Did our parents weaponise religion? | Growing up Muslim in Britain

Growing up Muslim in Britain meant learning the Quran, praying and, sometimes, being told exactly what would send you to hell. In Episode 6, Saf and Zoheb look back at how religion was taught to them growing up, from getting punished for mistakes and being afraid to get things wrong, to drifting from prayer, forgetting how to read the Quran and eventually having to build their own relationship with faith as adults. They get into South Asian parenting, the blurred line between culture and Islam, why religion was sometimes brought out when parents wanted children to obey, struggling to concentrate during salah, relearning the Quran later in life and whether the next generation will be taught faith differently. They also somehow find time for motivation slumps, an uncle working out in an office shirt, star signs, mysticism, dawah bros and a few religious stories they openly admit you should probably fact-check for yourself. Were they taught to love their religion, or were they taught to fear what happened if they got it wrong? Listen to The Side Room here: https://linktr.ee/thesideroompod Listen on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033MJBK... Amazon Music: Available via the link above Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/show/100338... Topics in this episode: • Motivation slumps and getting stuck in your own head • The uncle who went to the gym in an office shirt • Star signs, mysticism and religion • Growing up Muslim in Britain • Islam in South Asian families • Learning Quran as children • Getting punished for religious mistakes • Fear-based religious teaching • Drifting from prayer as teenagers • Forgetting how to read the Quran • Relearning Quran as an adult • Struggling to concentrate during salah • Culture vs Islam • When parents use religion to enforce obedience • “If you do this, you’re going to hell” • Sin, guilt, repentance and forgiveness • Dawah bros and verifying religious advice online • Learning faith for yourself as an adult • How the next generation might be taught differently • The advice Saf and Zoheb would give their younger selves Meet the hosts: Saf is one of the two hosts of The Side Room. He is British Bangladeshi, and much of what he brings to the show is rooted in that experience: growing up Asian in Britain, navigating faith, identity, culture and the everyday conversations that come with it. His style is relaxed, direct and considered. He can hold a conversation calmly, but when a topic properly lands, he goes deeper, gets more animated and brings a lot of passion to the point he is making. Zoheb is the other host of The Side Room. He identifies as a global citizen and British national, with Indian and Bangladeshi heritage. He also maintains that he may be a descendant of Genghis Khan because of a loose resemblance to old drawings of him, a claim that should be treated with exactly the level of seriousness it deserves. He grew up in East London as a Muslim brown boy, and his perspective is shaped by family, friendships, marriage, memory, education and professional life. Zoheb is loud, curious, animated and occasionally chaotic, with what he suspects may be undiagnosed ADHD. About The Side Room The Side Room is hosted by Saf and Zoheb, two brown Muslim men from different parts of the UK: one from the city, one from the suburbs. The name comes from the room you were sent to as a kid when the adults wanted to talk properly. Years later, those are still the conversations people avoid, or only have in private. This podcast is about life in Britain, from faith and family to race, culture, marriage, masculinity, friendships, work, community and the things that come with growing up between different worlds. #GrowingUpMuslim #BritishMuslim #SouthAsianMuslim #MuslimPodcast #TheSideRoomPod #muslimparents