Islamic Horizons September/October 2022

WWW.ISNA.NET|$4.00|2022/1444SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER CIOGC AT 30 | B ANGLADESHI AMERICAN MUSLIMS PROSPER Resilience, Hope, & Faith: With Hardship, Comes Ease 59TH ANNUAL CONVENTIONISNA

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 5 24 Alumni Voices: Islamic Schools from a New Perspective Environment 40 The Islamic Open Circle for Climate and Environmental Justice Health & Wellness 44 Seafood and Water Pollution The Muslim World 46 Of Men, Power and Constitutions Social Service 48 A Service that Every Person Needs 50 Changing the Conversation Around Being Divorced or Widowed Family Matters 52 The Importance of Parental Involvement in Schools Muslims Living As Minorities 54 Indian Muslims in Peril Francophone Muslims 56 Learning the Languages of the Land Feature 58 I‘tikaf: My First, But Not Last, Experience Library 60 Worldbuilding in Fantasy Literature 61 What Constitutes a Good Muslim Rep in Books? Departments 6 Editorial 12 Community Matters 62 New Releases 42 The Lack of Action on Climate Change Continues to Threaten the Hajj ISLAMIC HORIZONS | VOL. 51 NO. 5 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 | READ ON-LINE: HTTPS:// ISLAMICHORIZONS.NET | V ISIT ISNA ONLINE AT: WWW.ISNA.NET ISNA Matters 8 In this Age of Suffering, Indeed with Hardship Comes Ease Nation 18 CIOGC at 30 18 CIOGC Sets the Malcolm X Courage Award 20 CIOGC Presidents Literature 21 A Winner Among Us Education 22 Always Ask Questions Before Selecting a University 26 Nearly Half of Islamic School Leaders Are Concerned About School Crises 27 Student Voices Against Gun Violence Profile 28 Milwaukee Rotary Club taps Muslim leader “2022 Person of the Year” Islamophobia 30 The Islamophobic Context and Significance of Qur’an Burnings Islam in America 32 Campuses Are Places to Share Islam 34 Making a Difference on College Campuses Community 36 Bangladeshi American Muslims Prosper 38 A Legacy of Overcoming Invisibility DESIGN & LAYOUT BY: Gamal Abdelaziz COPYEDITOR: Jay Willoughby. The views expressed in Islamic Horizons are not necessarily the views of its editors nor of the Islamic Society of North America. Islamic Horizons does not accept unsolicitated articles or submissions. All references to the Quran made are from The Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Amana, Brentwood, MD.

EDITORIAL

Misbahuddin Mirza and Rasheed Rabbi introduce us to the dynamic and rising Bangladeshi community, whose members are actively providing needed care to their fellow citizens in a variety of ways. Several of them have entered public service, and a few have even attained senior government positions.Suchdevelopments are another way of sending a loud and clear message to Islamophobes that Muslims aren’t a threat to this country. Islamic Horizons admits that it has overlooked a very important segment of the North American Muslim community -- Francophone Muslims, who are concen trated primarily in Quebec, Canada. We appreciate the initiative taken by Zainab Survery to begin filling in this gap. High schooler Reham Fahad, another young writer who Islamic Horizons is working with, talks to Monia Mazigh, a Muslim Tunisian Canadian academic, author and winner of the 2021 Ottawa Book Award for her French-language novel “Farida,” the story of a Tunisian woman’s struggle with her homeland’s patriarchal system. We will continue to seek ways to further increase the representation of this usually neglected community.

PUBLISHER The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) PRESIDENT Safaa Zarzour EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Basharat Saleem EDITOR Omer Bin Abdullah EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Iqbal Unus, Chair: M. Ahmadullah Siddiqi, Saba Ali ISLAMIC HORIZONS is a bimonthly publication of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) P.O. Box 38 Plainfield, IN 46168‑0038 Copyright @2022 All rights reserved Reproduction, in whole or in part, of this material in mechanical or electronic form without written permission is strictly prohibited. Islamic Horizons magazine is available electronically on ProQuest’s Ethnic NewsWatch, Questia.com LexisNexis, and EBSCO Discovery Service, and is indexed by Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature. Please see your librarian for access. The name “Islamic Horizons” is protected through trademark registration ISSN 8756‑2367 POSTMASTER Send address changes to Islamic Horizons, P.O. Box 38 Plainfield, IN 46168‑0038 SUBSCRIPTIONS Annual, domestic – $24 Canada – US$30 Overseas airmail – US$60 TO SUBSCRIBE Contact Islamic Horizons https://isna.net/SubscribeToIH.htmlat On line: https://islamichorizons.net For inquiries: membership@isna.net ADVERTISING For rates contact Islamic Horizons at (703) 742‑8108, E mail horizons@isna.net, www.isna.net CORRESPONDENCE Send all correspondence and/or Letters to the Editor at: Islamic Horizons P.O. Box 38 Plainfield, IN 46168‑0038 Email: horizons@isna.net 6 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 Muslim Americans Must Reach Out with Their Faith S ome of our readers may have this issue in their hands before the 59th annual ISNA convention; oth ers may pick it up at the convention. We wish the best to our attendees, both the regulars and the new ones. The regulars will of course savor the moments of meeting each other after the Covid-enforced break. The new attendees will reach out, make new friends and share their experiences. Many such experiences have led to rise of projects that are contributing to fellow Muslims and others both here and abroad.

Shaza Khan, Ph.D. (executive direc tor, Islamic Schools League of America) writes that given the seemingly all-con suming focus on obstructing Covid-19’s spread, the time, energy and attention usually given to other crises may have taken a back seat. She reminds us that the Uvalde, Texas, massacre of May 24 brings to light the unfortunate reality that school administrators must remain aware of other potential crises that can occur on schoolEminpremises.Poljarević, associate professor of the sociology of religion and systematic theology (Uppsala University, Sweden), discusses the significance of Quran burnings in that country. The Swedish law enforcement authorities enforce such ideologues’ freedom of expression laws and let these dastardly acts proceed. Interestingly, no other religious scriptures have met this fate.

Professor Yasmeen Qadri and Omer Kazmi of Valencia College each highlight the need for campus outreach groups, for these locations provide fertile ground for maintaining one’s identity and, given that many such students are there to learn, shar ing Islam with others. Finally, we look forward to seeing all of you at the convention! ih

The iconic Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) is marking 30 years of commu nity service and strengthening the bonds of kinship that surpass all assumed boundar ies. It has an enviable record of partnering with ISNA in its annual conventions -- a tradition that its members are carrying out this Islamicyear.Horizons salutes the founders and those who are carrying their bouquet of kinship forward and higher. Area high schooler Rabiyah Syed, a young writer who Islamic Horizons is helping to develop, proudly related this journey.

In this issue, Professor Muqtedar Khan offers a Quran-based discussion of this year’s theme: hope, resilience and faith, drawn from 94:5-6. Drawing attention to a world of strife and suffering, he states, “This promise of God is a beacon of hope that comforts the suffering, strengthens our resilience and resolve, makes us bear the ordeal with greater patience and empowers us to work harder to make things better.”

Understanding what Quranic verses 94:5-6 imply BY MUQTEDAR KHAN T he theme of this issue and ISNA’s 59th Annual Convention is hope, resilience and faith. It is derived from 94:6, a promise of God, the most merciful and most benevolent, that indeed with hardship comes ease. This article seeks to accomplish two goals: 1) to provide a commentary on 94:5-6, even though the theme is 94:6. Both are discussed, for if they are separated their meaning becomes distorted, and 2) to expand on how their message is guiding Muslims through a very difficult time.

ISNA MATTERS IN THIS AGE OF SUFFERING, INDEED WITH HARDSHIP COMES EASE

While the world is suffering through the Covid-19 pandemic and its ramifica tions, the Russia-Ukraine war and the rise of authoritarianism, Muslims, especially those who live as minorities, must cope with the additional burden of Islamophobia. The ongoing war is causing hunger and food insecurity in many parts of the world. The pandemic has ended a million American lives — over 15 million worldwide — and disrupted economies and livelihoods. Physical and mental health issues continue to plague communities worldwide. The war, the pandemic and bad gover nance are magnifying stress and suffering everywhere. Much of the world is in dis tress and despair. This promise of God is a beacon of hope that comforts the suffering, strengthens our resilience and resolve, makes us bear the ordeal with greater patience and empowers us to work harder to make things better. The verses’ apparent meanings are a promise of hope in times of difficulty. The Quran reminds believers not to despair of God’s mercy (39:53) or lose hope in Him (12:87). His mercy indeed encompasses all (7:156). This powerful tonic helps the faithful bear the most difficult circumstances, and the promise of light at the end of the tunnel gives them the strength and resolve to move forward, no matter what. The last two years have been challenging and many speakers, khateebs and counselors have leaned on these verses to comfort and inspire their communities. I have personally used these verses to help community members. Many of them were non-Muslims; yet when I recited this promise to them, they were uplifted and experienced hope. During April, I was at the London book fair for the relaunch of my book “Islam and Good Governance ” While there, I met a couple of refugees (who were in the book business) from Ukraine. We started talking about the devastation caused by the war. On listening to some of their stories, I shared these verses and 2:286 with them. I could sense from their reactions the feeling of hope these verses inspired. We live by holding fast to the rope of God. This is the relationship of faith and hope, of promise and trust that we develop with the Quran. But sometimes the intellectual classes adopt an instrumentalist approach to the Quran. They have a message to deliver, and they look for support from the Quran to enhance its legitimacy and credibility. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with this approach. It is for good, after all. But there is an etiquette toward the Quran that we must always maintain. Allah has com manded us to deliberate (tadabbur) upon it (4:82). Therefore, while we teach and benefit from its apparent meaning, we must also ponder upon its deeper meanings and seek the most beautiful understanding of God’s words, as commanded in 39:18. In 65:7, while describing how a divorce should be handled compassionately, God promises ease after hardship and that the

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WHEN ONE THINKS OF EASE FOLLOWING HARDSHIP, THEN IT’S EASY TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE EASE SPOKEN OF IS ESSENTIALLY RELIEF FROM THE SAID HARDSHIP. BUT WHEN THE QURAN SPEAKS OF EASE WITH HARDSHIP, THEN WE MUST ASK OURSELVES HOW CAN EASE CO-EXIST WITH HARDSHIP?

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10 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISNA MATTERS hardships one experiences will never exceed the capacity of one’s soul to bear it. It means that if God causes you suffer, then He also gives you the capacity to suffer. This idea that one’s suffering will not be unbearable is also revealed in 2:286, a very special verse, one of the three gifts given to Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi was sallam) on the night of his mi‘raj. So, in a way this special verse promises that with suffering comes the capacity to bear that suffering. Those who are in pain and distress should do zikr and contemplate on it. Unlike 94:5-6, which speaks of ease with hardship, 65:7 speaks of ease after hardship. This distinction is critical. When one thinks of ease following hardship, then it’s easy to understand that the ease spoken of is essen tially relief from the said hardship. But when the Quran speaks of ease with hardship, then we must ask ourselves how can ease co-exist withThishardship?interpretive challenge becomes even more difficult when you look at the gram matical analysis advanced by some scholars of these two verses, which suggest that the Quran is not repeating itself but is actually saying that there are two eases that accom pany one hardship. They make this argument since hardship is mentioned with a definite article al-usr and ease, yusr, is indefinite. They therefore conclude that although the hardship is the same, the eases are different. This claim is also corroborated by a hadith narrated by Hasan al-Basri, who said that one day our dear Prophet (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam): told his Companions that “one hardship cannot overcome two eases.” Commentators, classical and contem porary, maintain that this tradition spoke about 94:5-6.

So, then what are these two eases that accompany hardship? According to Quran commentator Sahl al-Tustari (818-96), they are the discernment of the heart (fitnat al-qalb) and the intellect (al-‘aql). Discernment of the heart here means its capacity to accept spiritual guidance and become the receptacle of God’s grace. Thus hope (raja’a) is indeed inspired by these verses due to God’s grace and mercy. But they also are the two sources of agency that empower us to act to alleviate the hard ship. God has endowed all of us with the capacity to receive grace — the discern ment of the heart — and we all have ‘aql (intelligence), which enables us to act with prudence in the face of adversity. If we read the two verses in the context of sura 94, we notice that it starts with a reminder of how God expanded the Prophet’s chest. We can understand its meaning from the prayer of Moses (‘alayhi as salam): “My Lord, expand my chest, for me” (20:25). This concept explains the meaning of the two eases — discernment and reason — which made the burden of prophethood easy for our Prophet and for Moses. So, when faced with adversity and hard ship, we need not wait for the ease to come, for the two eases are with us already and we are empowered to act. We also have been granted vicegerency (khilafa; Quran 2:30), the agency to act. Some readers may find these mystical and philosophical reflections difficult. But they are easy to comprehend when we consider real life examples. When the pandemic was at its peak and country after country was resorting to lockdowns, how did we respond to this challenge? Our hearts never wavered from the truth, and we relied on our reason to innovate. We started Zoom khutbas and remote prayers, thereby breaking our habit of standing shoul der to shoulder while praying and practiced social distancing in our mosques. We faced such challenges with our hearts and minds. We tried many ways to cope with economic and other hardships — often suc cessfully. Our chemists and medical people created vaccines and new treatments and showed patience, perseverance and inge nuity, all from the blessings of God. It may not be inaccurate to suggest that today Muslims are living in an age of suffer ing. Besides the pain from pandemics and war that everyone else is facing, Muslims have additional suffering. As minorities they suffer from religious oppression in places like China, India and occupied Palestine, and from Islamophobia in nations like Austria and France, to name but a few. In many Muslim-majority countries, they suffer from authoritarian governance, civil war, famines and extremism. Perhaps the idea of two eases, I hope, also implies ease for both, Muslims who live as minorities and Muslims who live in Muslim majority countries. ih Muqtedar Khan, Ph.D. is professor of Islamic studies and interna tional relations at the University of Delaware. He is the author of the award-winning book “Islam and Good Governance: A Political Philosophy of Ihsan” (Palgrave, 2019). A former president of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists, he is the host of the YouTube show Khanversations. His personal website is www.ijtihad.org and he tweets @Muqtedarkhan.

The declaration, announced by the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs, also recog nizes that bigotry, stereotypes and anti-Mus lim hate speech and actions have resulted in Muslim American history being neglected and says that such abuses must be combated with education and awareness. The division expressed gratitude for the advocacy work of the Utah Muslim Civic League on social media. “We are extremely thankful,” said Luna Banuri, the league’s executive director. “The reaction from the community has been vary ing. Some had not heard about it, and some had looked at it as the gateway to solutions for every issue the Muslims face in their daily life to be solved by this proclamation.” Banuri added that the Utah Muslim Civic League is planning a celebratory event and hopes to have a monthlong celebration in 2023 that highlights various ethnic commu nities within the larger Muslim community through food and culture. She said ideas for such a month stretch back to 2020, when the league’s advocacy efforts for the state’s Bosnian community resulted in then-Gov. Gary Herbert, Salt Lake City mayor Erin Mendenhall and Salt Lake County mayor Jenny Wilson issuing proc lamations marking the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. Banuri said active conversations with Cox’s team about the month began at the beginning of this year. Muslim American Heritage Month certainly isn’t the only month in the U.S. dedicated to celebrating an ethnic heritage; however, it may be the newest. Arab Amer ican Heritage Month, which gained federal recognition last April, is a close second. Illinois celebrates the month in January, and Washington State celebrates it in July. Both states began recognizing the month in Chicago2022. freelance journalist Tasmi ha Khan is among the awardees selected as the 2022-23 Richard C. Longworth Media Fellows.Acollaboration with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Longworth Media fellowships promote international reporting by Chicago and Midwestern journalists. Fellowships in the amount of $10,000 are awarded each year, thanks to a grant provided by the Clinton Family Fund to honor Longworth, a former Chi cago Tribune foreign correspondent and current Distinguished Fellow at the Chi cagoTheCouncil.fellowships seek to reconnect Mid western readers with international stories that impact their daily lives after years of financial pressure forced regional outlets to cut foreign correspondents from their staffs. For her project, Khan will report on religious communities in the Midwest and South Asia and how they think about adher ing to their religious values as they arrive in the Midwest as immigrants. She will focus primarily on the South Asian community, beginning with Bangladeshis and potentially other immigrant communities. Her report ing will look at immigrants’ relationships with religion across borders: How does the family back home influence the adherence and expression of religious faith among immigrants in the U.S.? Khan’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Vox, among other outlets. Currently, she covers a wide range of topics related to health, race, politics, culture and religion. This past year, Khan was named a fellow for Knight Science Journalism at MIT and an Interfaith Youth Core/Religion News Service Religion Journalism fellow. She has also founded Brighter Dawns, a nonprofit that addresses health concerns for women in Bangladesh. President Obama invited her to the White House twice in recognition of thisFoundedinitiative.in 1922, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing knowl edge and engagement in global affairs.

Khizr Muazzam Khan, a Gold Star father whose son, U.S. Army Captain Huma yun Khan, was killed in 2004 during the Iraq War, was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

The Illinois-based Nagamia Interna tional Institute of Islamic Medicine and Science (NIIMS) inaugurated the “Rare Quranic collection of Antique Qurans and

COMMUNITY MATTERS

The medal is awarded to those who “have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other signif icant societal, public or private endeavors” by the sitting U.S. president. Khan, a prominent advocate for the rule of law and religious freedom, served on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom under Biden. He is the founder of the Constitution Literacy and National Unity Center.

On July 23, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox de clared July Muslim American Heritage Month, joining only a few states that rec ognize the month. “Today Utah is enriched by its Muslim American people and culture in the arts, cuisine, business, government and sports,” reads a declaration from Cox. “For over a century, Muslims have been making valuable contributions to virtually every aspect of American society.”

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The Islamic Center of Tacoma moved into their new $11 million, 60,000 sq. ft. facility.“The Lord blessed us to have a whole community for us to be here so we can show and share our bread and share our love with the rest of our society,” Imam Abdul hakim Mohammed, the center’s executive director, said addressing the Eid al-Adha congregation.ThenewIslamic Center which, includes a mosque, fitness gyms, café, a food bank, Sunday school, a clinic, and a minaret, re places the center’s former mosque, which was heavily damaged by arson in October.

CAIR Minnesota chap ter executive director Jay lani Hussein said, “This cemetery is going to serve the metro-area Muslim community for more than 100Theyears.”permit allows a prayer room or mosque and a space for bodies to be washed without chemicals or embalming, as well as a second structure to hold cemetery equip ment, including an excavator to dig graves and landscaping equipment. The 73-acre cemetery in a rural area near Farmington will provide a final rest ing place for members of the Muslim com munity, which has just one other cemetery in Burnsville, accepting new burials in the metroCAIRarea.has advocated for the cemetery since 2015. ih

Some pieces are 600 years old. Among them are the oldest historic Qurans in the U.S. This collection includes almost a 100 Qurans and Quranic manuscripts, all hand-written, some of them on bamboo, palm trees and leather. The press release stated that NIIMS is the nation’s first library to acquire this treasure. “We are honored to have these [the Quranic collection and “priceless” Quranic manuscripts] on display at the NIIMS Mu seum,” a spokesperson for NIIMS is quoted as saying in the press release. It urges the public to donate to the initiative by visiting Benningtonflipcause.com.

“Professor Syeed is an experienced medi ator, a publicly-engaged scholar, a passion ate educator and a seasoned organizational leader,” said Augsburg president Paul C. Pribbenow. “This appointment represents a crucial and exciting step forward in our commitment to enhancing interfaith lead ership on campus and nationally.”

