THE INFLUENCE OF SECULAR EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT IT IS TAUGHT IN
One of the biggest Trojan horses to infiltrate our beautiful deen and imaan is undeniably the secular education system that we are exposed to. Even the slightest exposure to it has shaped our mindsets to have the Western concepts and ideologies within us, robbing us of our Islamic identity.
Modern ‘secularism’ was established to unite all people in a single movement and introduce global ideologies, with the concept of religion removed from the environment. Feminism, socialism, liberalism, nationalism, etc are all intertwined by this idea well.
These ideas are slowly introduced to us from the time we start school and gradually build up. As we minimally spend more than a decade in this education system, there is plenty of time to systematically brainwash us and reform our minds. The syllabus includes concepts that attack a person’s imaan. Subconsciously, whatever of this venom is read and taught is transferred into the heart and mind of a person. Poison is poison, no matter the amount; it will always have an effect if there is no antidote for it, which in this case is to abstain from it or to have deeni knowledge regarding these matters and disregard it all.
In this way, they are able to form our world view and thereafter it is hard to change.
Here is a brief analysis of a few of the subjects that are taught in school:
LIFE ORIENTATION (OR LIFE SKILLS)
In my opinion, it is the most useless subject; because nothing in this subject orientates you about the correct things in life nor do you learn any true life skills; with the most rubbish in it.
Prevention of teen pregnancies and usage of contraceptives in a “healthy (haraam – premarital) relationship” that are brought to topic can only ignite desires and encourage teens to ‘explore’ and irresponsibly lose their dignity. No wonder so many single teen mothers around.
HIV (STD) is a topic that is taught every single year. While the entire “transmission and prevention” is only taught later, the slow build-up on the topic does nothing but prepare the young child for a topic more disgusting and immoral.
So, in a world where it is regarded normal to do and normal to talk about, what is the way the child starts viewing it?
Sexuality is explained to be natural and normal, when this repulsive idea goes against the fitrah of mankind and even logic. While it may not necessarily be out rightly stated, it is opening the mind to accept LGBT UVWXYZ (I may just as well add the other alphabets because there are so many terms being introduced all the time).
(Recently the above has been included in the syllabus of the younger grades as well)
“Gender equality” and “roles” is a discussion, being a basis of introduction to feminism and a warped idea as to the role we have been created to fulfill. Along with all the careers that are mentioned, it would explain why many girls ‘liberally’ walk out of school with a determination to ‘have a career’ and be ‘(financially) independent’.
LITERATURE
While literature itself is not the problem, it is the content that is chosen for it that causes the havoc.
If it’s not present-day novels that are laced with haraam and modernism, or authors that have made a mockery of Islam, or stories that may seem harmless but in reality have disgusting and evil origins, then it is stories with backgrounds of centuries ago that contain satanic or Christian elements.
Many stories and novels portray a life that is deemed ideal, yet are filled with immorality that is portrayed as beautiful and rosy – and the most common themes are premarital/extramarital love and a story line stripped of any hayaa. All these things subconsciously enter the mind on a regular basis over time and become acceptable, starting from the Rapunzel-who-had-a-secret-lover fairy tale in preschool to Romeo and Juliet over a decade later.
In the 1990s the government held a seminar to re-evaluate the education system and a question arose, why should Shakespeare (as it is one of the most common literature works – almost like it is mandatory) be taught to the children if they want to study law or medicine, whereas everything is in modern English? The answer was, when a child is given a matric certificate, they want to be satisfied that the children have developed a western, modern Christian mind-set.
CREATIVE ARTS
In SA, up till grade 9, this subject consists of 4 sub-parts and schools have the choice to choose 2 of the 4 as part of their curriculum, whereafter they are separate subjects: Music, visual arts, dance or drama.
Nothing more needs to be said regarding music besides that this pollutant of the heart and soul has become so normal that tracks will be found in the houses and on the phones of Muslims.
Instead of reading and learning the Qur’aan Majeed, children are drawing musical notes on the bar; singing, drumming their heads and shaking their bodies to the voices of the Illuminati and devil-possessed pop stars and singers.
In Visual Arts, many times animals and humans are drawn,whereas Rasoolullah Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam has cursed the one who makes such pictures.
At the same time, nearly all textbooks contain these pictures, and Rasoolullah Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said that the angles of mercy do not enter a place where such pictures are displayed. How misfortune to be for such extended hours over years in such an environment without rahma!
Dancing may be seen as a cultural tradition to some people, but this is against the behaviour and morals of a Muslim to move the body in such seductive ways that shamelessly attract attention to oneself.
Following in the footsteps of more kuffaar actors, drama classes are one of the places where the girls are taught to raise their voices and show their splendour and beauty, and children taught that it is fine to passionately kiss a non mahram woman all for an ‘act’. This builds a perception that there is nothing wrong in deceiving people simply for them to view things for their own pleasure and (useless) entertainment, making the watching of movies and videos seem acceptable to one.
BUSINESS
We won’t deny that some parts of this education system is needed to understand certain environments around us. Such is with Business, where legal topics and regulations of a country are discussed.
However, we give so much of preference to secular education and neglect our deeni education, to such an extent that many Muslims aren’t aware of even simple, basic things like the impermissibility of insurance and interest – and the likes of such business topics and dealings that would be contrary to Islamic ethics and teachings. These things are whole topics to which an ignorant person will see the benefits of, as portrayed by the West, and follow these plans while being oblivious that their records of sin are piling up.
