Raising Salafi Children in the West

Despite the importance salafs place on children's education, this aspect of their discourse has hardly been studied. The present article examines how salaf jurists based in the Arab world, salaf imams based in the West and salaf authors of English-language children's books conceptualize the norms for raising children, and what they believe should be done specifically to assure the virtuous Islamic upbringing of children in Western societies. Exploring issues ranging from what constitutes proper schooling to whether Muslim children may befriend non-Muslim children and whether it is permissible to celebrate birthdays, play foosball or play with dolls, the article analyses the educational challenges salaf communities in the West face as enclaves that resist both majority secular societies and the majority among Muslim minorities, and presents the nuances, and in some cases contestations, among salaf leaders as to how these challenges should be addressed and prioritized.