An award-winning educator, Syeed has taught extensively on interreligious educa tion and published articles on faith and com munity-based conflict resolution, restorative justice and interfaith just peacemaking. She previously worked for 10 years as an asso ciate professor at the Claremont School of Theology; held faculty positions at Starr King School for the Ministry and Chicago Theological Seminary, where she was most recently associate professor of Muslim and interreligious studies; as the co-chair of the American Academy of Religion’s Religion and Politics Section; and as a member of the Academy’s Religion, Social Conflict and PeaceSyeedSection.(BS,Guilford College; JD, Indiana University School of Law) also brings sig nificant executive experience to organiza tions focused on conflict resolution in com munity, higher education and government settings, including the Western Justice Cen ter Foundation and the Asian Pacific Amer ican Dispute Resolution Center. In 2021, she held the post of chief of staff to Nithya Raman, the first Asian American woman elected to the Los Angeles city council. Huda Alkaff, founder and director of Wisconsin Green Muslims, received the Bill Iwen Environmen tal Justice Award, which

College students Mu hammad Ammar and Ahmed Shuwehdi have started a Muslim Students Associa tion to help promote the needs of Muslim students.Theplatform’s goal is to not only repre sent the college’s Muslim students, but also to become a channel through which they can freely, safely and comfortably practice their faith on campus. This event has sparked interest within the community. The students have already made Ramadan food service arrangements and obtained a designated prayer space in a college facility. The building is equipped with multiple prayer mats, a shoe rack, a small ablution space and an occupancy indicator that allows them to pray free from any interruptions. Looking forward, the association is plan ning more activities for the general public. This local MSA is also collaborating with the resettled Afghan families in the area and hope to host events on campus. Ammar told the Bennington (Vt.) Banner July 4, “We have also been planning educa tional events that allow us to educate our wider college community on how to actively counter and dismantle Islamophobia in our community.”

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Quranic Manuscripts” on June 13 at the NIIMS Museum/Library, in the Rolling Meadows suburb of Chicago.

Castle Rock (Dakota County, Minn.) township hall’s board of supervisors unan imously approved Al Maghfirah Ceme tery’s request to use a building on site as a prayer room and space for ritual washing for Theburial.town board approved the permit on the condition that the cemetery either put up fencing or plant trees as screening any where the cemetery abuts houses.

ACHIEVERS Najeeba Syeed started as the inaugural El-Hibri endowed chair and exec utive director of Interfaith at Augsburg University on Aug.In1.this role, she functions as a national interfaith ambassador and partner with campus leaders as a change agent for interreli gious learning and living. She is also the faculty advisor for Augsburg’s Interfaith Scholars.

Last year, Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri gave a significant gift to the university to create the El-Hibri Endowed Chair and executive directorship for the Interfaith Institute.

Mansoor received the Human Relations Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice in 2011, has been a board member since 2009 and was presi dent of the Muslim Coalition of Connecti cut from 2011-16.

14 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 was established by Midwest Environmen tal Advocate.Theaward, presented at the 4th Annual Environmental Justice Awards Celebration on Oct. 11, was established in 2019 to honor local leaders who make a lasting difference in Wisconsin by advocating for the rights of all people to live in a clean and healthy environment.Alkaffisan ecologist, environmental edu cator and founder and director of Wisconsin Green Muslims, a grassroots organization that addresses environmental justice issues related to climate change, clean air and water, healthy food, solar energy, energy efficiency, waste reduction and transportation equity.

Amina Waheed’s docu mentary strand “Fault Lines” won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism award for its 2021 episode “Unrelinquished: When Abusers Keep Their Guns.”The award, given by the Robert F. Ken nedy Human Rights organization, was announced on May 24 in an online cere mony. Other winners for that year’s awards include PBS, USA Today, the New York Times and the Miami Herald. The documentary, produced by Al Jazeera English in partnership with Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting, won in the Domestic Broadcast category.

Al Jazeera English had previously won Robert F. Kennedy Journalism awards for its coverage of the “Arab Spring” protests in 2011 and the Fault Lines’ film on human rights issues in the clothing supply chain in Bangladesh.Founded by the reporters who cov ered Robert Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign, the Awards honor outstanding reporting on issues that reflect his concerns, including human rights, social justice and the power of individual action in the U.S. and around the world.

Laila Ikram was sworn in as a judge pro tempore by Judge Enrique Medina Ochoa (who sponsored her for the posi tion), the justice of the peace for the Down town Justice Court Precinct in Phoenix, Ariz., on June 27. Ikram, who becomes the state’s first Muslim and the first hijabi judge, was the first one to swear the oath of office on a Quran. Pro tempora — or “pro tem” for short — judges fill in on matters when full-time judges cannot. Being a pro-tem judge can be a starting point to being appointed a per manentIkram,judge.aNorth Carolina native and grad uate of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, will be filling in for judges in the county’s Justice Courts, which are some of the most high-vol ume courts in the state.

“We are so grateful to the Robert F. Ken nedy Journalism Awards for this honor, as well as to our partners at Reveal and to the families who spoke with us despite their tremendous losses,” said al-Arian.

“I hope this film, and the recognition it’s received, will spur action that prevents countless tragic deaths at the hands of armed domestic abusers,” Waheed said.

Chaplain Aida Mansoor, founder of the Moslem Coalition, Walk Against Hunger, is director of field education for Hartford International University for Religion and Peace. She was inducted in the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame (IHHF) on July 14 at the National Immigrant Heritage Center. She is among the four iconic contrib utors to the fabric of life in Connecticut and the nation, all of whom represent vast accomplishments, varied backgrounds and religious traditions. It’s the first time that an entire class of inductees are women. Mansoor, born in the U.K. to Sri Lankan parents, obtained her joint honors BS degree in biochemistry/physiology at King’s Col lege, University of London. She has MAs in community health and in Christian-Muslim relations. She earned her Islamic Chaplaincy Certificate in 2012 and has been present ing about Islam since 1999. She is a board member of the Connecticut Council for Inter-religious Understanding, Hartford Hospital & St. Francis Hospital Pastoral Service Committee and the Islamic Asso ciation of Greater Hartford.

For over two decades, she has advocated for environmental justice, initiating Muslim and interfaith programs on energy and water conservation. She is a program manager at Milwaukee Environmental Consortium and the coordinator of Wisconsin Faith Com munities for Equitable Solar. Alkaff has been recognized by the 2015 White House Champions of Change for Faith Climate Justice Leaders, the 2016 Sierra Club Great Waters group Environmental Hero of the Year, the 2017 Environment America’s Voices for 100 percent Renewable Energy, the 2018 Wisconsin Association for Envi ronmental Education Eco-Justice Award, the RE-AMP Network Superstar award, the 2021 Rachel’s Network Catalyst Award and the 2022 American Climate Leadership Award Finalist.

The team included Amina Waheed (pro ducer), Adrienne Haspel (editor), Joel Van Haren (director of photography), Darya Marchenkova (associate producer), and Laila al-Arian (executive producer).

COMMUNITY MATTERS

Judge Enrique Medina Ochoa swears in Laila Ikram as her husband Javid holds the Quran being used in the ceremony.

Dr. Shereef Elnahal confirmed as Under Sec retary for Health at the Veterans Health Admin istration by the Senate on July 21. He is now one of the Biden Adminis tration’s highest-ranking Muslim American appointee will oversee hundreds of hospitals and clinics that comprise the largest health care system in the nation. Elnahal (BS, Johns Hopkins ’07; MBA, Harvard ’12; MD, Harvard ’12) has a long standing history of working to advance and deliver healthcare to vulnerable popula tions throughout his professional career. In 2015, he was a White House Fellow for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and later served as Assistant Deputy Under Secretary untilFollowing2018. that, he became New Jersey’s health commissioner, making history as the youngest and first Muslim American to hold the job. His success in that role resulted in him becoming CEO and president of Uni versity Hospital, New Jersey’s only public acute-care hospital.

CONGRATULATIONStothe2022recipientsoftheImam’sGenerationalScholarshipFund! Zaynab Adesokan Junayed Ahmed Maryam Arab Saarah Baig Salsabil Gehan Salimah Hagmagid Mubasheer Joban Hassaan Karim Saniya Karim Yasar Khan Ronny Samra M. Hamza Vohra For more information, please visit: https://www.contemporaryislam.org/2022-igsf-recipients

The Muslim American awardees include Duaa Chaudhry, a second-year student in George Mason University’s Honors Pro gram, majoring in criminology with a con centration in criminal justice and a minor in forensic psychology. She has a 3.9 GPA. A first-generation college student, her goal is to become a law enforcement officer and make a difference in her community. After obtaining her degree, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in criminal justice. In addition to her academic achieve ments, Chaudhry is employed with the George Mason Police Cadet Program. In 2019, she participated in the Virginia State Police Youth Cadet Law Enforcement Pro gram. She is very proud of attaining her black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Nour Mohamed of Fairfax (Va.) re ceived a scholarship to continue her high school education at the United World Col lege-USA (UWC; Montezuma, N.M.). Mohamed, who completed her sopho more year at W.T. Woodson High school, is among 59 U.S. students selected for the merit-based Davis Scholarships. UWC is an international high school for 16- to 19-year-olds with 18 campuses world wide. Its mission is to unite cultures through education, thereby creating a peaceful, sus tainable world. UWC students represent up to 90 countries at some campuses; many come from conflict regions. Barry University’s School of Law professor, Nadia B. Ahmad — a author, at torney and sustainability expert, is a co-principal investigator within an in terdisciplinary team from Barry University, the Uni versity of Minnesota, University of Richmond, University of Kansas, and Pennsylvania State University, which has been awarded a threeyear grant of almost $500,000 from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to work with commu nities in designing a framework for creating policies that mitigate these impacts for a more just transition to renewables. The research is intended to expand renewable energy pro duction in the most vulnerable communities with environmental justice considerations. The three-year grant will support a multi-institutional and community part ner collaboration for the project, “Just Energy Transitions and Place.” The project will examine how place-based consider ations should be incorporated in federal and state energy transition initiatives. Understanding local considerations such as extreme weather events, environmental and health impacts from the energy sector, political dynamics, tribal land disposses sion, land loss, and historical inequities will give researchers an unprecedented, broad set of factors for development of the framework.

A NISHA RAIYAN IQBAL (EDITOR-INchief, The Oracle, [2020-22], the student newspaper of the West Springfield High School, Springfield Va.), Eshaan Mani (executive digital editor, The Kinkaid Falcon, The Kinkaid School, Sugar Land, Tex.) and Farrah-Adhan Muhammad (Poston Butte High School, San Tan Valley, Ariz.) were among the 25 high schoolers who attended the Asian American Journalists Association’s (AAJA). This annual weeklong multicultural journalism training program (JCamp) event was held from July 23 to 29 at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. More than 800 students have graduated from this training program since the first one was held in 2001. Professional journalists serve as faculty mentors throughout the week and provide students with hands-on training in writing, reporting, photography, broadcast and online media. JCamp instruc tion prioritizes the program’s core values: the importance of diversity in the newsroom and in media coverage; the value of cross-cul tural communication skills, networking and media ethics; and the fundamentals of lead ership, inclusion and collaboration.

Waliya Lari (director of programs and partnerships, AAJA) stated, “Our JCamp students are the future of journalism, and we are so thrilled to welcome them to the AAJA family.” Students’ expenses were covered, in large part, by the support of donors such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies and other generous sponsors. ih

COMMUNITY MATTERS

Al Jazeera English, in recent years it has won three Royal Television Society awards, a Peabody and several Emmy awards, in cluding two for Fault Lines’ episodes, the statement added.Yusra Betul Medik (MD, University of Istanbul, ‘17), resident physician, Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health, was named Resi dent of the Year (first year class) 2021-22. She served as postdoctoral research fellow at Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center Fairfax(2021-18).County (Va.) Sheriff Stacey Kincaid awarded scholarships to area students pursuing criminal justice degrees. “This diverse group of eight students succeeds academically, faces challenges head on and is passionate about public service,” said Kincaid. “I commend them on their strong work ethics and wish them the very best as they pursue careers in the criminal justice field.”

16 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

The research will contribute to a grow ing literature on energy transition policy by identifying opportunities for cross-state learning in policy design and areas where place-based context must be considered for effective and responsive policymaking. The team will use an engaged-research model to ensure this research is connected to the lived experience of communities facing energy transitions.“Theparticipatory aspect of this research will provide a more integrated assessment of law and policy to examine the specific interaction between changes in land use, energy demands and community dynamics in the presence and absence of fossil fuels and how these factors impact transitions to renewable energies that serve vulnerable communities” said Leticia Diaz, Dean of the Barry University School of Law. ih

BY RABIYAH SYED

Current chairman Irshad Khan relates that one goal of its creation “was to create a uni fied ummah with a united voice to represent the Muslims of the Chicagoland area.” A great and unique idea, this organization “was built to unify the communities and create a platform to speak on behalf of the entire MuslimCIOGCcommunity.”beganwhen a group of Muslim leaders held a meeting to discuss community concerns. This meeting was the inception of CIOGC as leaders concluded that there was a need for a connected council to assist and represent the Muslim community. The lead ers had constructed a vision for the council by the end of the meeting and went on to create the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. The council’s forma tion was a major effort to unify the Muslim communities of Chicago. It allowed for the many Muslim communities, organizations and individual people to have their voices heard; CIOGC was able to represent and aid the Muslim community in an effective and efficient way. Over the past 30 years, CIOGC has grown bigger, and more mosques and organizations have partnered with it. CIOGC started as a small organization working to aid, con nect and unify the Muslim community. For example, 9/11 was a very intense time for Muslims in America. Many Muslim people were afraid of what was going to happen next. During this time, CIOGC stepped up to support and help the Muslim community. One of the first things they did was provide a press release for the media. CIOGC later

(L-R Abdullah Mitchell, Dr. Jaleel Abdul-Adil, Imam Charles Khair Sadrud-Din, Dr. Timothy Gianotti, Randal Muhammad)

CIOGC Sets the Malcolm X Courage I N RECOGNITION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARD ADVANCING human dignity and social justice in a manner consistent with the prophetic mission, The CIOGC has established the “Malcolm X El Hajj Malik El Shabazz Courage Award.”

The inaugural award was presented to Dr. Farid Ilyas Muhammad (co-founder and CEO, the International Human Rights Association of American Minorities [IHRAAM]), an NGO in consultative status with the UN Economic & Social Council. By taking the case of African Americans’ human rights before the UN, Dr. Muhammad has fulfilled Malcolm Shabazz’s quest to do just that.

NATION

CIOGC at 30

Dedication and effort continue to strengthen Chicago Muslims’ unity

The American Islamic College (AIC) hosted the annual Malcolm X Day event on May 19, with the theme, “Honoring the Life and Lasting Legacy of Malcolm X El Hajj Malik El Shabazz.” AIC president Dr. Timothy Gianotti mentioned that the college “uphold[s] the Quranic teachings that we must stand for justice even when we ourselves are impli cated.” He acknowledged “that [the AIC] campus sits on land originally entrusted to Indigenous Peoples … whose sov ereignty, culture and very lives were violated by colonial policy — the same colonial policy that has enslaved, deni grated, oppressed and persecuted our African-American sisters and brothers for generations.”Dr.JaleelAbdul-Adil (clinical psychologist, University of Illinois — Chicago), who spoke on “Righteous Resistance and Persistence in the PreMalcolm Era,” described how “Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is our best example in stand ing forth for justice.” He explained that embracing Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X) is embracing the fact that “he gave us a modern example of the application of the sunna of Prophet Muhammad.” Abdul-Adil also emphasized that “Muslims of African descent have a long and proud history of struggle and sacrifice for Islam [justice].”

T his year, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) is celebrating its 30-year Theanniversary.organization, created in 1992 to help the growing Muslim community con nect, coordinate, improve the quality of its members’ life and make critical decisions, collaborates with over 70 area mosques, Islamic schools, relief and service-based organizations. They work with local and state officials to help better plan, organize and run programs and projects. CIOGC represents Chicagoland’s many Muslims. Abdul Malik Mujahid, a founder and former chairperson, said that the under lying motivation was to “have the commu nity come together. The community was growing, mosques were being built and there was a need to coordinate activities.”

18 ISLAMIC HORIZONS

Imam Charles Muhammad (board member, CIOGC) talked about Malcolm’s origin story. He described the Lost-Found Nation of Islam as a Black liberation theology that borrowed from Islam to address the degradation, oppression and persecution of Blackamericans. Imam Charles said, “The [NOI] presented a narrative that centered Blackamericans as god — the original man. This served as a sort of placeholder — a mythic substitute to wean Blackamericans away from false nar ratives being imposed upon them by others that rendered them spiritually and psychologically subjugated to others. But the goal was always Al-Islam.”

CIOGC members also work with commu nities to achieve social justice. For example, they helped fund a social justice program at a mosque in Chicago’s North Side, which they used to run soup kitchens and give food to those who needed it. The organization plays a large role in conveying information to the community via seeing what needs to be done, devising a plan, calling on partners or people who can help and, finally, executing the plan. For example, it wants the mosques and other partner organizations to educate people of their civic duty and encourage them to act. “We are enhancing our efforts within our community to say, ‘Mosques, you need to have voters registration, voters drives and education on civic duty,’” explains Khan. They have also brought in experts to dis cuss the importance of fulfilling their civic duty. In addition, they invite candidates so people can be informed, ask questions and voice concerns. Then they can decide who to vote for and thereby become more socially engaged. In addition, CIOGC acts at the state level by working with lawmakers and legis lators. One of their accomplishments was to get a law passed which states that missing school on religious holidays is considered an excused Anotherabsence.bigwin was realized when the Trump administration assumed power. There was major concern that Muslims would have to be registered like Japanese Americans had been after Pearl Harbor. CIOGC went to Springfield, the state capi tal, and worked to pass an anti-registry law at the state level that if that concern became reality, Muslims in Illinois wouldn’t have to register.Mujahid said that CIOGC people “meet

created a diversity video for the Chicago Police Department to sensitize police officers and security officials. This video was also shown to security personnel at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports, which helped to ease the concerns of Muslim Americans. Since then, the organization has added more staff positions, such as executive director, communication team and direc tor, and committees. More programs were planned and implemented as the need grew for more community projects. More inter action caused their network to expand. Its leadership’s continuous decision to step up has led the organization to an important turning point: becoming involved with city officials to such an extent that they were recognized as a liaison and representative of the Muslim community. In September 2021, during the Afghan refugee crisis, the Department of Homeland Security and the Illinois Department of Human Services contacted CIOGC to assist the refugees. “We don’t do it all by ourselves. We bring our partners, relief organizations and mosques to help facilitate them,” said Khan. With the help of partnering relief organizations, they have already received and facilitated the resettlement 1,400+ ref ugees and unaccompanied minors. The task force focuses on advocacy, awareness and providing essential needs and religious services. CIOGC and its part ners supply housing and food, employment opportunities and access to medical care to the resettled refugees, as well as cultural training and translation assistance to the involved agencies’ staff. As of 2021, the orga nization had given $1.4 million for rent and utilities to 750 families. Another major ser vice is arranging religious services in local mosques. This help program continues. CIOGC works with many committees to resolve problems and assist those who need help. One of the many important commit tees is the charity committee, which works with Zakat Chicago. Zakat Chicago collects zakat from local mosques and distributes it locally. During 2021, it distributed $750,000.

