Digital stories about learning to be a Muslim were created in a Story Works workshop at the University of Glamorgan
The research aimed to describe and explain how children of primary school age and under are brought up to be Muslims. The topic of religious nurture is of interest in relation to all faiths, but given the diversity of schools of thought and ethnic groups amongst British Muslims, there was a strong argument for a detailed study of Islam in particular. Since there has already been attention paid by researchers to Muslim adolescents and 'young people' in recent years, the intention for this project was to focus on families with children of primary school age and younger.
Aims of Project
The researchers aimed to answer a number of questions, including the practicalities of bringing children up amongst a non-Muslim society, children’s own understanding of their religion, and differences between families by religious tradition, ethnic background and social class. They also looked at whether there is evidence of increasing secular influences on beliefs and practices in Muslim families.
The research questions were as follows:
How do different family members negotiate religious nurture in the context of a non-Muslim society?
How do children understand their religion?
How does religious nurture differ according to children's age, perceived stage and gender?
How does religious nurture differ between families according to religious traditions, ethnic backgrounds and social class?
How does religious nurture fit with parents' attempts to transmit ethnic and national identities to children?
How important is ritual to religious nurture? Are there particular places that have religious significance?
Is there evidence of increasing secular influences on Islamic beliefs and practices in Muslim families?
Is there evidence that ideas of spirituality and personal well-being are meaningful to Muslim families?
A number of videos relating to the Religious Nurture project can be via the link below. These digital stories about learning to be a Muslim were created in a StoryWorks workshop at the University of Glamorgan.
The stories reflect the themes which arose from a Cardiff University research project on bringing up Muslim children. This involved interviews with parents and children in 60 Muslim families where there were children aged 12 and under. These videos can also be viewed on the project's Vimeo Channel.
For the video links click HERE