Youth in Islam: Being Raised A Muslim

Youth in Islam: Being Raised A Muslim Heidi Guggisberg-Coners

The Five Pillars of Islam • Testimony of Faith • Prayer • Giving Zakat (Support of the Needy) • Fasting the Month of Ramadan • The Pilgrimage to Makkah

Similarities between Islam and Catholicism • Here are some observations I have made between the religion in which I was raised and the religion about which I have had the privilege of learning… • Both religions believe in approximately a month of fasting with a celebration at the end (Catholics have Lent and Easter, Muslims have Ramadan and Eid) • Both religions believe in giving money to the Church or Mosque and giving to the needy • Both religions believe in respecting people of all ages • Both religions believe that mothers are to be revered, especially the Virgin Mary • Both religions believe in God • Both religions believe in life after death (either eternal life with God or hell) • Both religions have a holy day each week • Both religions have been around for thousands of years

Women in Islam • Men may marry more than one wife (usually a virgin), but he may not marry a second, third, or fourth wife (four is the limit), if he does not have the permission of the wife (or wives) to whom he is already married; he must also be able to support all of the wives equally • In most modern day Islamic societies, men have only one wife because one must have a lot of money to afford all wives equally • A man came to the Prophet Muhammad and said, “O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship?” The Prophet said: {Your mother.} The man said, “Then who?” The Prophet said: {Then your mother.} The man further asked, “Then who?” The Prophet said: {Then your mother.} The man asked again, “Then who?” The Prophet said: {Then your father.} • Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of her property and earnings without any guardianship • “Women … need special care and protection. Thus Islam treats women as a precious treasure that should be guarded and protected from being startled at or molested or inconvenienced by other people in any way. So, far from depriving women from their rights or freedom, these injunctions show the high status of the Muslim women. Islam is even protecting the inner feelings of women.” girl, >21, Pakistan

The Family in Islam • Family is very important to Muslims, so they spend a lot of time visiting one another – immediate and extended family members alike • There is not a lot of divorce in Islam because there is a deeper commitment within the married couple, married couples will often stay together and get along for the sake of their children, even if they no longer “like” each other • Muslims are raised to respect their elders and it is expected for children to care for their parents we they grow older

Youth in Islam • Muslim youth are allowed to date prior to marriage – however, this varies by country and culture within which the Muslims live – some countries will not allow boys and girls to intermingle while others are similar to the U.S. • Muslims pray 5 times per day (morning before sunrise, afternoon, evening, before sunset, after sunset) – for me this dispels the misconception that Muslims must miss class to pray • Muslims (specifically in Tajikistan) drink more hot tea than coffee • "These young people are the product of a free society, and they have grown up believing in that freedom," said Begg of Bloomfield Hills. "As far as speaking up, they are not shy. These are American kids." • The Hijab is optional for most Muslim young women (again dependent on culture and country of residence) • On a Unicef website, “Hijab isn’t a scarf that you wear; more importantly, it’s [about] peaceful and respectful behaviours with people. It should reflect good ethics.” girl, 16, Morocco • “I usually spend my time with my friends in the malls at the weekends. There you can [see], as anywhere, guys … staring [at] the girls’ bodies and some of them talk and annoy them. Those guys don’t choose the girls who wear the hijab because they know that they will not agree with such a thing. We can say that those girls protect themselves by wearing the hijab.” boy, 17, Bahrain

Youth in Islam Continued • According to ISP News, "They cannot drink alcohol, they cannot eat pork, and they cannot go to the beach (without wearing proper cover). The most common view considers Muslims as people to whom everything is forbidden, but this is not true.“ • As well ISP News reports, Rassmea Salah said she is finding a new identity, based on an Islamic faith that is more "open" and less radical than that of her father. "True integration," she said, "requires a deep study of the recipient culture and our own religion as well as the Koran, from a historic-critical approach. We must not be so presumptuous to think that we have the truth inside us; only God has the truth.” • Found on IslamForToday.com, covering the topic of Muslim American Teens: • But with Islam, like all other great religions that have nonviolence and peace at their core, there are fundamentalists — or extremists who manipulate what is written in their holy book — to justify their acts of violence and terrorism. • "I'm a regular guy. I happen to be Muslim," says Amir Shaikh, 17. "I've been asked 'Are you a terrorist?' or 'Do you know Saddam Hussein or Yassar Arafat?" • "You know, because I have dark skin and my parents are from India, a lot of people have asked me 'Are you Middle Eastern? Are you a terrorist?'" he says."I got to tell you, it feels pretty strange to be guilty by association."

Parable of ‘The Good Tree' • The image of a healthy tree, evergreen, giving shade and bearing delicious, fragrant fruit year-round, is a parable of a balanced Muslim. The source of this parable is the Qur'an, which says, 'A good word is like a good tree whose root is firmly fixed, and whose branches reach to heaven; bearing fruit in all seasons by the permission of its Lord' (Qur'an 14:24-5). • If we imagine that the tree represents a Muslim who is sincerely striving to embody Islamic ideals, then the seed of this tree is the shahadah. This affirmation of God's unity permeates and colours every cell, so that his every thought, word and action is formed within the matrix of this understanding. The roots, which nourish the tree and grant it stability, can be likened to the Articles of Faith - belief in God, His angels, holy books, prophets, the Day of Judgement and Divine destiny. The trunk grows through faith in Allah and His Messenger, which extends from the seed to the branches. Five branches represent the Five Pillars: they give the tree its shape and habit. Furthermore, the leaves represent Islamic manners and customs (such as greeting with 'salaam' or wearing modest dress). They are what make the tree attractive and recognizable from a distance, and provide shade to other creatures. In the end, however, a tree's purpose remains unfulfilled until it bears fruit. The fruits of the tree are good character: qualities such as truthfulness, patience, courage, empathy, love, and compassion, along with all the other things that we desire in a friend, spouse or colleague; namely, the things that make us human.

Websites for Muslim Youth Organizations • The Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa: http://mym.za.org/ • World Assembly of Muslim Youth: http://www.wamy.co.uk/ • The Global Islamic Youth Centre: http://www.giyc.org/ • Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia: http://www.abim.org.my/web/ • Young Muslims: http://www.ymusa.org/ There are many more youth organizations I could list here, just like there are in other religions around the world. I also understand that this is not exhaustive or extensive research by any means, but I hope it brings to light what I have learned about Islam. It is my intent for this “presentation” to spark the interest of others in learning more about this wonderful culture and religion.

“Obviously we can’t control all people in the world. But we can continue to remind ourselves of what is important and try to live in ways nourishing for human beings. It is most important to know about lives that seem, on the surface, unlike our own. We must remind ourselves and our children that the Middle East is a complicated center of dramatic cultural and religious history and the vast majority of people living there would love to be our friends.” ~~Naomi Shihab Nye

References • http://www.islam-guide.com/frm-ch1.htm • Interview with Khushvaht K. Navruzov

Youth in Islam: Being Raised A Muslim