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A Universal Responsibility

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For many Americans a town called Littleton, Colorado almost two weeks earlier had little significance. But the events which unfolded on April 20th at Columbine High School in this suburb of Denver will forever mark Littleton as a town that witnessed the worst school shooting in United States history. The massacre which was orchestrated by two students on the 110th birthday of Adolf Hitler took the life of 12 students and one teacher and left many Americans asking WHY?

Since the tragedy, there have already been copycat incidents occurring across the United States and in Canada. In the meantime, countless talk shows and psychologists continue to analyze the situation to try to make sense of it all. Blame has been placed on movies, music lyrics, music artists, music videos, video games, and every thing else which currently defines popular American culture. The incident prompted President Clinton to announce a proposal for anti-gun legislation exactly one week after the school massacre claiming stronger gun controls would reduce such violent incidents. But is that really the solution?

The blame war will continue for a while and perhaps tougher laws will be passed, but the problem will not go away so easily. Some say that school shootings have become an ``epidemic' in the United States. The real ``epidemic' is more apt definitive of the role that absent parents play in this equation. Though some blame can be placed on all of the popular aforementioned factors, the real solution to this problem remains with the parent. No child is born evil. It is the responsibility of parents to raise their children through all stages of growth with some kind of moral upbringing. Children need guidance. This is a universal responsibility upon parents’ shoulders regardless of their religious preference.

Religion is an important element in the development of the moral conscience of a child. In Islam parents are advised to teach their children about religion at an early age to allow the child to form Islamic perceptions, values, and character. Muslim parents often take their children at a young age to mosques and Islamic schools where they are taught the basics of Islam. Though children are not required to pray the five compulsory prayers until they reach the age of seven, exposing the child to a mosque can familiarize the child with the act of worship and instill its importance and practicality to the child’s life. Islamic schools are also a valuable aspect in the child’s mental growth because it places the child among other children in an Islamic learning environment and stresses a feeling of cohesiveness. As the child matures into adolescence and later an adult, he will have already developed a strong foundation of Islamic belief, practices, and moral conscience which he can apply to his daily life. This does not occur only because of exposure to the mosque and Islamic schools, but mainly as a result of the constant reinforcement of these values and beliefs by parents upon their children throughout their lives.

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