Can a Muslim attend church events?
I am married to a Muslim man. I am looking into Islam, but I was wondering: can a Muslim attend a wedding or funeral in a church? My family are all Christians, and my son will marry in a church.
-happilymarried
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I couldn't resist posting a response to your query; despite the fact that i may be insulted by some Islamic scholars.
Well, attending an event (i.e. Wedding / Funeral) in the Church doesn't makes any difference. Your only purpose there is to extend your sincere wishes to the newly wed couple or to pray for the deceased one. Even attending a religious proceeding in the Church is not a bad thing; because you are not following the Christianity, rather you are increasing your knowledge of the other's religion (comparative religions is an excellent subject). It is only you who has to distinguish between the good and bad and you are quite mature to do that at least.
I am a firm Muslim. Even i don't practice Islam at best, i still keep a strong faith in my heart. I had the chance to attend some of the Church proceedings, and it helped me a lot to learn about Christianity, else i would have died just hearing stories from my parents and grandparents. This also helped me to learn the very basis of the fact, that why i should be a firm Muslim and that i am grateful to ALLAH for giving me birth in a Muslim family.
Go ahead sister. ALLAH SWT bless you.
I am a Muslim as well and I go to church because my daughter is a Christian and I want her to be good in her faith. I will go to church to meet my God(Allah)with my Christian brethren. I had the chance to learn more about Christianity at the same time it made my Muslim faith firm.
Anoud, in my opinion you are making a mistake. Those who worship other gods beside Allah will be doomed on the Day of Resurrection. This includes the Christians who worship Jesus (pbuh) as the son of God. If you worship with them, you will likely be raised with them, and will be judged along with them.
Islam came - among other reasons - to call the misguided Christians back to the true faith, which is tawheed (the worship of God alone). Why then, if we know the truth, would we want to go backward to a state of misguidance? It makes no sense.
Rather than affirming your daughter's practice of Christianity, you should be encouraging her to accept Islam. Rather than attending church with her, you should encourage her to attend Islamic events with you.
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
Absolutely correct
But you should also give references
Your name "happilymarried" says it all. I am sure your husband will not mind going to church to attend a wedding or funeral.
God willing, someone who is a scholar and runs the site will answer you. We who are not scholars will not be as exactly right as they will be. But we can't help it. I am a convert. A few years ago, I attended a church service because it was the church I was raised in and the local diocese was closing it. Sometimes Muslim leaders go to churches to explain Islam or to do interfaith work. As Muslims, we don't all stalk churches to catch wayward Muslims who are breaking rules. We believe our relationship is with God and only God knows the holes we put in our relationship with Him. The bigger question is you ma'am. Are you going to mosque with your husband? Do you take your son to mosque? When he was growing up, did you take him to mosque? Of course that question assumes he is your husband's biological son. If you did not take your husband's son to mosque as he grew up, then you have done us wrong. It is not about us going to church. I was Christian for almost 40 years, so me at a church is no big deal. When your husband married you, by the rules of Isalm you were supposed to have an understanding that any children would be taught Islam. It seems strange that you are asking us such an easy question, yet your whole family was supposed to be thoroughly exposed to Islam when you married a Muslim. I ask that you really learn our faith. I don't want to be insulting, but I have never heard of anyone banning me from going go church. I can't go there and pray, but no one has to tell me that. I went to see family and friends I have not seen in decades to comfort them at a despairing moment (let's be honest, to show them there is another way as well). What I see too often is that Christians don't bother learning any other religion. Most Muslims know Christianity. Sad to say, most Christians do not know Islam. So I ask you to go to the mosque with or without your husband and learn the fundamentals of what we believe. Forgive me for any insult, but I only ask you get to know us. You assume there is a barrier that keeps a Muslim off church grounds, but maybe you are projecting and if you are, it is wrong. There is no barrier that keeps you from coming to our mosque. You are more than welcome and if you know the practicing Muslims at the mosque, I am pretty sure they will show you that the barriers you assume are not there. Didn't our rules allow a Muslim to marry you even though you are Christian?
Salaams,
First I would like to just say that none of us editors are qualified scholars. We are lay-people, some of us with more Islamic education than others. But we do the best we can.
