Studying Islam

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[quote]Hi, Jameelah.
I'm very grateful for your kind reply and I must apologize for being so late in giving an answer but I've spent a whole week out of home.

It's been a pleasant surprise to know that you were a Spanish teacher. Right now in Spain the number of people interested in Arabic is in the rise.

Of course is up to us parents to try giving our children the best education we can get and this means not only mental and physical education but above all a spiritual identity (I hope I'm expressing it well enough in my self- learned English). I know that in a lay state as Spain claims to be, is difficult for parents to find at public schools an appropiate religious education. And this stands alike for christians and other confessions' practitioners. Who could have guessed something like this just 30 years ago in a country where more than 90 per cent of the people claimed to be not only Catholics but church attendants. For good and for bad, religious teaching is vanishing from public schools. How can you teach religion in a school when there are children of at least four different confessions? In cities like Barcelona you can find in a same classroom christians, muslims, jews and hindues children (I'm not naming Jehova's witnesses, mormons and so on). Everytime the population in most western countries is becoming a rich mix of races and religions. Obviously public schools are one of the most importants meeting points of people from every corner in the world. If we don't know each other there, where it can be then?

I understand how important is for you to be a good muslim yourself and your children and I know how demanding your religion is sometimes and how faithfully you follow the teachings of your Holly Qu'ran. I must confess that I myself am not so committed as I should be to the Bible. But why western education ans Islamic studies have to be mutually exclusive? I think that every one can provide a branch of knowledge valuable to build a good person and a good believer.

It's true that my son has the advantage of being christian (I personally don't like the label "catholic", nor anyone else for that matter) in a christian society. Yes, when you have to live in a foreign world you depend heavily in your personal convictions and the natives's good will to understand you.

You also say that children at school try to fit in sometimes pushing aside their religious duties. Yes, they do. As you say, that simply happens. And it happens more frequently now that schools are full of children from many different places in the world as I already said above. Because of this, it's of the utmost importance that we parents instil in them at home all those values that really matter and a strong faith that they can live in their interaction with others.

I keep thinking that setting them apart in such critical period of their lives is a mistake. Both educations should be complementary.

Before I close this letter I reiterate my gratitude to you for this valuable and unique conversation you're giving me at this forum.

Queda con Dios.[/quote]

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