will keep your students engaged. Teach them how to determine what makes a book good literature. It’s not enough for students to just like reading; they should be taught how to critically analyze what they read. Did the book win any awards? This is another way to ensure that you’re providing your students with quality books. There are many such awards for YA fiction novels, among them the William C. Morris Award, Pura Belpre Award, Coretta Scott King Award, Alex Awards, Odyssey Award, Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature and the Carnegie Medal. For example, S.K. Ali’s “Saints and Misfits” won a Morris Award, the APALA Honor Award and the Middle East Book Honor Award. Furthermore, broaden your students’ horizons by stocking your classroom library with a variety of books. Get your students reading YA fiction involved by asking them to suggest books that should be acquired. Assign students on a rotating basis to be the classroom librarian. Make them part of the pro cess of deciding which books should be added or discarded. Perhaps the discarded book could be given to a student, after receiving his/her parents’ consent, or donated to a local library. A classroom library is essential to a student’s success in mastering the English language. Label the books alphabetically, have a suggestion box so students can request specific books and allow them (at the teacher’s discretion) to snack while reading. Letting students read outside of class helps them develop a love for reading and use their imagination. With the right guidance from a teacher, students can also learn how to analyze literature and write a report based on what they have read. Students who read are more likely to be able to focus longer than those who don’t read. They also have stronger memory skills, can remember what occurred in the book and can often better understand the world around them. Reading exposes students to other writing styles and voices, allows them to empa thize with others and can lower their blood pressure and heart rate. Reading has other benefits as well, among them relieving their depression, helping them become better writers and increasing their knowledge. Following these five rules ensures that students will become well-rounded individuals. If they read diverse material and authors, it would be impossible for them not to become better people. ih Amani Salahudeen, who is pursuing a Master’s in secondary English education, has a B.A. in journalism and professional writing from The College of New Jersey. Sources: Gregory, M. (2008). “Planning and Organizing,” from Creating a Classroom Library. Retrieved December 1, 2008, from http:// www.mandygregory.com/classroom_library1.htm. National Council of Teachers of English. (2006). Resolution on preparing and certifying teachers with knowledge of children’s and adolescent literature. Urbana, IL: NCTE.
Teaching the Islamic Perspective of Health to Muslim Youth Secular and Islamic approaches to health issues don’t always provide the same answers BY AMBER KHAN
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earning about health is especially important for youth. Therefore, most public schools require such a class in order to address common youth-based topics like puberty, bullying, relationships, suicide, intoxicants, sexuality, body image, hygiene and fitness. Islamic institutions offer min imal aspects of health education, especially when it comes to sexual health. A survey, conducted in 2014 by Sobia Ali-Faisal, Ph.D., cofounder, MAC Research: Excavating Truth to Create Cultural Change, University of Windsor, revealed that 4.2% of Muslim youth reported receiving sex educa tion from their mosque, compared to 72.6% in school. Moreover, they reported that their greatest source was the media and their parents were the least likely source of such information. Most Muslim youth living in the West acquire this type of knowledge from secular resources.
Meriem Benlamri’s infographic, based on Sobia Faisal-Ali’s research (Chelby Daigle, The Muslim Link)
THE DRAWBACKS OF SECULAR HEALTH EDUCATION
I taught a health class at an Islamic school for several years using a medically accurate, age-appropriate and compre hensive public-school health textbook.
However, I found two major drawbacks to using only secular health resources. Muslim Youth Need Islamic Health Teachings. According to Muslims, religion and science are not mutually exclusive because Islam is congruent with all forms of knowledge, especially health. For example, reproductive and sexual health (e.g., menstruation, pub e r t y, hy g i e ne, no c tu r na l emissions, intimacy, family planning and consent) is one of the two most heavily discussed topics in Islamic jurisprudence. No other religion even comes close in this regard. Islamic health education encourages sexual responsibility by: ➤ Explaining intergender rela tions, instilling inner and outer mod esty, avoiding sexually explicit content, lowering one’s gaze and learning the physical, social, mental and spiritual risks of indulging in casual sex. ➤ Emphasizing that personal autonomy is based on our bodies being an amana (trust from God), unlike secular health, which often prioritizes personal autonomy based on self-in terest, and addresses cultural stigmas and discrimination (e.g., talking to a mental health professional) and social health issues (e.g., racism and mistreat ing women). ➤ Using tazkiya (spiritual purifica tion) to endure personal struggles such as coping with grief, divorce, abuse, body image and personality struggles (e.g., gossiping, anger or envy). ➤ Addressing Muslim youths’ unique health issues. A 2016 research study by the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), called “Meeting the Needs of
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