Being a young Muslim in the United Kingdom

A young Muslim in United Kindom cities faces a whole range of difficulties. Apart from having to deal with the cultural differences if they have just moved into the country, even for those born within the UK, life can be extremely frustrating and at times utterly confusing .Often part of very strict families, they are rarely permitted to take part in many activities English teenagers take for granted. Although many families that have lived here for years are much more relaxed about the rules in general, some things are out of the question, especially for Muslims girls. 

The role of the females within a family are often viewed very differently, and while boys generally have the ability to blend in much better through clothing and also enjoy a lot more freedom as a whole, girls are usually watched much more closely and are also expected to wear certain traditional garments. This often makes them feel like outsiders, while at the same time inducing a lot of unwelcome and often embarrassing questions, as well as sometimes misplaced pity when their friends at school misread certain Muslim traditions as oppression.

Dating in particular presents a problem and often a point of serious arguments between teenagers and their parents. According to Islamic law, dating as English teenagers know it is not allowed. While families are aware that they can not keep their daughters from having to interact with boys at school, university or work, they will not allow them to mingle, in particular alone, with them.
Friendships with members of the opposite sex are actively discouraged by most families, making it very difficult, if not impossible for individuals to find someone they can love and wish to spend the rest of their life with.

As it is, most families have readily embraced modern technology, including computers and the Internet as part of their every day lives. This enables young Muslim men and Muslim women to engage in Internet dating, a facility offered by Alnaddy, among others, and something few parents object to.Because they are not actually in physical contact with the people they talk to, parents usually happily approve this and, after checking out any individual their daughter or son wishes to communicate with, often even leave them to get on with it without continually looking over their shoulder.
This tends to generally improve parent/ child relationships, while simultaneously enabling the young individuals to find the person they are compatible to and discover much about a potential future spouse before they actually meet them and get married.