Growing up can be quite a challenging experience for youth, especially if there is no moral support in the household in which they are living. Many of them struggle to find a balance between their faith and living is this world. With all the challenges facing our youth today, some of which leads them to do things that are unlawful towards their beliefs, the question remains : how does one find balance between faith and living in this world? This was a question VOC put to local youths.
Many youth in Cape Town said that faith is always an issue when wanting to do things they desire. “There are so many things I do that are forbidden in my religion. I wish that I would stop clubbing at this age and that I would stop smoking things that I’m not supposed to. I can see this is leading me to a very evil lifestyle. But the sad part is – I don’t know where to start. How can I? As far as I know - my parents are not an example when it comes to things like this,” said 18 year old Dawood Roberts from Strandfontein.
Roberts said society was dragging him away from his faith and it was difficult making positive changes. “How do I find balance between my faith and living in this environment is quite a good question. I’ve been trying to figure that out for quite some time now...not that I’m looking for an excuse to avoid it every time the topic comes up, but because there is no one in my household who can guide me when it comes to things like this,” he said.
“I think that if my father and mother where good examples and enrolled me in at a madrassa then I would at least know what my duties as a Muslim is. The sad part is that they’ve always been on the go, traveling and leaving me with my eldest sister. There was no moral support and religious views raised in our household when I was younger and I think this is the reason that led me to doing things that I’m not supposed to do... indulging in societies wrong doing,”
“If there is no moral support and religion practiced in one’s household then don’t expect any good, for there might be a possibility of no order and respect flowing from your kid’s hearts as they grow up." He advised parents to communicate with their children and to build strong morals in their household. You need to see that your family is on the right track at all times.
"Communication plays a great role and once you have that connection with your kids, I don’t see why you can’t implement religious and respectful practices to them,” he said. “This society is turning into an evil place and is extremely dangerous for our young ones. If you are not strong enough to tell them no and to avoid wrong doings, then they are more likely to fall in the devils trap."
Cassiem pointed out that parents also need to start implementing family rules within their household. It is important to communicate with children and get to know who they socialize with at school. He advised parents to teach them their religious duties and morals from an early age, and to nurture it in them. “Teach them to appreciate and respect others beliefs as well, for they will start taking their own seriously and if your kids are being affected by their friend’s wrong doings then I suggest you tell your children to start inviting them to do good as well,” he urged.
“If no one is there to tell these kids what is right and what is wrong then they are going to go ahead and experiment. Many times, kids with experiment drugs, some do it to impress friends, but the dangerous part of all is that if parents don’t check out their kids daily activities, these type of things will continue. So I urge them to protect their kids from all sorts of wrong influences,” he said.
Roshaan Adams, a 25 year old female from Grassy Park, said that her life has changed ever since she made the decision to move away from her group of "negative" friends. “I could swear, there is so many things that I have done in my past that I am not happy with. I am glad that the Almighty has opened my eyes and made me realise that being involved with the wrong crowd to be part of the lime light...it is not beneficial for me,” she said.
“I would find myself doing things like, smoking weed with my boyfriend because everyone else in his crowd would. I would go to late night parties and get drunk, because everyone was doing it. I sit here today and realise how stupid I was. I look back on my pictures, dressed in the shortest skirts and tops. My parents always had a problem with me. I would watch my mother cry saying that she has not raised me up like this. My dad would just sit one side and say that he wants nothing to do with me until I start coming right. These years were hectic for me and I can still remember each and every moment of it,” said Adams.
“I started to dress properly and wore my hijab when I’m in public. I socialized myself with people who were beneficial to me and who could help me become a better person. It was quite hard at first to try and convince my friends why I was breaking away. Many of my friends were Christians, and a few of them were Muslim - but they were not conscious about their beliefs at all.
"I know my parents are very respectful and religious and I have grown up with it myself, but somehow along my high school journey I started to back off when I "thought" I was a big girl. I am most grateful that I am who I am today and if my parents were not there to continuously scold at me then I don’t know where I would be today.”
Cassiem said that one should bare in mind that the actions we engage ourselves in will be questioned on the day of judgement. “Ask yourself what is good for you and will it benefit you. Your Creator and religion plays a good role in one’s life and without it there is nothing to live for. Society can be quite challenging for both teens and adults but remember that it’s up to you to make that decision in life as to what is wrong and what is right,” he said.
“If you ever find yourself in that situation and tend to find an excuse blaming society or any other on your actions because you desire to do wrong, then just remember, you will be facing your Creator one day and only you will be responsible to answer your wrongdoing.” VOC (Aishah Cassiem)
Many youth in Cape Town said that faith is always an issue when wanting to do things they desire. “There are so many things I do that are forbidden in my religion. I wish that I would stop clubbing at this age and that I would stop smoking things that I’m not supposed to. I can see this is leading me to a very evil lifestyle. But the sad part is – I don’t know where to start. How can I? As far as I know - my parents are not an example when it comes to things like this,” said 18 year old Dawood Roberts from Strandfontein.
