Is it permissible to start a preschool in a non-Muslim country? The purpose of this is to try to make an Islamic preschool with halal food, Muslim teachers and nurses, and other possible benefits. However, since it will be located in a non-Muslim country, it will be bound by a curriculum based on the idea of democracy, meaning that there will be rules in this curriculum that go against the Sharia. Example of a point out of the curriclium: “An understanding that all persons have equal value independent of social background and regardless of gender, ethnic affiliation, religion or other belief, sexual orientation or functional impairment.” If it is possible to send the document privatly, then that could make it clearer if you go through it so that there would not be any missconceptions. Another factor in this project is that it will be state-funded and has to be open for all children (which can be avoided in some cases). Due to this, they will have controls and checks to try to keep the preschool running according to their curriculum. In some situations, failing to fulfil the requirements and any lack in running the preschool can lead to funds being withdrawn or receiving warnings and so on.

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

In our view, some of the content of that curriculum can be directed in a way that does not contradict the Sharia and which does not instill a wrong concept in the hearts of children, but some of that content is not so; rather, it includes serious violations that are dangerous to the natural disposition of young children, which then become deviant beliefs that are difficult to remove once they have become firmly established in their hearts.

Therefore, in principle, it is not permissible to set up a preschool that fully abides by that curriculum according to its wrong concept, unless setting it up decreases the evil on the Muslim children in that country, meaning that setting it up repels a greater harm than not setting it up at all.

In this case, this curriculum must be directed in the right direction and the corrupt parts of it must be made clear as much as possible.

Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah said, “The evil deed is tolerated in two cases: when it repels what is worse than it if it cannot be repelled otherwise, and when it achieves what is better than totally leaving it. The good deed is abandoned in two cases: if it leads to abandoning what is better than it, and when it leads to a bad deed whose harm is greater than the benefit of the good deed.”

We, therefore, stress that you should take the following matters into consideration:

1. The absence of another alternative for the Muslims in that country, such as establishing a private preschool that is free from Islamic prohibitions. So if you can find an alternative, then it is an obligation to take that alternative and it would become forbidden for you to set up such a preschool as the one that you inquired about.

2. The obligation of reducing the evil of this curriculum as much as possible; such as explaining the concept of equality between the Muslims and non-Muslims in terms of not being unjust to them by transgressing against them, their honor or their wealth, and that there is no distinction between people on the basis of color, gender, or race.

3. The children of the Muslims must be protected by teaching them the principles of Islam, especially those which contradict the falsehood of that curriculum.

Finally, we recommend every parent to fear Allah in his children and avoid enrolling them in such preschools if they can do so, provided that not enrolling them does not lead to a greater harm with the government of the country in which they live. Safety (in one’s religion) is of unrivaled value.

Allah knows best.