Within our community in Brisbane, we are still feeling the aftereffects of incidents which were widely publicised among not only the Muslim, but also the wider Australian community. The death of a young mother, the arrests of Muslims and the senseless shooting of a young Muslim.
Each of these incidents immediately elicit a strong emotional reaction from each of us, and I believe this comes from a sense of righteousness. As the Ummah of our beloved Prophet ﷺ, we should each want to individually, structurally, and collectively uphold an example of decency and moral virtue.
While the Prophet ﷺ was renowned for his deep honour and integrity – known even before the message of Islam as Al-Amin, the Trustworthy – the contrast of his noble example and the current state of our community hurts us deeply. It serves as a painful reminder of our failure in upholding his teachings.
Unfortunately, this contrast can be disheartening and lead us to respond negatively, fueling fitna and disunity. But how can we proactively and strategically respond to these issues? This needs to be our priority in protecting our youth and the reputation in our community.
Objective of This Article
Through this article in shā Allah, I hope to identify the key issues, propose corrective actions, and explore preventative measures to safeguard ourselves and our community.
Understanding Crime Beyond Culture
To begin, it is important to state the obvious: there is no inherent predisposition within Muslims or our cultural backgrounds that makes us susceptible to being involved in crime. One of the most consistent and strongest structural predictors of crime across different contexts is socioeconomic status. Yet, even in low-income suburbs in Australia, certain diaspora communities exhibit high social cohesion and strong religiosity — factors that significantly reduce crime.
Robert Merton’s Strain Theory: A Lens on Crime
Robert Merton’s Strain Theory, developed in 1938, is a foundational theory in criminology and gives further clarity to this idea. Merton proposed that crime arises when there is a disconnect between societal goals and the legitimate means to achieve them. He identified five modes of adaptation that individuals may adopt in response to this strain:
Conformity:
This refers to individuals accepting both the cultural goals (such as wealth, education, and family), and the approved means of achieving them. Although a conformist may not always achieve the societal goal, they have faith in society to follow legitimate means.Innovation:
This involves accepting the cultural goals but rejecting the normative ways of achieving them — often turning to crime as an alternative. For example, a thief may value wealth like everyone else but chooses illegal methods to obtain it.Ritualism:
Giving up hope in achieving society's approved goals but still operating according to legitimate means. For example, accepting you will not progress in your corporate job but staying in your position.Retreatism:
This mode entails rejecting both the goals and the means of achieving them, living outside of norms altogether. An example is Christopher McCandless, who rejected the idea of capitalism and wished to live off the land. He retreated from societal rule and was found dead in Alaska at the age of 24.Rebellion:
Existing outside of the system altogether, rebels aim to replace societal goals and means with those of their own. Examples of this are terrorist groups, cults, and Marxist revolutionaries.
To put it simply, the perceived cultural goals that an individual seeks to achieve are blocked which results in resorting to illegitimate means in reaching them, and in extreme situations even the goals themselves are rejected.
A Case Study: Ahmad
Ahmad is a young Muslim, aged 21, who is a second-generation immigrant. Ahmad dropped out of school in Grade 10. He is enrolled in an apprenticeship, works on and off as a delivery worker and lives in a townhouse with his parents. He rarely attends the masjid except on Eid or occasional Jummah prayers, and he uses that as an opportunity to meet with some of his friends.
Ahmad dreams of the high life. Within his circles and social media following, he sees men who are wearing nice clothes, driving expensive cars, and have high perceived status and apparent worldly success. Ahmad has no brothers or male cousins close to his age.
Ahmad has found that through a friend, he can make quick money delivering packages covertly. In doing so he has been able to improve his image and lifestyle, and even support his parents.
Rather than denigrating and shaming this individual, to sufficiently address his challenges we need to first understand how we as a community are failing him. Like everyone, Ahmad is driven by his innate desire to want to fit into a group, as well as to achieve cultural and worldly goals.
Using Robert Merton’s model - Ahmad would fall under the ‘Innovation’ mode. He still has a strong desire to pursue wealth, but has not fully accepted society’s normative means of obtaining it.
Addressing Ahmad’s Challenges
Though it is clear in our theology the abhorrence of engaging in criminal and immoral activities, instilling a sense of taqwa and proclivity in following the example of an upright Muslim is not as simply as sitting Ahmad in a lecture, khutba, or halaqa and telling him that these actions are wrong.
In these environments, Ahmad does not feel spoken to. He feels alienated and isolated. He doesn’t find it easy to communicate with the regular attendees, and this exasperates his inferiority complex and low self-worth. Not only this, but the speaker does not meet his personal measures of success and therefore does not serve as an effective role model.
