Obviously you'll have some school children that will have some good habits. But, will they have Islamic adab, ikhlaq, knowledge and understanding that I'd want to rub off on my children?
I'd not want my children watching any television, nor wasting much time on other forms of entetainment that has even the slightest bit of haraam. Would I be able to ensure that the other kids at school don't 'tempt' my kid into wanting something that he should know is bad for him?
Just because they are good human beings, does not mean they will be good influences. A kid could be the most well behaved and tolerant person in the world, but the fact that he learns to play the clarinet as a hobby, takes up dancing, believes there is no harm in having girlfriends, believes that all religions are equally valid and generally has a hippy, tree-hugging attitude to life, one that is in contrast to what Islam tells us, then undoubtedly, that is a very big danger and bad influence.
In this secular world that we live in, attitudes like that will no doubt affect people. Why would I want to put my child into an environment where I know that there is the chance that such unislamic ideas will creep into his head and given time, give shaytan the ammo that he can use to exploit and make my child's iman weak?
In fact, it is this subtle kind of negative influence that is the most important to safe guard against. The atheistic secular 'kufr' attitudes that they can potentially get into their heads is very dangerous to the iman. Like I said in another thread, we are living in the times of Dajjal and it is imperative that we take the most protective of stances toward the upbringinging of our children. If there is a chance that we can minimise haram influences, then we must take them, if we want them to be strong muslims.
As parents, we have a lot of responsibility for our children, Islamically speaking. We should want to make sure that they have only the best role-models, than to let them learn their own way being surrounded by people with little regard of what Islam says.
With homeschooling, parents have more control over their childrens' values. I don't want my kids having to learn Islam at home and then go to school to learn secularism. That would put my child in two minds and promote double standards and force the child to behave one way at home and another at school. I'd want my child to be firmly grounded in Islam. Islam should be the first and foremost standard. We don't live in a caliphate, where Islam is dominant. We live in a world where a lot of anti-Islamic ideas and practices are thought of as being the norm. We, as muslims, shouldn't want to be part of this 'norm'. We have our standard and that is Islam. Just because the full Islamic standard isn't available in school environments, does not mean that we have to live with and accept it. We can give our children a kick start to their imans by giving them a more dominant Islamic standard early on in their lives, one that is seperated from kufr, not one that lives side by side with it.
A good muslim mother/father would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that their children learn the best of morals and would even pay a lot of attention on their education. Compare that with a tired teacher who has a class full of 30 kids and can't possibly make time to give the attention that each individual child requires. Which is better for the overall well being of the child?
As muslims, our goal is to make our kids more Allah conscious. I honestly do not see that happening in secular schooling environments. Nor do I see that happening in Islamic scools. The best place I see that happening is at home, under the watchful eyes of people who really care for their childrens' akirah, afterall, that is the single most important thing.
We have the opportunity to reinforce their identity as muslims, we can safeguard them from an environment of peer pressure, gangs, experimentation, bullying etc. They'd have a healthy, safe, secure, Allah centred environment, if taught at home.
Homeschooled muslim children would get to practice their deen without having to compromise as they'd have to in traditional (non muslim) school environments. They'd be able to pray on time, they'd be able to go for hajj/umrah without interrupting their learning, they could take Fridays off, they could have lightened burdens during the Ramadan period to allow them to concentrate on their deen, same goes for Eid and other days of Islamic significance.
Just because children would be homeschooled, it doesn't mean that they'd be socially inept either. There are loads of other ways in which social interaction can be achieved - sports, hobbies, clubs, learning groups, family, other home schoolers, networks etc and of course, as muslims, they'd have interaction with other muslims at mosques when they go to pray.
Regardless of any perceived benefits in putting children in schools, the better option is one that helps promote a child's deen. I see homeschooling as the best candidate that does this from the list given by brother Dawud.
Right, very interesting and detailed post, an enjoyable read.
I understand your point now, it has become much clearer, but it seems what you think is right to do is the 'cage' children into Islam, give them no other opinion or view, no 'choice' to do what is right or wrong, they will do what they were taught from birth, and if brought up as you have described, a practising Muslim - which is not a bad thing at all. But: if the child was brought up in a public environment, sure, they have a chance of imitating peers, but children also ask.. a great deal, in my opinion. They are young and curious. They will go to their parents, guardians, older brothers, sisters, and ask them whether x is right or wrong, what their opinion is, what they think. It is pretty doubtful, though, that they'd imitate without asking a respected elder of the opinion - and this is where you can bring Islam in, what Islam says, and over time, the child may have both sides of the conflict in their mind, and make a decision for themselves, insha'Allah if the correct explanation is given (and this can be found literally anywhere if you look/ask in the proper locations with the help of Allah :arabic2
, they will pick Islaam insha'Allah, by the will of Allah :arabic2:.
Let's go back to fitnah.. even if the child is home-schooled, I will go back to my point about fitnah being everywhere. Even if the child stays well away from public schools and secularism, it can be found elsewhere and very easily: internet, books, media, and if you were to keep the child away from these, too? That'd be imprisonment.. and understand what I mean by imprisonment. Religion is not practise, but understanding also. The child must later on in life make his/her own conscious decision about religion, keeping in mind the atheists and their practises, the reasons they gave, the Christians and their practises, the reasons they gave, and ofcourse, us Muslims and our practises, the reasons we follow our religion.
I suspect you went to a secular school (correct me if I'm wrong) and masha'Allah, you seem to have turned out OK!
People are raised in terrible environments and masha'Allah, some revert to Islam later on.
It's about understanding all sides, developing that tolerance, understanding, and making a conscious decision based on unbiased resources which can be attained if searched for hard enough.
I'll take your point about days off for fridays, and ramadan - an advantage there. But a child can still attend mosque on fridays and fast in school during ramadan.. ofcourse, mind probably more focused on else than ramadan at those times.. so I'll take your point for that.
Going back to the socialising thing..
aadil77 said:
I know a load of boys that went to an islamic school, now their school finished at year 11 so they had to join up a sixth form college as there isn't any islamic ones yet, now they had developed their own little muslim ghetto way of talking and doing stuff, and it felt as they were living in another world, I don't think they could normally interact with other people.
Just want to say that I know of some who were home-schooled. They were cut of from their peers, felt isolated and didnt have as good a chance as others to socialise and develop the required social skills to get by in life.
Also they hadn't been exposed to the crap that goes on in normal colleges and school, so it was a big shock for them, which I think is dangerous as the shaytaan can lure you away as soon as you leave your nice fitnah free environment, as theres lots more temptations to handle at once. Some of them also felt as if they were finally free, lol. In the islamic school, they were made to pray their salaah during school, now in my college when I'd offer them to come and pray only one would manage to come, the rest would just want to 'chill'. So it just shows, that keepin people in an islamic environment isn't neccesarily going to keep them on the right path when they have to leave it.
Anyway, I think there are disadvantages to islamic schools as well as advantages
Agreed.
But then again, dawud_uk has had different experiences.. maybe a lot depends on the person him/herself?
I feel as if I have not explained myself clearly here at all.. I don't usually 'debate', so please try and understand my points!
And bro, this isn't a debate or anything. Just stating my opinions on the matter.
Yes, yes, ofcourse
.
I think its quite strange that some of us seem to prize social skills above the danger of fitnah. 'Ajeeb.
If this is directed at me, I strongly advise you go over my posts and retry to understand the point I'm trying to make instead of calling me, if it was aimed at me, weird.
And Allah :arabic2: knows best.
Now, in all this I haven't really directly responded to the thread.
Probably single gender (not mixed), Islamic or secular school.
