Muslim
Hi, I’m a Muslim.
Jewish
I’m Jewish.
Sikh
And I’m a Sikh.
Muslim
And we all believe children are a gift from God…
Jewish
…and that families are the building blocks of our communities…
Sikh
…and society in general. But is it really a family’s job to educate their children about their faith?
Muslim
Muslims try to follow the example of Prophet Muhammad (sala Allahu alayhi wasalam), who believed teaching children how to behave is really important. He said, ‘a father gives his child nothing better than good manners’. And education starts straight after a baby is born, when the call to prayer is said into the baby’s ears, often by the father. Seven days later, the Aqiqah ceremony takes place when the parents choose a Muslim name for their child.
Jewish
It’s very similar for Jews. We believe it’s a mitzvah, a commandment, to bring children up in the faith. And soon after we’re born, we are usually given Hebrew names. For boys this happens on the seventh or eighth day after birth at the brit milah ceremony. Some Jews also have a special ceremony for girls called the simchat bat, which happens on the first Shabbat after her birth.
Sikh
The Sikh code of conduct, Rehat Maryada, says that it’s a parent’s duty to educate their children in Sikhi, and this starts as soon as possible after a baby’s birth, when the parents say the Mool Mantar, the first words of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, into the baby’s ears. A few weeks later, a naming ceremony called the Naam Karan takes place at the Gurdwara, our holy place of worship. Traditional Sikh names are gender neutral, so the name ‘Singh’, which means lion, is added for a boy and ‘Kaur’, princess, for a girl. So all three of us began life with a religious identity given to us by our families.
Muslim
And our education continued at home. My parents taught me my first Arabic phrases and how to pray. I learned what was halal, allowed, especially when it came to food.
Jewish
I celebrated the Shabbat every week with my family and there are lot of festivals in Judaism. Sukkot, Hanukkah, Passover, and so on that we also celebrated at home. My parents taught me what they meant and why they were important.
Sikh
When I was a baby, my parents gave me my first kara, a bangle like this, and I’ve worn one ever since. And they left my kesh, my hair, uncut, so it grew long.
Muslim
But educating children in a faith can’t be the only purpose of a family. Because not all families are religious.
Jewish
A lot of people would say that the main purpose of a family is to raise children with love and keep them safe…
Sikh
…and that there are other people who have the responsibility to educate them in the faith.
Muslim
Yes, the Qur’an says, ‘let there be a group among you who call others to goodness’. So there are people in the wider Muslim community whose job it is to teach us. Every weekend I’d come to a madrassah like this, a school where children are taught how to write Arabic, recite the Qur’an and learn more about our faith.
Jewish
And it’s similar in Judaism. Our holy building is often called a shul, which means school, because we believe that education continues our whole lives. This is where I was taught how to read and write Hebrew, and was told stories from the Torah.
Sikh
And here at the Gurdwara I enjoyed the support of the Sangat, the community of Sikhs. I learned about the Ten Gurus and was taught how to read Gurmukhi which is the written form of Punjabi, the language of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Muslim
So in most religious families, children are educated about the faith at home and in the wider community.
Jewish
But some people think children shouldn’t be brought up in a religion. They should be free to choose their own beliefs when they’re older.
Sikh
For me, it was sometimes hard growing up within a religious family, especially when other people didn’t know why I did some things differently. But the religious teachings I got from my family are precious to me. Even though I used to receive comments about my long hair, which I used to tie up in a top knot, I believe challenges like that can make us stronger in our faith.
Muslim
All of our religions agree that a child’s first teacher is their parent, and that our beliefs are an important part of family life.
Jewish
But the wider community also helps families to bring up their children in the religion.
Sikh
So what do you think?