SCIENCE
This is actually a very long topic on it’s own, with many things to understand in it, so it won’t really be discussed here. Especially since the scientific field is so vast.
The fact that a lot of science isn’t 100% accurate and merely based on ever-changing theories, estimations and mathematical calculations should say enough of the untruths in Western science, be it in astronomy, biology, chemistry, geography, physics, archaeology, just to name a few. One thing may even have several theories.
And seriously, some things just don’t make sense.
While we don’t deny all of science, we don’t completely make it the means to understand things we don’t comprehend.
Science is a force of (atheistic components) and explanations to the natural world that humans cannot understand. During the renaissance it was used as a means to weaken the conviction the people had in their holy scriptures, especially that of the Muslims in the Qur’aan. “Scientific errors” have been found in the Qur’aan according to some scientists. Rather, science contains the error as Allah Ta’aala in His Infinite Glory is nothing but Perfection, and His Kalaam and creation of everything we see in the universe are flawless.
Some things in science coincide with what the Qur’aan mentions while other things are completely contrary to our beliefs.
If one uses some insight, one will see that parts of science are used as a tool of Dajjaal, to entrap us into shaitaani things that take us away from deen.
Western science amazes us and fills us with admiration – we admire the kuffaar ‘advancements’, but how many of us are amazed at the perfect way Allah Ta’aala has created the entire universe, so perfectly in sync even to the finest detail?
HISTORY
No school history textbook will show the truth of the matter of the events that happened.
Only the surface of the topics are touched on, and more often than not – or nearly all the time – the storyline will portray the heroes as the Western powers want it to be shown, whether it is local, American or world history.
Never will one be taught the behind-the-scenes agendas of a war or revolution, what happened after Mandela took reign, why certain people were actually assassinated, what the Great Depression and American Dream actually was or how and why certain parties came to power.
And of course the attack on Islam, Muslims and our aqeedah that some historical events were about will never be brought up! As a result, Muslim students view these historical incidences as something that brought on profound and beneficial changes to the world, while being completely oblivious to how it has caused destruction to their deen!
There are so many agnostic, satanic and shirki things being indoctrinated into a person through secularism, without one even realising it. A person can be brainwashed through this system to believe that what is haraam and makrooh is permissible, thus developing a modern mindset just as the West wants us to do.
If one has to study and school at these kinds of places, then all the twisted ideologies in their education should be taken with a pinch of salt, and protect oneself from falling in these traps through deeni ‘ilm in the tarbiyah of a person and madrassahs/makaatib.
There are many other points that can be added here, but then this would become a book. While all this is merely a brief impact of modern education, the way modern education is being taught is simply ineffective as well, but that is another, less important topic.
THE ENVIRONMENT
The example of a man who walks into a perfume shop, spends some time looking around and then walking out without touching anything, yet he walks out smelling pleasant from all the fragrances that were lingering in the air can be likened to the effect the environment a person is in has on one.
If the environment is good, the goodness of it is most likely to rub off onto a person, while the opposite would be if the environment is bad.
The fact that secular schools are diverse in people of religion, mixing with the kuffaar is impossibly unavoidable. This unavoided company of kaafir classmates and friends influences a person’s way of doing and viewing things as the pressure, talks and actions coming from them may become too much to avoid and the glamour of what they do blinds one from seeing the destruction behind it.
Since teachers are generally respected and looked up to, they will be taken as an example to follow. The way these mushrik teachers behave and do things, will be especially sucked in by very young, naive minds who are still in the stage of formation, deeming their teachers’ actions as appropriate and correct. They then innocently follow in the footsteps their teachers left for them.
In any place where Muslims mixed with non Muslims a lot, they had forsaken their Islamic identity and adopted the lifestyle and concepts of the kuffaar around them.
Such an environment is one of immorality that starts at the preschool ages when girls and boys are made to dance together. This is actually encouraged (as said earlier) through all the content of the things that are taught. Zina is thus a norm in these environments, be it of the mind, as the education leaves a lot of space for imagination, or of the eyes, as the dress code of people today are so shameless and there is no control of the eyes, or the act itself. And if this isn’t bad enough, then the sickening act of self-pleasure that is so widespread today satisfies the unfulfilled desires that are created. Not only that, but all this has been included into curriculum, or is slowly being introduced.
This environment of intermingling leaves a lot of room for haraam relationships and ‘friendships’ between girls and boys where there is casual chatter and hugging.
In such environments of rijs – hearing music, dancing and seeing people dance, singing along with kuffaar singers and destructive songs, intermingling and zero observation of all the aspects of hijaab, movies and books filled with shamelessness and many other things, all bereft of hayaa – the mercy of Allah is deprived and His wrath is incurred.
Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Umar (Radiyallahu ‘anhu) narrated that Nabi (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Verily hayaa and imaan are companions. When one of them is lifted, the other leaves as well.”
Sadly these are the very places people spend the majority of their time so that they can receive the education that is needed for them to ‘prosper’ in life, forgetting that life compared to the Hereafter is extremely short. This life is the preparation for the Hereafter, and the ones that truly prosper are those who succeeded in their deeni duties even if their worldly life was tough.
Preference is given to these institutions of darkness and depression, that are devoid of the blessings and rahma of Allah Ta’aala, where a person can be lost so easily, over the gatherings and places of nur that are a means of guidance for us.
May Allah Ta’aala open our eyes to the reality of this life, guide us to be firm in our deen and protect our imaan in these times where holding onto imaan is like holding onto burning coals.