ISLAMIC HORIZONS 19

Khair Sadrud-Din (senior diversity and inclusion specialist, Shure Incorporated) talked about the impact of Malcolm Shabazz’s life and legacy. He recounted numer ous examples of how Malcolm’s life story and leadership has left an indelible impres sion upon every generation. Brother Khair explained that Malcolm X’s impact not only helped shape history, but also influenced the culture, especially through literature and music. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Muhammad said he was doing so “on behalf of Malcolm Shabazz, the late Dr. Yussuf Naim Kly — the first chair and co-founder of IHRAAM — and those who continue to struggle for human rights and social justice for all.” He added, “The sociocultural impact of Malcolm’s life upon those of my gen eration is incalculable … The scope and depth of Malcolm’s contributions to the mission of Islam in the U.S., and particularly its impact among people of African descent everywhere, cannot be Heoverstated.”alsopointed out how just prior to his untimely death, Malcolm, along with John Henrik Clarke (and Dr. Kly as advisor), wrote the basic unity program for the Organization of Afro American Unity. He said that IHRAAM has its roots in this historical and polit ical context. ihCharles Muhammad, Dr. Farid Ilyas Muhammad, Irshad Khan, Muhammad)

Courage Award

20 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 on a regular basis and make decisions that are critical for the community.” One of their past decisions was to work with a coalition known as United for Power. After joining forces, they influenced Illinois to cover the healthcare of all children under the age of 18. These are just some of the milestone achieve ments that CIOGC has accomplished on a civic and legislative level. Members of CIOGC’s interfaith program work closely with leaders and representatives of other religions. Building open commu nicative relationships with them is essen tial to resolving pressing issues. Over the years, CIOGC has built relationships with the members of the Archdiocese of Chicago through interfaith dialogue and community events, such as hosting iftars. Being able to work “Shoulder to Shoulder,” as Khan puts it, is crucial because it’s much more beneficial to find common ground and work together to address many social issues. Another part of this interfaith program is sponsoring the Mustard Seed project, which aims to combat religious and cultural polarization by promoting and facilitating open discussion among different groups. The CIOGC interfaith committee promoted this project at one of its components, The Mecca Center. The event brought Christians and Muslims together for discussions and conversations about their beliefs, as well as about themselves. CIOGC and the interfaith committee hope to host more such events to strengthen relationships. CIOGC worked with local officials and, as Khan said, “ensured compliance of the mask mandate, organized mass vaccination sites and was the first group to have all cler gies vaccinated to ensure the safe reopening of mosques across Illinois.” Members also joined forces with the Illinois Department of Human Services and received an emergency fund of $1.4 million to financially assist ref ugee families. In addition, CIOGC worked with city officials to help create jobs and employ them in the community. The orga nization’s quick action and decision to step up led to people being more alert and aware, as well as to obey the experts’ protective measures.CIOGC’s Task Force also works with relief organizations, medical professional associations and social service groups to aid the needy. They help with Covid-19 testing and screening and providing access to non-emergency medical care, dental care, food and financial aid. Covid-19 was a difficult time for many; however, CIOGC, with determination and planning, was able to assist those in need and emerge as an organization.ThispastMarch, CIOGC hosted a lun cheon to celebrate its 30-year anniversary. Many important people, including the gov ernor, mayors, attorney general, senators and others, were invited to a huge event focusing on the organization’s large network. CIOGC’s interfaith partners and police offi cials also attended. The event both show cased the organization’s wide-reaching net work of notable people and acknowledged and commemorated its work and milestones. This was a historic event, because for the first time CIOGC gained major recognition from government officials and a large amount of social media attention. After 30 years of CIOGC serving the community, Irshad vocalized that moving forward, he hopes to continue working and communicating together, building relation ships and representing, serving and aiding the Muslim communities of the Greater Chicagoland area. ih Rabiyah Syed, a student at Naperville Central, loves photography and aspires to be a speech pathologist.

CIOGC Presidents Dr. Mohammed Kaiseruddin, co-founder of CIOGC Talal Sumbli, MD Irfan Kareem Abdul Malik Mujahid, co-founder of CIOGC Zahir Sahloul, MD Bassam Osman, MD, co-founder of CIOGC Irshad Khan

NATION

OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS, CIOGC HAS GROWN BIGGER, AND MORE MOSQUES AND ORGANIZATIONS HAVE PARTNERED WITH IT. CIOGC STARTED AS A SMALL ORGANIZATION WORKING TO AID, CONNECT AND UNIFY THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY. ➔

BY REHAM FAHAD M

onia Mazigh, a Muslim Canadian academic and author, was awarded the 2021 Ottawa Book Award for her novel “Farida,” the story of a Tunisian woman’s struggle under her homeland’s patriarchal system. Her work is a refreshing change of pace compared to other forms of activist novels. The story follows Fatma and Jouda and their perspec tives as the timeline moves forward. It’s a statement of women who have rarely been portrayed, but neverthe less explains how the domination of men has evolved and changed over the last 80 Tunisian-bornyears.

She enjoys the idea of different narrators approaching a story, as the same event can be described completely differently by each one. Depending on each individual’s sit uation, his/her perspective changes. Viewing the same story through dif ferent lenses is something that she likes to explore. As for the genera tional gap, she likes to see the impact of time psychologically on her char acters. “To see the change is amaz ing and beautiful. The evolution of society is very important to capture.”

LITERATURE A Winner Among Us Muslim Canadian author Monia Mazigh receives the 2021 Ottawa Book Award for her novel “Farida”

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 21

Talking about the significance of the Ottawa Book Award to her, she says it is a “great encouragement” to her writing.Asan academic, university instructor and human rights activist, she finds it extremely symbolic that her hard work is being recognized appropriately. “To be recognized for some sort of merit and what I’m doing — for me, it’s a great support to continue working and bring more stories.” When asked if she’s looking forward to winning more awards, she replies, “Absolutely. I think I really work hard to improve my writing and reach new readers. However, I am not writing for the award. I am writing for the readers. If it comes, it comes.” ih Reham Fahad is a student at Naperville Central High School, Naperville, Ill.

and -raised Mazigh, an extremely passionate human rights activist and educator, writes about life there, how women are treated and what they want. “I started writing in 2008. This is where I began writing a memoir about what happened to my husband,” relates Mazigh, speaking about her history with writing and how she began. “After I published my memoir [“Hope and Despair”], I started writing my novels. I wrote my first memoir: ‘Mirrors in Mirages.’”

Her husband, Maher Arar, tele communications engineer with dual Syrian-Canadian citizenship who has resided in Canada since 1987, was detained during a layover at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Sept. 2002 on his way home from a family vacation in Tunis. U.S. officials claimed that he had links to al-Qaeda. Arar was later “rendered” to Syria, where he remained incarcerated under extreme conditions until 2003. He returned to Canada in 2004. For “Farida,” she wanted to write something that reflected different realities. Mazigh maintains that women don’t have to be submissive and wants the world to know this fact. Thus, she wants to paint a different picture. Currently, the book is only available in French. It will be available in English in 2023. “I want to appeal to the general public,” she states. “I don’t write for a specific group of people. I have a story I want to share. Once it is out there, anyone can read it.” “Farida” tries to “open the window” on Muslimas. “I don’t pretend to represent Muslim women as they are. However, I want to bring that perspective in my stories — the diversity of Muslim women and being who they are. Most of the time they are put in a box.” She aims to change people’s view of Muslimas and show their strength. Her pride in Islam, as well as in the people alongside her who want to end patriarchy’s unfair rule, pulls her writing together into a beautiful story. Her book changes perspectives and has a generational jump after part one. When asked about her fragmented writing style, she says that as an author, she “would like to test something and discover a new style.”

FOR “FARIDA,” SHE WANTED TO WRITE SOMETHING THAT REFLECTED DIFFERENT REALITIES. MAZIGH MAINTAINS THAT WOMEN DON’T HAVE TO BE SUBMISSIVE AND WANTS THE WORLD TO KNOW THIS FACT. THUS, SHE WANTS TO PAINT A DIFFERENT PICTURE.

While an ambitious novel, it does carry important messages and oppor tunities for people to see inside and understand the mind of a Muslima being held down by patriarchy. This tale, which subtly delivers these ideas while clarifying the line between cul ture and religion, depicts the breaking of a traditionally patriarchal world as it shifts into a new world through the narrators’ thoughts and imagery. Showing the world that there is more depth and fluidity to Muslimas while confirming that Islam isn’t ruled by a patriarchal mindset, Monia Mazigh truly opens the window into Islam and a Muslima’s mind.

22 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

BY SAMI ABDUL AZIZ H aving been a univer sity chaplain at univer sities nationwide, I’ve known students on an in-depth level and observed them trying to be Muslim in a very non-Muslim environment. While living in the U.S. has its challenges, parents can often check out more easily from the workplace social pressures than their children can from school or workplace social pressures. Often immigrant parents’ brains having been developed in a homogeneous society, have had their personalities and behaviors already set by years of living in an Islamic environment., Their chil dren’s brains continue to form in whatever environment they are living, as it is highly impacted by the intense social program ming bombarding them from multiple sources, including their non-Muslim and statistically increasingly atheistic environ ments. We are no longer living in a “Christian” country dictated by some Biblical based laws, but in a predominantly secular country based upon what people feel is right. This might result in cog nitive dissonance, meaning that they’re confronted almost daily with non- or un-Islamic ideas, philosophies and worldviews. For example, teachers often assign readings or express ideas that promote sexual promiscu ity as good and as a lifestyle that people should not only support, but also consider for themselves. An even deeper-rooted and overlooked issue is the dis connection of modern science and the Islamic sciences in our schools. The brain’s connection, therefore, separates the two: the former as real and the latter as magical, mystical or fake. Science is here and now; God is far away. Science is modern; God is ancient. Self-help books deal with today’s issues; the Quran is old knowledge for a long-ago time. Considering these situations, I’d like to help you and your families formulate your higher education pathways. My advice is as follows. A college or a university’s high aca demic ranking doesn’t guarantee a more successful career. Having a higher moral and religious grounding, however, does have a positive impact on determining the student’s career success. It’s less about the university ranking and more about staying in the fight when things get tough. A study out of Boston University found Muslim students who attended Islamic schools to be more confident and faithful. In America and elsewhere, Glenn says, research suggests “kids who attend faith-based schools are less alienated from their soci ety than kids who attend public schools, where they feel part of a singled-out minority”

An institution’s academic ranking isn’t the most important criterion

Newsinside-us-islamic-schools/).www.bu.edu/articles/2016/(https://BrianKelly,editoroftheU.S.&WorldReport’s“Best Colleges” (Aug. 26, 2014), admit ted that the rankings system can be gamed, at least in university:tipsofneedMuslim-friendlyHowever,ofschoolsmedication.withbenefitaren’torg)gionrapidcom/)(https://www.mastersportal.Rankings18)com/).(https://www.bostonmagazine.BostonAlexandruPop’s(Jan.“5ReasonsWhyUniversityAreNotPerfect”isalsoveryinformative.Unfortunately,oursociety’smovementawayfromreli(https://www.pewresearch.meansthatdatapointsfocusedonreligionasaasmuchasisthecaseexercise,psychologyorCounselorsandoftengiveawholehostsolutionsoutsideofreligion.thereisawaytoselectuniversities.Muslimparentsandstudentstoconsiderthedifficultiesuniversitylife.Hereare10tohelpwhenchoosinga

➤ C heck the MSA or Muslim Club’s online social media presence. Look for photos showing practicing Muslims. Does it look like a social club or a place for spiritual rejuvenation? When was their last post? Do they have a board? Does it look like a community your children could learn from and into? Try reaching out to have one-on-one meetings with board members to see if this is a good fit for your child. Successful MSA chapters have weekly meetings for both the executive board and the gen eral“Thosebody. who hearken to their Lord and establish regu lar prayer; who (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation among themselves; who spend out of what We bestow on them for Sustenance” (2:233). “Thus it is due to God’s Mercy that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you; pardon them therefore and ask pardon for them, and take counsel with them in the affair; so when you have decided, then place your trust in God; surely God loves those who trust” (3:159). ➤ Check the university’s religious/spiritual life page. Do they list an on-campus Muslim chaplain? This chaplain should be qualified and exclusive. To save money, universities will try to combine an existing Muslim professor’s position with chap laincy or hire an ex-Muslim who was active. Look for universi ties that invest in qualified fulltime Muslim chaplains. Do they provide/facilitate regular prayer services with the MSA? Is there a safe space for daily prayer? Is there a space and qualified kha teeb for jum‘ah? Is there certified halal food? What times do they provide halal food? Is it just burgers or more? What are the accommodations for Ramadan? Is there taraweh service? Is there Muslim housing (many uni versities provide Jewish and/or Christian housing)? If not, can my student live in a male-only dorm or is it a mixed dorm? A university should have thought this through before your student arrives and should be proactively providing such services. ➤ Halal food. God says, “Then eat of what God has pro vided for you [which is] lawful and good. And be grateful for the

EDUCATION Always Ask Questions Before Selecting a University

The author (first left) with students DePauw Eid celebration

University, where Imam Omer Bajwa has directed Muslim Life at the Chaplain’s Office since 2000, manages one of the nation’s best halal food implementations. Yale has made all of its dining halls halal all the time. Bajwa has a close relation ship with the dining hall man agement and works regularly with its members to implement halal compliance. ➤ C heck for a Muslim chaplain who adheres to the religion. Awf ibn Mālik (‘alayhi rahmat ) reported that the Prophet (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “The best of your leaders are those whom you love and who love you, and who invoke God’s blessings upon you and you invoke His blessings upon them” (“Sahih Muslim”). Given the reality of a nation wide push for an anti-judg mental agenda to legitimize such Islamically haram actions as drugs and free sex, many Muslims have jumped on this bandwagon and lost the ability to discern whom they should and should not learn their moral values from. This attitude has permitted universities to hire Muslim chaplains who openly violate the Sharia and espouse ideas that contradict Islam. Be discerning when choosing a Muslim chaplain. Check his/her social media pages, activities and writings to see if they are in line with your values. ➤ C heck the university’s values. Muslims are unaware that Brigham Young University, one of the country’s largest uni versities, requires every student to sign a code of conduct that prohibits drug use and premar ital relationships universitythemselves.gionrespectedthroughoutandicallyalcohol.ofPartyty-schools-america-1619664).www.newsweek.com/top-parcheckknownimplementationuniversity’snot.however,haveMtional-system-honor-code).byu.edu/view/church-educa(https://policy.anyChristianuniversitiessimilarcodesofconduct;manyuniversitiesdoItisprudenttocheckonthevalues,moralsandofsuch.Isitapartyschool?Youcanrankingsonline(https://schoolmeansitisaplaceeasieraccesstodrugsandMuslims,whohavehistorhostedmanyChristianotherreligiousminoritieshistory,alwaysthesepeoples’reliandgavethemspacetobeWillyourchosendothesame?

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 23 favor of God, if it is [indeed] Him that you worship. He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than God” (16:114-15). One of the Muslim students’ most common complaints is around tayyib and halal food. We often grow up in homes eating quality organic halal meat made into exquisite dishes from our home countries. As most Americans don’t live like this, universities are often ill equipped to accommodate such needs. You’d be surprised how much good quality halal food can affect one’s psyche and ability to function properly. Gut health affects our brains and hearts both spiritually and physically. We are what we eat. Many Muslim stu dents become sick and/or gain weight due to the dining halls’ poor food Becausepractices.halalfood is largely unregulated by Muslims, unlike the Jewish communities’ con trol over kosher, universities can claim halal without oversight. Their dining halls are often run by third-party companies hired to provide cheap services. Being focused on high turnover, management is overworked and therefore verifying halal food is poorly, if ever, executed. Reports of pork being labeled “halal” aren’tFinduncommon.auniversity that has a Muslim chaplain who is over seeing the implementation of halal meat. University officials may claim halal food status, but parents and students must ques tion the food’s original source. Also, who’s training the relevant employees and is there a regular training program for new ones? Who certifies the halal meat and the facility? Until these ques tions are asked regularly, uni versity officials won’t take these concerns. We’re all part of the solution.Yale

➤ Distance. I always advise parents to keep their students at home or at least within a 30-minute drive. Having paren tal support is crucial during the mental and emotional develop ment phase of their university years, a time of immense social pressure to conform.

➤ Islamic facilities. Univer sities have budgets for all sorts of academic buildings and centers. They can surely afford to provide a permanent space for the daily and jum‘ah prayers. Check to see what facilities are provided. Are they permanent, safe and Islamically clean? Are they used by other religions? What programs take place in that space?

➤ Wudu and bidet. Does the university provide wudu stations and bidets or hand washers to clean after using the toilet? These seem like small requests; however, as any prac ticing Muslim will tell you, this is most definitely not the case! ➤ Visit the community. This may seem obvious, but many parents will go on the word of an administrator or website. Don’t. Participate in jum‘ah. Speak to the students one-on-one, for the on-the-ground story usually dif fers from that of the university officials, who are naturally eager to have your student as their cus tomer. Once the decision is made, it’s hard to back out. Muslim must create a database, as the Jewish Hillel International has done, of American universities and their Muslimness or lack thereof. If you’re interested in contribut ing to such a project, SamiAbdulAziz@gmail.com.contact ih Sami Abdul Aziz, former chaplain and director of the Center for Spiritual Life at DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind., has also served at Wesleyan University, Quinnipiac University and Choate Rosemary Hall as Muslim chaplain.

A COLLEGE OR A UNIVERSITY’S HIGH ACADEMIC RANKING DOESN’T GUARANTEE A MORE SUCCESSFUL CAREER. HAVING A HIGHER MORAL AND RELIGIOUS GROUNDING, HOWEVER, DOES HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON DETERMINING THE STUDENT’S CAREER SUCCESS.

➤ Housing. Many students often end up living far away from their parents. Many universities, including liberal arts colleges, may require students to live in university housing. Check with the university housing depart ment about the arrangement for housing. Can your student live with the same gender? Is there Muslim Housing available? For an example of MSA-led Muslim housing with the uni versity housing department, see: largetry,cannexthousingMuslimhousing.https://www.msuuci.com/ThePurdueUniversitycommunityhasbuiltforMuslimstudentstocampus.ManyexamplesbefoundacrossthecounespeciallyoncampuseswithMuslimpopulations.

“Students’ Sense of Belonging at FullTime Islamic Schools in the United States: A Phenomenological Study” is an ISLAconducted academic study. Led by primary investigator Dr. Seema Imam (professor, National Louis University; former board chair of ISLA) and Dr. Shaza Khan (executive director, ISLA), it was published recently in The Journal of Education in Muslim Societies (JEMS). This study was supported by a grant from the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) Currently, approximately 300 full-time Islamic schools serve an estimated 50,000 students across America (ISLA, 2021). Their demographics reflect the community’s diversity: students from African American, Hispanic, Caucasian and immigrant back grounds with diverse linguistic, sectarian and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Dr. Imam relates, “It was an exciting experience to hear from 37 alumni of fulltime Islamic schools. I have always wondered how our alumni experiences could inform us in understanding the strengths and chal lenges at our schools.”

As a former founding principal of one of the country’s oldest Islamic schools, Dr. Imam’s commitment is long-standing. She’s been involved with teacher training at the university level for nearly three decades, and with ISLA for about two decades. Up until the pandemic, she also served as the principal of a weekend Islamic school in Indiana. In short, she has unique insights into the broader context of Islamic schools in theTheU.S.desire of Dr. Khan, whose exper tise focuses on Muslim American identity development, is to research Islamic school alumni — a desire fueled by the acknowl edgement that their voices are often under represented. “Every focus group interview that we conducted with the alumni of Islamic schools was eye-opening. These former stu dents were deeply impacted by their Islamic school experiences,” she says.

