my dad is a muslim do I HAVE to be too?

I have fought the term ‘brain-washing’ but ultimately it is the best thing to describe what happens to so many kids because of how their parents raise them. I am NOT saying that all religious parents are horrible people who just want their children to do everything exactly as they do, but it’s human nature to express our own feelings and teach our children what we ‘know’ to be right.

But as some have said above, there is no law or rule that says you have to be what your parents are, or believe what they believe. It is solely up to you to determine what you believe to be true in this world, and the younger you are, the better it is to explore many different views and ideas. This will make you an open-minded person in your future and you will learn to tolerate and appreciate others’ opinions and views.

As for your immediate question of whether you should talk to your dad about it, I definitely encourage you to say something because the longer you just fake it for his benefit, the harder it will be to say something later on (believe me I know this lesson all too well).

However, I don’t think you should outright say, “I don’t share your beliefs.” Not only is this ‘close-minded’ but it will probably evoke a strong negative reaction from your dad. Instead, ask him honest questions about his faith. Ask him why he believes the things he believes, what value he places in those beliefs, what being a Muslim means to him, how he feels about other religions or other non-Muslim people. Ask him when he first truly accepted Islamic teachings, what he feels when he prays to Allah, what he thinks his purpose is for this life on earth.

These questions will not only make him more comfortable than an outright proclamation from you, but they will make him think, and they will force him to explain. If his response is something like “Stop asking so many questions.” then you probably hit a nerve somewhere inside him that has doubts about his faith. If he loves you and respects you, then he will value you taking the time to ask him about his faith and your desire to better understand it.

Hope that helps. :)