Ahmad does feel a genuine need to pursue greatness, it’s only that his view of what that greatness looks like has been skewed. He has retained the pursuit of the cultural goal of wanting wealth, so in using the Strain Theory as a model, his means of achieving them must be altered.
Creating a Positive Environment
Firstly, Ahmad should be introduced to an environment in which his innate need for validation and belonging can be satisfied. This environment could involve honing a skill or doing an activity, both of which are respected under his worldview.
One of the attributes that all young men feel an inclination towards is strength, and in place of this strength being manifested to abuse and rebel, it must be represented as a moral virtue. This is done in establishing a dominant culture through strong male figures.
Islamic ethos and values can be instilled over time as Ahmad starts to ‘fit into’ this environment. His idea of what a strong man is transformed to someone who is disciplined, principled and respected. This process also allows him to embrace his immigrant and Islamic identity as a core part of who he is. It is worth noting that these positive attributes are required to excel in any field, and these can become new cultural goals for Ahmad.
Through this, he may also see others that he relates to who are ‘conformists’, in that they follow societal norms in meeting cultural goals. This, ultimately, will dramatically and positively shift Ahmad’s disposition.
In creating an environment which is focused towards addressing a demographic-specific issue, then others not part of the demographic will naturally feel out of place. For Ahmad and others like him, it is crucial that they have a space where they feel most secure.
What other strategies are there?
It may not always be feasible to set up a consistent program which can meet these needs, there are limitations and not every person is able to contribute to these areas. However, each of us has a responsibility to affect change in whatever capacity we can. In this way, the principles above can be met, even through small and meaningful interactions.
Individual engagement
Making one-on-one connections, understanding their struggles, and genuinely listening is the single most effective way for us as individuals to combat youth crises within the community. We often underestimate the impact that a direct and meaningful conversation can have on our youth. In striving to deepen our relationships with them, we can not only understand and support them in their challenges but also take an active role in moulding the future of our community.
The impact that each of us can make on an individual level also depends significantly on our own capabilities and backgrounds. Certain members of our community are especially equipped to handle directly advising perpetrators and confronting bad behaviours. Where possible, this should be handled with composure — ensuring that such interventions are constructive.
Culture
Perpetuating the idolisation of harmful behaviours is extremely detrimental to Ahmad and other young men. We should recognise that this is not always by openly commending these actions, rather, it can be in how we treat people who are known to be involved, or the way in which we discuss said issues. Giving excessive attention to these people in an effort to include them not only disempowers the men who are not involved in criminality, but also subconsciously glorifies the behaviour.
Within our Masajid, social circles and Muslim-dominant environments young men like Ahmad should be treated with respect, kindness, and genuine attentiveness. While we face a divide in the West between generations of immigrants, we should aim to engage with one another across demographics through meaningful dialogue and mutual kinship.
Structural efforts
Many of the leaders and senior community members are out of touch with the average youth, which is a huge shortcoming. Within Brisbane, there is an underrepresentation of youth in positions of influence which is counterproductive in addressing the crisis we face. An effective method to engage with youth is setting up committees and actively engaging with representatives who are well attuned and have a pulse on the needs of the average young person.
Most men aged 18-30 are focused on the pursuit of studies, marriage and career. A high-bar to aim for is to create structured pathways for youth to assist in development of these areas through meaningful support.
The Future
There will inevitably be many more tragedies and challenges that our community will face, undoubtedly we will feel shame, anger and hurt. It is important that we do not allow this to dictate our actions, fanning the flames of disunity and mutual distrust.
Though it is not all of our perception, many of us feel as though we are constantly targeted by mainstream media and society. Whenever an incident occurs, the default assumption is that it was a result of this targeting. My view is that this inhibits our ability to take accountability and address our shortfalls.
As a defensive strategy, it is always important to verify the sources of the information. Jumping to conclusions not only leaves us vulnerable to further attacks when our initial assumption turns out to be false, but it also undermines any real attempts at systemic change.
As Allah ﷻ says in Surah al-Ḥujurāt (49:6):
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن جَآءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌۢ بِنَبَإٍۢ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓا۟ أَن تُصِيبُوا۟ قَوْمًۢا بِجَهَـٰلَةٍۢ فَتُصْبِحُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَـٰدِمِينَ
"O believers, if an evildoer brings you any news, verify ˹it˺ so you do not harm people unknowingly, becoming regretful for what you have done."
This verse was revealed after the Prophet ﷺ received false information that nearly led to war. Khalid ibn Walid (RA) was sent to verify the information, and discovered that it was untrue. This came as an important lesson in the Seerah in verifying information before making decisions hastily.
Similarly, we should apply this in the modern day. When the time comes it is incumbent upon us to defend our fellow Muslims, but we should recognise that acknowledging our own faults is not weakness, it is a necessary element in enacting justice.
And Allah ﷻ knows best.