Analysis: Shaping healthier attitudes to Islam

‘There are terrorists in the park,’ a three-year-old recently announced, on seeing a group of Muslim elders wearing shalwar kameez walk through a park near her nursery and sit on a bench. She was playing in the garden with other children when she saw them, two of whom had grandchildren in the nursery.

In discussions the children showed they had a good sense of what a terrorist was. This episode shocked staff and parents. The nursery, situated in a multicultural area, was already very aware of the importance of presenting and celebrating the cultural identities of families but they realised that they were making huge assumptions about children’s awareness and sensitivity to the world around them. This provided an opportunity to explore the issues with parents and staff. They concluded that it was through media images that children had developed these ideas. Consequently the staff redoubled their efforts to address them specifically.

Discussions with the child’s family revealed that they had no knowledge of her having overheard conversations about Muslims and terrorism. They were horrified that their daughter had interpreted an ordinary situation in this way.

What messages or images had such a young child received that could lead to the comment? From her family, the local environment, the media, the nursery she attended? Why might she have said this, what may she have heard? She must have heard or observed something.
The significance of this incident derives from the rising Islamophobia prevalent in our society. Islamophobia is the expression of an irrational fear and/or hatred, compounded by negative stereotypes or racist acts, towards Islam and Muslims in general. It incorporates the false perception that Islam has no values in common with other cultures.

Results from a recent survey from the Exploring Islam Foundation show the alarming extent of attitudes with many adults regarding Muslims as equivalent to terrorists and/or extremists. If adults have these attitudes it is not surprising that young children learn them too.

Why are there such attitudes towards Muslims?

In the media and elsewhere there is widespread antipathy to the religion of Islam and this often spins off into hostility to Muslims both generally and individually, fomented by the attacks of 9/11 and 7/7. Muslims are often demonised and pilloried, lies are told about them and attacks on them are not reported in the same way as for other people. This encourages myths, misrepresentation and misinformation which, in the absence of countermanding information, become likely to be accepted as fact.

A lack of countervailing action, together with little coordinated political determination to address the increasing hostility, means that organisations with an overtly racist agenda can flourish relatively unimpeded. If we want to live in a society at ease with itself government and individuals have a responsibility to address and counter the whipping up of hostility towards Muslims. As the three-year-old’s comment illustrates, the implications of not taking action affects our children and their future lives.

Most faiths share basic common values. The roots of the Islamic, Jewish and Christian faiths are the same and all have historically been persecuted for their faiths. There is a great variety of adherents to different aspects of their faiths, ranging from strict ones to non-practicing ones, in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. There are lots of examples of Muslims distancing themselves from 9/11 and 7/7 and extreme fundamentalism and a growing acceptance that terrorists are violent criminals.

History tells us that marginalising and demonising groups of people nearly always results in them turning in on themselves. This leads to a lack of harmony in the society and fosters a feeling of mutual mistrust. We betray ourselves if we do not treat everyone fairly. This means thinking seriously and urgently about the implications of Islamophobia for the children and families in our early years settings.
 
What are the implications?

Research evidence over 50 years shows that children learn about racial differences, including skin colour, dress and language from an early age. Evidence also demonstrates that, unless there are opportunities for children to learn positive attitudes and behaviour and unlearn any negative ones that they may have already learnt, then they may learn to be racially prejudiced. Racial prejudice, if unchecked, may develop into discriminatory behaviour.

Children learn attitudes from all that is around them – friends, families, the media, who they see on the street (and who they don’t see), who visits their family (and who doesn’t), what they see on the television (and what they don’t see), what their families talk about (and don’t talk about) - this reflects the deeply embedded racism in our society. It is likely that attitudes to Islam and Muslims are learnt in the same way, resulting from the Islamophobia endemic in our society.
If we want to live in a society where everyone is treated equally we need to address this issue. Our responsibility is to consider what we might do – the principles of taking action to counter Islamophobia are the same whether Muslim children are in our settings or not.

If we are to counter anti-Muslim feelings there is much that we need to do. We all have roles to play in the perpetuation or reversal of such negativity. This is more than celebrating Eid, valuing different forms of dress and talking about languages – important as they are. And we cannot burden any Muslim colleagues or families by being expected to be experts.

