Muslim parents becoming more strict with their children isn't the solution to radicalisation

Abstract

The Parramatta shootings have put Muslim parents into the spotlight. Muslim families have now become the "frontline of defence" and debates continue on the community's leadership and capacity to guide their youth. There is however a risk in all of this.

When it comes to talking about Muslims, the word "young" has become synonymous with crisis. It is a key word in today's narrative that has now shifted from fighting "terrorism" at the beginning of the century to fighting against "radicalisation". This shift means we have moved from policing actions to policing culture.

In this current climate of fear and violence, many concerned Muslim parents may well find an excuse, or feel compelled, to be even more strict and conservative with their children. This could lead to more closed doors, more policing, more scrutiny, more monitoring, more authority. We risk pathologising everything about young Muslim lives. Schools, homes, their whereabouts, their friends - they all become watched. This is unlikely to lead to the desired results.

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Dr Yassir Morsi is a research fellow at the International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding at the University of South Australia