To some Muslims, the words “Islamic school” immediately conjure negative connotations: backwards mentality, lower standards of education, strict supervision, unprofessional attitude, and so on. In fact, even supporters of Islamic schools for younger children would shun the idea of sending a middle-schooler or even a high-schooler to an Islamic school, saying, “I want to expose my child to the real world.” This article is written in response to the aforementioned points.

Offering “Real World” Experience in an Islamic Environment

There is a misconception that sending your child to an Islamic school completely alienates them from the rest of society. In reality, Islamic schools function just as public schools do, but offer the safety and comfort to children that is much-needed during their formative years. What part of sending our children to an Islamic school takes them out of the “real world?” Could it be our own subconscious feelings of inferiority that cause us to feel this way?

Shedding the “Mom and Pop” Image

Many critics of Islamic schools are locked in a time warp when most schools were run as family businesses.  Today, not only are many schools run by credentialed principals and administrators, but they also only hire credentialed teachers. In addition, many schools undergo a grueling evaluation process to become nationally accredited, eliminating the potential for sub-standard educational practices. The bar has been raised years ago to meet the community’s expectations and demands for quality education as well as a healthy, spiritual environment.

Developing a Positive Identity

In a book titled, “The Worried Child,” author Paul Foxman, PhD, addresses the issue of a lack of a religious/ethnic identity as a source of anxiety in children (p 94). The author also mentions that children who belong to a religious minority can feel “out of place, misunderstood, or even ostracized by their peers” when there are few or no other children of their religion in the same school. While some public schools have a sizable Muslim population, students may still feel the overwhelming effects of being in the minority. Foxman’s statement points to a positive aspect of sending our children to Islamic schools. There is a clear contribution to the positive development of a child when they have a strong sense of belonging. In addition, another study on identity and mental health states that belonging to and understanding one’s identity promotes an overall sense of well-being (see Erikson, 1968; Marcia, 1966).

Although understanding and feeling comfortable with one’s identity can be accomplished outside of an Islamic school, sending one’s child to an Islamic school can establish these feelings as part of a holistic approach. While children learn about Qur’an, its language, and the history of Islam, children also get to partake in Muslim celebrations and understand special events en masse, as part of a larger group. In this way, the child who attends an Islamic school will tend to develop positive self-esteem in a natural setting–one that does not seem forced or artificial.

Providing a Healthier Environment

Oftentimes, parents feel that by fifth or sixth grade, their children have received enough education in a Muslim environment, and so they want to send them to a public school, specifically to adapt to the “real world.” While Islamic schools do not shield children from the negative aspects of popular culture, there is a clear difference in the overall environment one’s child remains in for eight hours of school every day.

Those of us who attended public middle and high schools growing up can attest to the strong culture of dating, peer pressure to drink, to try drugs, to attend Homecoming and Prom, and so on. Despite being one of two Muslims in the entire school, I had an overall positive school experience. Nevertheless, the choice to constantly reject all the above was, at times, overwhelming.

To prepare our children for college and the workforce, we feel the need to ensure that our children interact with the “outside world” for experience. However, the years from middle school to high school feature the greatest hormonal changes. Being surrounded by scantily-clad students and couples of all types in extremely intimate situations is a very common, everyday occurrence in public high schools.

Increasing Pressures in a Sexualized World

Here’s something to consider: why knowingly provide an environment where a teenager is inundated with such temptations, if a viable Islamic school is a feasible option? With the popularity of Facebook and the ease of creating an online alter-ego, and the increasing pressure to have sex, to question one’s sexual identity, coupled with a teenager’s increasing hormonal changes, why not alleviate this pressure by sending your child to an institution that encourages and teaches the complete opposite?

While some may say, “well, get used to it,” let us instead realize that the middle and high school years are as intense as no other period in a student’s life. College campuses do have similar issues, but not to the same extent as in high school.  In addition, peer pressure is more avoidable in college, as students have a wealth of peers to choose from and class schedules are varied and staggered. Furthermore, in terms of their development, many students are more mature in college than in their earlier teenage years.