Alumni Voices: Islamic Schools from a New Perspective

24 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 EDUCATION

The Islamic Schools League of America conducts new research on sense of belonging in Islamic schools

ISLA, a nonprofit organization estab lished 20+ years ago to support full-time Islamic schools, maintains a nationwide registry and database of Islamic schools. It strives to elevate Islamic education by providing a platform for professional net working and resource sharing, and through its research and professional development.

BY LISA KHALER

A student’s sense of belonging is crucial for academic success. Are Islamic schools developing this cru cial component? A new research study by the Islamic Schools League of America (ISLA) is addressing this topic.

WHY A SENSE OF BELONGING MATTERS Feelings of school connectedness and a sense of belonging are particularly important for middle and high school students. Sirin & Rogers-Sirin contend that feelings of school belonging help increase academic performance, promote student motivation and well-being usingexperiences.37researchinofresearchschoolstionalwantself-actualizationonewherebythisandoneselfgrouploveprovide.security,shelterthemettendsemotionalavarietyunwantedaccordingdoi.org/10.1177/0044118X03255006)(https://and,totheCDC,actasdeterrentsforand/ordestructivebehaviors.Aofresearchindicatestheimportanceofsenseofbelongingasavitalpartofthesociowell-beingofanindividual’slife.Maslow’s5-stagepyramidofneedsconthatone’sbasicphysicalneedsmustbebeforeonecanbeginstrivingtoreachnextlevel.Afterobtainingfood,drink,andclothing,oneseekssafetyandwhichafamilyandschoolscanAfterthoseareobtained,oneseeksandbelongingviainterpersonalandrelationships,andthenesteemforandacceptancebyothers.Cognitiveaestheticneeds,whicharealsogoalsatstage,leadtowardself-actualization,anindividualbecomes“everythingiscapableofbecoming.”Thissenseoforsenseofselfiswhatweforourselvesandourstudents.Whileasenseofbelongingisfoundatofuturesuccess,researchonIslamichasrarelylookedatthis.ISLA’sfocusedon,“DoMuslimstudentsdiversebackgroundsfeelthattheybelongtheirIslamicschoolenvironments?”Anecdotalaccountsareuseful,butispowerful.InsightsfromthesealumnihelpedshedlightontheirlivedTheinterviewswereanalyzedphenomenologytoidentifythemes

PARTICIPANTS AND DEMOGRAPHICS ISLA’s alumni study is the first one to exam ine the factors contributing to, or hinder ing, students’ sense of belonging within full-time Islamic schools. The qualitative study used focus group interviews with 37 Muslim alumni who had attended a sec ondary Islamic school and graduated high school within the past decade — the majority had graduated in the past four years — and were either attending college or working professionals when the study was conducted.

Islamic educators must follow the prophetic model, as they bring together individuals united only by Islam. Teachers should focus on the merits of each student and their families to validate each student’s intrinsic merit and value. According to Dr. Imam, “The alumni revealed how urgent it is for schools to prepare them for life after Islamic school graduation. They also need us to nurture every student as an individ ual and be inclusive of racial and ethnic differences.”Anti-racist training is also recommended to reveal unconscious biases and reflect on how their staff’s thoughts, language and behavior contribute to an anti-racist envi ronment. Muslim ARC training is specifi callyAlumnirecommended.indicated that they developed and strengthened their sense of belonging by attending a full-time Islamic school. While there are areas for growth, Dr. Imam reminds us, “In Islamic schools’ short lives, a few decades, we have alumni telling us how pleased they are with the relationships that they have with their teachers. As an educator, I believe building relationships are the most pivotal in building student success.” This article is based on “Students’ Sense of Belonging at Full-Time Islamic Schools in the United States: A Phenomenological Study” by Seema Imam & Shaza (https://muse.jhu.edu/article/856339).Khan ih Lisa Kahler is program manager at The Islamic School League of America.

Islam forbids racist and discriminatory acts. In his last public sermon, the Prophet said, “All people are from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also, read “a white has no superiority over a black, except by piety and good action” (“Sunan al-Tirmidhi,” hadith no. 1163).

administrators.Thefactorsenhancing and hindering a sense of belonging informed the research ers’ recommendations on how to create an environment in which all students feel that they belong, thereby helping them achieve their fullest potential.

The research shows that intentional stu dent orientation with embedded structures for including new students increased their sense of belonging. The Prophet provided the best example of this by partnering the Ansar with the Muhajirun until the latter could support themselves. The “buddy system” is actually an Islamic tradition.

PARTICIPANTS OVERWHELMINGLY ATTRIBUTED A STRONG SENSE OF BELONGING AT THEIR ISLAMIC SCHOOL TO THEIR SHARED IDENTITY AS MUSLIMS. THEY IDENTIFIED THE TEACHERS AND THEIR LONG-LASTING POSITIVE IMPACT AS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THIS SENSE.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 25 from across the interviews in a manner that sought to explore and describe the essence of students’ experience through these alumni’s perspectives.

MAJOR FINDINGS: TEACHERS MATTER AND SCHOOL COMMUNITY

RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the insights from the research as well as Islam’s two primary sources, Imam and Khan recommend the following: have students and staff emulate the Prophet’s (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) character, help teachers create caring classrooms, foster teacher–student bonds, intentionally wel come and include new students and pursue inclusive and anti-racist behaviors. Their primary recommendation is to encourage teachers to study and follow the Prophet’s life example, as doing so will help improve all aspects of the school community. Developing a caring environment grounded in the love of Allah and His Messenger is another key recommendation. Prophet Mohammed conveyed empathy via active listening, such as turning his whole body to listen to the speaker. Teachers who become active listeners in terms of picking up on both verbal and non-verbal cues will enable students to feel safe and be seen, heard andTheincluded.alumni and related research indicate that strengthening positive student–teacher relationships is key to creating a sense of belonging. Participants noted many oppor tunities for Islamic educators to develop relationships, such as teachers praying with students, attending communal activities and encouraging the use of “sister” and “brother” when addressing fellow students to build a familial relationship.

Three major themes that emerged from this study stand out in terms of how schools seek to nurture their students’ sense of belong ing: the importance of teachers, creating a school community and being a minority in an Islamic Participantsschool.overwhelmingly attributed a strong sense of belonging at their Islamic school to their shared identity as Muslims. They identified the teachers and their long-lasting positive impact as the most important element of this sense. The teacher–student relationship transcended academics and reassured participants, as it also helped create a support network for various spiritual, career and personal issues. However, they noted that some staff behaviors — perceived racist, sexist or eth nocentric behavior and speech — negatively impacted this sense of belonging. The majority of alumni described their school communities as comfortable and supportive due to shared norms and values. However, some alumni reported bullying and the exclusion of new students. The theme of shared struggles and shared Muslim iden tity resonated with many participants, espe cially those who had attended public schools. Students who joined Islamic schools later on noted that it took time to gain a sense of belonging. For them, this became easier when staff members or fellow stu dents clearly explained the school’s norm and culture. But a few of them never felt that they Alumnibelonged.mentioned several negative factors in this regard, such as using Arabic or Urdu phrases colloquially between staff and/or students, thereby excluding various ethnicities, as well as sectarian beliefs and the unequal application of rules. Differences were mitigated when students spoke up and/ or managed to educate the school commu nity about their particular beliefs.

African American students mentioned race, particularly female students, who cited common racist actions and micro-ag gressions from fellow students, staff and

❻ Which of the following drills has your school run with students during the 21-22 academic year? [fire, armed intruder, severe weather, lockdown, other]

Survey asks administrators to consider: Are we ready?

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

❶ How concerned are you about a vio lent/armed intruder at your school?

❷ How prepared is your school against a violent/armed intruder?

Nearly Half of Islamic School Leaders Are Concerned About School Crises

❸ Does your school have a communi cation plan in the case of a local or national crisis?

❺ W hich agencies do you have school-community partnerships with? [police, fire department, other]

❾ Are there any other thoughts, con cerns or ideas you would like to share about gun violence and/or crisis response at IslamicAlthoughschools?thesurvey administration was incomplete when this article was published, responses were received from 63 administra tors representing 58 Islamic schools across the U.S. (N=55) and Canada (N=4). Most ISLA

INITIATIVECOMMUNITYRECEIVEDRECENTLYARESPONSEGRANTFROMISLAMICRELIEFUSA(IRUSA)TOPROVIDEACRISISRESPONSETOOLKITFORISLAMICSCHOOLS.

BY SHAZA KHAN T he Covid-19 pandemic shook many educators to their core. Unexpectedly, within a matter of weeks, U.S. school leaders went from hearing about a new “possible” pandemic to having an actual pandemic close school doors for up to two years in some instances. According to research conducted by the Islamic Schools League of America (ISLA), Islamic schools responded remarkably well to the many pandemic-related challenges. From constantly (re)-adjusting instructional methodologies (from distance learning to hybrid to remote to in-person) to obeying local health and safety ordinances, making sense of the Centers for Disease Control’s shifting guidance and altering certain aspects of the Friday congregational prayers and Ramadan — Islamic faculty proved to be very agile and successful when it came to educating their students.

26 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 EDUCATION

❼ Which of the following crisis sce narios are your top three concerns for your Islamic school community? [gun violence, terrorist attack, student/staff death, natural disaster, fire, hostage situation, chemical/ hazard spill, bus/vehicle crash, missing stu dent, power/IT outage, medical emergency, student physical altercation, cybersecurity threat/ hack, domestic violence/threats]

Islamic schools operate in a unique envi ronment. As private nonprofit institutions, they are not bound to the same legal and institutional requirements as public schools. Therefore, our schools don’t always have knowledge of and access to crisis prevention and response strategies that may be found in public However,schools.Islamic schools are equally sus ceptible to such crisis situations as school shootings, suicide attempts and medical emergencies. Other crises may include nat ural disasters, bomb threats, mass allergic reactions, severe weather, medical emergen cies, riots and demonstrations, fires, student or staff deaths, explosions, chemical/hazard spills, acts of terror or war, flooding, bus crashes, outbreaks of disease, hostage situ ations, school shootings, domestic violence threats, kidnapping assaults and/or fighting, power/IT outages, missing students, suicide attempts and weapons incidents.

❹ Does your school have a crisis man agement plan?

❽ Which would be most beneficial to help you prepare for a crisis situation at your school? (Select all that apply). [informational webinar for admin on types of crises, training videos to help staff respond to crises; Islamic School Crisis Manual for admin and staff, funding to hire consultants/staff to manage or prepare for crises, differentiated training for different stakeholders (staff, parents, stu dents), risk management training, access to curated community resources]

While every crisis situation is distinct, the ones listed above fall within the pur view of a school’s crisis management tool kit. ISLA recently received a Community Response Initiative grant from Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) to provide a Crisis Response Toolkit for Islamic schools. As a preliminary step to creating it, ISLA conducted a survey to better understand Islamic school admin istrators’ perspectives on their schools’ pre paredness and response to crisis situations, including violent/armed intruders.

SURVEY School leaders were asked to respond to the following questions:

NOT-SO-NEW CRISES (RE)-EMERGE Given the seemingly all-consuming focus on obstructing Covid-19’s spread, the time, energy and attention usually given to other crises may have taken a back seat. The May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, Tex. — 19 students and two other individuals killed — brings to light the unfortunate reality that school administrators must remain aware that other crises can occur on school premises. Dr. Leila Shatara (head of school, NoorUl-Iman School; president, Council of Islamic Schools in North America [CISNA]) wrote on May 25, 2022, in an email listserv, “I’m just numb. I don’t know how to pro cess this as a school leader responsible for the safety of hundreds of children. We have spent the past three years in constant con cern for their health and well-being and now are reminded of the insanity that occurs in the U.S with these school shootings.”

Student Voices Against Gun Violence P ILLARS PREPARATORY ACADEMY (SOUTH River, N.J.) students present their views on the challenges. Nour Choukrane (10th Grade) After a series of devastating school shootings this year, my school, Pillars Preparatory Academy, decided to dedicate school time to addressing these unfortunate events. It started with a schoolwide assembly in which the students and staff were instructed on what to do in case of an emergency. We also learned about the issue of gun law reform. This was really important, because it helped relieve any anxiety that students may have felt after hearing about the shootings while also preparing themselves for the worst possible case scenario. Unfortunately,“the worst-case scenario”has become a reality in many U.S. schools. This can cause a lot of stress for students, especially when they aren’t sure about what to do in such a situation. Ignoring this reality certainly doesn’t help, and so I’m happy with the way Pillars decided to handle it. As most of these shootings are caused by the lack of gun restrictions, the school’s administra tors decided to have each student, from third grade through high school, chose two senators and then write them a letter: one to thank the first senator for his/her for his/her advocacy, and to try and convince the second senator to act. A teacher reviewed and then mailed the letters to the Isenators.knowthat a lot of people think writing a letter won’t accomplish anything, and I did too at first. But then I realized if everyone did their part in some way, then eventually the senators would have to listen to the people they are representing. I also believe that as Muslims, our job is to fight for what’s right, instead of just sitting back while these incidents are happening right in front of our eyes.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 27

respondents (78%, N=50) were school princi pals or head of school; others were operations managers, vice principals and directors of a subdivision of the school (i.e., elementary). Based on their responses, 48% were “very concerned” or “concerned” (N=31) about an armed intruder in their school; 28% were “unsure or neutral” (N=18). Interestingly, nearly 40% were unsure of how prepared their school was if this scenario were to occur (N=25).Atotal of 31% (N=20) of the administra tors “agreed” (N=14) or “strongly agreed” (N=6) that their school was prepared against an armed intruder. Of those who strongly agreed, five indicated that their school had a crisis management plan. All had relation ships with the local police and fire depart ments and had engaged students and staff in a lockdown drill, among other crisis response drills, during the past academic year. Most Islamic schools also reported that they had a communication plan to deal with a local or national crisis (63%, N=40). Slightly more indicated that they had a crisis management plan (70%, N=45). Islamic schools reported partnerships with a wide range of agencies, and nearly all administrators reported that their school had a partnership with the local police (94%, N=60) and fire departments (64%, N=41)

As you could probably tell, Pillars Preparatory Academy is a private Islamic school that strives to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone, students and staff. From properly helping us comprehend school shootings to pro viding us with regular and enjoyable school days, everything overall just runs smoothly. The school has the nicest staff and the friendliest students to create not only a comfortable learning space, but also a warm community. The teachers genuinely care about their stu dents and help us create a bright and stable future for ourselves. If, for example, a student is falling behind, most teachers offer their free periods and breaks to help him/her better understand what he/she needs to know. This shows how much the teachers really want to help all of us. The level of respect that everyone holds for each other is what contributes so much to how well the school runs and how involved everyone is in the things that matter.

I’m happy that my school decided to do some thing about the injustice going on right now in the most appropriate way they could. As for the departed victims of the shootings, the school decided to allow students a chance to fundraise by letting them dress in orange to raise $5 to show they stood for gun reform. The money raised was then used to fund the letter-sending process as well as purchase a banner to show support for the victims. Any leftover money was donated to non-profit gun control advocacy groups. I think this was a great gesture, for it not only showed support for the victims and their families, but also unified the students of Pillars Prep for an important cause. The actions taken by my school helped me and many of my fellow students understand what is going on in the world and made us feel like we were working toward a better future and making a change. The school’s efforts not only prepared students and staff for any possible school shooting, but also helped make a difference in the world. Ayah Abbassi (9th Grade) It’s no secret that mass shootings in the U.S. are on the rise and that this affects schools and public places. I, as a student and citizen, have been finding it more and more difficult to feel safe due to such events. This was until my school, Pillars Preparatory Academy, provided us with some very valuable information regarding the topic and how to stay safe if such an event occurs at our school. Our school’s teachers and administrators have done their best to educate all of us students on school shootings and safety. They’ve taken the time out of their classes, and even their own personal lives, to prepare presentations and assignments to help us truly grasp why this issue is so import ant. One of the many activities that students took part in included writing to our senators about the topic. Everyone from grades three and up wrote two letters — one to a Democratic senator thank ing him/her for his/her commitment, and one to a Republican senator in an attempt to convince him/her to do more in trying to resolve this issue. We’ve also been shown videos that gave us insights on how these events have so negatively impacted victims and their families. Without this wake-up call, many kids genuinely wouldn’t have been able to grasp how bad these shootings really are. Everyone just assumes that it could never happen to them, and that these sorts of things only ever occur on TV. But this really isn’t the case. We’ve gone over procedures, experimented with lock down drills and have tried to prepare our selves in case a true emergency happens. While shootings clearly involve and heavily affect the victims themselves, they also tend to impact many citizens. Some may be terrified to leave their homes, whereas others are simply just ignorant of the topic. People need to establish a middle ground: Every person should be able to go about his/her daily life without living in fear, but also be capable of remaining calm in case of an emergency so they can follow the relevant safety precautions. To reach this middle ground, one must be educated on the topic so he/she can understand every aspect of these shootings and remain safe if caught in such a situation. This, once again, reflects Pillars Preparatory Academy’s goal of teaching us about these mass shootings.

Pillars Preparatory Academy works to keep its students aware of what is happening in the world, and this is evident by how much they’ve contributed to educating us on school shootings. Without their assurance and hands-on activities, my fear of those dreadful situations would be so much greater. ih

DEVELOPING A TOOLKIT

BY SANDRA WHITEHEAD “ Only in America would an American Palestinian Muslim immi grant woman become Rotary Person of the Year,” says Janan Najeeb as she accepted the Rotary Club of Milwaukee’s highest honor this May. She is now one of this Rotary Club chapter’s 145 high-profile individuals, named each year since 1955.

Milwaukee Rotary Club taps Muslim leader “2022 Person of the Year”

Najeeb has founded several important Muslim organizations in this Midwest city – the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance, the Wisconsin Muslim Journal, the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival, the Islamic Resource Center and Our Peaceful Home, the first culturally spe cific (for Muslims) state-funded domestic violence program in Wisconsin. In 2016, she was the first Muslim to lead prayer in the state assembly in Wisconsin’s 174yearShehistory.alsoworks on multiple boards, including those of Wisconsin Public Radio, the Wisconsin Historical Society, the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts and the Milwaukee Rotary Club. She occasion ally writes op-ed pieces in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on various community issues and recently provided the statewide newspaper, at its invitation, with her “ideal platform” if she ran for mayor. Najeeb played a leading role this year in organizing the state’s support of Afghans resettled there after the U.S. ceded control. In a commemorative video, Milwaukee Rotary Club president Todd Bentley PROFILE

28 ISLAMIC HORIZONS

The survey’s last aspect asked the admin istrators to tell ISLA what they needed to be better prepared for and more responsive to a crisis situation. Specifically, they were asked to identify the top three most bene ficial resources in this regard. Respondents selected training videos for staff on how to respond (70%, N=45), an Islamic School Crisis Manual for administrators and staff (63%, N=40) and, finally, customizable tem plates for them to use in the event of an emergency (42%, N=27). Recognizing the urgent need for crisis response prevention, response and training, ISLA will use this survey’s data, as well as focus group interviews with the participating administrators, to produce a Crisis Response Toolkit for Islamic school administrators and staff. This toolkit will be funded by the $10,000 Islamic Relief Community Response Initiative Grant recently awarded to ISLA. The project, which is expected to be completed within the next six months, will include research on crisis management in schools, expert consultants, resource curation and development, as well as training for Islamic school staff. ih Shaza Khan, Ph.D., is executive director of the Islamic Schools League of America.

