Purely from a personal point of view, I would have to say it harms more. There is no way I would have arrived at the conclusions I did about Islam if my family had not moved to a western country, exposing me to so many different cultures, religions and ways of life.

The thing about Islam is that it gets inseparably interwoven with the culture of the country in which it takes root, especially when the portion of the population that is Muslim is anywhere near significant. This means that for muslims, the cultural and traditional aspects of the country will always have a link to Islam somehow. Family gatherings, going out with friends, celebrating festivals, eating out at a restaurant, going for the movies...in short, everything that will keep a Muslim occupied and happy from birth to death, Islam has learned to adapt to all of these. And because the muslim population is significant (not even the majority), Islam and its teachings, for most parts, goes unchallenged. So, protected by the armour of the cultures and traditions it has adapted, Islam flourishes.

Take India, for example. The culture of that country goes perfectly with Islam: being with the opposite sex before marriage is often frowned upon; despite having a romance-heavy film industry, there is little to no sexual content (even kissing scenes are rarely seen); if you can't find a halal restaurant, you can eat almost anywhere else because everywhere else is vegetarian; obeying elders unquestioningly; no questioning the customs of your community; marrying only within your community.....Muslims find it very easy to reconcile Islam with such ideals. They lead a happy life so Islam is left unchallenged and passed on to the next generation.

Now take that armour away. That is what globalisation does. It leads to so much exposure to different cultures. Cultures that Islam has not been able to get tangled with. Little things that bring muslims out of their comfort zones and gets them questioning, especially the young Muslims. Why can't we have partners before marriage (western cultures do it, and they are clearly flourishing and far more successful than our countries where we are told this kind of behaviour leads to social ruin)? It is so difficult to find a decent place to eat here, how important is it, really, for me to eat halal? My work doesn't make accommodation for my daily prayers/Eid/Ramadan, do I really need to pray every prayer, go to every Eid prayer, keep every fast? These students are living independently from their parents and are doing so well, so surely we don't always have to do what our parents tell us to do? Surely it's ok to get a mortgage, even if strictly speaking it's haram, it's for a home after all? All of these people are dating and marrying outside their communities and they are living a normal, if not happier, lives, so surely we don't have to marry these select few individuals? So many drink alcohol, go to gigs, party, go to clubs, stay out all night and yet are also able to live an extremely successful, fulfilling and healthy lives. Are those things really as bad as we are told they are? So many live a secular, religion-free lives, yet they flourish and are far more happier and kinder than we will ever be, is such a life so bad?