From a very early age, children are exposed daily to influences that undermine Islamic teachings and challenge our Islamic social values.

TV and radio programming, some music sources, stories, videos, certain non-Islamic occasions and/or holidays, and various levels of social interaction can victimize our children. If parents do not take active steps to shield their young children from unIslamic influences, the child's Islamic character and identity could be compromised or even permanently lost.

This said, each year tens of thousands of Muslim parents struggle with a common issue: What school are we going to send our children to? Although the first academic choice for many Muslims is an Islamic school or even home schooling, this is not always a viable option. Concerns about Islamic schools generally pivot on enrollment options, location, expense, resources that compete with public schools, accreditation, and the number of qualified Muslim teachers and administrators. In addition, for single parent and dual-income families, these issues are often compounded by transportation problems and before and after-school childcare needs.

The Trade-Offs While sending your child to a public school may fulfill immediate logistical and financial needs, what most often transpires in the public school environment can be undeniably detrimental to a Muslim child's Islamic identity. While the benefits include low expense, free transportation provided by the district, school or city, upgraded computer and modern science facilities, and before /after-school programs, children are regularly exposed to unIslamic, character debilitating influences.

In the public school system, our children are bombarded with damaging sexual messages, inappropriate attire, body piercing and tattooing trends, inappropriate dancing, substance abuse, and weapons availability. The issue of diminished adult supervision and the breakdown of respect for authority and elders is also an issue. However, this does not guarantee that children attending public schools will loose their Islamic identity: rather, it indicates that the parents must work harder to impart a strong, well-balanced Islamic education to their children.

Conflict With Islamic Values The primary goal of public schools is to impart academic skills needed to succeed in today's world. However, this alone is not enough for Muslim children. As Muslims, we are concerned with the Hereafter. The Qur'an states: " What is the life of this world but amusement and play? But verily the Home in the Hereafter, that is life indeed if they but knew."

[29:64] It is imperative that parents impart character-building skills that nurture iman and invest in Akhira-the Afterlife.

This includes learning Qur'an, Hadith, Arabic, Salah, fasting, and other types of Islamic knowledge that impart generosity, patience, compassion, humility, and a willingness to serve others.

Dress Codes and Co-Education Another common conflict with Islamic values is dress requirements, especially for girls (refer to Qur'an: 24:31.) For an adolescent female, wearing hijab or modest, Islamic style clothes means sticking out in a crowd at a time in social development when conforming to the group is of maximum importance. It almost ensures being ridiculed by other students for being so different. Also, the absence of gender segregation in both the classroom, in after-school activities such as parties and sports events poses a continuous problem for Muslim students since co-educational groups and dating is widespread as early as Grade 6, and certainly by junior and senior high school years.

Empowering Our Children To combat peer pressure, Muslim children must possess pre-developed confidence in their Islamic identities, and feel comfortable with who they are and with their heritage. Familiarize your children with their family and ethnic history. Provide them with books on the rich Muslim achievements in science, medicine, warfare, navigation, agriculture, industry, and the literary arts. Let them know the world is a better place for Muslims having been in it.

Parental Involvement in the Educational Process Facing these overwhelming challenges and the threat of our children loosing their Islamic identity, the key to developing a successful public school experience is involvement of parents in the academic process. Brother Hassen Johnson, a middle school counselor in a suburban New Jersey school district, states it is imperative for Muslim parents to learn and navigate the policies and procedures of the local school district. This includes knowing religious parental rights within the school system, and knowing who to contact regarding any religious issues that may arise.

Parents should not assume that school authorities are familiar with religious requirements of the Muslim student, including praying while in school, dress codes, fasting, supervised co-education, and dietary requirements. It is necessary for parents to educate teachers and the school administration to the special needs of the Muslim child early in that child's educational experience. This can be accomplished through written or oral communication. Dawah pamphlets or booklets are an excellent way to communicate information about the religious practices of Muslims. In many ways, this is an opportunity to provide Dawah to non-Muslims.

Parents also need to carefully monitor what is being taught and how it is delivered to their child. They need to monitor their child's educational material and correct any inaccurate information with their child. In some cases, pointing out differences to the teacher or appropriate school administrators in a polite manner might serve to make matters easier for the next round of students and parents whose beliefs are at odds with public school curricula.

Other ways to help children cope within the public school system is for parents to stress and reward academic excellence, which instills a sense of accomplishment and self-worth in the child. If our children are concerned about grades and compete among themselves academically, this reduces the risk that the child will fall into the wrong social group and lose their Islamic identity.

Providing Your Child With Islamic Education While the public school imparts essential skills in reading, writing, math, and social studies, it is the responsibility of Muslim parents to impart Islamic education. The first step in this process is to reinforce through example, by practicing Islam. It is easier for children to learn to cope in a non-Muslim environment if they have been living Islam with their families from infancy.

Furthermore, parents who send their children to public schools must compensate at home to minimize unIslamic influences. Parents can offer a variety of activities, ranging from Muslim-oriented sports programs and group outings to encouraging friendships with other Muslim youth who attend the same school. Islamic centers may provide a variety of activities for youth including weekend schools and clubs, which can enrich your child's social life. It is a normal developmental process for all children to seek social acceptance. Providing and encouraging appropriate experiences for your children will help dispel feelings of loneliness and isolation, two major factors that contribute to students joining undesirable social groups.

Children must have healthy self-opinions, to prevent them from relying too heavily on peer pressure.

To build strong character and to reinforce an Islamic identity in their children and throughout the home, Muslim parents are also responsible to provide a solid foundation in the fundamentals of Islam. Lessons in Arabic language, Qur'an, Hadith, Sirah, and Fiqh, among other important information such as why Muslims observe a dietary code, are effective tools in raising the self-esteem and confidence of Muslim children.

Parents should also recognize the importance of striking a balance between academic and religious studies. While many parents spend additional time each week reviewing Islamic materials and teachings with their children, others find enrolling their children in Islamic weekend schools, after-school programs, and summer camps helpful in accomplishing this task.

Active Steps For The Muslim Community Although creating high standard, affordable Islamic schools should be a major priority for the Ummah in the Kufr society, we should also be sensitive to the issues of Muslim children who are enrolled in the public school system.

Other ways the Muslim community can help is to act as a clearinghouse of Islamic information to the public schools. Islamic centers should maintain a variety of Dawah literature and educational materials (on the belief system of Muslims, the need for performing Salah, etc.) that public school teachers and principals can request and use in the classroom as well as in teacher and staff trainings. This not only benefits Muslim children who are enrolled in public schools but can also be a means of educating the non-Muslim student population and teachers with accurate information about Islam, which could eventually result in changes to public school curricula.

Providing presentations for teachers is another method of helping Muslim students enrolled in public schools.

In conclusion, it is the responsibility of the entire Muslim Ummah, parents, students, teachers, counselors, and community leaders to contribute to and be responsible for our most precious resource: our children. Whether they are educated in a home school, public, or Islamic school environment, it is important to acknowledge that our children will one day lead the Ummah. By helping all our children realize their Islamic potential through providing social and educational opportunities, we are only creating a stronger Ummah, which in turn will benefit future generations. Forwarded by Shaikh Muslim Bhanji P.O. Box 2736 - Dodoma - Tanzania Tel: (026) 42009 / 42783 Cell: +255 748 33 29 89 E-mail: dar-ul-muslimeen

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