Japan Needs New Generation Muslim Leaders

Japan needs a new generation of Muslim leaders now who have insider knowledge of the Japanese society and also possess a great understanding of what Islam requires them to be good Muslims.  The first generation of Muslims in the country has done a wonderful job of introducing Islam to Japanese society. Now, it should be the duty of the next generation of Muslims to lead the Muslim community in this largely non-Muslim majority country.

The first generation of Muslims did a wonderful job by establishing mosques all around the country and introducing Islam to their acquaintances and would-be life partners. Thanks to their efforts during all these decades, now, Islam is not a foreign word for most Japanese people. However, the process of only doing halaqas or a weekend class on Quran and Islamic values in English, Urdu, or Bengali, etc. is no longer sufficient. Now, we have to get to the next level and develop morally committed Muslim leaders who can integrate the Japanese and Muslim traditions successfully and play an important part in leading the local Muslim community to take on new initiatives.

As a side note, we intend to elaborate on this on-going issue in the coming weeks as well Insha Allah. So, please stay tuned and express your views on what should be done to develop the next generation of Muslims in the Japanese society.