I think in theory you are making valid points. However, there is the very real fact that a Christian woman may not just be able to go to a mosque or masjid as she likes. Many of the masjids I've been to 1. are closed most of the day ,except for salat and classes. 2. are not friendly toward non-muslims coming to "check it out". 3. Require non-muslim women to cover or observe other Islamic injunctions, though it's not the faith the non-Muslim adheres to. 4. Relegate women in particular to their assigned area, which is often empty unless a particular event is going on. Not much to check out when that happens. 5. Refuse to speak to a woman if she is not accompanied by a mahram.
I'm not saying it's right, in fact I think it's totally wrong. But these are the realities that happen in today's Islamic Centers. I know not all are like that, some are very welcoming and open. But for someone who doesn't know which are which, they might have some bad experiences which further taint their understanding of Islam.
I can give an example: about 5 years ago or so, they built an honest-to-goodness mosque here in Atlanta. Prior to that, all masjids were converted from former residences or businesses. This one was actually built from the ground up, and a lot of funds were put into making it attractive and spacious.
I wanted to see the finished product. So one day me and my ex husband (we were married at that time) went to check it out. The women's section was upstairs, but the men's section was the main rotunda which was the most eye-catching of the entire worship area. At the time we went, there was no one really there. Maybe a few other brothers in isolated classrooms off of the foyer. No particular classes or events were scheduled at that time, and salat time was still a couple hours away.
So my ex husband took me into the men's section to admire the architecture. I was completely covered in hijab etc, and I was standing with him as I looked at it all. Seemingly from out of nowhere, another brother ran in and told my ex husband that I could not be in there AT ALL because it was the men's section. My ex tried to explain why we were there, pointing out that no one else was and I was covered. Brother said I could go up to the women's section to see things (which wasn't the same). They began arguing, as my ex tried to defend what I wanted to do. We ended up leaving as it became too escalated.
Now imagine, if brothers will treat a married, accompanied, covered sister like that, what would they do with a Christian woman? I hate to think of what some ignorant people can be capable of.
To happilymarried: I believe Muslims can go to a church for a function like a funeral or wedding. What I don't think a Muslim can do is participate in specific acts of worship that may take place at those events. For instance, singing worship songs to Jesus, taking communion, and praying "in the name of Jesus", among other things. So if he attends just as an observer and well-wisher, I don't believe he has done anything wrong. However he would still have to take care to observe the appropriate boundaries with non-mahrem and maintaining taqwa and modesty as he would any time he is in public.
-Amy
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
Peace be upon you and thanks for posting,
Im sorry you had that experience. I think that as Muslims we do need to learn to be accepting of people who are interested in our religion and not be so quick to impose rules on people who are simply there due to interest...it is a turn off.
i hate you had that experience, I really suggest you call the masjid beforehand to ask for a tour..in dubai the masjids are very much open to people visiting of all different religions..
Salaams,
It's ok sister. I think I'm safe to say the mosque doesn't do tours here lol. It's not that sophisticated, really. Plus since I am a Muslim, it shouldn't have been necessary to book a tour!
But the truth is there's this issue about women being in the men's section, even at other masjids I've been to. I've never gone into the men's section without a mahram, but even then it's been a problem. It's not like I was trying to hang out or do anything without purpose. I just think a non-Muslim trying to go and winding up in the wrong section etc would be treated even worse. It really is a shame.
-Amy
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
wasalam,
yes Amy, i think we have all been there...i remember once my lil mischievous daughter went RUNNING through the men's section as if it was the olympics and since i saw it and ran after her..people were actling as if i was robbing LOL. I THINK its a shame..if you live in a western country more than likely you have to interact with the opposite sex and in a mosque it may occur...people take it wayy too serious and get in their feelings..if a person comes to see the architecture that is a great time to show how we as muslims should treat a guest and be welcoming ..
Also, i have seen people in our masjid here to visit bcos its one of the biggest in australia and instead of showing the architecture they become quite aggressive with the dawah which should not happen...if someone shows they are not interested in converting..and just there to learn.
I am a born muslim and i have been to a sikh temple in india to as its like a national monument...dozens of churches in england my 2nd home etc and never have i felt like anyone was insulted for me to be there but welcoming.
