Answer
Answer:
Wa ‘Alaikum Salaam wa Rahmatulahi wa Barakatuh,
Certainly, things can be quite frightening for Muslims right now given the amount of persecution many face. This will inevitably lead to these feelings of fear and isolation that you have been experiencing. It must be especially difficult for you given your own family background and what they have experienced historically which will obviously contribute to your heightened fear as you see what appears to be the same path being trodden once more. However, like you say, we have also seen in recent times much support for the Muslims.
Difficult as it may be at times, remember that during such times many people also turn to Islam as the heightened attention to our religion draws people to want to find out more. Look at the amount of people that accepted Islam post 9/11, despite the headlights being on the Muslims. Yes, there were and are increases in hate crime, but there are also increases in the amount of people entering Islam also, so there are also positives that we can take from a seemingly difficult situation.
To make things easier for yourself, keep close to Allah (swt), pray to Him to make things easier for you and all the brothers and sisters who are going through difficult times as a result of the current situation. Find comfort in remembrance of Him, focusing more on the fear of Him than others. Look to historical examples of people being persecuted just for being a Muslim, even our beloved Prophet (saw) and how they managed in such times, remaining strong and united, confident that Allah (swt) would keep them safe and protect them from harm. Focusing on your prayer and acts of worship will make this process a lot easier as you get closer to Him (swt).
Isolating yourself away from the community will only reinforce your feelings and make things worse. Certainly, if the symptoms of PTSD become severe, you should seek further help, but do also continue to seek solace in your deen, finding comfort with Allah (swt) and within your local community.
Just because there are some people who behave inappropriately towards Muslims, there are many who support us and many who probably don’t even have an opinion at all. So, it is highly likely that there are many in your community that will not have any bad feelings towards you at all and might even be ready to reach out and support you, but you will not know if you stay inside.
Unfortunately, with some things that are said in the media, this has lead to a negative perception of Islam which is what results in the hate crimes that we do see. But we can counter this by going out as proud Muslims and exhibiting the best of character, almost a subtle form of daw’ah, showing the community what Muslims are really like and challenging any negative perceptions they might have. Engage in community activities, perhaps, if there are any local volunteer opportunities where you can help out and engage with the locals, building friendships and showing the good nature of the Muslim. Be sure to be with other people too so that you are not alone, reducing any anxiety that you might have. To make it easier, you can make it gradual process; go to places that you are more familiar with, where faces are more familiar before venturing out to less familiar places.
May Allah (swt) make it easier for you and the whole Ummah to remain strong in faith, fearing Him alone and feeling content in the remembrance of Him.
Salam,
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