Babies are often forced to follow a certain religion since they are born. Usually what happens is that wether the baby is born into a muslim or christian family, he or she will most likely grow up and adopt the same religious beliefs as their family.
Wether we follow a certain religion because it was imposed on us or because it is what believe is best for us is a question we should think about. I believe that most of us follow a certain religion because it is part of the environment where we were raised, thus we do not have much control over it. Choosing another religion other than that your entourage believes in is like betraying family traditions and rebelling against the old system. This is why people who change the religion they were originally born into are very rare. In fact, it takes a lot of courage to do that, because this may result in a lot of problems with the family.
Since I was born into a muslim family, I grew up as a muslim and did not have much choice as to what religion I want to follow. Yet, I can not imagine myself going up to my parents and telling them that I don’t want to be a muslim anymore. This is because religion plays an important role in our culture and traditions. All of my family members are muslims. Therefore, if I choose to follow another religion, I will be the odd one out. Most people in Morocco who are born into muslim families do not change religions. We might also assume that most moroccans are muslims since Morocco is a muslim country. However, I have already met some Moroccans that are not muslims. Still, these people represent a minority in our country. This is because we are still not familiar and comfortable enough with the concept of choosing our own religion freely.
While it is important to respect family traditions, it is also crucial for each individual to choose their own religion. Religion is belief system. Therefore, each of us should be free to follow a belief system that suits them best. Following a belief system that we do not believe in is ironic and contradicts the entire principle of religion. Going back to the question, I do not believe that there is such thing as a muslim, hindu or atheist baby since as babies we are not even aware of what religion is. Therefore, how can we associate ourselves with a certain religion at such a young age while we do not acquire any knowledge about this subject ?
I agree with you Zainab on your personal views that nobody is born destined to follow a religion, and is rather influenced by his or her surrounding and the people a person meets as they grow. However, people should be able to think for themselves and follow the religion they want. We shouldn't get influenced by our surroundings, we should do our own research, and explore all the different types of religions to potentially make a decision that seems logical under our perception.
ReplyDeleteI do understand that it is hard to be the ''odd'' one in a family of muslims, it kind of relates to coming out of the closet when you are gay. These are crucial decisions that we need to make up about our paths and some of these subjects are taboo subjects so we have to be careful with what we say and who we say it too.