EDUCATION — two key agencies identified as crucial school–community partnerships for ccrisis preparednesss.Crisisresponse drills are another pre ventative factor that the majority of Islamic schools enacted during the past academic year. The most common drills are those associated with fire (97%, N=62), school lockdown (67%, N=43) and severe weather (55%,MostN=35).Islamic school administrators — 56% of respondents (N=36) — identified gun vio lence as the top crisis scenario. The other two top scenarios were medical emergencies (39%, N= 25) and missing students (30%, N=19).

Janan Najeeb, Milwaukee Rotary Club’s first Muslima “Person of the Year,” addresses the award luncheon (Photo by Mouna Photography)

Janan Najeeb becomes first Muslim woman to receive club’s top honor

WHY JANAN NAJEEB? “Decades ago, Janan was a trained microbi ologist, raising five children and managing a household with a husband’s own demanding career as a physician; it was certainly a full plate of responsibility. However, Janan is also a woman of faith who loves her culture as a Muslim,” says Barbara Velez, an accom plished business leader herself. “Keenly aware of the misunderstanding surrounding the beauty of Islam, she determined it was important to share what it means to be a Muslim while also respecting the differences of other religions and cultures. Imagine the courage and determination it took to fulfill that“Janan’smission!”been a force,” Milwaukee mayor Cavalier Johnson states. “Janan is a person who doesn’t do it for glory. She does it because it needs to be done. Janan’s work over the years has been extremely important, no matter what side of town you are on.” “I always tell my friends, when you go to Muslim communities in different cities, if anybody ever needs any resources on Islam, they go to the local mosque and the local imam. But here, everybody comes to Janan,” remarks Aishah Aslam, a cardiologist who serves on the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition board. “She’s a great spokesperson for the Muslim community, but she’s actually a great spokesperson for people of color in general and for women,” observes Geraud Blanks, chief innovation officer of Milwaukee Film. “She’s incredibly smart, up on all the issues. You can’t see her in action and not become a big fan,” declares Kristin Hansen, Wisconsin coordinator of the Campus Vote Project and president of Blue-Sky Waukesha, a membership organization dedicated to civic“Wheneducation.theAfghan refugees came to Fort McCoy, within a very short window of time, literally days, she was able to marshal not only her community resources, but all those resources Rotary was able to provide,” adds Bentley. “The management at Fort McCoy actually said the trucks Janan was involved in delivering were the most organized and the most needed trucks they received through out the entire process.”

winners include Walter P. Blount, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and pioneer in the treatment of scoliosis; Edmund Fitzgerald, who brought Major League Baseball back to Milwaukee; Bud Selig, America’s ninth Commissioner of Baseball; Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson; Marquette University presi dent Father John Raynor; Medical College of Wisconsin president Dr. John Raymond, Sr.; and trailblazing businesswoman Catherine B. Cleary, CEO of Wisconsin Trust Company and first woman to serve as the U.S. assistant treasurer. Christopher Goldsmith, a prominent leader in Milwaukee’s art, business and non profit sectors who converted in 1989 and later took the name Muhammad Isa Sadlon, received the award in 2001. He served as the Milwaukee Art Museum’s executive director for two decades.

(president, Bentley World Packaging) said, “We’re honoring Janan Najeeb today because of her tremendous contributions to the Muslim community and the entire community in Milwaukee.”

BUILDING BRIDGES

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 29

Najeeb came with her family to Milwaukee from Jerusalem as a 3-year-old. “I remember being in school and not only were my brother and I the only Muslims in every school we went to, but none of my classmates had ever met a Muslim or even knew what a Muslim was. In fact, many of my teachers didn’t know anything about Islam,” she recalls. “That experience planted the seeds of building community by building bridges and working to promote understanding. I learned most fear of the other is simply the result of having not met someone from that group. I found creating opportuni ties for dialogue and interaction is abso lutely the best way to counter erroneous narratives.”Najeebusually starts these bridging con versations with a quip like, “Don’t let this scarf scare you. I’m having a bad hair day! Then we start talking about our husbands and our kids, foods we like and don’t like. Pretty soon you realize we’re all pretty much the same.”

Multiple organizations regularly bestow important honors. Najeeb has received a slew of them. Yet the Rotary honor stands out from the rest because it honors a person’s life’sPreviouswork.

DISPELLING STEREOTYPES

Najeeb turned her acceptance speech into a chance to share information about Milwaukee’s Muslim community and chal lenge a few stereotypes. She describes it as “incredibly diverse, leaning young, family and community oriented, well-educated” and having “huge representation” in STEM fields, particularly medicine, engineering and mathematics, with a significant number of business owners. “It’s very philanthropic with particular concern for victims of war, natural disasters and all types of oppression. There’s a religious obligation to care for orphans and widows we take very seriously. “Waves of refugees include some being well educated and others being illiterate. Some groups have posed a real challenge these past two decades due to their needs and“Don’ttrauma.believe the stereotypes about Muslim women. Most are equal partners in their marriages and are the backbone of the community. Muslim American women are among the most highly educated, a close second to Jewish American woman, accord ing to Pew Research Center survey.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

“Don’t let our expression of modesty con fuse you. We are proud and very comfortable in our hijabs. It’s expressed in many faiths. I often look at images of the Virgin Mary or Mother Teresa and I always say, they look very Muslim to me.

“Contrary to popular belief, Muslims are not looking to impose sharia law in the United States. What is sharia law anyway? Is it the scary boogieman? It has five basic tenets: the preservation and protection of life, freedom of religion, preservation and protection of the intellect (basically free will), protection of private ownership and property and protection of the earth and nature. That sounds very much like the Constitution to me. “They often say battles are fought on paper in the court of opinion. And this is usually done by creating definitions that are inaccurate but serve to build a specific image. Jihad is the perfect example. What does jihad mean? Who came up with the idea of holy war? That’s actually a term of the Crusaders. Who hijacked that term and imposed it on us? Jihad means struggle. The greatest struggle is to do what is right within your heart. It’s a very beautiful term.” ih Sandra Whitehead is an author, journalist and long-time adjunct instructor of journalism and media studies in the J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University. [Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story appeared in the Wisconsin Muslim Journal.]

Paludan’s ceremonial burning of a mushaf (a printed copy of the Quran) attracts primarily young male Muslim counter-protesters with migrant background. In several cities, skirmishes between the police and the demonstrators broke out. In a few cases, things escalated into full-fledged riots in which the police’s equipment and vehicles were targeted and destroyed. In many places however, the demonstrators either turned their backs in silence to Paludan’s stunts or drowned out his speech with defiant voices and whistling. Several concerns have been raised in analyzing these events. Sweden’s mainstream media and right-wing pundits focused primarily on the violence following these provocations, particularly in Borås and Örebro. The ensuing debate focused on two issues: (1) the police’s failure to secure Paludan’s right to publicize his opinions and to assess the possible risks and (2) some of the demonstrators’ violent behavior. The risk assessment part was discussed mostly from the legal angle. The freedom to demonstrate is premised on the police authorities’ assessment that such events Stockholm Mosque

What’s going on in traditionally tolerant Sweden?

30 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 can be performed without endangering property and the wider public’s safety. The police received not only an internal critique, but also one from political pundits and public figures: They hadn’t fulfilled the relevant criteria before allowing these provocations.

The right-wing critique was directed toward the demonstrators. Ebba Busch, leader of the Christian Democratic party, criticized the police for not using live ammunition to stop “the Islamist,” “criminals,” and “insurrectionists.” Discussions of the racist and Islamophobic nature of these stunts were rare.

The ofContextIslamophobicandSignificanceQur’anBurnings

uring April (Ramadan) 2022, Muslims in several Swedish cities witnessed a series of Quran-burning stunts performed by Rasmus Paludan (b. 1982), a well-known Danish-Swedish Islamophobe who founded and leads the Danish political party Stram Kurs (lit. “Straight Course”) in 2017. These deeply offensive acts are best understood if contextualized. Sweden’s police approved and protected these events, widely reported by national and international media outlets, based on their country’s constitutional provisions of freedom of speech and the freedoms to publicly congregate, demon strate and express opinions. Simply put, Sweden’s police forces are responsible for upholding a citizen’s right to convene a public book burning, even of a particular religion’s scriptures. It’s worthwhile noting, however, that no other religious scriptures have been publicly destroyed in this manner.

Beyond the media, the broader political and public debate reflected in social media is increasingly apprehensive about Muslims and Islam. Muslims and expressions of Muslimness, such as distinctive clothing (hijab), buildings (mosques, businesses etc.), behav iors (fasting, praying etc.), are increasingly identified as representing, simultaneously, internal and exter nal threats to Sweden’s social cohesion and security. At the same time, the country’s adult population is more than 70% explicitly “atheist or (https://www.gallup-international.bg/en/36009/non-religious”

Sweden’s overall sociopolitical climate, as well as the affected Muslims’ responses and, most importantly, the shape and direction of the public debate surround ing these events, reveal the vulnerability of the coun try’s highly ethnically diverse and economically weak Muslim communities. The community’s members are estimated to be somewhere between 500,000-800,000 — Sweden’s 2022 population is slightly over 10 million — most of whom are of migrant background. Some migrated during the 1960s from the former Yugoslavia and Turkey. However, most arrived after the 1990s and, significantly, during the 2010s from the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia and East Africa.

The political and cultural demands articulated by an increasing number of policymakers across the political spectrum indicate that Swedish Muslims are becoming increasingly vulnerable to Islamophobia’s rising and it’s more poignant effects. During the 2010s, for example, Islamophobic rhetoric and vio lence was common among extreme right-wing groups and political actors. Today, parts of this rhetoric have been assimilated into mainstream right-wing and ethno-nationalist discourses. Such rhetoric, however, is hardly ever reproduced verbatim in the mainstream media. There, a subtler language is used. For instance, Paludan is usually referred to as an Islam-critic or extreme-right politi cian, and hardly ever as an Islamophobe. In short, the media’s terminology vis-à-vis anti-Muslim racism is contested, albeit implicitly, which indicates the anxiety over the appropriate jargon.

BY EMIN POLJAREVIC

D

One of the legally dictated conditions of permit ting book burnings is that the police conduct a risk assessment in terms of ensuring public safety and/ or to ascertain if the hate speech calls for violence against one group of people — which is deemed illegal.

ISLAMOPHOBIA

religion-prevails-in-the-world/). In sum, the rise of extreme and right-wing populism is shaping and influencing the majority population’s collective consciousness and political preferences in regard to politically underrepresented Muslim communities. Therefore, the burning of mushafs should be understood in a sociopoliti cal context that is slowly but steadily spiraling into the ethno-nationalist and Islamophobic crevasse created by arguably the systemic alienation of Muslims and other religious minorities. The similar phenomenon can be observed most clearly in France, Denmark and Austria, but also elsewhere in Europe.

In this context, current book-burning events, especially those involving any religion’s scriptures, are charged manifestations of racialization seem ingly designed to discipline Muslims in relation to a non-Muslim-majority society. Therefore, Paludan’s Qur’an burnings are far from simple expressions of free speech/expressions of opinion. In fact, he has explicitly stated that he is trying to cleanse Swedish (and Danish) societies from unwanted people (Muslims) and their pres ence in Europe. In part, this ambition echoes the German National Socialist Youth’s nationwide cam paign during the spring of 1933 to “cleanse” (säuberung) the country from non-Ger man elements, including books. Among the “non-German” literature, Torah scrolls were burned en masse, an atrocity followed by the burnings of Jews. Heinrich Heine (d. 1856), a German author and playwright, articulated a noteworthy quote in his 1821 play “Almansor.” Hassan, a resi dent of Granada in 1492, witnessed Qur’an-burning events by Granada’s Christian conquerors, who strove to cleanse the land of “foreign” elements uttering the following words: “Das war ein Vorspiel nur, dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen.” (“That was but a prelude; where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people as well.”) The fictional Hassan reminded his audiences of the subsequent Spanish Inquisition and its säu berungs, which went on far beyond Andalusia and the Iberian Peninsula.

The center-left parties, which have a very low number of having Muslim officials in positions of power and influence, show few signs of the political will needed to address the detriments of Islamophobia. The best protections thus far are the legislative provisions that protect religious freedoms and minorities. However, such provisions are changeable and a subject of constant political discussions and polemics.

The definition suggests that this type of racism has little or nothing to do with Islam as a theological system or a religious tradition. At the same time, it has little to do with race — anthropologically speaking, as there are no different races beyond one human race. Instead, Muslims and their various expressions of beliefs, behaviors and belonging are targeted and thus racialized. “Racism” in the above definition seems to point to those who harbor an arguably malicious intent, namely, to control, disempower and shun a particular group of people via racialization.

One can argue that Islamophobia, understood as anti-Muslim racism, ought to be a well-established term that describes and explains Paludan’s antics in the public discourse. Unfortunately, as this isn’t the case, the many Muslim activists engaged in anti-racist and anti-Islamophobic work are bound to continue devel oping and articulating terminology that can effectively and cogently describe, if not capture, this particular phenomenon. In other words, efforts need to be made to counteract Sweden’s descent into an ethnonationalist dystopia by striving for linguistic and conceptual clarity. One rather unique step in this direction has occurred in the U.K. context, where a broadly agreed upon definition of Islamophobia has been developed. An “All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims” has developed, proposed and widely endorsed the following definition, “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness” (Islamophobia+Defined.pdf (squarespace.com).

SWEDEN’S OVERALL SOCIOPOLITICAL CLIMATE, AS WELL AS THE AFFECTED MUSLIMS’ RESPONSES AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE SHAPE AND DIRECTION OF THE PUBLIC DEBATE SURROUNDING THESE EVENTS, REVEAL THE VULNERABILITY OF THE COUNTRY’S BROADER MUSLIM COMMUNITY.

Qur’an burnings in the 2020s should therefore be seen in a much wider historical and sociopolitical context in order to decode their Islamophobic sig nificance and potential impact on a continent that is recurrently plagued by ethnonationalist chauvinism, violence and genocides. ih Emin Poljarević, an associate professor of the sociology of religion and systematic theology (Uppsala University, Sweden), specializes in social mobilization in Muslim minority and majority contexts, Muslim civil rights activism, political theology in Islamicate contexts, Islamic liberation theology and Malcolm X studies. He is a member of the Centre on Social Movement Studies (Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa/ Florence) and the Centre for Multidisciplinary Research on Religion and Society’s (CRS Uppsala) Scientific Advisory Board 2020-22, as well as a co-leader of the center’s research area: “Family, Gender and Demography.” In 2022, Poljarević received the “Award for Good Teaching” from the Department of Theology’s Student Union.

Translation: That was but a prelude; where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people as well.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 31

A few are listed below. Students know they will only be on campus for a few years, and so their atti tude toward its future is ephemeral. This could pose a problem for outreach efforts — Why should they put a lot of effort into attending events or trying to understand Islam’s intricacies? To get them to participate requires long-term incentives. For instance, if an MSA advertises an event with food, students will not show up once the food is gone. This can be a problem because Islam doesn’t always fill a person’s heart immedi ately. In fact, it often takes time for a person to accept it. With only a fleeting relationship, many attendees will not think about what they learned after leaving the event. Campuses are not as “free” as it may be generally believed. In fact, some of the

directed. Possibly, those who retain even some knowledge about Islam may not be easily swayed by the “Islam” being presented on Fox TV or by Islamophobes.

PROS AND CONS People on college campuses are generally more open to new ideas. So, if a Muslim organization is planning an “Islam Week” or an “Islam 101” event, its members can expect that more people would be interested in attending than at other places. These two key elements cannot be overemphasized, for they determine whether Islam will flourish or not. The underlying idea here is that if people hear about Islam in an unbiased con text and can ask questions, then they would be more receptive. If not, at least they may not be so vehemently opposed. The sira tells us that after the Treaty of Hudaybiyya (628), more people converted and the Muslims flourished. The immedi ate desire to complete the pilgrimage was delayed, which ultimately benefited the Muslims. The idea is when Muslims can peacefully present and represent Islam, it will ultimately flourish. However, certain campus downsides can affect how these programs are completed.

32 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAM IN AMERICA

The role of campus outreach groups in countering Islamophobia and misinformation BY OMER KAZMI C olleges and universities are important American sites. Historically, the college campus was a place for radical change, as was most clearly seen at Kent State University, where, on May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard killed four unarmed Vietnam War protestors and injured nine more. This mas sacre galvanized the anti-war movement, which might have helped end the very con troversial war

way,greatactivitiesideas.puseswithprovideradicalleastcommunityresearchthis-day-in-history/).(https://www.history.com/Sincethen,four-yearinstitutions,liberalartscollegesandcollegeshavebeenaplacetoatdiscuss,ifnotpromoteandactualize,ideas.Thisissignificant,forthesecampusesthebestopportunitytoshareIslamothers.Infact,peopleoncollegecamaregenerallymorereceptivetonewMuslimstudentsinvolvedinoutreachshouldtakeadvantageofthis.Aeffortinthisregardisalreadyunderbuttheoutreachneedstobemore

Campuses Are Places to Share Islam

WHAT WE CAN DO Considering the issues with the college campus, I would like to highlight some things that those involved in outreach activ ities should do to counteract the negative aspects of the campus while strengthening the call to Islam. ➤ First, any presentation on Islam must focus on the message of tawhid relayed to humanity by all of the prophets and messen gers. Having a “Wear a Hijab for a Day” or “Fast for a Week” event may allow non-Mus lims to be “Muslim” at least for a while, but the primary focus should be on reminding them about God’s Oneness explaining how we understand God. This focus will enable the MSA or MSU to handle the three issues mentioned earlier. ➤ Such a focus will get the main mes sage across to the attendees, so that even if they have no further contact with Muslims, they will still get Islam’s overall message. Thus, the presenters will not have to worry if they never see those people again. Like the prophets and messengers, a Muslim’s job is to convey what he or she knows of the mes sage. Islam’s most basic message is that there is One God and Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is His final messenger. Focusing on tawhid will help avoid, to a certain extent, those issues that are import ant to the college. In the Irvine case, the students were protesting Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, which is a Muslim issue — but also a political one. The nation-state is not part of Islamic politics, and so discussing “Palestine” means moving from the religious to the political. Presenting tawhid would have been more beneficial because it would have steered people toward looking at Islam in a positive light, rather than focusing on certain students’ rude behavior — although those students did have a point. ➤ Finally, reminders of tawhid will keep those involved in outreach focused on Islam. They will be able to withstand the tide of liberalism that threatens to affect Islam’s core beliefs. God, the final Judge, knows His creation better than any human being. Therefore, those involved in outreach can put other moral or ethical issues aside. The need to “fit in” or “be popular” will go down, and Islam can be presented without changes or alterations.Agreatdeal of work is already being done, as the increase in Muslim events on many campuses nationwide indicates. MSAs should promote these events because colleges are fertile grounds for exchang ing ideas. If Muslims can capitalize on the campus’ open nature, Islam may gain wider acceptance in society. However, they must be careful not to let outside influences alter core beliefs by focusing on tawhid . The Kent State shootings show both the radical and conservative nature of colleges. But with the proper focus, Muslims may do more good by having Islamic events on campus. ih Omer Kazmi, Ph.D., is a writer, editor and professor of English at Valencia College in Orlando, Fla. He is also the author of “The Temptation of Jamal” (2021).

