Orlando Imam Abu Usama At-Thahabi: Islam Is Stronger In The UK Than In The US – Women Wear Niqabs, There Are Mosques Everywhere, Some Places Look Like An Islamic Country; In America, Many Muslims Are Liberal, Hijab Wear Is Lacking – But There Is Greater Freedom Of Speech
In a December 14, 2024 lecture that was streamed live on the Masjid As-Sunnah YouTube channel, Orlando-based imam Abu Usama At-Thahabi – formerly the imam of Green Lane Masjid in Birmingham, UK – compared Islam in the United States to Islam in the United Kingdom. He said that Islam is "stronger" in the UK, that niqabs and hijabs are commonly worn by Muslim women there, that there are mosques everywhere, and that some places there even look like Muslim countries. By contrast, he said that hijab wear is lacking in the United States and that many American Muslims are "liberal," but that there is greater freedom of speech in the United States. He elaborated that the "false propaganda of the media" is greater in the UK and that imams in the UK "have to be careful," while in America they can say whatever they want to say.
Abu Usama At-Thahabi: "Islam is stronger in England. I come out of my house, and the house that I came out of... If you go to the right, there's a mosque that way. If you go to the left, there's a mosque that way. And another mosque, and another mosque. You're spoiled for choice in England.
"Our women wear niqab over there. Our daughters wear niqab. They have high schools that are all Muslims.
"A lot of Muslims are very liberal here [in the United States]. The hijab is lacking and wanting here. If you see a girl with niqab and gloves here, people look. It's not like that in the UK.
https://www.memri.org/tv/orlando-imam-usama-thahabi-compares-islam-usa-uk-niqab-mosques-freedom-of-speech