Sister Amy,
May Allah reward you for the hardship you went through and may Allah shower us with blessing make the right path easy for us. I am a convert. I remember working at the church and I would go early on Sunday mornings because once the service started, there was no peace for me. I am pointing this out to say, there is no perfect group. All it takes is one or two problems to make the experience bad for almost everyone who is there. A lot of the super paranoia about separation is Indo/Pak and not Isalm. After all, there was no partition or separate room at the time of the Prophet (SWS). Later scholars have allowed these things to keep the peace. There is a chance this lady will have a bad experience, but I believe in Allah. If she goes there with sincerity, Allah will protect her. I know you had that bad experience, but I bet you have had good times at the masjid as well. Ramadan is coming. One Ramadan, my teacher at the time put my wife out at 1am because "women are not to sleep over in the mosque." I was so hot and me and my wife argued all the way home (walking!). But we forgave that old Indian man. He loved us and he was just following what he knew and the instructions he was given. Now we have Qiyyamul Layl and it is a regular event me and the wife look forward to. We are making progress sister, This is my point. No one goes to the masjid with the idea of deliberately being a jerk, but we are in new territory and everyone is learning the right way to behave. In East Africa, I saw a lot of anti women stuff. The anti women stuff is not Islam. It is cultural and as we learn to practice Islam in America, many of us are getting better about being open and humble. My point to happilymarried remains. If she expects her husband to go to church functions, she should go to the mosque as a matter of fairness and even more because she married a Muslim and under Islamic rules, she and he had a duty to teach their (now Christian) son Islam. There will be jerks at their Christian wedding. There are usually jerks everywhere. But a little wisdom lets us know the aura of a place in spite of the people who do not know how to behave there. Sister please be aware of what is really going on around us. The community in Atlanta that you speak of just spent at least hundreds of thousands and maybe millions on an Islamic center. The only hope that new shiny building has is that it becomes a source of dawah. This is true for all the expansions and new buildings we are putting up. The old guard is doing the building, but the operations and the maintenance 20 years from now will not be the same people. We are putting ourselves in a box and the only hope we have is Allah and that He will make us a people of dawah so we can get the attendance and level of Islam here in the US that will maintain these new large masjids. They are built by people 50-plus years old who won't be here in 20 years. We build for new leadership that comes after us and new members. All this money invested means we all have to quit being grumpy old people who bear grudges and we have to welcome like crazy with tons of humility the ones who will be using these new masjids long after we are gone.
Fee Amanallah
Assalam alaikum,
That is too bad that you had that experience Sr. Amy...and I agree with Ayat Bin Hamza that we have all been there. I also agree with GregAbdul that some of this stems from cultural influences.
I do have to add that in a city close to me, they have established a very large mosque where there is a single entrance for both the Muslim brothers and sisters and it is also on a single floor. The sisters simply proceed to their section, children are treated with much love (even if the girls run through the men's section! lol) and I honestly have to say I was very much impressed with the layout which gives women privacy while still recognizing the need to make them feel welcome in the Mosque. The concept of the Mosque is to promote a peaceful place of prayer to help establish the Community, especially for the youth as they are the future investment of the Muslim Ummah. Hopefully, we see more such examples, Inn shaa Allah.
Assalamwalaikum,
Please view this short YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4EU-kevJMU
According to respected Sheikh Yusuf Estes [from the video found in the above link], it can be inferred that as long as you do not indulge in, or refrain from activities that are not part of Islam, or things that go against Shari'ah it is permissible to enter a church. There isn't any explicit mention of entering a church to be forbidden, but there are many considerations that need to be made.
However, in my opinion, keeping in mind the advice of respected Sheikh Yusuf Estes, I would not recommend going to a church for whatever purpose, as it is not easy to refrain oneself from getting involved in their customs or rituals of which we may not be knowledgeable.
In your case, I would strongly advice against going to the church. As you have mentioned, your intention is to visit the church for purposes of attending a wedding and a funeral, and this could possibly lead to taking part in the rituals/customs of Christians that could be against the teachings, practices or message of Islam.
You could further read the following ruling on a Muslim entering a church:
http://islamqa.info/en/111832
I disagree. If you are a Muslim and you know worshipping Jesus is wrong, you won't even think about going on your knees when they do or praying with them in the name of Jesus. A bigger problem would be if you somehow disliked masjid and loved going to church, but I have never heard of that Muslim. She is asking about her husband coming to her church. It sounds like they don't do a lot of religious things.
exactly gregabdul,
as muslims we cannot be insecure in our faith...and being that christianity is an abrahamic religion it is very similar...every church service that i was stuck in when i was a child and fleeing with my fam from teh sudan, there was never any talk of jesus just GOD and no kneeling etc.
if anything i respect other people more when i learn what they believe. ..there is more to share experience in life than separate us.
