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Thanks for the article it was interesting, then I also agree that this type of liberal or reformist Muslim is inherently due to entrenched colonialism, in the way that we should give up Islamic traditions to better fit into secular societies. Or that it somehow makes a Muslim less if they are not like this. Also this should have been your post!

What do you mean by progressive Muslims? I feel like in Shia Islam there is no movement towards living like a Salafi or being archaic for example, so wouldn’t that make all of us “progressive”? As in we exist in modern society, use technology, work etc. Maybe some Muslims are more traditional where for females they wear Abaya and don’t work, and the men support the household but I don’t know many of these people who are my age. If you mean people who are politically liberal then I think the inclination to left wing politics comes from being grouped into categories and being “othered” in society similar to LGBTQ people. I’m not saying this is right or wrong but I see why it happens in western societies.

Salaam, What European city would you say is the “easiest” to be a practicing Muslim? I live in Switzerland and with the recent burqa/niqab ban and France nearby making more anti-hijab laws I have noticed I get more people staring at me when I’m walking around. Not sure if there is a huge right wing movement everywhere in Europe or if there are still countries that are more leftist. Nothing bad has happened to me, but obviously long term I’d like to live somewhere with people who are more open minded and accepting of other religions. I don’t have a problem at work because once people get to know me they don’t treat me differently from any other person. I also lived in Sweden before and I found there to be a lot of separation between Swedish people and any immigrants, which was not so nice. If anyone has any experiences or stories it would be nice to hear!

Maybe you can consider working remotely or freelancing as a developer, that makes your income not tied to any country. In terms of getting a visa to stay in Iran that might be challenging, but the easiest way would be to join a study program (maybe part time) or you could always enter and exit as a tourist multiple times. It looks like visas depend on what sort of passport you have. ttps://evisatraveller.mfa.ir/en/request/visa_types/

I’ve spoken to a few converts and I think they often feel like they don’t belong with their original community anymore but also like there’s a division between them and other Muslims due to the way we have a variation of religious practice through different cultures (ie. comparing Iranian Shias to Lebanese Shias to Pakistani Shias). I think like most situations you’ll find people who are kind and accept you and you’ll probably find the opposite as well. Inshall-h everything goes well for you! Your post made me think of something I watched recently:

I think mindfulness and meditation are inherently Islamic. We’re told to reflect on the signs of All-h (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) that we see around us. We’re also disciplined in taking time out of our day to pray and concentrate on that. The difference is that psychology is a secular science, Islam is a way of life.

I was just watching the lectures on spiritual mastery by Sayed Hussain Makke and he explained this clear proof as Prophet Yusuf seeing the inner reality of this situation as something that was not appealing, as he was at that Irfani stage where he could hold himself back from committing an indecent act even if it was tempting (31:12 in the video).

I think living in secular societies desensitizes us towards living a God-centric life where we contemplate over our actions and feel a connection to All-h (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى). I also get that emotional feeling sometimes and I think it’s an inclination of my heart towards the truth, even if I’m surrounded by distractions.

https://shia-lectures.com

I’ve only met a few Akhbari people online and they were not part of a larger community. I think it’s fine to be critical of “Wilayatul Faqih” as in Iran’s interpretation, but this is not synonymous with rejecting all Mujtahids. Taqlid doesn’t affect our daily lives in an extreme way, and personally I don’t look at it as something central to faith. Realistically most of us will not reach the same level of knowledge as Ulemaa who have dedicated their lives to studying Islam and have a proper grasp of Arabic. I do think it’s beneficial for all of us to dedicate more time to reading the words of the Ahlul Bayt to incline our hearts towards All-h (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) which should be our ultimate goal, no matter what you want to label it.

Salaam I just moved to Switzerland and I’m wondering if anyone has advice on making Muslim friends around here. It’s nice to hang out with people who don’t want to drink and have a similar way of living. I don’t want to only have online friends and I’d prefer to know people who live in the same area. I know going to the mosque is a good way to meet people but I don’t speak Arabic or German so it’s a bit hard. Especially with the COVID situation, most mosques are not having programs right now. Any ideas would be helpful