Our One and Only Right is Faith

by Cheryl Lacey, DSJ, First Principles on Education, ©2024 

(Oct. 14, 2024) — What is happening in the Middle East today and how it is spreading into the Western world is more than a geopolitical crisis; it reflects the erosion of the fundamental principle of faith and confusion of our alleged rights.

A shared language of agreement is the starting point if we genuinely want meaningful change.

This includes addressing the pressing issues facing our schools and their contribution to preparing your children and grandchildren to live and thrive.

Faith once formed the basis of our Western Civilisation and our education systems. The moral clarity that once guided our families has diminished, leaving a confused and fractured approach to life and school education.

Declining Values

Religion has increasingly become political weaponry in our schools, sidelining the role of parents and eroding our children’s belief in faith that everyone has the fundamental right to live responsibly and freely.

We must all bear responsibility for this decline.

Our future depends on change while preserving an accurate understanding of the past— events, sacrifices, and developments that have shaped our Western way of life.

You are pivotal in ensuring schools maintain the accuracy and integrity of Western standards.

The Place of Islam

The principles of faith, religious freedom, fairness, equality and secularism are misleading and dangerous without first applying the principle of a shared language of agreement.

In 2017, a two-day conference was held in South Australia to develop a standardized national Islamic-Saudi curriculum—a world first in the Western world.

Islamic educators at the conference claimed that students wanted to explore ‘real-life issues’ in greater depth, learn ‘how to live in society’ as ‘functional Muslims,’ and gain the knowledge and skills to ‘apply what is being learned.’

The proposed curriculum aimed to provide Muslims with a solid education on the four ‘madhhabs,’ or major schools of Islamic thought.

These educators argued that these desires supported the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) objectives.

But did ACARA understand?

Understanding Islam: Similarities and Differences

The Qur’an, the holy book of Muslims, is believed to be a direct revelation from Allah.

It contains a mixture of historical stories about Jewish prophets, descriptions about Allah, exhortations to the Muslims, warnings to the unbelievers, and some laws to be followed.

The Qur’an is believed to be the uncreated speech of Allah, so it must be recited in its original Arabic.

It tells its readers how to act as believers in the hope of attaining heaven and avoiding hell.

In addition to the Qur’an, the sunnah plays a vital role in Islamic practice.

The sunnah consists of the traditions and practices of the Prophet Muhammad, which were observed by his contemporaries and passed down through generations. These traditions serve as a model for Muslims to follow and remain central to Islamic life.

Muslims vary in their expectations about the future.

All expect, as the Qur’an teaches, that Islam will rule the world. The final day will be ushered in, according to some, by the coming of the Mahdi, or ‘guided one,’ and the return of Jesus. They will defeat evil and then the last day of judgment will take place. The Muslims will suffer some punishment in hell for their sins before being removed and taken to Paradise. However, the non-Muslims will remain in hell forever.

Islam encompasses not just a set of spiritual beliefs but a comprehensive legal and moral framework. This framework, while integral to Islamic practice, differs fundamentally from the Judeo-Christian principles that underpin our society’s foundations.

Islamic Studies and Advisory Services in Australia

Many Australian universities offer studies in Political Islam, but the doctrine is often not thoroughly examined.

The foundational teachings of Mohammed are frequently overlooked, making it difficult to fully understand the essential principles.

The term islām, meaning surrender, encapsulates the core religious concept of Islam—submission to the will of Allah. However, the fundamental sources of Islamic law, the Qur’an and sunnah, are often sidestepped, possibly because non-Muslims aregenerally not permitted to study these sacred teachings in depth.

As a result, graduates entering fields such as politics, media, education, or national security often lack deep foundational knowledge unless they have acquired it elsewhere.

This raises important questions:

To what extent might this knowledge gap compromise matters of education and national security?

If advice is outsourced to Islamic scholars or Muslim staff, or if non-Muslim academics without a deep understanding of the doctrine are providing guidance, what is the accuracy of that advice?

Is it truly aligned with Judeo-Christian principles and in the best interests of the Australian way of life?

Challenges of Integrating Islamic Values in a Secular Education System

Integrating Islamic values into a secular education system presents significant challenges. Some families choose non-government schools for faith-based education, while others send their children to a secular or government school.

Ensuring that Islamic teachings do not conflict with Australia’s legal and moral framework requires careful balancing.

Schools, too, must navigate these differences delicately. This tension highlights the broader challenge of maintaining cultural and religious identity within a legal system that separates religion from state affairs.

Western Civilisation and Ethics

We have our own distinctive traditions and culture, including the English language, and laws that are consistent with the values of Australian society. We subscribe to inviting immigrants to belong—freely and genuinely—to Australia. And we expect all of its citizens to value its principles, become articulate in its language, and respect its laws.

All citizens are both body and spirit. Our behaviours and beliefs are challenged in every decision we make, every day. To value our language, identify with our culture, and respect our laws is to know what it is to value the ethics woven into our daily lives.

No one is perfect, or wholly imperfect. Everyone, however, is a reflection of another. Our ethical footprint is followed, trampled on, and recreated daily.

Our attitude towards our children and the value we place on their education is a gauge of our broader social and moral concerns. Ethical behaviour in schools begins with understanding and agreement on the only right we have—and that is to live responsibly and freely without compromising the right of others to do the same.

This is central to the beliefs and traditions on which all Australian and families schools must be founded.

We must restore integrity in our families and schools and reaffirm our belief in Western Civilisation.

We begin the path forward with a shared language of agreement.

The long upheld value of faith in freedom and responsibility can be agreed and adopted in families and schools, whether we are religious or not.

This effective and lasting change can resist all forces that seek to dismantle it.