News & Comment
Muslims in the West are Growing in Numbers and also their Responsibilities

News:

On Monday, the Netherlands’ population will cross the 17 million mark. It took 15 years for the population to go from 16 million people to 17 million, Statistics Netherlands announced on Monday. http://www.nltimes.nl/2016/03/21/netherlands-population-crosses-17-million-mark/ .

Early this month, Statistics Netherlands calculated that the 17th million resident is more likely to be male than female and more likely to be an immigrant than a baby.

Comment:

The Netherlands never had a population this big. Measured according Dutch standards, it can be said that it has reached its pinnacle of inhabitants. However the striking part is not the growth but the fact that that the 17th million is most probably an immigrant rather than a baby. Keeping in mind that, besides the Polish immigrants the crushing majority are immigrants of Muslim origin. The conclusion that the 17th million is a Muslim, is not farfetched.

The article also states that the probability that it is a baby is smaller than an immigrant. However when I read this news item the first thing that came to mind is that when we assuming that it is a baby, the probability that it is a Muslim baby is bigger.  Due to the fact that there is stagnation in the birth growth by the non-Muslim Dutch in comparison to the growing Muslim population with much higher birthrates. And not much later the probability that it is a Muslim baby was confirmed (Even though this is not conclusively verifiable) by a local newspaper with the title “Arda is our 17th million Dutch!” Baby Arda is from Turkish background (and Muslim).

It’s remarkable that the growth of a non-Muslim Western society is among other things due to the Muslims. At this stage we are over 1 million but undeniable a minorities. This relatively growth and presents in these Kufr societies brings together also a different growth. The increasing numbers of Islamophobic incidents and sentiments especially against Muslim woman and mosques etc… due to domestic and foreign politics and assimilation policy of the Netherlands.

But besides the numbers and statistics there is a much more profound element; the responsibility of every single Muslim to stand firm on the Deen and to carry the message of Islam to the rest of the society with pride.

[وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِّمَّن دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ]

“And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteousness and says, "Indeed, I am of the Muslims.” [Fussilat: 33]

Allah (swt) demands from us to call to Him (swt). And in the ayah, He (swt) said “who invites to Allah” instead of “who invites to Islam” The first phrase is much stronger than the latter and it takes every possibility away from the caller to “compromise”. Calling directly to the Creator doesn’t involve any principles of maslaha or mafsada or dharaar etc…  This means the caller must call to His Deen with clarity and without any compromise, live by it and convey the message with honour, dignity and pride. Instead of fitting Islam into the status quo to be accepted or gain some worldly benefits. Islam is much greater than that.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Okay Pala
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in The Netherlands