
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.
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"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.
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"If you go there and you pray the Friday prayers and you come out on that street, you would think that you were in... I don't want to say Islamabad, but... you would think you were in a Muslim country, because of all the Muslims. You'll be shocked if you ever go. You'll say: 'Praise be to Allah.'
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"The false propaganda of the media is greater over there than it is here. As the imam here, I say whatever I want to say. In the UK, you have to be careful.
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"And it is always a problem. It's not like that in America. You can say what you want to say. So, as it relates to the UK, we have some extreme Muslim brothers and sisters."