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| Raising Muslim Children as
Social Activists Wahida Chishti Valiante Over 1400 years ago, the Qur’an was
revealed to Prophet Mohammed (Pbuh) by Allah (God Almighty) as a guidance
and mercy to humanity, which also included social, political, economic and
legal reforms. The first society to receive guidance from Prophet Muhammad
was [the city of] Makkah. This was a society [which worshipped] pagan gods
and had many social vices; it was run by very rich and powerful
individuals. At the time of his Prophethood, Muhammad
was a married family man with hectic business obligations that included
extensive traveling. How busy the Prophet must have been! Yet he was not
too busy to uphold his individual moral responsibility for doing good
works in order to make a difference in the lives of those who lived under
very difficult social and political conditions. Women, children, seniors,
and slaves were among those who had to bear the indignity of being poor,
weak, and without any human or legal rights. The Qur’an stresses doing good work and
the Prophet, as a role model, provided practical examples of how an
individual can make a difference, even in difficult situations such as he
encountered in Makkah. With the guidance and encouragement of his uncle,
the Prophet was involved in the social, political and civic matters of his
community from a very young age. He was often called upon to be a mediator
and a peacemaker. Because of his honesty, people trusted him with their
business transactions and valuables. His guardian was his uncle, since he
lost both his parents when he was an infant. This shows how even extended
family members can have an important role to play in the life of young
children. Individual, social, political and civic
involvement in the affairs of society is inherent in Islam. The Qur’an
states that no one is above the law, not even a ruler in whose trust a
nation is placed, or a parent in whose trust the child is placed. Allah
does not control human beings, but holds them responsible for their acts
and deeds. The Qur’an guides humanity by appealing to our intellect and
to the rational aspect of our personality that has free will. These are
the tools needed to resolve political, personal and social conflicts, in
order to achieve justice and equality for all. Therefore, Muslim parents must get involved
in teaching their children that one person’s effort can, and does,
matter. This is why Muslim parents should begin teaching children from a
very early age their civic responsibility as viceregents [administrative
deputies] of Allah. In a family, at the most fundamental level
of interpersonal relationships, lies the foundation for social and
political discourse. Any time there is authority and power, there is the
opportunity for politics. At the highest level, this means national and
international governments. At the lowest level, it means family, in which
parents can teach their children to learn to resolve conflict through
dialogue and negotiation. This means learning to be effective political
and social activists. The family is the focus of most basic forms
of conventional relationships. Parents must teach their children the
lessons of participation, individual responsibility and accountability
through the art of daily give-and-take. Children must learn to look outward, expanding the lessons learned from family dynamics to involvement in the greater community and the world. The training of a future generation of social and political Muslim activists will depend upon the lessons taught at home today. Suggestions for Parents Every religious lesson must include an
understanding of social, political, economic and legal issues. All are
interconnected for developing social consciousness. Hold regular meetings and discussion
sessions with your children on family matters. They will learn
negotiation, participation, and involvement. Hold regular family discussions to discuss
local and international social and political issues. [Children] will learn
that they are very much a part of the human race. Discuss and debate the campaign issues and
the stands of political candidates. If you do not like any of the
candidates, explore the reasons and emphasize the process. Believe that you can make the difference and effect change and show your children how to do it. If you are upset about a local issue, do something about it. If you are unhappy about the school curriculum, mount a petition to have it revised. Do not simply accept the status quo. If you do, your children will too. [Wahida Chishti Valiante is
vice-chairperson of CIC, a family counselor and social activist.] |