Your difference of opinion is much respected! 🙂
Masha-Allah! I genuinely admire your confidence and firm belief in Allah subhana wa ta'ala. 🙂 Unfortunately, this same confidence and firmness in belief, is not something I can picture the whole of Muslim Ummah to be in today.
My dissent with visiting a church is not only because of the risk of partaking in acts of worship or rituals/customs that are not Islamic. I find that, there are other repercussions as well, however unintended it may seem. Shaytan is our enemy, and he is wise. Shaytan will come to us from everywhere. Shaytan will get to us at some point, step-by-step, slow and steady. Shaytan is as close to us, as the blood that runs through our veins. We need to guard ourselves from Shaytan, it does not matter whether you are in a masjid or in a church. However, in a church, I would feel more vulnerable, especially if I happen to be the only Muslim in a space full of non-Muslims engaged in activities that have my complete disapproval in heart.
So you are talking about a "big" problem that does not exist yet, or you have never heard of it? Did I interpret your message correctly, or am I missing something here?
Yes, the advice I mentioned is in general, and especially intended for her own enlightenment as well as her husband's.
There is no information by the original poster to know about their religious activities.
al hamdulillah and thank you for responding to me. I have been told that we converts are extremists, you know, like ex-alcoholics (well you wouldn't know that one either I guess). Once you have an addiction and you learn it's bad and you kick it, you really hate that addiction. I am no perfect person and my sins are legion. I say this in fairness to myself and to anyone who reads me. I have to pray to Allah constantly to seek His forgiveness. I know what is wrong with Christianity because I tried it for almost 40 years and for me, it totally did not work. Of course they will try to influence you, but communication is the art of influence. We have to open ourselves up if we are going to reach people. I disagreed with you, but it is easy for both of us to be right. If you are someone who does not know Christianity, then the worst place to learn about Christianity is a church. Christianity is best learned at a library, at least it was for me back in the stone age. Part of me going the last time I went was for dawah. As I said earlier, if you are clear on your intentions in attending church, we believe in Allah. It's not a place for a Muslim to hang out, but when the occasion comes and if you are up for it, Allah has given us Islam and He protects us as He wills and the Shaytan cannot defeat His protection. Glory be to Him.
Assalamu Alaikum
Yes you can attend a church wedding and/or funeral. If someone is strong in their faith NOTHING can steer that away.As a young child while in my fathers homeland and as the war started guess where my family went to hid from a certain death? a catholic church..we stayed for over 3 weeks and later given asylum in the uk..never did I or were we ever asked to change our religion or coerced to it. I will always show gratitude for that.
I have been to thailand, ALL AROUND africa etc and mashallah seen very beautiful ceremonial customs and it was nothing more than an educational session for me. I would never leave islam and if anything viewing other people's religions helps me to not only see others as different and but it reinforces to me that at the end of the day we are all humans . I love learning about other people's life experiences but it doesnt change that i am muslim.
i think there is a specific part of our holy quran that specifically states that people who are meant to go astray from the religion will and we should let them be.....You arent there to change anyone's own personal beliefs you are simply their to congratulate or see farewell to someone that is it.
ayat
btw they do nothing in a church really except take communion one sunday a month. of course as a muslim you wont do that. Other than that a lecture is done and it is very similar to what our khutbas are...they talk of the one G-d and how to treat others..you can just sit there observe then leave simple as that.
Dear Happilymarried, I'm not a scholar so I look to the scholars for advise to give and a very trusted source of scholarly advice especially for Muslims in the West, you will find answers at Islamqa.info. I'm a revert from Catholicism to Islam. Alhamdulillah! All of my family are still Catholics or some other branch of Christianity. I have declined attending weddings and funerals in a church after reading and understanding my practice and submission as a Muslim. I have however, attended two interfaith community gatherings at churches recently, along with other sisters and brothers of my masjid including the imam. We are active members of the interfaith community working on initiatives for the betterment of all in the community. During the time of community prayer we did not participate in holding hands, (that is their marked tradition not ours) although we did shake hands with the interfaith folks of appropriate gender.
