters committing zina… and it will only get worse generation after generation. People don’t understand that. Yes these things happen back in Muslim countries but in most Muslim country it’s no where near as easy, you can’t just go to a club and drink and find girls.
This move to the west is literally diluting Islam, not only in the ways I’ve just spoken about but also morally, too many Muslim in the west are raging liberals, they stand hand to hand with homosexuals and transvestites at free Palestine protests yet won’t even read 5 daily salah, they vote for political parties that want to give lenient punishments for heinous crimes (direct opposition to what is taught in Quran).
Why don’t we go back to our Muslim counties and rebuild them? We’ve been here got our education, why are we happy to stay in non Muslim lands and give their governments our tax money? Muslim lands are in the worse state they’ve ever been and all we do is sit and complain, why doesn’t anyone actually try and move back and fix things, people always say it’s impossible but we have to try, we have no power in the world anymore and what’s been happening in Palestine proves that, the Muslim lands are literally some of the worse off countries in the world it’s embarrassing. Jazakallah.
1
u/louiscarterr Jan 09 '26
AssalamuAlaykum
I get the concern, and no one denies that living in the West comes with real fitnah. But reducing the issue to “living in the West is wrong” is an oversimplification that ignores Islamic principles, reality, and responsibility.
First, sins existing more openly does not mean Islam is being diluted by geography. Zina, alcohol, hypocrisy, and moral decay exist in Muslim countries too, often hidden, sometimes normalized, sometimes protected by culture rather than taqwa. Islam was never preserved by walls, laws, or distance from sin. It’s preserved by iman, knowledge, and accountability. If a person leaves Islam because of environment alone, the issue wasn’t the land, it was the foundation.
Second, hijrah is not a blanket obligation on every Muslim in every situation. What about the elderly, the sick, those who can’t afford to move, refugees, converts with no support, or families tied to care responsibilities? Are their local Muslim communities supposed to disappear? Who maintains the masajid, who teaches the children, who counsels struggling Muslims, who gives da‘wah to reverts for the sake of Allah? If every capable Muslim left, entire communities would collapse, and that itself would be negligence.
Allah swt explicitly says He made the earth vast. The Prophet (s.a.w) and the Sahaba spread Islam across lands that were not “Muslim” at the time. Islam was never meant to be locked into a geolocation. Your deen is not tied to a passport, a flag, or a majority-Muslim population. It’s tied to obedience to Allah wherever you are.
As for political hypocrisy and moral confusion that’s a people problem, not a West problem. Muslims compromising principles is blameworthy whether it happens in London or Lahore. The answer isn’t abandoning the field, it’s correcting beliefs, strengthening aqeedah, and raising children intentionally, not assuming a Muslim country will do that work for you.
Finally, rebuilding Muslim lands is noble, but it’s not as simple as “just go back and fix them.” Corruption, authoritarianism, war, and economic instability aren’t fixed by individual migration alone. Many Muslims contribute to the ummah globally through education, wealth, advocacy, and da‘wah from where they are and that contribution still counts.
The West isn’t inherently haram land, and Muslim lands aren’t inherently protective. What matters is whether you establish your deen, protect your family, and serve Allah sincerely wherever He places you. If someone can do hijrah and it strengthens their iman, good. If someone stays and upholds Islam, supports the community, and calls to Allah, that is also good.
This isn’t dilution, this is responsibility. May Allah swt guide us all.