The campus MSU organized a “protest” — some students interrupted his speech at various times with slogans before leav ing. They were suspended and criminal charges were pressed. There were also other repercussions.Whatwelearn from this event is that if certain things are mentioned or talked about, a university will likely push back. Considering the protest and what was involved, the criminal charges seemed extreme and unnecessary, but not if we understand that the students attacked the State of Israel, something sacrosanct to the university.Also,American colleges and universities generally lean left politically, which can pose problems for certain “conservative” aspects of Islam. At the base of many college philos ophies is being inclusionary and diverse. This is not, in and of itself, a problem. However, this diversity can go beyond mere tolerance, defined as being accepting of other people’s differences, to actual acceptance, meaning that we cannot find anything wrong or abhorrent about these differences. Thus, if a group of students promote or do something haram, a Muslim club might have to not only accept that they have the right to do that, but also promote or somehow participate in that haram. The seriousness of this cannot be under stated. The pressure to alter or change aspects of Islam to fit liberal ideals is greater at the college level, and these liberal ideals are changing quickly. What was unacceptable even a decade ago is now becoming the norm, and the tide threatens to take Muslims with it. Anyone conducting outreach on campus must consider this point.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 33 beliefs that Islam promotes oppose some of a campus’ core beliefs. As a result, if Muslims try to explain their religion in total, they may experience pushback. One example is the Irvine 11. In 2010, former Israeli ambassador Michael Oren spoke at the University of California, Irvine.

PEOPLE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES ARE GENERALLY MORE OPEN TO NEW IDEAS. SO, IF A MUSLIM ORGANIZATION IS PLANNING AN “ISLAM WEEK” OR AN “ISLAM 101” EVENT, ITS MEMBERS CAN EXPECT THAT MORE PEOPLE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THAN AT OTHER PLACES. ISNA Monthly Sustainer –A Good Deed Done Regularly! Convenient. Secure. Affordable. You can make an impact with as little as $10 per month! www.isna.net • (317) 839-8157

34 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAM IN AMERICA

Campus-based Muslim clubs are essential, for their members represent Islam more through actions than words BY YASMEEN QADRI A n Orlando, Fla., campus has an outreach program to address Islamophobia.MuslimAmbassadors for Peace (MAP; originally known as MSA), a student club on Valencia College’s East Campus, has been instrumental in dispelling the stereo type that Islam was spread through the sword by actively engaging the larger community through dialogue, civic engagement and co-curricular collaborations. Its goal is to promote peace and make a difference.Islamhas long been presented to the West as a violent religion, and the Prophet’s (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) life is related to several battles. American campuses are the appropriate forum for addressing this and other misconceptions. As a college professor, I believe in empowering students. The Muslim Student Association (MSA) laid part of the founda tion of North America’s Muslim communities during the 1950s, when immigrant Muslim students arrived to further their education. I witnessed this when my family members Syed Mujeeb Qadri and Abdul Mateen Chida arrived as students and became actively involved with otherAlongstudents.withAhmed Sakr, Ahmad Totonji, Jamal Badawi, Abdalla Idris Ali, Ahmed ElKadi and others, they began to establish mosques, Islamic libraries and schools, halal food stores, as well as marriage and funeral services.How can today’s youth continue to strengthen Islam’s future here? College cam puses provide fertile ground for maintaining one’s identity. Many minority groups, includ ing the LGBTQ community, are aggressively pushing their agenda on the larger commu nity. The lack of faith-based student clubs on many campuses should encourage MSAs and other Islamic groups to become more active and recognized. At Valencia College, MAP continues to blossom among its 40+ counterparts.Allstudent clubs and organizations pass through the following developmental stages. Survival. In this initial stage, students launch a few outreach events, distribute free Qurans and invite local imams to speak on Islam’s five pillars. Membership is usually extremely low, and the club isn’t very visible. In most universities, MSAs may be seen as working in isolation and limited to a small group of primarily international Muslim students.In2007, for the first time Orlando hosted the MSA National East Zone Conference at Valencia College, an event that attracted 600+ college and university students. This event was a kickoff for the MSA’s future suc cess and earned it the Student Development Best Club of the Year award. The club’s con tinued growth reached its funding climax when it received $14,000 — an enormous success for such a small club! But MSA’s challenges also multiplied as its name became popular. Internal and external opposition forces rose to the surface, and people openly resisted speakers and event participation. Fortunately, the Student Development and a couple of non-Muslim faculty supported MSA. Patience through trials has been the key to a club’s success. The intention to serve God and support Muslim youth will lead to a new dawn! Renewal. In 2015, the director of Student Development’s recommended that MSA revise its constitution to allow all students to join. Seeing the club’s enormous potential, they encouraged it to continue promoting diversity on campus. As one of the pioneers of the Peace and Justice Institute (PJI) and a member of its advisory board, I discussed various ideas with MSA. We eventually decided to rename it “Muslim Ambassadors for Peace” (MAP). Working closely with PJI, MAP soon became active in peace events and community service. The revised constitution states that MAP is a nonpolitical organiza tion/club whose fundamental purpose is to promote peace, diversity and harmony on campus and in the community. MAP’s main objective is to help fulfill the Student Development’s vision to “transform lives, strengthen the community and inspire individ uals to Althoughexcellence.”faith was an inte gral part of the constitution, i t expanded into all aspects of college life. An addendum stated that MAP will encourage its members to 1) promote the ideals of faith, service, peace and leadership; 2) create awareness of Islam through education and interaction to combat anti-Mus lim racism, prejudice and stereo types against Muslims; 3) promote mutual respect and appreciation among the Muslim community’s diverse cultures, ethnicities and languages as well as between Muslims and non-Muslims; 4) collaborate with other sister clubs to help develop a healthy and democratic campus and community; and 5) foster a sense of community that values and contributes as productive local/global citizens and peace ambassadors to the col lege campus, larger community and society at large.

Success. MAP, now one of the most recognized and respected campus clubs, has received several awards, like the Most Active Club, Outstanding Advisor of the Year, Outstanding Program of the Year and co-curricular awards. The executive board consists of seven to nine members. The pres ident and vice president are preferred to be

Making a Difference on College Campuses

❯ Member and Officer Benefits. Why should one get involved with a campus club? Most serious students don’t want to waste time in clubs or with extracurricular activities. Giving them certificates of par ticipation and recommendation letters can be encouraging, and enabling them to learn about building bridges of cross-cultural and interfaith understanding, leadership training, resume building, public speak ing, scholarship opportunities, awards and recognitions will go a long way to having a successful career. MAP helps unite all Muslims students, regardless of ethnicity and language, and acts like a magnet for international students by making them feel at home. And, God gives guidance (49:13).

❯ The 3 C’s (Crucial Conversations on Chai). Indian Chai or International Chai is a popular drink that can be served with samosa or any finger food. MAP organizes monthly conversations around crucial topics — LGBTQ, marriage and four wives, Jesus in Islam, dress code, dating, terrorism and others — that can push Muslims out of their comfort zone. These are arranged Q&A ses sion with an imam or scholar.

❯ Internationalizing the Curriculum. Valencia College offers several courses that give special credit to international curricu lum. For example, a teacher’s training course offers a segment on, for example, “refugees are welcome in my classroom.” This topic covers children from Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine, Myanmar, Yemen and other Muslim lands, thus bringing awareness to the plight of Muslims around the globe. Think globally and act locally so students become connected to their local commu nity and as well empathize with the global Muslim community.

❯ Islam Awareness Speaker Series.

❯ Role of an Advisor. An advisor’s role is crucial to a club’s success and enhancement. At the university level, most advisors aren’t expected to be actively involved with all activ ities or attend all meetings. But it’s import ant to do so and provide support, as well as empower, guide and mentor students, all the while reminding them that they’re Islam’s ambassadors and thus must show exemplary character and actions. Advisors must advise with a vision, mission and innovation, have social networking skills and work with other organizations and diverse individuals to bring the club into the mainstream.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 35 Muslim, and the remaining positions are open to other faiths.

❯ Partner with College-wide Programs

THE MAP EXPERIENCE A few initiatives have attracted a lot of attention and understanding of Islam and Muslims. These have helped lessen Islamophobia, stereotypes and prejudices at the students and faculty levels, as well as prepare officers with leadership skills, public speaking, conflict resolution, stress management, and time management. The factors that contributed to the success of MAP club are listed below:

The Peace and Justice Institute (PJI) is very instrumental in promoting peace and provides training in conflict resolution, peace practices and cultural diversity both on campus and in the community. MAP partners with PJI in its annual interfaith breakfasts, carnivals at the Coalition for the Homeless, peace retreats and service-learn ing activities. Of exceptional value is the 13 Principles of How We Treat Each Other, which is practiced in all aspects of life to promote peace in the family, workplace and community

Famous speakers like Dr. Jamal Badawi, Imam Siraj Wahaj, Yasser Qadhi, Altaf Husain, Ustadh Nauman Ali Khan and Hafiz Wissam Sharief were invited to speak on “Muslim Americans Promoting Peace,” “Peace NOT Prejudice,” “Building an Inclusive Community,” “Black Muslims and Their Contributions” and other topics.

jimi_hendrix_195397).(https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/thesaid,culture,mustetygenerations.WeaintendedthechangeMSAstheirMuslimandtheirtherebyandtakewithtotallyrepresentingMuslimthegroupsMuslimbemoretostudents/peace-justice-institute/).(https://valenciacollege.edu/CampusMuslimclubscancontinuebeinstrumentalinrepresentingIslamthroughactionthanwords.Theycanastrongvoiceforcollegeanduniversitystudents,likemanyotherminoritywhoarepushingtheiragendasundernameofdiversity,equityandinclusion.studentsmustnotshyawayfromIslamwithintegrityandbeingclearonitsprincipleswhendealingthemainstream’sculture.AdvisorsmustaleadinsupportingMuslimstudentsbecometheirmentorsandrolemodels,empoweringthemtostandupforrights,assumetheirresponsibilitiesgivebacktothecommunity.Collegesanduniversitiescansupportyouth’svoicesevenmorethanwithinownmasjidsorIslamicinstitutions.shouldcontinuetobethebeaconofworkingwithallstudents.Manyoffirst-generationMuslimstudentshadtogohome.Buttodaythereisparadigmshift—nooneisgoingback!areallAmericansandwilllivehereforMSAsshouldstrivetoimprovethissociandnotbeisolated,andMuslimstudentsworktogetherregardlessoftheirfaith,languageandsoon.AsJimiHendrix“Whenthepowerofloveovercomesloveofpowertheworldwillknowpeace” ih Dr. Yasmeen Qadri, a tenured professor in the Teacher Education Program at Valencia College, Orlando, Fla., is the advisor of Muslim Ambassadors for Peace Student Club. She is also a member of the Peace and Justice Institute’s advisory board. COLLEGE CAMPUSES PROVIDE FERTILE GROUND FOR MAINTAINING ONE’S IDENTITY. MANY MINORITY GROUPS, INCLUDING THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, ARE AGGRESSIVELY PUSHING THEIR AGENDA ON THE LARGER COMMUNITY. THE LACK OF FAITH-BASED STUDENT CLUBS ON MANY CAMPUSES SHOULD ENCOURAGE MSAS AND OTHER ISLAMIC GROUPS TO BECOME MORE ACTIVE AND RECOGNIZED.

❯ C o-curricular Activities. MAP is engaged in campus goals and initiatives. The MAP advisor, along with student lead ers, presented at the collegewide Global Education Week, Peace Education Week and International Education Week. War and the refugee crisis, oppression and genocide against Muslims, among other similar topics were discussed. The Peace Education Week included strategies for making peace locally and globally. Every discipline has room to discuss Islamic topics, whether it is the con stitution, government, science or arts.

A community of ironclad faithful believers from the time of the Delhi Sultanate BY MISBAHUDDIN MIRZA

36 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

Bangladeshi American Muslims Prosper

COMMUNITY

T he young boys sat neatly in a straight row along the wall of Brooklyn’s Jamaica Muslim Center’s Al Mamoor Masjid’s carpeted floor, sitting on their left foot, their left leg tucked under their left thigh. Their right leg, bent in an inverted V-shape, supported their chest as they swayed back and forth incessantly, repeating a single Qur’anic verse countless times. Children of Bangladeshi descent in the Center’s hifz program, they memorize the Qur’an in about three years. Elsewhere in this mosque, the instructor is teach ing tajweed, the proper pronunciation of Quranic Arabic, to a group of beginners. This mosque, the largest mosque built by Bangladeshi Americans in New York City, is simply awesome with its two grand minarets reaching upward to touch the clouds. In another area of Brooklyn, Mohammad Khan, the young executive director and co-founder of the Cityline Ozone Park Civilian Patrol (COPCP), is busy overseeing the food pantry, which provides free house hold essentials such as fresh fruit, vegetables, canned and dried goods, halal chicken and PPE to about 2,000 New York City residents each week. About half of the beneficiaries are from the Bangladeshi community; other population sections make up the rest. COPCP also provides several services to the city’s needy Bangladeshis, including liaising with law enforcement and patrolling the neighborhood in marked cars. The community is also active in poli tics. Sheikh Rahman (D) is a state senator in Georgia. Shahana Hanif (D) was recently elected a New York City councilwoman. Shahin Khalique (D) is an elected council man from Paterson, N.J. At the local level, the community has been quite active. M.A.F. Misbah Uddin, a city government actuarial, is the treasurer of DC 37, an umbrella orga nization of 57 unions with 126,000 members and 50,000 retirees. His late father, Moulavi Anwar Ullah, was an ally of and imprisoned along with Mahatma Gandhi during India’s freedomStatingstruggle.thatBangladeshi Muslims have established 70 mosques in the city, Misbah Uddin also explained that the Covid-19 pan demic had devastated the city’s Bangladeshis, as most of the recent immigrants lack suffi cient education and therefore work as cab drivers and street hawkers. Bangladesh is located on the Bay of Bengal, surrounded by India on the west, north and east, and by Myanmar on the southeast. Almost the same size of the State of Georgia, it contains 230 rivers, including 57 internationally recognized rivers, which make certain areas susceptible to severe sea sonal flooding. Other characteristics are insufficient rainfalls, which cause droughts; coastal areas with salinity intrusion issues; and rising sea levels, due to climate change, that have swallowed up several villages. Although rapid industrialization has improved economic conditions, it has also created an environmental nightmare, with river pollution at disaster levels. Bangladesh’s literacy rate is about 75%. The World Health Organization ranks Bangladesh 85 in the world in terms of life expectancy: 73.0 for males and 75.6 for females (https://www. worldlifeexpectancy.com/).IslamreachedBengalinthe 12th century when, right after the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate, the intrepid military gen eral Bakhtiyar Khilji made a lightning dash conquering all of northern India stretching from Delhi to Bengal. Many Bengalis, espe cially in the eastern half of Bengal, soon con verted thanks to great travelling missionaries such as Shah Jalal, who propagated Islam until finally settling down in northeastern Sylhet. Today, every time a Bakhtiyar Khilji coin comes up at a numismatic auction, the Bangladeshi community goes into a tizzy, outbidding each other in hyper euphoria. Bengal remained in Muslim hands under it finally succumbed to the British due to the betrayal of the infamous Mir Jafar (d. 1765), who during the battle of Plassey (1756) conspired with the British to replace Siraj-Ud-Daula.

Helping the needy in the community

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 37

TODAY, THE TYPICAL BANGLADESHI AMERICAN MUSLIMS FACES THE SAME CHALLENGES AS OTHER MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN THE U.S. – HOW TO PRESERVE THEIR YOUNGER GENERATION’S ZEAL AND PASSION FOR ISLAM AS THEY TRY TO PASS THE BATON DOWN TO THEIR BETTER-EDUCATED YOUNGER GENERATIONS.

The British destroyed the prosperous Bengali econ omy. During the great famine (1943), some 3 million per ished due to malnutrition or disease as during World War 2, the British shipped the grains to its soldiers serv ing abroad. During India’s struggle for independence, Bengal’s Muslims established the Muslim League in Dhaka, which demanded a sepa rate Muslim country called Pakistan. Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Azad were some of the key lead ers of the Indian National Congress (INC), which was spearheading India’s inde pendenceEventually,struggle.the British granted freedom, dividing the country into India and Pakistan along geographi cal areas of religious major ity. This resulted in West Pakistan being located next to Iran/Afghanistan, and East Pakistan next to Myanmar.Bangla, the county’s pri mary language, is an IndoAryan language spoken as the primary language by 210 million people world wide, with most speakers living in South Asia. The Bangla used in Bangladesh contains some UrduPersian-Arabic vocabu lary, while the Bangla used in India uses some Sanskrit vocabulary. In 1837, English replaced Farsi as the official language in court cases or tax disputes. Today’s Bangla script is derived from Brahmi. However, this was not always the case. Until 1837, Bangla was written in the Nastaliq script — a Perso-Arabic script also used by Urdu, Punjabi, Pushto, Sindhi and Balochi. This change by the ruling British was implemented to divide the Subcontinent’s Muslims along linguistic line — similar to Kamal Ataturk’ replacing the Ottoman Arabic-based script with Latin. B. Z. Khasru, writing in the The Wire (Dec. 11, 2021), stated, “To the surprise of many, nearly 500 Dhaka residents petitioned the government in 1839 in favor of Persian against their native Bengali” and “They argued that Bengali script varied from place to place; one line of Persian could do the work of ten lines of Bengali; the awkward written style [derisively dubbed the crab style] of Bengali read more slowly than that of Persian; and people from one district could barely understand the dialect of those from another district. The petition surprised many people not just because the Bengalis went against their mother tongue but also because both Muslims and Hindus jointly favored Farsi. Of the (500) signatories, 200 were Hindu and the rest Muslim.” Khasru wrote that literary giants including Rabindranath Tagore, Hararaprashad Shastri and Ramendra Subdar Tribedi agreed with Calcutta University fellow Syamacharan Ganguli’s pro test over the Sanskritization of Bengali.Shortly after indepen dence, the Bangla-speaking East Pakistanis, who were in the numerical majority compared to the multilin gual West Pakistanis, felt that the West Pakistani political leadership was discriminat ing against them and that its wealth was being used disproportionally to bene fit West Pakistan. They also resented the proposed impo sition of However,Urdu.the big falling out came when the then Pakistan president and chief martial law administrator, Gen. Yahya, succumbed to West Pakistan’s major ity leader Z.A. Bhutto’s pressure, and refused to accept the 1970 election results and hand power over to the victorious East Pakistani leaders. In the national assembly, 151 seats were needed for a majority; the Awami League led by Sheikh Mujibur Rehman had 160 + 7 seats, whereas Bhutto’s People Party only had 81 + 5 seats. One thing led to another. Things soon got out of hand, leading to a fratricidal war and East Pakistan became Bangladesh.Today,the typical Bangladeshi American Muslims faces the same challenges as other Muslim communities in THE U.S. — how to preserve their younger generation’s zeal and passion for Islam as they try to pass the baton down to their better educated younger generation. ih Misbahuddin Mirza, M.S., P.E., is a licensed professional engineer, registered in the States of New York and New Jersey. He served as the Regional Quality Control Engineer for the New York State Department of Transportation’s New York City Region. He is the author of the iBook Illustrated “Muslim Travel Guide to Jerusalem.” He has written for major US and Indian publications.

A Legacy of Overcoming Invisibility

Despite facing formidable obstacles to accep tance and success, the Bangladeshi American diaspora demonstrates its steady pursuit of the American Dream through leadership, careers in high-skill occupations, entrepre neurship, literature and research.

