MYNA Program Promotes Personal and Spiritual Growth for Young Muslims

THE LEADERSHIP TRACK Anne Marie Balzano (director, Leadership and Governance, National Association of Independent Schools) divided her presentation, “Board Best Practices & COVID,” into three sections: (1) Roles/ Responsibilities: the board defines the organization’s path, mission and vision, and the principal drives it to the set path; (2) The Fiduciary, Strategic and Generative models. The last one requires the board to question the process and diagnose the problem to reach the issue’s root cause(s) before jumping to conclusions; and (3) the importance of having continuous accountability and assessments via different tools and a matrix chart.

Certified Leadership Challenge facilitator William White (board officer, CISNA; principal, the Islamic School of Louisville,” presented “Leadership Challenge: Connecting Best Practices to Islamic Foundations.”Participants engaged in interactive activities to learn how to model research-backed Islamic behaviors to improve their school teams and community’ engagement and performance.

Habeeb Quadri’s “Rise to Resilience: From the Heart of a Leader” discussed the new technological and human skills we need to learn and improve, and how faith helped leaders build and apply resilience through scriptural verses and our prophets’ stories. He urged school leaders to leverage hope and optimism when interacting with students, teachers and community members to continue building resilience.

A much-needed panel, “Avoiding Principal Burnout,” recognized the frustration coming from overloaded responsibilities; stress from the board, parents and teacher retention issues; and that many problems are due to poor financial support and management. Veteran administrators Shahida AliKhan (ISNA Lifetime Achievement Award winner), Magda Elkadi Saleh (vice president-USA, ISNA; head of school, Bayaan Academy), Susan Labadi, Azra Naqvi, (CISNA board; principal, Hadi School) and Pembe Yarsarlar (executive director, Crescent Academy Int’l; board, Institute for Learning and Development, proprietor of The Tarbiyah Project©) responded to questions and provided relevant advice.

Elkadi Saleh’s “Engaged Families = Stronger Schools” pointed out that such schools have more substantial retention rates, higher satisfaction rates and greater levels of parental and community financial support. She emphasized that engagement means involving parents in the conversation.

CISNA president Leila Shatara and board members Iram Shaikh Jilani and Uzma Shinawari’s “Why Accreditation? CISNA’s New Standards” offered new updates to standards as CISNA (www.cisnausa.org) moves to gain accreditation for its Islamic studies, Quran, and Arabic programs. They also spoke about standards related to governance, school administration, teaching and learning, as well as school culture and environment.

Each session was concluded by a Q&A session and a rich discussion. Overall, the tracks generated much positive feedback. ISNA executive director Basharat Saleem related how ISNA has spent the last year — and continues to — reaching out to support its North American constituents, by God’s grace. ISNA president Safaa Zarzour concluded the session by overviewing the forum’s 22-year history and making a closing du‘a.

NOTE: Recorded sessions are available on the ISNA YouTube channel. ih

Thouraya Boubetra (director, Arabic Online Education, Aldeen Foundation), Susan Labadi (Genius School, Inc.), Azra Naqvi (principal, Hadi School of Excellence) and Layla Shatara (principal, Garden of Sahaba Academy) are members of the ISNA Education Forum Committee.

MYNA Program Promotes Personal and Spiritual Growth for Young Muslims Three-week MYNA’s Hira Intensive retreat seeks reflection, connection, and direction.

BY ALAA ABDELDAIEM AND ASEEL ATALLA

Deep within Hira cave on Jabal an-Nour (the mountain of light) outside Makkah, Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) reflected on his relationship with God. Unknown to him during his annual retreat in this cave, one day it would serve as the birthplace of revelation and his status as God’s prophet and messenger to humanity. Muslims still marvel at what happened when the angel Jibreel descended and commanded the illiterate Muhammad to “Read,” to which the best of creation responded, “But I cannot read.” Embracing him tightly, Jibreel stated, “Read in the name of your Lord who created (everything) ...” Revelation proved difficult and extraneous, but it also caused the future prophet to impact humanity by igniting his ability to connect and transform.

Upon reflection, these formative and foundational verses outline three important aspects of our deen: (1) contemplation and seclusion pave the path to ma‘rifa (knowledge of God, Most Generous); (2) reading and writing turn us into holistic and grounded individuals who can deeply love God; and (3) we can both transform ourselves and others after experiencing great difficulties that “tighten our chest.”

