Do your children know what is happening in Palestine?
Should we be speaking to our children about violent events like this?
In our family we speak about a lot of things, including world events. My kids know what is going on right now although we haven't let them see any of the heartbreaking videos or footage coming out of the region or gone into all the details.
It would be hard to hide it from them because it affects us so deeply.
Where did we start?
For us the conversations and knowledge of Al Aqsa didn't start with the conflict that is happening now. It started with the seerah (the story of the life of the Prophet s.a.w).
How Al Aqsa was the first qibla of the muslims(the direction muslims face in prayer).
The glorious story of Israa and Mi'raj - the night when the Prophet s.a.w. was transported via Buraq (a white winged horse) from Makkah to Al Aqsa and then ascended to the heavens in the company of Jibraeel a.s (the archangel Gabriel).
How Al Aqsa remains one of the three main holy sites in our faith. How it is said that there is not an inch of Al Quds where a prophet has not prayed, where an angel has not stood.
My children know about the history of Al Aqsa from the story of Salahudin Ayubi. Of the hadith that relate to it's liberation.
They know about Al Aqsa from the stories of Sulaymaan (a.s), who, it is said, ordered his army of jinn to construct various parts of it.
They know about Al Aqsa in relation to the story of Maryam (a.s), as it is said that the temple where the soul of Isa (a.s) is located within it's grounds.
Finally, they know about the occupation:
They've learned about the occupation from discussions with us (mostly my husband, who does a great job of breaking things down simply for them).
These discussions happened from the time they were younger but also took place when my husband visited Al Aqsa in Ramadan a few years ago.
*(See Part 2 for a breakdown of how to talk to kids about the recent political history in Palestine)*
Our children also know about Palestine from a very powerful children's nasheed (song) on one of Zain Bhika's albums called "Grapevine". It is sung by a child and the story of the occupation is told from the perspective of a grapevine in Palestine. It is a simple and sad song but when they were younger my kids used to ask to listen to it on repeat.
Should all children be told about these kinds of things? I don't know. Some children may feel the trauma too deeply and possibly should be shielded. But if your children are exposed anyway or if you make the decision for your family, I hope this post helps.
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