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When Salim went to nursery school, his parents were open about their faith in Jesus. And then their son began to come home with bruises...
In the part of North Africa where Salim* lives, it's normal for kids like him to be enrolled in a nursery. For children 5 and under, a nursery is sort of a combination of preschool, daycare and kindergarten, providing both education and socialization for young kids. Obviously, part of these establishments' promise is to protect the students in their care.
But Salim comes from a Christian family, which means his safety doesn't always matter.
"As soon as the preschool staff learned that my wife and I are Christians, our child became the target of clear mistreatment."
Maarouf*, Salim's father
Salim is 5 years old, and when he first began attending the nursery, things were okay. The staff treated him well with the same kindness and attention they gave to the other children.
But during a Muslim holiday, Salim's parents asked the school to excuse their son from celebrations, explaining that they are Christians. They wanted to make sure they raised Salim to know the truth of his faith in Jesus.
Suddenly, preschool became a nightmare for Salim.
"As soon as the preschool staff learned that my wife and I are Christians, our child became the target of clear mistreatment," says Maarouf*, Salim's father. "Sometimes, when we got home, we found him with bruises and red marks on his body; often his clothes were torn. He was repeatedly mistreated and hit, and I was not convinced by the explanations given by the nursery."
When Maarouf questioned the staff, they said that Salim might have fallen while playing with the other children. Complaints to the nursery management did not change the situation. The little boy was still mistreated and hit. "With the ongoing mistreatment," Maarouf explains, "my wife and I decided to enroll Salim in a different preschool, hoping he would be well treated, regardless of his religion."
At the new school, Salim's parents again informed the preschool director of the family's faith. The director told them it would be no issue. "She assured me that, for her, all children are the same regardless of their religious beliefs or those of their parents," Maarouf says. "I was very happy to hear this."
But that happiness was short-lived. "Sometime later, I again began noticing bruises on my son's body, and twice he came home with a torn shirt," Maarouf says. "Worse yet, he was traumatized by these experiences; every day, knowing he had to go to preschool. He started having panic attacks."
When Maarouf spoke to the nursery director about the situation, showing her photos of the torn clothing and the bruises on his child's body, she simply responded that this could happen when children are active and play together.
Maarouf and his wife knew they had to make another change. They removed Salim from the second nursery—knowing full well how traumatizing all these events were to their 5-year-old boy.
Throughout this trauma, Open Doors local partner walked with the family. And this time, our partner advised Maarouf to enroll Salim in another preschool—this time without mentioning their Christian faith. "He suggested that we place him in a different preschool but without openly showing our belief in Jesus Christ. For now, it's the only option to protect our child," Maarouf explains.
Although being forced to hide your faith can be frustrating for parents and confusing for the child, it remains a necessary choice in this specific situation. Salim's parents know they may sometimes feel conflicted between the practices their son encounters in school and their family's beliefs... but for now, it's the only way to keep their boy from being harmed and able to have a normal childhood.
Salim is not the only child who must hide his faith to live and learn in peace. Many children in North Africa are traumatized by their experiences at educational institutions. Not only must they deal with their daily homework and studies, but they must also navigate the hostility of their environment. They're required to learn Islamic beliefs and memorize verses from the Quran—even when they know Islam is not their faith.
North African children need your prayers and support to survive this trauma—so that they can grow to understand their Christian faith and overcome the challenges of being a Christian, sometimes the only one, in a hostile environment.
*Names changed for security reasons.