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Fatwa CenterA Muslim should be proud of his religion
Question
Assalaamu 'alaykum, what is the verdict on a muslim who is living in the west who is trying to please the kuffar in certain matters? For example he dresses in the usual clothing of his country? Or most of the time he wears thobe (ثَوب) and kufiya (كوفية) but when he meets with the kuffar for example at school, work, shopping or somewhere else, then he doesn't wear his islamic dress or he doesnt use islamic words when he speaks (in sha Allah, etc.), so that the kuffar don't look angrily at him or because he feels shy for his islam and so on? Or another example is a convert who goes to a store of an arabic "muslim", who cannot understand why a Westerner became a muslim and he don't respect him because he is a convert or because he has no knowledge of islam, so the convert starts to feel ashamed in this moment or he doesn't go to this store in islamic dress any longer or he doesn't use islamic words (in sha Allah) when he speaks. What is the verdict on this behaviour? Is there any kufr in it? Furthermore what is the verdict on a muslim who is pleased with it when he meets with kuffar and they don't know that he is a muslim or he tries to conceal his islam, but he would not deny that he is a muslim when he would be asked? Jazaakum Allahu khayran.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
We have already explained in Fatwa 135068 that a Muslim should be proud of his religion and should be keen on wearing his Islamic clothing as this is Islamically required.
In addition to this, a Muslim who sticks to the principles of his religion may find appreciation and respect from non-Muslims, let alone from Muslims, more than what those who are negligent about their religion may find.
The Islamic dress for men is any clothing that covers the parts of the body that must be covered and which does not include any religious prohibition, like imitating the non-Muslims, and the like. Therefore, it does not have to be a long shirt (Qamees) and the like; rather, it may be wise sometimes to wear a dress that is common between the Muslims and non-Muslims in order to soften their hearts towards Islam and hoping to influence them. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 88123.
What is important is that if a Muslim socializes with them, he must strive as much as possible to call them to Islam and show them the good traits of his religion. However, he should be careful not to flatter them in their falsehood and participate with them in it, as this is dangerous for him and for his religion.
With regard to that new Muslim, if he does not imitate the non-Muslims in the clothes which are peculiar to them or other matters that are peculiar to them, then he can do so. Besides, he is not religiously obliged to utter the word Inshaa’ Allaah (Allaah willing) and the like, but he should not refrain from saying it sometimes even secretly, pursuant to the morals of the Quran; Allaah Says (what means): {And never say of anything, “Indeed, I will do that tomorrow. Except [when adding], “If Allaah wills.’}[Quran 18:23-24]
Nonetheless, the Muslims should be reminded to be keen on softening the hearts of new Muslims towards Islam and treating them in a good manner, as the Prophet 
used to soften the hearts of non-Muslims, let alone the Muslims, to an extent that he allotted a share from the Zakah to the people whose hearts have been inclined towards Islam.
Finally, you should know that it is not an easy matter to rule that a person is a disbeliever, as this person whom you mentioned in the question did not commit what is forbidden in principle, let alone what could be an act that takes a person out of the fold of Islam. Even if we suppose that he had committed an act that takes a person out of the fold of Islam, it is not permissible to consider him as a disbeliever unless all the conditions of declaring him as such are present while there are no impediments for declaring him as such, like ignorance, compulsion, misunderstanding and the like.
For more benefit on the seriousness of declaring a Muslim to be a disbeliever without abiding by the religious conditions about declaring him/her as such, please refer to Fataawa 91677 and 87963.
Allaah Knows best.
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