BY

For example, in 2006 Rep. Hansen Hashim Clarke (D), who was raised by a Bangladeshi father, was elected to represent Michigan’s 13th Congressional District — the first Bangladeshi-American to do so. He served three terms and two four-year terms in the State Senate. Since then, many have pursued success in U.S. politics.

38 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 COMMUNITY

I n August 1971, The Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison performed a number titled “Bangla Desh” in New York’s Times Square to bring awareness about the massacre being perpetrated in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). At that time the most popular ex-Beatle, Harrison put his popularity on the line to acknowledge Bangladesh as a sovereign nation for the first time to the American public.

Ever since independence — a move trig gered in reaction to actions taken by West Pakistan-based power centers — earned with blood and countless deaths, the rise of this war-torn country was further fraught by natural calamities for almost two decades before it secured an international reputation for exporting the highest quality of jute (the “golden fiber”) and the large quantity of gar ments throughout the late 20th century. Since then, its development trajectory boasts such a “unique success story” (The Asia Foundation, June 25, 2014) that it earned the distinction of “role model” (Arab News, July 22). However, Bangladeshi immigrants to the U.S. still suffer from an unfavorable or invisible image, which is quite distressing and hurtful to their sense of identity.

SOME SPARKS TO ELIMINATE INVISIBILITY

Today, Yale graduate Zayn Siddique serves as White House Senior Advisor to the Deputy Chief of Staff. Born and raised in Kensington, Brooklyn, Shahana Hanif, a daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants, rep resents Brooklyn’s 39th District in the New York City Council. Jawed Karim, of Bangladeshi-German descent and an American software engineer, is one of YouTube’s three cofounders. Imran Khan, who originally came as a foreign Mausoleum of Bibipari in Lalbagh fort in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangladeshi Americans redefining the American Dream and the perception of identity RASHEED RABBI Although I couldn’t feel the pain, I knew I had to try. Now I’m asking all of you To help us save some lives Bangla Desh, Bangla Desh Where so many people are dying fast And it sure looks like a mess I’ve never seen such distress Now won’t you lend your hand and understand Relieve the people of Bangla (https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/george-Desh.harrison/bangladesh.html)

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 39 student, served as a chief strategy officer at Snap Inc., Snapchat’s parent company, from 2015 to 2018. He was tasked with building up revenue, expanding the business, running ad sales and charting a course to an initial public offering. In 2008, Salman Khan (of Bangladeshi descent) founded the renowned Khan Academy, which features 3,400 short instructional videos along with interactive quizzes and tools to promote “a free worldclass education for anyone anywhere.”

Frequently featured as a small and simple demographic, this diaspora represents layers of complexity. Despite their pursuit of the American Dream, many Bangladeshis fear the loss of their homeland culture and reli gion amidst America’s extraordinary multi culturalism. Beside seeking wealth and free dom, many of them long for the comfort of home, which they perceive not as a land, but as something nurtured by close relationships. Such a redefinition of “home” includes the complex history of colonialism and nationalism in Bangladesh. Many first-gen eration Bangladeshi immigrants still feel it’s important to have ties to back home, and so they frequently visit and send money to family members and charity projects. For them, attaining the American Dream also involves simultaneously overcoming their disconnection from family members and forming ethnic associations. Some of these associations affiliate with back-home political parties like Awami League or the Bangladesh National Party of Washington D.C. and have become con troversial. Interestingly, many consider being affiliated with home-country politics is a notion of progress; however, a growing number consider distance an opportunity to scrutinize back-home politics and exer ciseInjustice.addition, these diaspora associations frequently organize sociocultural events, such as an annual picnic, Bangladesh Independence Day (March 26), Language Day (Feb. 21), Bangla New Year (April 14) and Victory Day (Dec. 16). The Federation of Bangladeshi Associations of North America, formed in 1987, serves as an umbrella orga nization to bring together other North American-based Bangladeshi associations.

REDEFINING THE AMERICAN DREAM

Ernst and Young named Mahfuz Ahmed (CEO, DISYS) its 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year of the Greater Washington D.C. Region. Omar Ishrak, who became CEO of Medtronic in 2011, has been Intel chairman since 2020. Jennifer Lopez was highly applauded for partnering with Muhammad Yunus’ Grameen America, a microfinance organi zation, to empower Latina entrepreneurs across 50 U.S. cities with $14 billion in busi ness capital and 6 million hours of finan cial education and training by 2030. Yunus, winner of the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize, lives and works in Bangladesh. From the world of literature, novelist and critic Rumaan Alam was featured on former President Barack Obama’s 2021 summer reading list for his latest book, “Leave the WorldTheseBehind.”names are just a few of the sparks in the diaspora that are debunking Bangladesh’s invisibility. The blank stares or ill-informed queries and opinions have become far less frequent when someone states proudly “I’m fromDueBangladesh.”tothediaspora’s continued con tribution, in 2010 the City of Los Angeles designated a four-block area around 3rd St. and Alexandria Ave. in Central Los Angeles, as “Little Bangladesh.” There are similar vis ible Bangladeshi communities Hamtramck, Mich., Arlington, Va., as well as in Brooklyn and Queens, N.Y. These accomplishments are gradually eliminating the country’s invis ibility, which caused this ethnic minority to experience an unexpected homogenizing and even stigma in the U.S.

A QUICK HISTORY AND DEMOGRAPHY MIT historian Vivek Bald has traced migra tion from the region that became Bangladesh to the U.S. since the 19th century. These numbers remained low throughout the 1970s, when a small number of Bangladeshis arrived as workers, students and political asylum seekers. A trickle of immigrants continued until the Diversity Visa Lottery of the early 1990s, when thousands immi grated on green cards. Since the beginning of the new millennium, most Bangladeshi immigrants have been skilled profession als and graduate students, which makes the diaspora far more diverse and vibrant. According to the U.S. census, in 1980 there were 5,800 Bangladeshis — a number that grew very fast in the following decades: 57,412 (2000), 147,300 (2010) and 208,000 (2019). In 2014, the census reported that approximately 0.046% of the total U.S. population was of Bangladeshi descent. Currently, the U.S. is home to around 800,000 Bangladeshi immi grants (The Daily Star, July 22). This increas ing number shows that there is no absolute barrier for immigrants to thrive in what is arguably the world’s richest, as well as the most economically successful and powerful, country — in little more than one generation.

The American Dream is best captured in how people perceive their future, particu larly in terms of their children. In that case, Bangladeshi immigrants see their children’s future as brighter and encourage them to earn the highest academic status and perfect their English while still speaking Bangla at home. According to Pew Research Center, 55% of Bangladeshi-Americans have good English proficiency, and 87% of those born in the U.S. are fluent in English. This assim ilation seldom prevents from maintaining their traditional, cultural, and religious ties at home.

While many Bangladeshi communities participate in these events, there’s a rising trend of organizing weekend language classes for children to transmit the home land’s values to the second generation. Since social values are subject to debate and there fore vary based on time and space, many consider religion, which promotes univer sal virtues, as the most important basis of bridging differences in the U.S. Bangladeshi immigrants are mostly Sunni Muslims, and the second-generation members are more active in local American Muslim community forums and identify as “Muslim First” (Nazli Kibria, “Muslims in Motion,” 2010).

This may go back to the debate of nation alism vs religion, but the surge of religiosity and Islamic revival in the U.S. during the late 20th and early 21st centuries prompted Bangladeshi Muslim migrants to organize their community life and make sense of their place in the world via Islam. The role of religion in dealing with a transnational dilemma facilitates a reorientation both of their identity and future in the U.S. afresh. They neither inherit their ancestors’ socio-religious practices thoughtlessly, nor imitate American tradition blindly; rather, they construct a self-conscious identity and remain optimistic to harness their American Dream. ih Rasheed Rabbi, an IT professional who earned an MA in religious studies (2016) from Hartford Seminary and is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry from Boston University, is also founder of e-Dawah (www. edawah.net) and secretary of the Association of Muslim Scientists, Engineers & Technology Professionals. He serves as a khateeb and Friday prayer leader at the ADAMS Center and is a certified Muslim chaplain at iNova Fairfax, iNovaLoudoun and Virginia’s Alexandria and Loudoun Adult Detention Centers.

Some of the invited and/or participat ing Muslim organizations in these virtual convenings are: C hicago Muslims Green Team (CMGT):

❯

❯ EnviroMuslims (Canada): https:// enviromuslims.ca/mm. “At EnviroMuslims, our mission is to engage with, educate and empower the Canadian Muslim commu nity to embed sustainability in our everyday lives. Whether it’s where you live, work, play or pray, our goal is to reconnect Muslims with nature and embed a sense of love and responsibility for caring for the natural

a way allows energy to circulate from one person to the next. In Islam, the circle rep resents the unity of God, with the Ka‘bah serving as its geographical center. With the vivid images of the umra and the hajj, the tawaf, regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic, is central to this particular Islamic ritual. More than just a beautiful open and welcoming circle for pilgrims and the direc tion of prayer, those physically performing this ritual form circles in spirit by standing shoulder to shoulder in brotherhood and sisterhood together as they pray for climate and environmental justice for everyone. Our team has organized and hosted several virtual convenings with Muslim environmentalists in North America and plans to continue doing so. We are building our asset map and power map to include the Muslim voices involved in these critical undertakings.

40 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ENVIRONMENT The Islamic Open Circle for Climate and Environmental Justice A circle represents greater power and energy, as well as perfection BY ISNA GREEN INITIATIVE TEAM T he ISNA Green Initiative anddialogue.asdoingperfectathroughoutpowerful,tocanenvironmentalwtive/)(https://isna.net/isna-green-initiaTeamisformingabig,openandelcomingcircleforclimateandjustice.Thiscircle,whichbevirtualand/orin-person,isdevotedIslam’senvironmentalspirit.Agatheringofpeopleinacircleisforcirclesarefoundrepeatedlythenaturalworld.Infact,itissymbolofperfection.Werecreatethisshapewheneverweformone,forsoallowsustoexperienceeachotherequalsandfacilitatescollaborationandBecauseacirclehasnobeginningnoend,agreeingtoconnectinsuch

tree2021,EquityChicagolifestylespreadsnityChicagobetweencityleadorg/).“CMGThttps://chicagomuslimsgreenteam.inspiresChicagoMuslimstoinbuildinganenvironmentallyfriendlythatrestoresbalanceandconnectionnatureandpeople.CMGTconnectsMuslimsandthegreatercommutoissuesofenvironmentaljusticeandawarenessaboutanEco-friendlybasedonIslamicteachings.”CMGT,partoftheCityofChicago’sRootsProjectandmemberoftheTreeProject’scommunitysinceAugustplanstoengageinmoreactivitiesforplantingprojectsinthenearfuture.

Figure: Wisconsin’s Green Muslims’ Open Circle Model of Diverse Monthly Themes

Celebrating 17 Years (in 2022) … Connecting Faith, Environmental Justice, Sustainability and Healing through Education and Service

❯ Faithfully Sustainable (N.Y.): https:// www.faithfullysustainable.org/. “We are an environmental justice community + resource hub led by young Black and Brown Muslims. We equip young Muslims and allies with a strong community, and the educational and financial resources necessary for them to create just and sustainable solutions.”

❯ Green Ummah (Canada): https:// greenummah.org/. “The Muslim commu nity has a responsibility to a healthy planet. With over one million Muslims living across Canada, we believe that mobilizing our com munities to think about sustainable solutions will have a huge positive impact in Canadian households, mosques, community centers, workplaces, and civil society. Green Ummah is a non-profit organization with the goal of creating a green movement in the Canadian Muslim community.”

The ISNA Green Initiative Team: Huda Alkaff, Saffet Catovic, Nana Firman,

❯ Wisconsin Green Muslims: https:// wisconsingreenmuslims.org/. “Wisconsin Green Muslims (formerly known as the Islamic Environmental Group of Wisconsin), a grassroots environmental justice group formed in 2005, intends to educate the Muslim community and the public about the Islamic environmental justice teachings, to apply these teachings in daily life and to form coalitions with others working toward a just, healthy, peaceful and sustainable future.

The following model of diverse monthly themes is an example of an open circle that works for Wisconsin Green Muslims: “A theme is designated each month with focus on it with participants from different Islamic Centers, formal and informal Islamic schools and institutions. The results are quantified, and we celebrate the outcomes, then move to a new theme in the next month. This diverse approach enables us to connect with a variety of constituents who join our open circle at the point of entry that matches their interest, whether it is water equity with lead issues that affect vulnerable popula tion, community vegetable gardens with families participating and intergenerational exchange of knowledge that takes place, solar energy and energy efficiency with engineers and facility managers coming into the fold, friendly recycling competitions with robust youth participation, or transit equity issues with seniors, students and people of disabil ity concerned about transportation access and affordability,” says Huda Alkaff, founder and director of Wisconsin Green Muslims. People who take part in a circle find that their power increases exponentially while they are with the group. Like a drop of water rippling on the surface of a pond, the waves of energy produced in a circle radiate outward in a circular motion. May our collective healing circle emanate ripples of energy, power and light that can transform and heal ourselves and the world. One of the great benefits of joining this circle will be to learn from each group’s expe riences. Please connect with us and join this open circle for climate and environmental justice. We will be announcing about upcom ing convenings soon. ih Uzma Mirza and Saiyid Masroor Shah

(chair) — ISNAgreenMasjid@gmail.com. OUR TEAM HAS ORGANIZED AND HOSTED SEVERAL VIRTUAL CONVENINGS WITH MUSLIM ENVIRONMENTALISTS IN NORTH AMERICA AND PLANS TO CONTINUE DOING SO. WE ARE BUILDING OUR ASSET MAP AND POWER MAP TO INCLUDE THE MUSLIM VOICES INVOLVED IN THESE CRITICAL UNDERTAKINGS. ISNA Monthly Sustainer –A Good Deed Done Regularly! Convenient. Secure. Affordable. You can make an impact with as little as $10 per month! www.isna.net • (317) 839-8157

❯ Green Muslims (Washington, D.C.): https://www.greenmuslims.org/. “Muslims living in the environmental spirit of Islam, striving towards connection with nature and environmental stewardship. To serve as a source in the Muslim community for spir itually-inspired environmental education, action, and reflection. We engage locally while serving as a national resource.”

❯ Green Muslims of New Jersey: wasteand‘goingimportanceRamadan.negativecentralorganizationGreenwww.facebook.com/GreenMuslims.NJ/.https://“TheMuslimsofNewJerseyisacommunitycreatedbyagroupofMuslimsinJerseywhowereconcernedabouttheimpactstotheenvironmentduringWeaimtoeducatepeopleabouttheofenvironmentalstewardship,orgreen,’inIslamandimplementideasstrategiestosolveproblemsregardingandoverconsumption.”

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 41 environment and the health and well-being of our communities.”

❯ Khaleafa (Canada): http://www.kha leafa.com/. “Awakening our stewardship responsibility through action. The goal of Khaleafa is to reignite the discourse sur rounding the Islamic approach to environ mentalism and to draw upon the essence of these teachings, emphasizing the movement from a Canadian perspective.”

❯ Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) (Ga. and Ill.): https://www.iman central.org/. “Go Green on Racine is an equitable development neighborhood ini tiative. It will introduce three capital assets: a Fresh Market; an innovative repurposing of a former Chicago Public School as a hub for supportive housing, reentry services and green enterprise; as well as a mixeduse development with housing, a business incubator, and a fine-dining restaurant all inside. Green ReEntry provides transitional housing, life skills education, and sustainable construction training for returning citizens and high-risk youth.”

Current climate policies put the world on track for around 2.7°C / 4.86°F warming before children born this year reach eighty.

The four countries most responsible for cli mate change to date are the U.S., China, Russia, and Brazil, along with the EU member states.

At this level, making the hajj during the summer will become especially dangerous, with 97% of the summer day’s reaching the “danger” threshold and about 20% reaching the “extreme danger” threshold — a level never before experienced in Makka. The chances of reaching these thresholds would be greatly reduced if global warm ing were to be held to the Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C / 2.7°F. The chance of humid heat during the hajj season exceeding the “danger” threshold would be greater than it is currently, especially during the cooler months of May and June. However, the chance of reaching the “extreme danger” levels would be only 4% in September and 0% in all other months. In other words, performing the hajj would be much safer than current emission plans would make it.

42 ISLAMIC HORIZONS ENVIRONMENT

But action to limit their emissions alone won’t be enough. Global action will be nec essary, and this includes emission cuts in

The report notes that they — and other richer and higher-emitting countries — have the greatest responsibility and potential to decar bonize most quickly. Without faster action from them and other top emitters, making the hajj will become increasingly dangerous.

The Lack of Action on Climate Change Continues to Threaten the Hajj Muslim-majority countries need to design more realistic emission plans BY ISNA STAFF A s we welcome back the hujjaj and celebrate their accomplish ment, we also learn through their own stories and experiences how climate change is putting the hajj’s future at risk. According to a report by the nonprofit organisation Yayasan Indonesia Cerah (CERAH), there is a growing threat of dangerous heat stress for pilgrims. Faster global emission cuts are essen tial, and stronger action is needed from richer industrialized as well as from some Muslim-majority countries. High temperatures, when combined with humidity, make it harder for people to cool down by sweating, as the air is already too full of moisture. The elderly are among the most vulnerable to heat stroke; however, when both the heat and humidity are high enough, even the young and healthy can fall sick — and sometimes die. These conditions occur in Makka because humidity is often high when winds blow westward from the Red Sea. They are likely to become increasingly common and severe due partly to continued global warming. Global average temperatures have already risen by around 1.2°C / 2.16°F due to human activity, predominantly from burning fossil fuels, but also from deforestation and unsus tainable agricultural practices.

FOLLOW THE

ISLAMIC HORIZONS 43 countries that have not been among the top historical polluters or are not currently high-income countries. The CERAH report examines the conse quences of carbon emissions from Muslimmajority countries, as they are likely to have particular interest in how climate change will impact the hajj. The report’s authors found that if other countries follow the emissions plans of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Turkey, Bangladesh, Egypt and Indonesia, the hajj would eventually become too dangerous for manyThepilgrims.reportmakes the following point, among many others, that without wide spread international action, including from large Muslim-majority countries, the hajj cannot be protected. Imam Saffet A. Catovic (head, ISNA Office for Interfaith, Community Alliances and Governmental Relations) observed, “The hajj is one of Islam’s five pillars, and climate change directly threatens its safety and, for many, its viability. As more Muslims ‘green’ their own hajj, governments and financial institu tions must implement ambitious plans at the systemic level to scale up renewable energy development and phase down fossil fuels.”

FOR MANY PILGRIMS.

