Nurturing Critical Parenting Skills in Religious Instruction: Safeguarding Our Youths’ and Children’s Future
By Adis Duderija, New Age Islam
2 May 2024
While Religion Can Provide A
Moral Compass And A Sense Of Purpose, It Can Also Be Misused To Promote Harmful
Ideologies And Perpetuate Dogma. There Are Many Cases Of Youth Becoming
Radicalised And Carrying Out Acts Of Terrorism In The Name Of Religion.
------
As parents, we understand the importance of teaching our
children about the dangers of drugs, smoking, and a variety of other negative
influences. However, we often overlook the significance of instilling critical
thinking skills and enhancing own and
our family members’ religious literacy
when it comes to religious instruction. In today’s world, where numerous
misguided ideas are championed by those claiming to be the ultimate
representatives of religion, many of whom are extremists and
fundamentalists, it is crucial that we
approach religious instruction with the same critical scrutiny we apply to
other aspects of our children’s lives. By doing so, we can protect our
children’s future well-being and preserve healthy family dynamics. In this
essay I want to emphasise the need for
critical parenting skills in relation to religious literacy and religious
instruction and its profound impact on our children’s and family lives.
Recognizing the Influence of Religious Ideas
Religious ideas can hold immense power and influence over
individuals, shaping their beliefs, values, and behaviours. Consequently, it is
vital for parents to be aware of the potential impact that religious
instruction can have on their children’s lives. While religion can provide a
moral compass and a sense of purpose, it can also be misused to promote harmful
ideologies and perpetuate dogma. There are many cases of youth
becoming radicalised and carrying out acts of terrorism in the name of
religion. Furthermore, there are many puritanical minded Islamic groups worldwide that while not advocating for violence have a
very regressive approach to religion and life more generally. Based on my experience as an Islamic Studies
scholar and activist the vast majority of Muslims parents are woefully ill equipped to
be able to explain to their children and youth using religious nomenclature and
religion based reasoning as to why their own family does not or should not
follow these kinds of approaches to Islam.
The Need for Critical Parenting Skills
In today’s interconnected world, our Muslim youth and children have access to a wide
array of sources of religious information, both positive and negative. It is
our responsibility as parents to guide them through this complex landscape and
equip them with the necessary critical thinking skills to navigate religious
ideas in a wholesome way.
Just as we teach our children to question the validity of
information they encounter in other areas of life, we must apply the same
critical scrutiny to religious concepts. Critical parenting skills involves
first and foremost educating themselves about
different interpretations of Islam and why they exist. Simply outsourcing
religious education of our children and youth to imams can be highly problematic because religious education in the mosques often are dominated by very conservative voices and can create
,among others, cognitive dissonance for our children and youth,
especially for those Muslims residing in the West.
Moreover, we need to
encourage children to ask
questions, engage in open-minded discussions, and develop an understanding of
diverse perspectives including empathetic understanding of religions that they
were not born into as repositories of truth and wisdom
and not just the one religion that they were born into.
Promoting critical parenting skills in religious instruction
allows youth to differentiate between
healthy religious teachings and harmful ideologies. It enables them to
discern between authentic representatives of religion and those who may exploit
it for personal gain or propagate extremist views. By teaching our
children to critically evaluate religious ideas, we provide them with the tools
to navigate the complexities of faith and protect themselves from potential
harm.
Preserving Family Dynamics
Religious beliefs can profoundly impact family dynamics, often serving as a unifying force or a source
of conflict. Significantly different views on religion between parents and
their ( grown) children leads to estrangement or in the case of radicalisation
complete breakdown of the family unit.
Navigating the Complexity of Religious Ideas
In today’s world, there are many often conflicting views on
what religion and especially Islam is and stands for. There is a bewildering spectrum of groups and sects in major world
religions like Islam and Christianity. Many actors in this space, may they be right wing Christian
nationalists/ extremists or puritanical and conservative Muslims, can be very
harmful and can exploit young impressionable minds. It takes a high level of
religious literacy to be able to sift chaff from the wheat and many parents in
my experience are simply ill prepared to
be able to offer guidance to their
children/youth in this regard or it is something that they do not even give any
thought. Critical parenting skills are, however, the first and necessary step in equipping
children and youth with the
ability to discern between authentic religious teachings rooted in compassion
and those promoting intolerance, discrimination, or violence.
Teaching children to critically evaluate religious teachings
also encourages them to engage with religious texts, traditions, and practices
in a meaningful way. Rather than accepting religious ideas at face value, they
are encouraged to explore the historical and cultural contexts, interpret
symbolism, and consider the diverse interpretations within
their own religious tradition as well as those
outside of their own
tradition. This enriches their understanding of religion and allows them to
cultivate a nuanced and personal relationship with their faith and to be able
to better relate to those who belong to other religious traditions.
As parents, we have a profound responsibility to guide our
children through the complexities of life, including religious instruction. By
nurturing critical parenting skills in relation to religious ideas, we
safeguard our children’s future well-being and preserve healthy family
dynamics. Just as we teach our children to critically evaluate information in
other areas of life, we must approach religious concepts with the same level of
critical scrutiny. By doing so, we empower our children to make informed
decisions, navigate the complexities of faith, and protect themselves from potential
harm. Let us prioritise the development of critical parenting skills in
religious instruction, recognising that our children’s lives and family
dynamics depend on it.
----
A decades old patron of
New Age Islam, Dr Adis Duderija is a Senior Lecturer in the Study of Islam and
Society, School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science; Senior Fellow
Centre for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue, Griffith University | Nathan
| Queensland | Australia. His forthcoming books are ( co-edited)- Shame, Modesty, and Honora in Islam and Interfaith Engagement Beyond the
Divide (Springer)
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism