Islamic Environment

Children spend seven to eight hours every day in school, learning and socializing with friends. Naturally, kids tend to learn and copy from their surrounding behaviors, most commonly in the elementary level, therefore the influences of friends and teachers have the power in shaping the attitudes and values of your children. This is why as parents; we have to ask ourselves whether we should send our kids to an Islamic school or a public school. It’s our responsibility to make the right decision, by asking important questions, doing extensive research, and weighing the pros and cons of each school. No doubt each type of school has benefits above the other. If you really want to raise your children based on Islamic fundamentals, considering an Islamic school might be the right choice for them, where the whole environment is built upon Islamic values. The following are ten reasons why you should send your kids to an Islamic school.

Same level of education

When it comes to education, both public and Islamic schools provide the same educational program. Hence, you do not have to worry about missing out on education; your kids will be learning a good academic program just like in public schools. One that will teach them everything required to be prepared for any next step in education.

1.Presence of Islamic environment

The environment we are surrounded by has a major influence on our beliefs, values, and ethics, especially on youngsters who are still developing those core matters that shape who they are and what they do. Exposing and raising your young ones in a well-conducted environment, which is lacking in most other schools, is the key to building good manners and Islamic fundamentals in your kids. The general environment of an Islamic school is built based on Islamic core values, therefore it is well-controlled in terms of sexuality, drugs, alcohol, and violence; the major issues that are a nightmare to every parent living in non-Muslim countries. By not exposing your children to those dangerous issues in the first place help a lot in raising them correctly. Islamic schools have an environment of good-conduct, identity and security; the ideal place to be exposed to. 

2.Freedom of practicing Islamic rituals

You’ve definitely heard of a girl who’s had her hijab ripped off in a public school. Kids teasing her, and making fun of her for being a Muslim, for being different. Unfortunately, it’s a matter that is present in most schools, and it’s because the western media have shaped Muslims into uncivilized imprudent people. Muslim kids get exposed to verbal and physical violations every day in public schools. Such violations will have a negative influence on our kids which might lead to psychological and emotional problems, because fitting in will not be an easy thing. We do not want our kids go through the harsh treatment. We want them to have freedom in practicing what they believe in, in the most comfortable manner. Therefore, sending them to Islamic schools where they can comfortably pray, put the hijab, or read the Qur’an is suitable.

3.Learning to read the Holy Qur’an

Fortunately, Islamic schools put a major focus on teaching the Holy Qur’an. Something which they can do on behalf of you. Teaching the Holy Qur’an is our responsibility as parents. Our kids should learn how to read and understand the Qur’an, because it’s the first and most important guidance for Muslims’ life. If they learned and build their fundamentals based on the Qur’an, you can be quite sure that your kids will turn into ethical and decent people when grown up.

4.Learning Arabic Language

Normal schools do not offer Arabic language classes at all, therefore the opportunity to learn the language of the Qur’an is not obtainable. On the other hand, giving private Arabic lessons might be costly and might not be enough to yield a good base of the language. While in Islamic schools, long time and efforts are devoted to learning Arabic, where your kids can easily master.

5.Learning basic Islamic values

One of the valuable benefits of Islamic schools, is that your kids get exposed to Islamic knowledge. They get to learn more about their religion and its values. They get to learn Hadith, Dua’a, and Quran recitation and explanation. By naturally forcing them to learn about their religion in school, will prevent you the headache of finding a private teacher do so at an extra time and effort from your kids.

6.Teachers that you can trust

At a young age, teachers serve as a role model in our life. We don’t only learn from teachers, but we tend to copy what they do, and listen to their instructions in most cases, because we perceive them to be as our guidance. Therefore, putting your child seven to eight hours with a teacher whom you can trust to give the right guidance is a peace of mind. A teacher with good intentions and Islamic spirit can have a positive influence on your kids’ behaviors and morals.

7.Salah on time

It is common to find children missing Salah during school hours in other schools.  Islamic Schools take care of Salah times, children gather together and pray by Jam’at which trains them to offer Salah regularly.

8.Good friends

We all know about peer pressure and how it can lead our children to abyss. It is your responsibility as parent to control this matter as much as possible. Exposing them to people of the same beliefs and values, will lead them to having good friends who will most likely have a good influence instead of bad. The opportunity to making and keeping good friends with Islamic values in an Islamic school is much higher. The biggest problem in most other schools is that our children’s chances of making bad friends are higher, because they are more likely to be surrounded with friends who has different sets of morals and values that are against those of Muslims’. Islamic schools have much more control over that, because Islamic schools are full of kids whose parents also want their child to be surrounded by people of the same values, morals, and beliefs.

9.Shaping a good personality

A person’s character and personality is largely established during childhood. By the age of 7, your child has established 90% of his/her personality traits that can predict their future character. We stay pretty much the same throughout our lives, from early childhood all the way to adulthood. Therefore, the personality traits you observe in first grade children, tend to be a strong prediction of their behaviors in adulthood. Life events, culture, and all our surroundings tend to have an influence on shaping our personalities as well as our core values and beliefs. Exposing your children to a well-conducted environment like that of Islamic schools, could lead to building the right set of values and beliefs in your children, as well as a good strong personality that will shape who they are and how they behave as grown ups.

10.In conclusion, as good parents it is our responsibility to take the right decision for our children, because where they stay every day for seven to eight hours will largely influence their values, beliefs, morals and personalities in the future. Now you got an idea what benefits you and your children can gain from sending them to an Islamic school, and taking a wise decision became an easy task.

Muslim Schools focus on helping students strike a balance between Islam and modernity because the importance of an Islamic environment cannot be replaced by academics. Moreover, Islamic schools promote a young Muslim’s ability to practice and believe in Islam. Arabic, Quranic studies, Salah and other aspects of practicing Islam are included in the curriculum. During Ramadan, the month of fasting, students share the spiritual experience with their peers in Islamic schools, in comparison with public schools where some parents feel their children face “peer pressure.”