Muslim Tradition vs. New European Lifestyle

It's no secret that many Muslims come to Europe and hold tightly to their home culture and religion. However, many Muslims who grow up in Europe find themselves being heavily influenced by the liberal, post-modern ideologies that run rampant here. Many tenants of Islam require an outward expression of faith so young Muslims will follow Islam with their actions, but they follow the world with their hearts.

On June 10, 2008, Harowo.com posted an article from the New York Times that touches on this very concept. Authors Elaine Sciolino and Souad Mekehnnet describe a new practice done by surgeons, and cosmetic surgeons. They are restoring the hymens of Muslim women who need proof of virginity.

“If you’re a Muslim woman growing up in more open societies in Europe, you can easily end up having sex before marriage,” said Dr. Hicham Mouallem, who is based in London and performs the operation. “So if you’re looking to marry a Muslim and don’t want to have problems, you’ll try to recapture your virginity.” (http://harowo.com/2008/06/10/surgery-offers-muslim-women-illusion-of-virginity/)

In the article, another woman describes her fear of her father if he found out she was no longer a virgin. Young European Muslim couples are paying to have this operation done so they can send home a certificate of virginity to their families.

We can learn a few things from this article about working with Muslims in Europe. First, no matter how European a Muslim may look or act, he or she is still heavily influenced by their family. Second, we see that Muslim men and women are looking for something other than Islam. They are turning to free thinking Europe to find satisfaction in happiness. As Christ followers, we know that they can only find true contentment in the Grace of Jesus Christ. Muslims living in Europe may be searching for something new to follow. Because there are so few Christ followers living in Europe, many Muslims who are searching will not be told about the saving power of Christ.

Christ is needed in Europe. You are needed in Europe to proclaim His name. Many think that Europe is an evangelized area of the world. However there are more evangelical churches in hard to reach countries than in all of Europe. Europe has not been reached. There are very few European evangelical churches reaching out to Muslims. Please consider how you can become more involved. There are numerous cities waiting to be adopted in prayer. There are many parts of Europe where no one is working. Email us at ReconsiderWE@gmail.com to find out more.