: An Honest Truth
multiple cultures from a very early es represented positively and accept perpetuated throughout the Western world and taught for generations. So many undeserving people have been celebrated throughout history, with many more deserving ones receiving no recognition at all. Not many people know of the fabulously wealthy Prince Mansa Musa, the tenth Mansa of the Mali Empire. With an indescribable wealth, estimated to be multiple times more than Warren Buffet, Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos, he remains unrecognized throughout history. Is this due to his ethnic background? (See Mohamud, N. (2019), “The richest man who ever lived” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ world-africa-47379458).
given the opportunity to watch and identify with a truly diverse cast of characters. While attempts to deliver inclusive content have been made, it is often portrayed with inauthentic tokenistic characters, not the people they represent. Many of our children are growing up in mixed-culture families and socializing with multiple ethnicities and religious groups. We are seeing change being called for on our streets and pledges of change being made nationwide. Now is the time to take real action and demand fundamental change across all media outlets. Broadcasters are responsible for meeting the need for real culturally diverse and value-based content that supports our children’s learning and education. However, they are wary, rather than unwilling, when it comes to real culturally diverse representation. The fear of “getting it wrong” leads many to create content that utilizes non-human characters to represent
MANY PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE THAT RACISM STARTS IN THE LIVING ROOM, THROUGH OUR ENVIRONMENTS AND THE PROGRAMMED CONTENT THAT FILLS OUR SCREENS. CHILDREN, FROM A VERY EARLY AGE, NEED TO BE INTRODUCED TO DIVERSITY AS A NORMAL CONCEPT. SADLY, THERE IS A MASSIVE LACK OF CULTURALLY RICH CONTENT IN MATERIAL DESIGNED AND DIRECTED TOWARDS CHILDREN. The education system and the way we are brought up has created a prejudice, reinforced in school because we had to defend our status and position in the world. No one corrected us. These historical lies have led to a great deal of suffering and incited racism amongst the masses. In order to change this institutional racism, we must present an accurate version of history and teach diversity openly and honestly. This should start before children even go to school. Many people don’t realize that racism starts in the living room, through our environments and the programmed content that fills our screens. Children, from a very early age, need to be introduced to diversity as a normal concept. Sadly, there is a massive lack of culturally rich content in material designed and directed toward them. Broadcasters must begin to understand their vital role in shaping the minds of these future generations. Children need to be
“diversity and inclusion.” But all children should be exposed to multiple cultures from a very early age so that they can see themselves represented positively and accept diversity as the norm. This desire led the London-based Safi Productions to create Zayn and Zayna’s Little Farm, which will soon begin airing on Muslim Kids TV with new episodes every month. Created by educational experts, it focuses on a Muslim family, introduces diverse characters and portrays a cultural mix as everyday normality. Its website (zaynandzaynas.com) also has games, books and exclusive content. An interactive app is available at The App Store and Google Play store, Instagram at @Zaynandzaynas, Facebook and Twitter at @ZaynandZaynas. ih Wa’qaar A. Mirza, a British entrepreneur with over 30 years experience in direct response marketing strategy, is CEO and founder of Zayn and Zayna’s Little Farm and cofounder and global CEO of Safi Ideas (safiideas.com).
How School Shootings Affect Students’ Mental Health “10 years. 180 school shootings. 356 victims.” – CNN, July 2019 BY REHAM FAHAD
A
s we’re all working in class, we hear a shrill siren screeching over the school’s PA system. By now, we all recognize the sound immediately and head to our places. We crouch by cabinets and huddle close together while our teacher locks the door. We’ve reached the year’s third school shooter drill, and it’s only December. It’s now routine for our entire school to get into place after barricading doors and switching off the lights. Some students joke about the situation, but most, including myself, are anxious. Even after the staff informs us that it’s a drill, the thought of this someday being a reality is truly terrifying. For some, these drills are a way to get out of classwork. However, students like me see it as preparation for the moment such an event becomes a reality. The thought of being trapped in a building with a shooter is scary enough in itself. And when the school district repeatedly practices intruder drills, it means there is a high chance that this will occur. The increasing number of mass shootings is a stressful thought, and having constant drills to remind us of this adds to the stress we already face. Some days we wake up feeling nervous, not knowing if we’ll make it back home alive. The New York Times, in its July 5 report titled “Chicago Gun Violence Spikes and Increasingly Finds the Youngest Victims” reported that “nine children under 18 have been killed since June 20 [2020] as Chicago reels from another wave of gun violence.” In short, nine children were shot dead in less than 15 days. Looking at these statistics, both adults and children realize that there is no truly safe public space. Many supremacists of all religions typically target temples, churches, mosques and similar establishments. Now with school shooters, even places of education no longer feel safe. ISLAMIC HORIZONS 57