The Prophetic Example

Finally, let us look at the example of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) on this last point.  Amina, Prophet Muhammad’s mother, made the effort to send her son to be raised in the desert, where the environment was more pure. Times have changed, but the idea of sending our children to a successful Islamic school to protect them should still be seen as positive and not negative.

Once during the Prophet’s youth, he had wanted to attend a wedding in Mecca with some other boys to see what such a festivity would be like. Just outside the place, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ could hear music and dancing. Before he entered, he suddenly felt tired and decided to sit. He fell asleep and did not wake up until the next morning. If there were any person who should keep up-to-date with what is going on in society, so that he may know how to give da`wah (to invite others to the path of Allah) or so that he could understand his people, it would be Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Yet, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exhalted is He) chose to prevent him from attending this event for his own protection.

Conclusion

After all is said, it is time to shed our old views on Islamic schools and take a fresh look at what they have to offer. As a mother of four children who went to four different Islamic schools since 2005 (the change of schools being due to moving), it is my experience that these schools provide quality education within a safe, moral environment. Are Islamic schools perfect? No, but do the benefits far outweigh the negatives, contributing to an overall positive, spiritual and educational experience? Yes.

By Abu Nusaybah

Allah instructs us in the Qur’an to make du`a’ (supplication) for an increase in knowledge. We read and hear many examples of the benefits, virtue, and honor of seeking knowledge. Typically we envision those engaging in such a process to be struggling in a far off land, and sometimes that is the case. Far too seldom do we apply this to our children, who spend approximately six hours learning every day.

Our children face a variety of challenges in that process. In public schools the learning process is often done without any connection to an Islamic worldview, and many times promotes an atheistic one. We tend to think the remedy to that challenge is placing our children in private Islamic schools. Interestingly however, those schools often use the same textbooks for the majority of the school day and tack on an additional hour of Islamic Studies each day. This can create a dichotomy in the minds of our children whereby the perspective of most of the curriculum content may conflict with the Islamic one.

It may come as a surprise to hear, but to date, there is no complete Islamic curriculum in the English language. Dr. Bilal Philips recently told me that he has been working and pushing for this for fourteen years, yet very little has materialized. That is not to say that nothing has been done. Several complete Islamic Studies programs have been developed, and they are being used widely. Dr. Dawud Tauhidi—may Allah have mercy on him—made significant progress with the Tarbiyah Project. Dr. Nadeem Memon founded the Islamic Teacher Education Program in Canada. Those are just a few examples.

It might seem that the process of fixing the education problem is relatively simple: surely teachers in Islamic schools can simply adapt the content that runs counter to the Islamic worldview. This preventative method might work, however it places a great burden on teachers by requiring them to edit and adjust content on a daily basis. Another approach is to question the objective of education: why are we learning? One wisdom behind learning is that we have been created only to worship Allah, and that ought to be central to our learning process. In light of this, deleting troubling content from secular books will not achieve this aim. In order to do so, we need to rethink our approach.

One methodology, as developed by the Open Islamic Curriculum project, is to create a thematic curriculum that revolves entirely around Islam. No content is lost in the process; all the required subjects are taught within a framework of Islamic themes. The content is also integrated across subjects, such that the Islamic theme, for example Ramadan, continues to be reinforced throughout the school day and across all the subjects. Alhamdulilah (all praise and thanks belongs to God) the objective of that effort is to create materials that reinforce and build the Islamic worldview throughout the school day. And, to offer those materials freely in a modular way so that teachers can integrate whatever lessons, units, or subjects they need.
The Open Islamic Curriculum project launched a few months ago and needs your help. What we need is your time. If you have lessons you’ve developed, please share them. If you can create lessons, sign up to volunteer. If you want to get involved in raising awareness about the importance of Islamic Education, join the social media team. If you are from an IT background, help out with the website. Your ideas and time are welcome. We truly believe there is a great need to refine Islamic Education in our communities, and we also feel that this project will have immense benefits for students across the globe. Join us.

http://openislamiccurriculum.com/