Re: Raising Muslim kids in the West.
TV is a very bad influence on kids. As long as they watch kiddie shows it is allright but as soon as they go into bigger kids shows then the trouble starts. Shows like Hanna Montana for example, encourages girls to put on make up, look for cute boys and try to ask them out, go out with friends and other stuff which is a big no no in our religion.
I have cut off my cable for past 3 years in my home. I rent kids movies or borrow from the library. My kids mostly play among the siblings and their cousins. We have lots of "practicing" muslim families that we meet regularly. They have Video games, board games, internet (supervised ofcourse) and many other activities. So they are not bored.
I don't try to make it as a punishment for them. When we had cable I was the one who watched TV the most and I'm the one who miss it the most, but I think it is essential for the kids not to feel bad for being a muslim and missing out on all the "cool" things all the other kids are doing.