Makings

You know,

there is always going to be a difference between

the makings of muslims in majority muslim parts of the world,

and the makings of muslims living in a minority.

Minority muslims' makings

are set in a non-muslim context,

Scottish muslims live in negotiation with the local culture,

just as everyone else does if it comes to that,

and that negotiation involves an exploration

and understanding of their personal relationship with Islam,

and deciding what face of that relationship they wish to portray.

Do you need to show your Islam in some traditional way,

a historical cultural difference,

or can it simply be through the kind of person you are,

and the way that you live your life,

an invisible Islam,

disguised by the face of its humanity?

For the local cultural context has its own perception of Islam,

and it's not necessarily one that you want to be associated with.

But when Islam is defined by cultural differences,

us and them,

it can be hard to reshape local presuppositions of Islam

and redirect them towards the lovable and admirable human qualities that are at Islam's heart.

When muslims make things,

there is a style context to their makings that is inevitably local,

but which also expresses their muslim nature and perspective on the world.

A muslim in a minority needs to bridge between

the local culture and their personal muslim nature,

which means that they also have to examine

their personal understanding of Islam,

and the cultural markers by which they know it.

In the end, everyone has to decide how much to show and how much to hide,

and everyone is different,

everyone's life goes a different way.

We all have our own way,

all the ways to live a life.

What is possible is set out before us

from which to choose what suits our interests,

though ultimately God decides what we need.

From the finest of intricately detailed craftsmanship,

to makings writ large as buildings and even cities,

the choice of how to express yourself is vast,

but whatever we choose,

we make what we choose to do Islamic by our intention and sincerity.