What are the two perspectives to consider in dealing with gang issues among Muslim youth?

Fundamentally the phenomenon of the rise of gangs amongst Muslims where Muslim youth have killed each other is something which is unthinkable from an Islamic perspective. We have warring nations, but within a nation where young people will engage in violence to the point where they are killing each other is something unwritten in the history of the Muslim world.

This phenomenon is a natural product of an existing phenomenon of gangs in North America and Muslims have fallen into this trap. As such, it is something, which we have to worry about. Though it seems to be focused in the Somali community, there are many from other Muslim communities, like, Afghani, Pakistani, Arab, and Egyptian, who are caught up in this cycle of violence. As Muslims we have a responsibility to understand this phenomenon and to work out ways and means of correcting it. First we understand the problem, and then look for a solution.

We have 2 perspectives to look at – the youth and the parents because the youth are products of families. So we need to look at those families, as well as the youth themselves.

Perspective of the Youth                                                                                            

If we start with the youth, we can see that there are particular phases, which youth go through when they join a gang. They don’t just wake up one morning and decide to become a gangster! It is a gradual process that they go through.

Parental Perspective

On the other hand, gang busting has to be worked on the parental level because the basic element for gangsterism exists amongst the adults. They may not call themselves gangsters; however they display all of the traditional features of gang membership and gang administration that the smaller versions among the youth display. If we look on the family level, we can find elements of the drug problems, especially in the communities where pot maybe popular.