Muslim baby activities in London?

[tiarong]

Hi,
I have a 5mo DS and live in west London.
Is there any local Islamic baby group around I can join?

There are lots of playgroups / baby activities in London, which are great for company and to meet other parents / children. However i'm unsure as to why a 5 month old needs specifically Muslim / Islamic activities, i'm sure he would love any group which has toys, songs and other children to interact with. Just as i'm sure you'll benefit from any group of new parents to discuss lack of sleep, teething and night feeds etc.

Presumably there are Muslim mums you can meet through the mosque. But as someone whose two best ‘Mum’ friends are Muslim (while I am not), I have no idea why a baby needs a Muslim play group per se.

I am sure there are plenty of baby groups in west London, maybe post on your local spotted Facebook page for suggestions or google 'town name baby group'.

I am not sure why you require an Islamic one? Don't all baby groups sings songs, play with toys and encourage children to explore new environments, whilst the adults discuss weaning, napping and other baby things?

I had no idea baby groups were segregated on religious or sectarian grounds! Is this just a London thing? Up here in rural Scotland everyone is welcome at the village baby group, whatever their religious or political affiliation.

There's plenty of groups about Christian baby groups, I don't see how that's any different. In fact there's threads on mumsnet about Christian toddler activists and parent and baby groups and nobody said anything on those about how awful they are

I think segregation in any form should not be encouraged the ethos of all groups should be understanding and tolerance with activities suitable for all. I run a group that is held in a Methodist hall its in no way religious and has no link to the church people of every religion attend and make friends. toddlers groups are not about worship or studying religious texts so why would we need an exclusive anything group?
Op can you not ask at your Mosque to see if there is a mothers group if not maybe set one up if you feel the need? But id love to understand why there is a need, can you enlighten me?

That’s interesting, Icannotthinkofauser. When you say there are Christian groups, do you mean exclusively for Christians, or just run by the church and held on church premises, but open to everyone? I’ve never come across such a thing as an exclusive one in my own church, (Church of Scotland), apart from crèches operated by volunteers during services.

Try searching on Facebook for any groups with your area and mums or parents in the title, there are bound to be some. You can get advice on there.
Do you mean you want it to be Arabic language group? I’ve never seen a group advertised as specifically Islamic.

jeepers
poor women probably just wanted some support from people that shared her faith whilst her toddler played.
its quite tough having a toddler.

Yes, I can understand she wants some support from people she has something in common with.

Try a mosque?

In west London the chances are any ordinary playgroup will have plenty of Muslim mums. And ‘Christian’ playgroups to me are just those held in a church hall and don’t involve any particular religious activity. And no religiously segregated playgroups aren’t a ‘thing’ in West London although there is a Spanish and French toddler group. I believe North London had some Arabic speaking toddler groups...

Although to make the point, none of the 5 Muslim mums in my older son’s class speak Arabic...

You're probably better posting on your local 'mums in X Town' fb group or asking at your mosque. A local women's Islamic group perhaps?

I don't know why people are giving op a hard time, a lot of playgroups are held in churches and contrary to popular belief some groups can be religious and non-Christians might not be comfortable there. One group I go to includes a bible story, all songs are about jesus and a prayer is said and another group is less religious but still says a prayer at the end. I live in an area with a significant Muslim population and these playgroups, unsurprisingly, don't reflect the local demograph.

I tend to find a lot of Muslim mums attend our local children's centre.

Surely a baby group with Muslim babies, Sikh babies, Jewish babies, Christian babies, Hindu babies and babies growing up with no religion would be preferable for everyone.

I find this trend toward ever-increasing segregation and separation between our communities profoundly worrying.

Baby groups are rarely about the babies...

I attended all sorts of baby groups and got lots of support and made loads of friends with people from all backgrounds and religions.

But...the people who share my religion and I have an understanding on a much deeper level.
When you are at your most vulnerable you sometimes don't have the energy to argue and defend your beliefs all the time. Sometimes you need help and support from someone who just 'gets' it. Who knows where you are coming from and is coming from the same place.

@isittheholidaysyet - agreed, and I can understand a Muslim wanting to be with other Muslims and not have to deal with any aggro/anti-Islamic stuff, especially with a young baby.

isittheholidaysyet - thank you for taking the time to explain. Its very sad that anyone feels unsafe in a toddler group where the ethos should be supportive to all. I've learned a lot from chatting to mums of different backgrounds its a shame any group is denied this by narrow minded individuals.
My toddler group is all about the child the parents are just facilitators the prime aim is to give children experiences that prepare them fro school adult socialisation is a by product.
I can also see why the idea of a segregated group could be threatening to some media reports play a big part.

I think that exclusion is dangerous for several reasons. There are lots of playgroups out there. I go to a couple of local mom and baby activity classes with my youngest two kids in tow when my step daughter is at her mom’s house for a while. Some were appropriate others were definitely not suitable. It’s worth finding out if there are any in the area or not. My local parenting phone directory lists a number of options.

Jannier

You see I ran my (church hall attended by all sorts of people) toddler group the other way round.
On the surface it was for the kids. Plenty of good quality toys, sensory activities, craft activities and nice area for the tiny babies.
However the kids could have got all this in nursery.(And they all did)

In my head though, organising it, it was all about the parents, getting them out of the house, giving them a coffee and space to drink it, a chance to meet people in the same situation and maybe make friends. A chance to chat about all those new parent problems.

That's why I personally attended toddler groups with my kids.

Are you sure you’re on the right board asking this question?

I accidentally wandered into a Mother & Baby for Turkish mums when DD was tiny (got my dates mixed up and ended up in the wrong session). I was so tired I just sat down and watched DD play. The other mums were perfectly friendly although many did not speak a lot of English. I assume the majority were Muslim. When support is set up for a certain group in society it doesn't necessarily mean everyone else is excluded.

I do wonder if the OP would have received similarly negative responses about 'segregation' on this thread if she had written she was looking for e.g. a Catholic group.

Eastie77 I think so segregation is divisive and can foster bad feeling.