10-06-2004, 06:41 AM
Hello Athena
From my childhood Islamic education, we were thaught that heaven lies under the mothers feet and that the father holds the keys to heaven. This alone tells me that the status of our parents is very high. As for the elders or anyone for that mattery must be respected at all times, even if they are not muslims. The Christian have a saying "Do unto others what you would have done unto you." So you see respect "should be" a general rule amongst humans.
People can be wild in any country and any place. It is the upbringing of the child that matters. If adults teach the children good values and morals and give them a strong foundation be it Islamic or any other religion, then they will turn out to be good humanbeings. And then the conversion to Islam will not be so difficult since Islam is an easy religion to practice. Islam is a way of life that is practical and sensible.
I can understand that there is alot of peer pressure and other types of pressure where ever we are that makes it difficult for some people to do the right things. That is why Islam is so beautifull you can do everything that Islam belief requires without affecting or harming anybody around you. In fact you could practice Islam without anybody knowing that you are a muslim. You could practice it privately. Since Islam is about YOU and YOUR CREATOR.
Sham