What happens during
the school years is very important. Many parents and community leaders brush-off
unfavorable and un-Islamic Muslim youth behavior as being a short-term
phenomena, a mix of hormones and bad friends. Time, it is argued, will mature
their thoughts and bring them in line. This is rarely the case.
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The school years
form a critical part of the mental, spiritual and social development of our
Muslim youth. Factors such as the school’s curriculum, social pressures and
make-up can solidly mould the direction the Muslim youth will take. By far the
most dangerous influence is that of ‘peer pressure’, whereby Muslims are
pressured (mentally and physically) to conform to some social ‘norm’ or group
behavior. This can set us on an irreparable deviated path for the rest of their
lives.
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Pressures from the
Educational system
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In a country which
boasts of heralding individual and religious rights, Muslims are still on the
lower rung of the ladder. Even the school administration will exert pressures on
Muslims to study and participate in Islamically abhorred activities.
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Compulsory
participation in sports events brings many brothers and sisters into a state of
conflict, who if refuse to participate, will be publicly rebuked and humiliated.
Sisters have been known to be harassed to participate in swimming carnivals,
gymnastics and dancing, many of which can involve male participation. Not
attending formals, camps and discos are actually punished, through increased
study load, and also mentally through public disgrace (letting the school know
who isn’t joining in).
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Other reported cases
of teacher discrimination in Australia includes teachers snatching the hijab off
sisters, neglecting cases of abuse against Muslims (Muslims are supposed to have
been used to being singled-out by now), and police investigations into the
activities of Muslims purely on the basis of their religion.
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Peer Pressure
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Fellow students can
have a devastating effect on the morale and piety of a Muslim. These pressures
should never be underestimated, which can intimidate a Muslim into taking drugs,
smoking, going out to nightclubs, and having illegal relationships.
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Sisters feel
compelled to waste money on extravagant items, name-tags such as Fiorelli and
Benetton, for the sole purpose of fitting-in. The preservation of her virginity
is not a virtue, but rather a disgrace, a symbol of her ‘frigidity’. It sounds
crazy, but whether we ignore this or not, it is there and in a big way.
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Brothers must act
and smell and look like the Kuffaar to avoid persecution. Anything which will
take them away from their Islamic bonds. It’s the right thing to abuse your
parents, obeying them is downright lack of personality.
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Who are we
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The sad thing is
that we have the solution for all this, but we ignore it. Muslims don’t have to
feel that they’re a group without identity or meaning. Nor should we allow
anyone to prevent us from fulfilling our duties to Allah.
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Legally, we have
many options to take in practicing Islam at school. We have a right to pray
during the specified times. Many schools now have Friday Prayers in a designated
room. All it took was the joint effort of committed students, who themselves conduct
the Khutbah (sermon). We also have the right to celebrate our festivals, and wear our
prescribed clothing without harassment. Other religious groups are permitted by
the schools to refrain from certain school activities. The Amish do not watch
television class, the Sikhs wear their turbans wherever they go, the Jehovah’s
Witnesses do not participate in the flag-raising or singing the national anthem.
We also have our rights – to watch what we deem permissible, and refrain from
un-Islamic events. Many precedents have been set in this regard. It requires the
strength of our brothers and sisters, a joint effort, and the knowledge that
Muslims will not disobey Allah for the will of anyone.
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The Prophet (saw)
and the Companions had nothing but disgust for the way of life of the
disbelievers. In fact, they had so much disgust that they purposely did
everything the opposite of them. ‘Umar bin al-Khattab (raa) actually forced
the non-Muslims to look differently from the Muslims. So why are we trying to
imitate them?
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Muslims have been
given honor through Islam and nothing else. Not through expensive designer
clothes, nor expensive sneakers, or top ten CD’s. In fact, if you examine the
history of the Kuffaar, you will find them so inconsistent in their
behavior
that only an idiot would want to copy them. Every year brings on a new fashion,
a new habit, a new religion. One year its drugs, then its alcohol, then its
mineral water. Australians can only copy Americans, which really shows how much
sense of identity they have. Americans love hip hop, so do Australians. They
wear baseball caps, well may as well follow them.
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Muslims however have
their own identity, history and religion, which millions have flocked to escape
the filth and stupidity of Kufr. Why are we doing the opposite?
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Our youth have to be
supported by the community. When they are in need of assistance, we must be
there. This could be financially, or morally. When they begin on reforming
themselves, and assisting in bringing about a change, the solid support must be
there .
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(courtesy of
http://www.islam.org.au)
