Teach children to answer with civic discourse
“You have civic discourse based on the best manners and principles.”
Muslim families should respond to the public-school display of the Ten Commandments through calm civic discourse, teaching children that its core moral commands are grounded in Islam, and using the moment to explain Qur'anic guidance.
The khutbah in 7 steps
- Introduces Texas Senate Bill No. 10 and its impact on Muslim children in public schools.
- Separates legal challenges from the practical task of educating Muslim families.
- Establishes respectful Islamic guidance for discussing People of the Book and their scriptures.
- Compares the Ten Commandments with Islamic teachings on monotheism, honoring parents, and moral conduct.
- Critiques the gap between proclaimed commandments and actual conduct, including injustice in Gaza.
- Urges parents to teach the commandments’ virtues and use the display as an opening to share Islam.
- Closes with repentance, blessings, and prayers for oppressed Muslims, especially in Gaza and Palestine.
In the khateeb's words
“And for us, we have to deal with it as a matter of fact, and learn how to educate our children, ourselves, on how to deal with it.”
“You deal with them, you dialogue with them, you have civic discourse based on the best manners and principles not fighting, not useless argumentations, not useless disputes”
“but encourage them to practice it and this is an address to them because we want you to abide by not killing by not stealing by not committing adultery by not having false witness”
For the dinner table
Dr Basem Hamid spoke about the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms and encouraged Muslim families to prepare their children to discuss them. He reminded us to speak with people of other faiths using the best manners and to avoid useless arguments. He explained connections between several commandments and Islamic teachings, including worshipping Allah alone, honoring parents, and avoiding killing, stealing, and false testimony. He urged people to live by the values they teach, and he criticized silence and distorted accounts about the suffering in Gaza. His message to families was to approach these classroom conversations with confidence and use them as opportunities to learn and explain Islam.
- How could you explain something you believe to a classmate while also listening kindly to them?
- What is one thoughtful thing you could do for a parent or relative this week?
- When is telling the truth difficult, and what helps you do it anyway?
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