Why don’t Muslims offer more face-to-face support?
As-salamu alaykum everyone, I’m not sure if this is the right place, but I’ve been reading here for a while and wanted to share a thought. I’ve noticed a lot of people talk about loneliness, feeling worthless, or being lost, and it makes me wonder why we don’t see more in-person support among Muslims. Do most of us not want to form deeper connections, or am I mistaken? For context, I’m writing as a male Muslim, so women’s experiences might differ. Maybe I’m overthinking, but it seems many who post about their struggles don’t have a Muslim close to them they can turn to face-to-face. Online support is helpful, yes, but nothing really replaces talking in person. As a revert, I remember hearing Muslims call each other brothers and sisters, yet it sometimes doesn’t feel like that in practice - we don’t always support one another. Many of us seem quite individualistic or stick to our existing friend groups and don’t reach out beyond them. If you didn’t know someone before, you might hardly speak to them now. A lot of people in my contacts haven’t been in touch for a long time. Even during Eid, I’ve seen people pray, exchange salaam, and then leave without much more interaction. I don’t know if others feel the same, but for new Muslims this could be especially worrying - they may feel they lack close, local support. Another point is that some issues are hard to bring up with imams or elders at the mosque because they’re very personal, and opening up can be difficult. While anonymous online spaces let people share freely, that barrier also limits how powerful encouragement and comfort can be compared with being there in person. Is this a common observation? I’m not asking for help right now, just hoping for a discussion about why this happens and what practical steps we can take to be more present for each other moving forward.