Over the past year, the pandemic has deeply affected many of our lives. We find ourselves socially and spiritually disconnected and depleted. Isolation has forced us into unhealthy habits, impaired our hope and trust in the future, as well as separated us from our loving communities’ direct support. As we wait

MYNA Program Promotes Personal and Spiritual Growth for Young Muslims Three-week MYNA’s Hira Intensive retreat seeks

for it to play out, how do we acquire the proper toolkit to move past our self-built barriers, regain our trust and hope in God and nourish ourselves so that we may better serve our communities?

Named after Hira cave, MYNA’s threeweek residential summer “Hira Intensive” program (www.myna.org/hira) strives to create an environment of learning and growth that will drive change within each participant — one that we hope will lead to a better society. Just as Muhammad retreated to reflect on his Creator, society and self, Hira Intensive calls upon youth to (1) reflect on the past year and their habits; (2) then connect with their faith, God, peers and mentors; and (3) grow in their knowledge and practice by acquiring a deeper understanding of Islam and build good character and habits.

Our intention is to serve God with authenticity, sincerity and humility, and then connect youth with God and His Messenger. Islam is beautiful, and when participants experience it practiced holistically, with teachers and mentors as their role models, they see that for themselves.

From June 27 to July 17, youth aged 15-19 will have a chance to do just that. The program, which returns to Flint, Mich. this summer, will feature world renowned scholars and community leaders who are ready and willing to teach and interact with participants. They will provide a framework for a deeper understanding of such Islamic sciences as ‘aqida (belief), fiqh (sacred law), tazkiya (good character), Quran and Hadith and the Prophet’s life and character — all of which will assist participants grow in spiritual development.

Outside of classes, they will engage in workshops, discussions, field trips and other activities to apply what they learn to reality and prepare them to engage in

WE EXPECT TO CONVENE THE SAME HIGH-QUALITY PROGRAM THIS YEAR. AS WE LEARNED FROM THOSE WHO ATTENDED PAST THREE-WEEK SUMMER INTENSIVES, THE STUDENTS WEREN’T THE ONLY ONES WHO BENEFITTED.

follow-up social justice and community service activities.

Sana Khan, who went through the program last year, related that it “not only gave me the structure that I was looking for, but it also provided me with a deeper understanding of my faith … I was given a space to ask questions to people who were actually qualified to answer them. I loved that we could continuously ask why and not feel ashamed.

“The scholars,” she added, “encouraged that we question things so that we could create a deeper level of understanding, and in turn, love for Allah and His religion. I needed those three weeks to take me out of my daily life and struggles to remind me what it was all for.”

With anywhere from 30-50 enrollees each year, Hira Intensive provides youth with an avenue to build long-lasting, beneficial bonds, ones that former student Emaan Tauseef said shaped who she became.

“We became a family,” Tauseef said. “We all knew each other so well because of all of the engaging debates and conversations we would have. The people I met at Hira became my best friends. That’s a special bond that no one can replace.”

“It was truly a beautiful space because it became a family of people from all different places,” Sana added. “I remember us all having very different personalities, but we were united with our intentions of being there. Our souls connected. We became the kind of people who can go without talking for years, but when we’re together again, we open up immediately.”

We expect to convene the same high-quality program this year. As we learned from those who attended past three-week summer intensives, the students weren’t the only ones who benefitted. Residential advisors (RAs) tasked with mentoring students also found themselves attached to Hira’s mission. Former RA Saad Hasan experienced it firsthand. Now four years removed from his Hira days, Hasan still believes those three weeks in 2017 are “unmatched.”

“Being an RA at Hira is a once in a lifetime experience,” Hasan said. “You not only get to attend all of the incredible classes held by the top scholars, but you also get to serve as mentors to an incredible group of youth who are hungry for growth and knowledge. This in turn helps you with your own path, providing you with a new perspective on how to view our religion.”

And it couldn’t be offered at a better time, Saad added. For Muslims, membership in this generation presents additional challenges. Some young Muslims are distancing themselves from Islam in the midst of perceptions that it is barbaric, outdated, or simply irrelevant. Those who do remain connected to faith still face issues like social pressures, depression, drugs and more.

While mosques and other institutions often find it difficult to meet these unique needs, Hira Intensive is designed specifically for them.

“Oftentimes, in society, youth do not have the proper outlet to discuss socio-political issues and their faith simultaneously,” Tauseef added. “Hira, however, is the perfect place to do so, helping youth embrace what it truly means to be Muslim in America.”

To learn more about this year’s three-week intensive, visit www.myna.org/hira1. ih

Alaa Abdeldaiem is regional coordinator, ISNA Youth Development Department. Aseel Atalla, a senior at Zaytuna College, is director for the 2021 Hira Intensive Program.