SBS video-journalist Patrick Abboud reports
Senior Islamic Sheihks and youth mentors are working hard to address what they're describing as an identity crisis among some young Muslim men - watch video
“They come with that confusion of 'I'm a Muslim, I'm an Australian – how do I find that in-between?'” says western Sydney youth worker Emad Elkheir.
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The spotlight remains on Australian Muslims after violent protests erupted in Sydney two weeks ago. Police have now arrested nine men in relation to the demonstrations prompted by an anti-Islamic film.
Islamic leaders widely condemned the violence and say it has no place in Australian society but it's highlighted an 'angry minority' within the local Muslim community.
Kuranda Seyit is the executive director of the Forum on Australia's Islamic Relations. He says some of these young men are deeply struggling with the crisis 'their people' are facing overseas.
"We are seeing a phenomenon across the world in terms of Muslims being disempowered and feeling low self-esteem. They're feeling marginalised in every sense of the word. At the end of the day their own people are suffering so these issues bear heavily on a lot of young people's minds here".
One of Australia's most respected Islamic scholars, Sheihk Omar El Banna is currently running 'youth talks' across Sydney to address the issue. He says while young men are paying attention to his teachings, there are serious concern about outside influences.
“They see what's happening in the Muslim world. It affects them. You're dealing with the internet now, some guy puts a video on YouTube in Africa and boys here are listening to that lecture".
Twenty-six-year-old Hassan El Husseini became disengaged from his religion and society as a teenager and landed on the wrong side of the law. Now a pro-boxer and youth mentor, he says it's Islam and the guidance of inspirational imams that helped to put his life back on track.
“If you're praying five times a day – you've got no time to think about doing bad things”.
Emad Elkheir says the struggle with identity is not just isolated to religion, it's also a cultural issue, something that many Australians could relate to.
"Something that disengages young Muslim men is the fact that they're told that they're different to anyone else. They're not different. Any Asian kid does through the crisis they're going though, any Anglo kid goes through the crisis they're going through".
While Sheihks like Omar El Banna and other mentors work tirelessy to re-engage these disaffected youth, they are calling on all community members to look for solutions.
Watch full story (via YouTube):
Watch extended interview with Sheihk El Banna:
Watch extended interview with Kuranda Seyit:
