Racism in Australia is not just about colour or ethnicity. Islamophobia is a crucial element in this bandwagon of bigotry. In light of the recent genocidal attacks on the people of Palestine, and the unabashed display of Islamophobia in the world, including mainstream media, the concerns of how to raise Muslim children in this so-called secular Australia is proving to be an incessant challenge for Australian Muslim families.
In their constant battle to strike a balance between instilling Islam in their children and choosing the right schools, the right friends, the right books, and the right TV shows, Muslim parents are exhausted trying to teach their children how to apply faith to their daily modern Australian life, and to empower them to feel confident and have a sense of belonging.
Social media and daily physical interactions with people from different religious and non-religious backgrounds pose a real need for Muslim parents to equip their children with not only adequate Islamic knowledge but also instil in them the practice of virtues such as kindness, compassion, and respect.
A daily practice of these virtues in the Muslim home is the only way Muslim children will be ready to not only understand and identify with their faith but also stand up for it without having the need to feel inferior nor feel the need to apologise for their Muslim identity.
Today, more than ever before, in every Muslim household there is an urgent need to display the virtues of kindness, compassion and respect to their children so that they may imbibe them and live unapologetically as young Australian Muslims, with confidence, resilience and hope. Understanding the psychology of parenting is paramount.
Muslim parents need to invest their time and money in ensuring that their child is healthy in mind and body. A child who is healthy in mind and body will be active in the worship of Allah and conscious of his/her deeds.
Encouraging critical thinking and inviting questions from children in a safe and welcoming way helps them to learn, engage, and speak with courage.
Being regimented with them and imposing the “do as I say or else” parenting technique will negatively impact on the child’s critical thinking and could possibly lead them to rebel.
Times have changed and cultural paradigms that have been prevalent in Muslim homes for generations may no longer be relevant to the children of the millennial age. The need of the hour is to raise Muslim children to understand the truth that he or she is neither beneath nor above anyone and the only thing that matters the most is one’s relationship with Allah.
Raising Muslim children in Australia or anywhere in the world needs to be in itself an act of worship and done with mindfulness and spiritual connection. Parents may preach all they want, but children will only do as parents do, not as parents say.
The Only Strategy
Put your gadgets away and have face-to-face chats daily. Connect with your child heart to heart.
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