Australian Muslim youth voices about religion and relationships and sexuality education.

Abstract

International recognition of Western-perceived urgencies to widen discourse of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) to include more 'Western' and/or 'progressive/secular' topics has repositioned religion as a focal point in debates against Western exceptionalism. For example, protests by Muslim parents against RSE in schools demonstrate not only the continued relevance of Islamic beliefs and values in modern-day society but, more profoundly, religion as a form of contemporary modernism. However, the perspectives of young Muslims on RSE are less known about. This paper explores the views of Australian Muslim youth on religion and RSE. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with ten Muslim students between the ages of 16 and 20. Findings suggest that for many young Muslims, Islam plays a crucial role in shaping their understandings of inclusive RSE, influencing their feelings, attitudes and behaviours. The findings suggest that both acceptance of, and resistance to, particular topics within RSE are religiously motivated. Ways to improve RSE so as to promote more pluralistic viewpoints leaned on religious teachings of tolerance and respect. For many young Muslims, religious perspectives on RSE provide ethical, ontological and epistemological security, paving the way for new ways of understanding sex, sexuality, and different sexual identities.