Praise be to Allaah.

1 – The first thing you should do is to leave that kaafir land, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) disavowed himself of anyone who settles among the mushrikeen. Hence it is haraam for you to stay in the land of kufr, especially since you are there for the sake of work, and that is not one of the legitimate excuses for which you may be allowed to stay there. 

See question no. 13363 and 27211 concerning the prohibition on settling in a kaafir land, and the conditions for that to be permissible in some cases. 

2 – You have to choose the Muslim land where people adhere most closely to modesty, chastity and commitment to Islam. It is well known that the Muslim lands vary in these matters, and not every country is a place where you could settle, unfortunately, rather that depends on your nationality and the laws of the land. 

3 – If you cannot move to that country, then you must fear Allaah, may He be exalted, and adhere to His commands in all your affairs, foremost among which must be guarding your families against disintegration and assimilation. You must pay attention to your children, both males and females, give them a good Islamic upbringing and a sense of connection to Islamic history, teach them the rulings of Islam, and teach them Arabic well.  

4 – The place where the Muslim family lives should be far removed from places of immorality. Conservative Muslim families should live together in one place so that they can support one another and help one another to obey Allaah, may He be exalted, and help one another to train and teach themselves and their children. 

It is haraam for you to give your children free rein in forming friendships with the children of the kuffaar. It is not permissible for you to allow your children to watch immoral shows and movies that destroy moral values. You must also pay attention to what they read and watch so that their thinking will not go astray and they will not lose their religious commitment. 

6 – Your family should have set times, even if they are short, when the entire family can get together and talk, so as to deal with problems faced by each family member before they grow worse and more complicated, or it becomes impossible to solve them. 

7 – You must also make good choices in the families with whom you mix, lest some of them have a negative influence on your family members and your efforts to raise them properly be wasted. 

8 – You should instill a hatred for this culture and its ways in the hearts of your children, and inform them that it is contrary to divine law and the sound nature of man. Give them examples and contrast it with Islamic morals, and instill a sense of connection with Islamic culture and its ways, and let them know that they will not stay in that land for long.  

9 – You should frequently visit the sacred land of Allaah in Makkah. Strive to perform Hajj every year and to do ‘Umrah more than once a year if you can, so as to strengthen your faith and strengthen your children’s bonds to Islam and the Muslims. Unfortunately we see great shortcomings in the Muslim communities who live in kaafir countries in this regard. 

10 – Build an Islamic library, including Islamic books, tapes and CDs, so that the family members can learn about their religion and refer easily to the rulings of Islam. Close the door to means of misguidance that may lead to their ignorance and corruption. Bring the al-Majd channel into your homes for the beneficial knowledge that it offers, and because they are trying to keep their channel free of women and music. You can also connect them to useful sites on the internet. 

In fact there is a great deal of advice that we could offer, because there is so much misguidance, deviance and immorality in those kaafir lands. Every aspect of life needs its own advice and guidance. But what we said in the beginning is full of advice, which is to leave that kaafir land and move to a Muslim land. Whoever stays in the kaafir lands must realize that Allaah will ask him about his flock on the Day of Resurrection, so let him prepare an answer. 

We ask Allaah to make it easy for you to leave that land and to make you steadfast in adhering to Islam and true guidance, and to make your children righteous callers to Islam. 

We hope that you will also read question no. 4237, which offers more information on protecting children in the west 

And Allaah is the Source of strength.