“I’ve got something important to tell you,” says my six-year-old daughter. She stands there, hands on hips in preparation for her important announcement. “I’ve decided I want to become a Muslim.” There is a silent moment as she fixes her eyes on me waiting for my reaction to her new idea and I rapidly plan my response. “How lovely, darling,” I reply. After a few more moments of silence, I casually ask, “Why?”
It had been a while since she read the Biff and Chip book entitled Mosque School and as far as I was aware they were not yet studying Islam at school. However, we have made a recent visit to the Middle East, which had obviously sowed the seeds in her small six-year-old mind. This was clearly not something she had just thought up over night.
She begins to go through the rationale behind her important decision with surprising clarity. She says that one of the most appealing reasons is that she can marry one of the most popular boys in the class along with three of her friends. Being a very uncompetitive child, this seems to her a much more appealing way of securing her husband. Being one of four wives would also enable her to live alongside her three best girl friends, enjoying never ending sleepovers. Another attraction is the clothes. She is quite partial to the black Abaya and the Hijab that covers the head and describes it as “beautiful”. She points out the advantages of only having to put out underwear the night before school and not having to think about what to wear at weekends. It would also provide much amusement in the classroom when the teachers could not see her expression towards yet more Maths and no one would be able to watch her eat her cheese sandwich beneath her veil at lunchtime.
Over the last few days I hear from other parents that she has briefed her friends on the benefits of Islam in the playground and when she gets home she is quick to abandon her school uniform for a black cloak and headdress. She has agreed to remove her veil during mealtimes as after all, we are all family and spaghetti hoops are very tricky to eat. I then point out that if she is to continue with her desire to become a Muslim she will have to visit the Mosque, the closest being in Weymouth. And of course she would be expected to visit the Mosque endless times a week, which would mean us spending a lot of time in the car driving her down there. After sleeping on this thought, she arrives down at breakfast and declares over her cornflakes, “I’ve decided to wait to become a Muslim until after Christmas.” “Very sensible,” I casually reply with a smile.
