I live in the west where women mix freely with men and where their awrah is not covered. I'm a young brother studing at college. I'm scared of the damage this environment has caused to my fitrah and that I'm becoming insensitive to women. Other than just lowering my gaze and avoiding interactions, what further actions can i also take to restore my sensitivity and attitude to it's correct level and maintain it?

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.

The feelings that you mentioned are the result of residing in such open societies where nothing is forbidden and people are not ashamed before Allaah, as there, there is much temptation and lust and unlimited freedom. So, a Muslim becomes accustomed to this evil and he is no longer disturbed when the limits of Allaah are transgressed. Then, he may be punished with the deterioration of his Fitrah (natural predisposition upon which Allaah created mankind)and become corrupt. Allaah says (what means): {Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].}[Quran 30:41] There is no doubt about the seriousness of the matter.

The best thing we advise you to do is to supplicate Allaah, and the best supplication in this case is what the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Allaahumma rahmataka arju falaa takilni ilaa nafsi tarfata ‘ayn, wa aslih li sha'ni kullahu, laa ilaaha illaa ant (meaning: O Allaah, Your Mercy I desire; so do not leave me in charge of my affairs even for the blink of an eye and rectify for me all of my affairs. None has the right to be worshipped except You).” [Ahmad]

There are other guidelines which you may refer to in Fataawa 87310 and 128402.

At the end of the day, if there is a choice between studying and staying in that country and between preserving one’s religion by migrating to a Muslim country, then preserving one’s religion takes precedence. The religion of a Muslim is his capital, and if he loses it, he loses in this world and the Hereafter, and that is the manifest loss. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 86405.

Allaah Knows best.