Attending a "ceremony" at a church is a different matter all together. That does not fall under "entering a church" as the previous scholarly citation on Islamqa.info explained. Attending such a ceremony is participating and being a witness to the ceremony and such ceremonies claim Jesus (peace be upon him) to be the witness to the marriage and this is shirk and should not be attended to by a Muslim. It is easy to say "I don't believe that Jesus is God, I'm only going in order to show my support and show tolerance as a Muslim" but for a Muslim, Allah is Greater and our submission is to Him before all - even before our own parents. So we should not enjoin in a gathering that calls Jesus as a witness, when we know that Allah is the witness of the ties of marriage, not Jesus (pbuh)
Here is the link for scholarly reference as well: http://islamqa.info/en/6992
I also had to decline from going to a Catholic funeral ceremony for my dear uncle. I'm glad I didn't go to that one... it was very religious and full of shirk! Here is some info on that as well.
http://islamqa.info/en/145532
whew!
sister, we have to be careful about online sources. I am not saying you are wrong, but let's look at every situation. Suppose I convert and my Christian mother dies. Are you telling me it is Islamic that I refuse to go to my mother's funeral? Islam is BIG on blood ties. My mother or another close relative marries and they have a family gathering...you are telling me that as long as I know they are going to say "in the name of Jesus" and you know all Christians do this at every gathering, that means I am to break family ties? When I took Shahada a long time ago, I was not speaking to my brother. The Imam specifically told me that I could not be a Muslim and refuse contact with my family. This was one of my very first lessons. Please be careful to follow mainstream scholarship. Surah Luqeman tells us you obey and respect your parents and non Muslim elders UNLESS THEY ORDER YOU TO DISOBEY ALLAH AND HIS MESSENGER. Maybe you have found better scholars. Allah knows. But please be careful sister. We are ambassadors and in the West, to not attend a funeral is often considered an insult. We live amongst Christians, so it sort of does not make sense to say you can't be around Christians because they will pray. They are not like us. They pray silently and in any position (even in restrooms). So your idea of not being around them because they call on Jesus is not something they do only in church. If you live in the West they surround you and they worship Jesus and my understanding is what makes it okay for us to be among them is that we are here to try to show them something better insha Allah.
AsSalamu Alaikum Brother Greg Abdul. I appreciate your feelings especially regarding parents and family. My mother passed away when I was a child, but my father is still living and is Catholic. Funeral rights of our non-Muslim relatives is a very tough subject to swallow. We grew up with attending funerals as it's the respectful and compassionate thing to do especially for our close relatives. And yes, we must be most dutiful to our mother and father even if they are kufr. But if they die a kafir then we must admit- they have disrespected our Almighty Lord, our Creator our Provider. We must love Allah more than our parents and obey Him in not enjoining in a gathering in the ritual religious funeral prayers. Allah says in the Quran:
“It is not (proper) for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allaah’s forgiveness for the Mushrikoon, even though they be of kin, after it has become clear to them that they are the dwellers of the Fire (because they died in a state of disbelief)” [al-Tawbah 9:113] I realize that this means that I am forbidden from making dua for my mother who died as a non-Muslim, as well as my other relatives. Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala is most wise.
Allah said (interpretation of the meaning): “And never (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) who dies, nor stand at his grave. Certainly they disbelieved in Allaah and His Messenger, and died while they were Faasiqoon (rebellious, — disobedient to Allaah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم)” [al-Tawbah 9:84].
(But if there are none of them present who could bury him, then the Muslims should bury him as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did with the slain of Badr and his paternal uncle Abu Taalib when he died, and he said to ‘Ali: “Go and bury him.” )
As for sitting through a Christian church service, please be advised that Allah says in the Quran:
“And it has already been revealed to you in the Book (this Qur’aan) that when you hear the Verses of Allaah being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that; (but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them. Surely, Allaah will collect the hypocrites and disbelievers all together in Hell”
[Aal ‘Nisaa - 4:140].
When we are truly in submission to Allah, we obey Him and His messenger Salallahu Alayhi Wasalam and we should not fear being judged by those who feel insulted by your not enjoining in the church ceremony. Do fear Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala if you do chose sit amongst the Kufar while they worship and call upon Jesus pbuh or if they are Catholics they will also call upon Mary pbuh the Angels and saints.
