Parenting Challenges for Muslims in Canada.

Abstract

Canada is among those countries where immigrants’ population is growing at a rapid speed and its Muslim population are expected to reach 2.7 million in 2030. A large number of Muslim populations comprises youth, and it is imperative to study and analyse the unique challenges that the parents of these young children are facing, and to find possible solutions to them. The qualitative research method was adopted to collect data through semi-structured interviews with ten mothers of adolescent children. The research findings revealed that the primary challenge these mothers face is the incongruence between Canadian values and Islamic values. Most of these parents migrated to Canada to improve the quality of their lives that resulted in eight out of ten mothers working to meet their family’s financial needs, maintaining a healthy work-life balance was another issue as they could not spend quality time with their children. Additionally, Muslim mothers expressed their deep concerns for their future generation, as they struggle with identity crises, peer pressure, and spiritual disconnect. The research concluded that a better understanding of Islamic values and Canadian values could eliminate the misconceptions and foster better relationships between them. The Islamic education of the youth by adhering to the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah is the key to success through good mentorship.