Kids and invalidators

Imoved around various Kuwaiti schools over 14 years in the period from 1950 to 1964 before I worked as a teacher of Islamic education and Arabic for two years starting from 1971. I made this introduction to compare what we studied and taught with what our children are being taught now in primary school Islamic education.

The Islamic education subject was so easy and loveable when we were kids. It was more like an educational, cultural and guiding subject that had great impact on our souls, which remained with me personally for many years. Amongst the topics we studied during those years, I still remember the ‘Prophets’ Stories’ by Egyptian author Abdel Hameed Gouda Al-Sahhar, which summarized the stories of each prophet in a separate booklet of no more than twenty or thirty pages, reviewing some human situations each respective prophet went through and the lesson learnt from them.

I also recall when I taught Islamic education, I chose a moderate approach that is suitable for intermediate school pupils’ minds. The curriculum was void of any complications, repellants or things that cause misunderstandings or disagreement. On the other hand, what our kids are being taught today is unbelievable as 10-yearold pupils’ minds are being stuffed with information beyond what their tiny minds can perceive at such an early age. For example, those kids are being taught about Ihram invalidators such as Nikah (sexual intercourse).

To those who have set this curriculum; is this logical? Why do we even teach a child who has not yet reached puberty about Hajj rituals when he is not yet asked to perform it? How do we explain the meaning of Nikah to a child (boy or girl) when he/she asks about it; and they will because they need to learn? Such curriculum does not help promote the status of religion in those kids’ hearts. I believe it repels and alienates them from religion. Curriculum planners must put the moral side into consideration when planning curriculums.—Translated by Kuwait times