Teaching Our Children about the Greatness of Islam Depending Only on the Quran
Published in September 26, 2017
Translated by: Ahmed Fathy
Introduction:
1- This is a message from Ms. Zeinab, an Egyptian lady who resides now in Canada, and who has converted to Quranism after deep thought. She is a mother of three kids, and therefore she fears their being negatively influenced by Sunnite ideas or that they might get lost in the labyrinths of thought while seeking the Truth. She has obtained an MA degree in education from the UK and she has vast experience in teaching children from various cultural backgrounds. She suggests to cooperate with fellow Quranists in Canada to teach children of Quranists there Islamic values of the Quran; she desires to get in touch with Quranists inside and near Montreal to discuss this project.
2- This is her message, we publish it here after taking permission from her:
(Dear All, Asalam Alikoum, I'm Zeinab....I'm from Egypt, but I've recently moved to Montreal, Canada. I'm writing to you for the first time; however, I was following your thoughts since 2012. I was introduced to your Quranism website by one of friends and it was a shock for me, it took me three years to completely turn to a Quranist believer, leaving what I found my parents and family on. Dear Quranists, it was not an easy mental process at all, but I was always guided by my inner peace that I found in Quranism, and it was a relief and it is a RELIEF! I'm a mom of three sons and I want them to be raised in an objective way when it comes to religion, I mean that I don't want them to be exposed to the contradictions and the misunderstanding that I passed through when I started to question my religion, till they become mature enough and can make their own choices in life. I think it is very important element that we need to work on not only for my sons but for many children of Quranist families. I would like to work with you on this. It is still an idea but I want to turn it into a plan using my educational and work background. I have obtained an MA degree in the field of education from the UK, and I have worked with children and youths from different backgrounds for more than 10 years. Also, I would like to know some places in Montreal where I can meet Quranist people especially families with kids, and I'm willing to help in organizing some maybe monthly meetings, so we can discuss and practice our religion in a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere. Please give me pieces of advice and let me know what do you think. Thanks, Zeinab).
3- This is our reply that we have sent to her: (Dear daughter, we feel very pleased to have read your letter as the first thing we have done this day. May our Lord be thanked and glorified! We feel overjoyed when female and male believers strive within peaceful jihad for God's sake, seeking to please and gratify our Lord God. We thank you for your letter and we implore the Almighty to grant you and your family bliss and happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. Your suggestion is our dream that we have for years but could not make it come true. Many similar suggestions of your project were proposed by many Quranists in recent years, and they touched the bottom of our heart; yet, nothing tangible took place, and we were overpowered by grief as we felt helpless and powerless. At our old age and as our death draws nearer, we hope that young Quranists (and their children) will keep up their endeavors after our demise; this is why your suggestion is of vital importance, so that generations of Quranists will go on. Yet, we are impecunious and have no time, as we are busy within our website and our YouTube channel with videos we make daily. We personally cannot participate in your project, but we hope Canadian Quranists will help you. Children of Quranists must learn facts of Islam only and directly from the Quran, so as not to be harmed by Sunnite/Wahabi views and notions in the so-called 'Islamic' schools that spoil and poison their minds and innate nature. When these children grow up, they will choose for themselves as per their own free will. We must write an article about your suggestion/project and we desire you agree to allow us to publish your letter in this article. May God bless and reward you.).
4- And this this the reply she sent us: (Of course, I agree to see my letter and my name published on your website; I hope it will be a first step toward a real project seeking to gratify our Lord Allah).
OUR REPLY:
1- Our previous experience is filled with unfulfilled projects within our website; they are still published in it, such as (Research Hall), (Quranists' Forum), and (The Online University of Quranists). All these projects aimed at preparing and qualifying young Quranist researchers and to provide them with tools and databases. Sadly, after many Quranists felt enthusiastic about such projects, all such endeavors came to nothing at all; even enthusiasm dwindled till it disappeared. Other suggestions have been refused by us, such as opening chat-rooms inside our website to allow male Quranists to get to know (and marry) female Quranists. The suggestion of Ms. Zeinab has been proposed by others before her, but we fell silent as we feared that yet another disappointment would take place. Yet, we are encouraged now by the letter of Ms. Zeinab because of her experience in the field of education, as many mothers and fathers wish to teach Quranism to their children and feel afraid that Wahabi mosques/schools in the West would harm their children; all Quranists (in the West and in the East) must protect their offspring against this Wahabi epidemic.
2- When we were in Egypt, our project to reform Egyptian education in 1998-1999 incurred upon us the fury of the military regime of Mubarak, and our being severely persecuted and fearing to get assassinated made us flee from Egypt and to seek political asylum in the USA. Our project of reforming education includes new curricula to replace all religious books of the primary, preparatory, and secondary stages of education. We are actually writing a book about our peaceful intellectual jihad against Wahabism and we are including a chapter on such project of reforming religious education. Our suggestions for such curricula may benefit the project of Ms. Zeinab to teach Quranists' children real Islam in the USA, EU, and Canada. At least, this will be a first step within developing religious education and culture to make it match Western values of today, proving that Islam (i.e., Quranism) is fit for all eras and locations.
3- Of course, Ms. Zeinab is welcome to comment and write articles here on our website in Arabic and in English; we hope that her writings, culture, and field of expertise will benefit readers regarding how to make children learn Quranic values in a simple way which must be suitable for their mentality.
4- We propose that Ms. Zeinab would begin writings articles about her project on our website to discuss it with other Quranists who should contact her; this will result in an online school to help parents to teach Quranism and Quranic higher values to their offspring, especially freedom, justice, mercy, kindness, tolerance, and peace as well as human rights and secularism within the belief in the Hereafter. This online school will be useful for all Quranist families in the West and the Middle East as well. Indeed, governments of Canada, the USA, and EU need such online school even more than Quranists; it will be useful to contact them to get some aid and support to facilitate matters.
5- These are our suggestions that are liable to be discussed and criticized – and this applies to all our views and writings within our website of course. We urge all Quranists to engage into such discussions with their views and opinions and to contact Ms. Zeinab. May God come to our aid in such good deed and reward our endeavors with success.
Lastly:
We sincerely hope that this project would not end in nothing at all like the previous reformist projects launched within our website. This is the responsibility of all of our fellow Quranists. Since we are too old to participate in such endeavors (except with our views regarding the reform of education, which are published partially and more details of it will be published soon), our personal responsibly is confined to publishing this article about this suggestion/project, to be read and undertaken by all persons concerned about the religious life of their children. May God come to the help and aid of all of us.