Recently, I attended a graduation ceremony for an Islamic weekend school. It was a heart warming experience to watch, as the students brought many of the parents to tears with their songs about the prophet, their recitation of the Quran, and their speeches in Arabic. I saw in them a bright future for Muslims in the U.S. The students truly projected their love of the Prophet and their pride in their faith. One third grade student in particular stood out among the many young stars. She was born in Chicago to an immigrant Palestinian family, but she recited the Quran and read Arabic poetry with clarity, confidence and eloquence, better than many who were born and raised in Arabic speaking countries.
In a recent PEW study, American Muslims were asked if they consider themselves Muslim first or American first. About 47% of American Muslims considered themselves Muslim first compared to 28% who considered themselves American first. Higher percentages among younger Muslims considered themselves Muslim first (about 60%).
Mosque attendance was particularly high among Muslims under the age of 30, at about 51%. Young Muslims who were "more practicing" and who were attending Mosques more frequently were more likely to consider themselves as Muslim first, indicating a strong sense of Islamic identity.
Many factors affect and shape one's identity. Today's youth live and develop in a society that offers tremendous choices and challenges during the formative period of adolescence. The 13-17 year olds are particularly vulnerable to outside influences when their values and ideas have not fully developed.
Some of the factors that affect youth identity are the schools, their peers, Hip-Hop culture, popular music, the media, movies, video games, internet and chat rooms, facebook, myspace, youtube, and many other factors. They are influenced by the dominant values in the society like consumerism, materialism and individualism.
The first and most important factor influencing the children is their parents and immediate family. This influence begins from the first minutes of life. The Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, recommended that the father recite the call for prayer in the right ear of the newborn and Iqama in the left ear of the child immediately after birth, so the first words the child can hear are the words of calling to prayer.
Both parents must work together to encourage and nurture the good tendencies in the child so he or she can become a useful person that helps himself and people. The absence of the father can lead to economic and social poverty. The majority of school dropouts, drug additions, criminal behavior, and out-of-wedlock pregnancies can be traced to the absence of a healthy father relationship in the home. The effects can be devastating on children and often last a lifetime.
The second important factor shaping the child's identity is their school. Children spend more time in schools than at home. Their teachers, counselors, peers, along with the curriculum and dominant values in the school have a strong influence on them.
Every Muslim child should attend some type of Islamic schooling whether it is a full time or weekend school. Without the experience of attending Islamic school and having Muslim peers and friends who share the same values and beliefs, the child's sense of Islamic identity may not be that strong, especially with the continuous bombardment of societal messages that are against the core values of Islam. Parents should get involved in their children's schools, volunteer and participate in PTAs, encourage celebrating Islamic holidays, help to provide a healthy environment for their children during fasting in Ramadan, educate teachers and staff about Islam and Islamic practices, and run for election to local education boards and other school committees so they can affect the policies in the public schools.
The third important factor is the Mosque and the Muslim community. Mosques are places where children and youth come to worship together and feel connected to the rest of the community. That experience has a very positive and nurturing effect on the Muslim child and the youth's sense of identity, especially if the Mosque environment is welcoming and accommodating. This is why the first thing the child should hear is the call for prayer. Prayer connects to the community horizontally and to the Creator vertically.
Many other factors shape youth's Islamic identity such as youth centers, camps, Islamic organizations, Islamic media and conferences. Even major political events like 9/11 and islamophobia can affect identity development in a positive or negative way.
Allah (S.W.T) says in surat At-Tahrim, (verse 6), says "O you who believe, protect yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones."
The prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) said: "Each and everyone of you is responsible and accountable for your responsibility. So the man is responsible in his house and accountable for his family, the woman is responsible in her husband's house and accountable for her husband's family." {Reported by Imams Bukhari and Muslim}
He also said (Every newborn is born on the pure nature (Fitrah, which is Islam), and his parents would either make him a Jew, a Christian, or a fire worshipper." {Reported by Imams Bukhari and Muslim}
If we care about the future of our children and the future of Islam in this country, then our focus should be directed to foster a strong Muslim identity among our youth. Dr. Maher Hathout, one of the prominent American Muslim leaders once told me: "our generation is the fourth wave of Muslim immigration to the US, what happened to the first three?"
Dr. M. Zaher Sahloul