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Insights, Reflections & Case Studies
Why Isn’t Islamic Learning Effective as our Children Grow Up?
This past week my son has being singing the famous Tala‘ al-Badru ‘Alaynā nasheed (1). Naturally as a parent I am pleased he’s learnt it and runs around the house singing it, rather than singing something else. He was taught it during summer school (2) which he attends like many children on an annual basis. When picking up my kids I find parents having similar conversations with their children: “What did you learn today?”. Parents are pleased to see them learning Prophetic Duas, good morals, stories of Prophets and other excellent etiquettes. But despite all this learning, as children grow up and become teenagers, sadly much of what they were taught is forgotten. Why is this the case? I believe a key factor is that their learning is not a lived reality; it is theory but not practice. The reason why many of us don’t forget how to make wudu, is because it’s a lived reality i.e. we do it often enough not to forget.
Our...
The Hidden Crisis Destroying the Muslim Community from Within
Every time we watch or read the news, there seems to be another crisis developing in the Muslim world. Whether it’s Africa, Asia or the Middle-East Muslims seem to be in turmoil. Some of us living in the West are moved by what we see and try to help in different ways, like organising and attending charity dinners. More often than not, a lot of awareness is created and generous donations are made. However, unlike war, earthquakes or famine, when a crisis does not make the headlines, our reaction is much more subdued. As time has gone on, more and more of us are beginning to realise that there is a silent crisis unfolding across Muslim communities in the West. Yet many of us are oblivious to how serious and grave the situation currently is and will continue to be in the future. This silent crisis is the erosion of the very fabric of our communities: the family.
In my capacity as a family support consultant for a Muslim charity that works to strengthen the Muslim family, I see...