We need to help children, their families and ourselves to unlearn any ill-informed stereotyped negative attitudes towards Muslims. As with all faiths we may or may not like what some Muslims do or say but it is vital that we break down the barriers that assume all Muslims are extremists or terrorists. We must treat everyone as individuals, as human beings.
We may need to re-think our practice with young children as to how we can incorporate the same approach towards Islam and Muslims as with differences of ethnicity, gender and disability. Muslim parents and staff should not automatically be expected to take the lead.

There are three specific things to consider and address with children to begin to counter the development of Islamophobia:

1) Ensure that we enable everyone to learn positive attitudes and behaviour to those who are different from themselves, including Muslims, for example:

• consider what a child might feel like if the dressing-up box does not reflect the clothes her parents wear. Provide clothes that reflect those that many Muslims wear but take care to ensure that children are sensitive to those with particular religious or cultural significance – for example, niqab, hijab, burqa, turban
• make a specific point in discussions and images of including Muslims openly, honestly and warmly
• be prepared to answer children’s questions and find out answers if you don’t know
• acknowledge that Muslims may be of South Asian (including Indonesian), Arab or, increasingly, white British backgrounds so their dress and religious practices may vary.

2) Support Muslim children and their families generally and individually so they feel welcome and have a sense of truly belonging to your setting by:

• showing open friendship to Muslims, making contact
• expressing and showing interest in Muslims personally (but not being patronising!)
• opening up opportunities to share family/cultural/religious practices
• ensuring that all setting/communal/family activities are equally understood by everyone
• ensuring that actions, behaviour, attitudes and body language indicate an overt and positive receptivity and confidence to discuss Islamophobia and counter racism wherever it occurs.

3) Take positive, regular and specific steps to provide children with opportunities to unlearn any stereotyped negative opinions they may have about Muslims, for example by :

• using Persona Dolls to develop concepts of empathy in children to those who are different from them
• breaking down hierarchies of language, dress, faith, culture between groups
• encouraging children to recognise and challenge unfairness.

In addition

We also need to consider the other influences on children – their families and ourselves as workers with them. Examine any existing policies to ensure they include Muslims specifically where appropriate. As with all forms of prejudice and discrimination, ensure action is taken to counter Islamophobia from whatever source it comes.

Try to organise discussion groups with family members to share the reasons for the work we do with children, including work on Islamophobia. Make these groups open and honest, with an objective of listening to a different point of view with respect. Encourage people to ask questions without fear of being ostracised or ridiculed. Ensure that Islamophobic and racist attitudes are countered strongly but sensitively, with empathy and recognition of different background experiences.

Perhaps we, as early years workers, have the most important role in recognising and doing something about Islamophobia. Try to reflect on our own personal attitudes; what might be influencing them and whether they stereotype Muslims and Islam.

We need to understand what Muslims are experiencing, what pressures they are under and what it might feel like to be the constant subject of potential antagonism because of who you are – this should be a mutual two-way process. But critically, what do we ourselves believe? Do we see individual Muslims as extremist and possibly terrorists? Do we recognise the role of the media?

Of course we may need training to support us. But even just talking in a safe environment within a no-blame culture may give us the opportunity to ask questions and think about Islam – we may need to change our understanding of it. Early years practitioners cannot solve all the problems of Islamophobia but we need to be aware of its reality and start somewhere. Doing nothing is not an option.

Helen Watson is head of centre, Hillfields Children's Centre, Coventry; Wilayat Razaq is a family outreach support worker at Grandpont Nursery and Children’s Centre, Oxford and Jane Lane is an advocate worker for racial equality in the early years


FURTHER INFORMATION AND REFERENCES

Equality and Diversity: Part 7, Faith and Belief by Anne O’Connor (Nursery World, 25 March 2010)
Baig, R with Lane, J (2003) Building bridges for our Future – the way forward through times of terror and war. Early Years Equality
Lane, J. (2008) Young children and racial justice – taking action for racial equality in the early years – understanding the past, thinking about the present, planning for the future. National Children’s Bureau
Runnymede Trust (1997) Islamophobia – a challenge for us all