The website that I sited above is the website which my Imam told us to go to for questions and answers if we choose to use the Internet for questions. Please reopen the link I sent and read it again. http://islamqa.info/en/145532 Truly the information of Quran and Hadith and Imam Malik is of strict adherence to Allah's will. Who are we to say "Yes, it's okay to attend a church ceremony as long as we don't enjoin in the singing and prayer rituals? Especially when Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala has forbidden this? We know how very much Rasool Allah loved his uncle who's burial he did not attend. The Muslims shouldn't participate in the burial unless there are no non-Muslims to bury the dead.
With that being said, upon this discussion with my Imam during my weekly Sisters' Halaqa, he also stressed the importance of going above and beyond to pray for and to help the relatives and loved ones of the deceased person. Bring them food and enjoin in the home gathering or luncheon which usually happens in Christian customs. Go and speak with the friends and relatives about the wonderful times you had with the deceased, and all of the memories as this is comforting to everyone. But also remember that we are not allowed to enjoin in a gathering where there is alcohol being consumed, as often happens. Also, if there is a 'wake' at a funeral home, then there is nothing wrong with going there to offer condolences as long as you don't stay for a religious service.
A major difference between the Islam and Christianity is that we seek knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah as our guide in everything we do! We aren't trying to please anyone before seeking the pleasure of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. To do that we must read the Quran and understand it with tafseer and read the hadith and the seerah of Rasool Allah Salallahu Alayhi Wasalam and learn from the teachings of the Imams.
I really don't understand why Muslims feel free to give answers on this website as a matter of their opinion (only) without using the Quran and Hadith as guidance in even the smallest details. What we think may be a small detail may be defining of our final destination. May Allah make us of those who seek His truth and His will in all matters. Ameen.
P.S. Brother, don't worry about being around your family or anyone who will be praying silently or utter the name of Jesus pbuh at times. Attending ritual prayers and worship at church is not the same as being at home or your family's home who pray... or a gathering at a restaurant where people may or may not have their own prayer before they eat. I'm not trying to be extreme. My father has thrown in "in Jesus name" before. I'm not going to argue with him or ask him to stop. I don't see him that often so when I do see him We discuss our common beliefs and give I give him dawah as long as he'll listen. Please make dua for him and May Allah guide your loved ones to Islam as well. Ameen. AsSalamuAlaikumWaRahmatullahiWaBarakhatuh
Why don't you ask to your husband?
Here is the situation.
in the first page of Bible it says "There is just one God", I read that.
However in the other pages there are other words from Jesus which implies he is God beside God.
Considering logical dilemma obviously there is something wrong.
And Quran says "Shame on people who wrote words by hand and than said "it came from God" " these words about priests who add phrases to torah and bible for themselves benefits
As muslims because we know this we need to give this message to all Christians and Jewishes. And because there is no easy way to say someone "You are wrong" we may not come to Curch as silent protest.
This doesnt mean we dont love you or we dont have respect to you. However this is actually a kind way of saying "There is something wrong with your beleives and we don't want to part of it"
Could I tell the things in my heart clearly?
assalam alaikum
brother, people interpret things differently...we are human. everyone has fault in judgment and logic as wel all have brains that take information and understand it thebest we can. chrisitans have denominations like unitarian,baptist,catholic,protestant,etc..there are some who dont even acknowledge issa as a part of g-d but just his messenger.no trinity. etc so again...
same in islam everyone has different understanding and thus you have so many diff sects.
if you think your presence would mean that you support it instead of the person you are there too support so be it...however...being secure in islam means that you can go around any group of people and never question your faith.
if all muslims saw the world with your myopic view. we would never live in the west, work regular jobs were we have to talk to the opposite sex, or even live in a multicultural community. You can support people by showing your presence that doesnt mean you are supporting the location in which you are in..but so be it.
i just think of the christians that helped my family get to the UK. did they ever try to convert us..NEVER..they were what i call true christians..they saw people that needed help and they were there.they didnt care that i was a girl and my mom was a woman and didnt have her guardian(as got mixed up in war and my father was held)..they didnt look at what divided us. they accepted us as we were without always trying to find flaws ..they accepted us as humans and were there..that is what matters.
i think as muslims we constantly are always judging others..we have to understand people will think differently than you..stop trying to judge people becos of that.
I dont have problem with christians and jewishs. I have problem with christianity and judaism. As Allah has.
And Allah says if "I see someone against me I want you to against him" example: Mumtehine 1
Are you enjoying good life in a Western country?