Roberts said society was dragging him away from his faith and it was difficult making positive changes. “How do I find balance between my faith and living in this environment is quite a good question. I’ve been trying to figure that out for quite some time now...not that I’m looking for an excuse to avoid it every time the topic comes up, but because there is no one in my household who can guide me when it comes to things like this,” he said.
“I think that if my father and mother where good examples and enrolled me in at a madrassa then I would at least know what my duties as a Muslim is. The sad part is that they’ve always been on the go, traveling and leaving me with my eldest sister. There was no moral support and religious views raised in our household when I was younger and I think this is the reason that led me to doing things that I’m not supposed to do... indulging in societies wrong doing,”
Morals and beliefs
Speaking to VOC, Imam Shamiel Cassiem from Strandfontein said that it is important for parents to nurture their kids from an early age. “Like they always say, it all starts in the household. Children need to be encouraged from a young age in order for it to flow through them while growing up. It is important to do this because if we do not, then we will be sitting with a huge problem watching our children partake in immoral actions,” he said.“If there is no moral support and religion practiced in one’s household then don’t expect any good, for there might be a possibility of no order and respect flowing from your kid’s hearts as they grow up." He advised parents to communicate with their children and to build strong morals in their household. You need to see that your family is on the right track at all times.
"Communication plays a great role and once you have that connection with your kids, I don’t see why you can’t implement religious and respectful practices to them,” he said. “This society is turning into an evil place and is extremely dangerous for our young ones. If you are not strong enough to tell them no and to avoid wrong doings, then they are more likely to fall in the devils trap."
Cassiem pointed out that parents also need to start implementing family rules within their household. It is important to communicate with children and get to know who they socialize with at school. He advised parents to teach them their religious duties and morals from an early age, and to nurture it in them. “Teach them to appreciate and respect others beliefs as well, for they will start taking their own seriously and if your kids are being affected by their friend’s wrong doings then I suggest you tell your children to start inviting them to do good as well,” he urged.
Company
According to Cassiem, being involved with the wrong crowd also plays a big role in one’s actions. He said that innocent children are being attracted to negative environments because they either feel that they need to fit in with ‘the in crowd’ or due to the fact that there is no guidance at home – leading them to experiment with new things.“If no one is there to tell these kids what is right and what is wrong then they are going to go ahead and experiment. Many times, kids with experiment drugs, some do it to impress friends, but the dangerous part of all is that if parents don’t check out their kids daily activities, these type of things will continue. So I urge them to protect their kids from all sorts of wrong influences,” he said.
Roshaan Adams, a 25 year old female from Grassy Park, said that her life has changed ever since she made the decision to move away from her group of "negative" friends. “I could swear, there is so many things that I have done in my past that I am not happy with. I am glad that the Almighty has opened my eyes and made me realise that being involved with the wrong crowd to be part of the lime light...it is not beneficial for me,” she said.
“I would find myself doing things like, smoking weed with my boyfriend because everyone else in his crowd would. I would go to late night parties and get drunk, because everyone was doing it. I sit here today and realise how stupid I was. I look back on my pictures, dressed in the shortest skirts and tops. My parents always had a problem with me. I would watch my mother cry saying that she has not raised me up like this. My dad would just sit one side and say that he wants nothing to do with me until I start coming right. These years were hectic for me and I can still remember each and every moment of it,” said Adams.
Finding the right path
Five years has gone by and Adams said that she had found her path to her Creator. "I just woke up one day and told myself, if this is what I want to go through for the rest of my life then I must continue. But if I want to start connecting and getting that respect from my family again then I need to start putting those things aside.” Adams added that she stopped all her wrong actions and called it quits with her group of negative friends at the age of 20.“I started to dress properly and wore my hijab when I’m in public. I socialized myself with people who were beneficial to me and who could help me become a better person. It was quite hard at first to try and convince my friends why I was breaking away. Many of my friends were Christians, and a few of them were Muslim - but they were not conscious about their beliefs at all.
"I know my parents are very respectful and religious and I have grown up with it myself, but somehow along my high school journey I started to back off when I "thought" I was a big girl. I am most grateful that I am who I am today and if my parents were not there to continuously scold at me then I don’t know where I would be today.”
Cassiem said that one should bare in mind that the actions we engage ourselves in will be questioned on the day of judgement. “Ask yourself what is good for you and will it benefit you. Your Creator and religion plays a good role in one’s life and without it there is nothing to live for. Society can be quite challenging for both teens and adults but remember that it’s up to you to make that decision in life as to what is wrong and what is right,” he said.
“If you ever find yourself in that situation and tend to find an excuse blaming society or any other on your actions because you desire to do wrong, then just remember, you will be facing your Creator one day and only you will be responsible to answer your wrongdoing.” VOC (Aishah Cassiem)
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