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Why Don’t Muslims Just Leave? | Imam Tom Weekly

February 26, 2025
Tom Facchine

“Why don’t you just leave?” It’s a question Muslims in the West hear all the time—sometimes even from fellow Muslims. If you believe in Islam, why not move to a so-called “Muslim country”? But is hijrah really the answer? Imam Tom Facchine unpacks the deeper issues behind this question, from the duty of da’wah to the reality of life abroad. Is the grass really greener, or is it just a romanticized illusion? And do Muslims have a responsibility to change the societies they live in rather than abandon them?

“Why don’t you just leave?” It’s a question Muslims in the West hear all the time—sometimes even from fellow Muslims. If you believe in Islam, why not move to a so-called “Muslim country”? But is hijrah really the answer? Imam Tom Facchine unpacks the deeper issues behind this question, from the duty of da’wah to the reality of life abroad. Is the grass really greener, or is it just a romanticized illusion? And do Muslims have a responsibility to change the societies they live in rather than abandon them?

Tom Facchine

Tom Facchine

Tom Facchine (pronounced fa-KEEN-ee) converted to Islam in 2010 as he was finishing his BA in Political Science. For the next few years he studied Islam and Arabic with local teachers while working with Muslim youth, founding and directing youth groups in two different communities. In 2015 he was accepted into the University of Madinah and is now close to completing a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Law. In addition to youth group activities, for the past two years Tom has directed an after school program for young Muslims called the Ramadan Academy, which operates out of the GCLEA mosque in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Tom’s academic and personal background brings a unique dual ability to relate to mainstream Western cultural norms and engage them from a traditional Islamic perspective. His unique teaching style is highly interactive and brings high-level concepts to a level that even children can understand. He is passionate about building relationships with Muslim youth and giving them the tools and confidence to live as observant, well-adjusted people of faith in our times.

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