The report also finds that some Muslimmajority countries are showing global lead ership in their carbon-reduction plans. It singles out the Maldives and Morocco as having plans that are compatible with the Paris Agreement targets. In 2016, ISNA publicly announced at COP 22 in Marrakech its intention to divest all of its holdings from the fossil fuel indus try and reinvest part of them in renewable and clean energy solutions. It was the first national Muslim organization in the world to do so. The global fossil-fuel divestment movement now includes 1,500+ faith-based organizations and religious communities, academic institutions, foundations, pensions funds and many others worldwide that col lectively have divested $40+ trillion to date.

ih THE REPORT’S AUTHORS FOUND

IF

WOULD EVENTUALLY BECOME

ISNA continues to work at all levels with other value-based organizations and faith partners to decarbonize our economy and bring about a just transition to a fossil-free future through various programs and initia tives. The leader in this regard is its Green Initiatives Committee, which includes var ious environmental educational programs, Green Ramadan campaigns, partnership with the EPA Energy Star program for Mosques and Islamic Schools and other institutions. Through its Office for Interfaith, Community Alliances and Governmental Relations, located in Washington, D.C., ISNA has advocated, petitioned and pushed for legislation and governmental policies to protect nature and natural systems. In addi tion, it focuses on the people’s right to a clean and healthy environment, especially those who live in the communities most impacted by climate change. Most recently, ISNA has been strongly engaged with its values- and faith-based coa lition partners to end financial support by banks and financial investment institutions, as well as government subsidies to the big oil companies. The organization is working hard to ensure that Congress passes legisla tion that provides immediate relief through a windfall profits tax that refunds Big Oil’s runaway profits to taxpayers and implement regulations that clamp down on the fossil fuel industry’s shameless price gouging. THAT OTHER COUNTRIES EMISSIONS PLANS OF SAUDI ARABIA, THE UAE, IRAN, TURKEY, BANGLADESH, EGYPT AND INDONESIA, THE HAJJ TOO DANGEROUS

However, Jabir Ibn Abdullah (radiallahu ‘anhu) narrates from the Prophet, “What the sea throws up and is left by the tide you may eat. But what dies in the sea and floats you must not eat” (“Sunan Abi Dawud,” v.2, p.176).

44 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 HEALTH & WELLNESS

BY MOHAMMAD ABDULLAH T ÜRKIYE’S Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) fatwa of Aug. 26, 2021, advised that eating mussels, crabs, lobsters and shrimp is, according to the Hanafi school, is haram (https://www.duvarenglish.com).

Water pollution occurs when harmful substances — often chemicals or microorganisms — contaminate any body of water, thereby degrading its quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment.

Hyderabad-based Jamia Nizamia’s fatwa of January 2018 asked Muslims to avoid eating prawns, crabs and shrimp (https://www.outlookindia.com).

WHAT ARE SHELLFISH? “Shell,” derived from the Latin word sella (seat), refers to creatures that sit on their shells when not swimming (e.g., prawns, crabs, lob sters and Whetheroysters).theyare

Muslim scholars are unanimous that whatever lives in water and dies when taken out of it are halal. However, Imam Abu Hanifa held that fish without scales are haram. Shias allow the eating of fish with scales and all water creatures except for edible crustaceans (i.e., shrimp, except crab) that are also halal; fish without scales are haram. Quran 5:96 and 35:12 allow one to eat seafood. Abu Hurayra (radiy Allahu ‘anhu) reported that the Prophet (salla Allahu ‘alayhi was sallam), when asked about using seawater for ablution, responded, “Its water is pure and its dead (animals) are lawful (i.e., they can be eaten without any prescribed slaughtering).” Tirmidhi [69] calls it hassan sahih, and Bukhari says it’s sahih (“Sunan an-Nasa’i,” v.5, book 42, hadith no. 4355).

laws include prohibitions against pork, shrimp and shellfish (Leviticus 11). This article isn’t about the what the relevant fatwas say, but about increasing the consumers’ awareness regarding water pollution, its effects on shellfish and the environment from which they are harvested.

The March 2022 report of the Environmental Integrity Project, established by former EPA enforcement attorneys, recommends that Congress strengthen the Clean Water Act by closing its loophole for agricultural runoff and other “non-point” sources of pollution — by far the largest sources of impairments in this country’s waterways (https://environmentalintegrity).Improperlytreatedorcontrolled farm manure and agricultural chemicals can end up in waterways and impact shellfish growing areas. Sewage from malfunctioning or aging treatment plants, along with the failure of home septic systems, can release human waste and other dangerous bacteria and pathogens into these areas. My Master of Public Health research project at Harvard University School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental Health ana lyzed sewage from food production plants. Meat and poultry plants, depending on their size, can generate significant amounts of solid waste and sewage. However, this waste pales in comparison with the enormous amount of farm-produced animal waste. The risk continues to grow as large-scale animal feeding operations proliferate.

PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES Shellfish feed by filtering the water that washes over their beds and passes through their bodies to get food. The world’s coastal areas from which they may be harvested are highly polluted. Public health officials and fisheries departments periodically warn that certain shellfish may be contaminated with pathogenic viruses and bacteria. Traditionally, one didn’t eat shellfish during the warmer months because they were frequently subjected to microbial contamination.

Certain seafoods are halal, but many of them are not tayyib (pure, healthy)

halal or haram depends on who you ask. The Hanafis consider all shellfish haram, whereas the Shafi’is, Malakis and Hanbalis consider almost all fish and shellfish that live in water and die quickly once out of it halal.

WATER POLLUTION

Mark 7:18-23 (ESV) records Jesus (‘alayhi as salam) as declaring all foods clean. However, many Bible scholars contend that the story, mentioned in both Matthew and Mark, is erroneous because both passages have nothing to do with food. When Mark 7, Matthew 15 and Acts 10-11 are analyzed together, other problems arise (https:// christiananimalethics.com/).TheOldTestament’sdietary

Seafood and Water Pollution

In her article for the Natural Resources Defense Council, freelance writer and editor Melissa Denchak wrote that 80% of ocean pollution originates on land. Contaminants such as chemicals, nutrients and heavy metals are carried from farms, factories and cities by streams and rivers into our bays and estuaries; from there they travel out to sea.

A CBS News report’s (January 2016) global analysis of seafood found that the oceans’ fish populations, regardless of location and species, are contaminated with industrial and agricultural pollut ants, collectively known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The Surfrider Foundation (www. surfrider.org; April 28, 2021) states that approximately 25% of U.S. households are still serviced by septic disposal sys tems, a figure that rises to nearly 50% in some states, especially in rural areas. The effluent that eventually reaches coastal waters is heavily polluted with nitrogen and some phosphorus. According to the March 2022 Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) surveys, nearly half of our rivers and streams and more than one-third of our lakes are polluted and unfit for swimming, fishing and drinking.

CLEANLINESS IN ISLAM Polluting water contradicts Islam’s teachings. As one hadith states, “People are partners in three things: Water, grass of pasture and fire” (“Sunan Abi Dawud”). Jabir also narrated that the Prophet forbade urinating into standing water (“Sahih Muslim”).

Vibriosis is a bacterial infection caused by eating raw oysters.

Cleanliness, an integral element of Islam, is mentioned throughout the Quran, which emphasizes eating only halal, tayyib (pure, healthy) food. Thus, impure things remain impure, even if they weren’t spe cifically prohibited. According to Islamic scholars, “for a thing to be pure, it should be noted that all those things are pure which are not unclean according to any principle of the Islamic Law, or which are not offensive to good taste or have not universally been regarded as repugnant by cultured people” (Maududi, ““Tafhim al-Qur’an — The Meaning of the Qur’an,” Vol.1, Surah Al-Ma’idah, item # 18, p. 19). This is important, because what an animal eats largely determines whether it’s clean enough to eat. Fish with scales generally eat plants or other fish, whereas shellfish are bottom dwellers scavengers that eat a lot of dead things. Consumers of shellfish, including oysters, should cook the item until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 145°F, as quick steaming isn’t sufficient to kill norovirus. Moreover, an oyster that contains harmful bacteria doesn’t look, smell or even taste different from any other oyster. HOW YOU CAN HELP If you use a septic tank, learn how your septic system works and keep it properly maintained. Scoop your pet’s poop, bag it and place it in the trash. If you’re a boater, manage your sewage wastes properly. Dispose of unused medicine and chemicals properly and never dump them into household toilets and sinks or outside, where they can get into ditches or storm drains. And, see if your community has a household hazardous waste drop-off facility that will take your old or unused chemicals. ih Mohammad Abdullah, DVM, MS, MPH, retired as deputy district manager at USDA-FSIS. MEAT AND POULTRY PLANTS, DEPENDING ON THEIR SIZE, CAN GENERATE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SOLID WASTE AND SEWAGE. HOWEVER, THIS WASTE PALES IN COMPARISON WITH THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF FARMPRODUCED ANIMAL WASTE. THE RISK CONTINUES TO GROW AS LARGE-SCALE ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS PROLIFERATE.

MONITORING AND INSPECTION

Municipal and industrial activities wastewater is a major source of the coastal water pollution that threatens the world’s coastal habitats and fisheries. Wastewater pollution also threatens human health through consumption of contaminated seafood, particularly in com munities that are highly dependent on seafood. Addressing this, in combination with other efforts to support and sustain vital coastal fisheries, can improve outcomes for fisheries’ health, food security and human health. There are some genuine concerns about water pollution. Foremost is the lack of national standards for animal waste management at the farm level and the monitoring of septic tank systems. The frequency of monitor ing by local and state water and sewage authority in some states is believed to be inadequate in certain areas. Moreover, trans-jurisdiction issues between the FDA and the USDA not only endan ger the public, but also are clearly not the best utilization of the available resources.

According to the CDC’s webpage, individuals with medical condi tions may be at a high risk for becoming seriously ill and even dying by eating raw or undercooked shellfish. Most vibrio infections from oysters result only in diarrhea and vomiting. However, infections caused by vibrio vulnificus can lead to bloodstream infections, severe blistering skin lesions and other more severe illness. Many people with V. vulnificus infections require intensive care or limb amputations; 15-30% of the infections are fatal. Vibrio bacteria naturally lives in the warm tidal waters where oysters grow Shellfish harvested from polluted water sources and inadequately cooked can give you hepatitis A. According to the EPA, shellfish from some polluted coastal areas may cause birth defects, liver damage, cancer and other serious health problems. The National Center for Biotechnology Information reports that the main potential food safety hazards in shrimp farming are zoonoses, chemical contamination, food allergens, heavy metals and veterinary drug residues (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).

Coastal American states routinely monitor shellfish harvest waters for pollution. The Bureau of Public Health oversees the application of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program. When contaminant levels are unsafe, fish and shellfish advisories help people make informed decisions about where to fish or harvest shellfish. EPA advisories recommend that people limit or avoid eating certain species of fish and shellfish caught in certain places. And finally, the FDA is respon sible for ensuring that the nation’s seafood supply, both domestic and imported, is safe, sanitary, wholesome and honestly labeled — except for farmed catfish, which is inspected by the USDA.

For example, the FDA warned on April 4 that Canadian oysters were linked to a norovirus outbreak that had sickened hundreds and were harvested from very polluted places. Norovirus, a highly contagious virus that can cause viral gastroenteritis and is often called “food poisoning” or the “stomach flu,” is usually caused by eating raw or partially cooked shellfish. Norovirus enters seawater through untreated human sewage that may come from leaky septic systems, faulty wastewater treatment plants, boaters or beachgoers (https:// www.foodsafetynews.com).TheWashingtonStateDepartment of Health writes that vibrio bacteria naturally lives in the warm tidal waters where oysters grow. Because oysters feed by filtering water, vibrio and other harmful bacteria and viruses can concentrate in their tissues.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 45

Water pollution may not damage our health immediately, but it clearly can be harmful in the long term.

Yet another report states that imported shrimp, more than any other, are contaminated with banned chemicals, pesticides and even cockroaches. The number one reason for all that is the dirty conditions in which farmed shrimp are raised (ttps://www.goodhousekeeping.com)

Rached Ghannoushi.

46 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 THE MUSLIM WORLD Of Men, Power and Constitutions

Tunisia heads toward another crisis BY MONIA MAZIGH I n 1857, under foreign pressure from some Western countries to open up international trade, implement greater religious tolerance and establish equal treatment (mainly for foreigners) before the law, Mohamed II Bey, monarch of Tunisia, announced the Ahd al-Aman (the Fundamental Pact). This document, which paved the road to a reform movement that had already found its way to Istanbul, was the Arab region’s first constitution and the first constitution written in a Muslim country. Indeed in 1861, after the Bey appointed a commission to study the topic, the first Tunisian constitution came into effect under Mohamed III Bey, the Bey’s successor. This was the beginning of a new era: consti tutional monarchy. But despite its strong symbolism, this constitution weakened the Bey’s rule in favor of the European migrants who were given property rights and equal treatment with the locals. A few years later, French colonization officially started. It took Tunisia almost a century and a sad and miserable passage under French colo nialism to finally write its second constitu tion. The major difference this time was that the country had gained its independence, ditched the monarchy and proclaimed itself a republic. In 1959, the new constitution was adopted, inspired by the French one but still with a clear reference to Islam and Arabic, respectively, as religion and official language. Once again, the political symbolism and independence euphoria made many Tunisians forget or ignore the dangers and threats that this same document contained the seeds of autoc racy. Indeed, it consolidated Habib Bourguiba’s (d. 2009) reign, the nationalist leader who had led the county to independence. The presi dential regime he implemented and the later constitutional amendments he conducted kept the senile autocrat in power until a soft coup by Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, his former prime minister, placed him under house arrest in 1987 and announced a “new” era. After the Arab Spring (Dec. 2010) and the ousting of President Ben Ali, Tunisians wanted no more autocratic regimes and oneman rule. In 2014, a new constitution was adopted. Islam was still declared the country’s religion, and the freedom of conscience and belief was formally included, as well as gender equality. To avoid the rise of another autocrat, the new constitution placed most powers in the hands of Parliament and the prime min ister. Despite its multiple merits, however, the result was an unstable Parliament with no clear majority; tension among the president, the parliamentarians and the prime minister; and a population left on its own with no eco nomic reforms and improvements erendumgazettebyandtionmembers,desit,majorrestlessnesspoliticalconstitutionalmentprices,thenewTunis,andBelaid,country’sandmakingtobers,grabsameKaisconstitutionnet.org/country/tunisia).(https://Unfortunately,onJuly25,2021,PresidentSaied,electedin2019,usedoneofthatconstitution’sarticlestosuspendandcontrolofParliamentanditsmemaswellastopushtheprimeministerresign.Hethendecidedtorulebydecree,the2014constitutionappearuselessaccuseditofbeingthemotherofalltheproblems.InMay2022,SaiedappointedSadokaformerconstitutionallawprofessorprofessoremeritusattheUniversityofheadofacommissiontoworkonaconstitution.WhilethecountrywasstrugglingwithCovid-19pandemic,skyrocketingfoodthecontinualworseningofunemployanddeterioratingpublicfinances,thisprojectcreateddivisionintheclassandasenseofconfusionandamongthepopulation.WithbothpoliticalpartiesvehementlyopposingaswellasthepowerfulUnionGénéraleTravailleursTunisienswithits1millionveryfewvoicesweresupportingit.AfterBelaidpresentedthedraftconstitutothepresident,hewasverysurprisedannoyedtonoticethatthedraftreleasedthepresident,publishedintheofficialonJune30andtobevotedoninarefnextJuly25,differedfromtheone his commission had delivered. According to a July 3 article on www.aljazeera.com, Belaid bluntly declared “the new constitution paved the way for a disgraceful dictatorship.” After the enthusiasm and optimism brought by the 2014 constitution, it looks like Tunisia is moving backward. The checks and balances on the executive branch are gone, and Saied in charge of almost everything. Parliament can no longer impeach the pres ident. Moreover, the president monopolizes the legislative agenda, sends it for approval to Parliament and a new legislative body called the National Council of Regions and Districts and also appoints the prime minister. Even the article Saied loosely interpreted to justify his power grab was reinforced, for he is allowed to hold all the exceptional powers he would have taken without chal lenge from either Parliament or the constitu tional court (one of the highest instances of accountability in the previous orinstitutionshousenationaleuromedmonitor.org/),ingfromuallytionshard(https://www.brookings.edu/).constitution)Sincehispowergrab,Saiedhasworkedto“dismantle”allthedemocraticinstituandindependentbodiesthatweregradimplementedduringthelastdecade,theshuttingofParliamenttodissolvtheSupremeJudicialCouncil(https://toshuttingdowntheinstitueofanti-corruptionandthearrestofitsexecutivedirector.Allthesewereeitherbrutallydismantledsmearedinthesocialmediaandforums.

THE WEAK

THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF PARLIAMENTARY SEATS AND THEIR LATER FALL IN POPULARITY, HAS GIVEN SAIED’S DANGEROUS POPULIST RHETORIC MORE LEVERAGE. ISNA Monthly Sustainer –A Good Deed Done Regularly! Convenient. Secure. Affordable. You can make an impact with as little

$10 per month! www.isna.net • (317)

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 47

TODAY,

INCLUDING ENNAHDA,

When will the population, whose inter ests Saied consistently claims to be repre senting, give him carte blanche to implement his constitutional “reforms” while they go hungry? Will they vote “Yes” for this new constitution on July 25 although most politi cal parties have already called for its boycott?

governors and the partisan appointment of others, the harassment of some journal ists and their arbitrary detention — many Tunisian democrats thought these were things of the past when they voted for the 2014Today,constitution.manysigns indicate that Saied, despite his fervent denials, is taking the country down a dark path. The weak polit ical parties, including Ennahda, who once had the highest number of parliamentary seats and their later fall in popularity, has given Saied’s dangerous populist rhetoric moreWorse,leverage.tobecome popular among some staunch Ennahda opponents and distract the public from his amateurish governing, Saied froze bank accounts of Ennahda’s longtime leader, Rached Ghannoushi, and eight other party leaders. On July 6, www.jazeera. com reported that he has been summoned to appear next July 19 before an investigative judge over money laundering allegations. Some rumours are even evoking the likely prospect of his arrest. It’s no secret that “bread” usually brings people out to demonstrate against poverty and tyranny. It happened against the Bey (1864), Bourguiba (1984) and Ben Ali (2010). And it will continue to happen as long as pres idents persist in preserving their seats while offering no solutions to eliminate poverty and improve the living conditions of the poor. With Ukraine’s wheat still the main ingredients in baking the French baguette, a by-product of French colonization, the situation in Tunisia is bleak.

Never have men’s destinies and constitu tion writing been linked as is now the case Tunisia. ih Monia Mazigh, PhD, an academic, author and human rights activist, is an adjunct professor at Carleton University (Ontario). She has published “Hope and Despair: My Struggle to Free My Husband, Maher Arar” (2008) and three novels, “Mirrors and Mirages” (2015), “Hope Has Two Daughters” (2017) and “Farida” (2020), which won the 2021 Ottawa Book Award prize for French-language fiction. She is currently working on a collection of essays about gendered Islamophobia. MANY SIGNS INDICATE THAT SAIED, DESPITE HIS FERVENT DENIALS, IS TAKING THE COUNTRY DOWN A DARK PATH. POLITICAL PARTIES, WHO ONCE HAD as 839-8157

In the last months leading to this draft, the judiciary system saw its powers and inde pendence limited by the president’s interfer ence. In one of his angry and virulent public outbursts, Saied sacked 57 judges, accusing them of corruption, misconduct and even adultery. He suspended them without the possibility of fair process. Before his power grab, these institutions weren’t perfect. Struggling in a tough political and socioeconomic environment, they made mistakes and couldn’t always justify their work to a society that no longer trusted politicians and was disgusted by the ongoing corruption. However, to dissolve them, mock their work and suspend them could result in terrible con sequences for the county’s political future. Whereas both the 1959 and 2014 consti tutions contained clear statements on Islam as the state religion, the new draft replaced it with an obscure and vague relationship to the ummah. Moreover, to the disapproval of some secularist supporters, the president included a statement about adopting “maqa sid Islamic rulings” in his draft constitution. “Tunisia is part of the Islamic nation, and the state alone must work to achieve the goals of Islam in preserving the soul, honour, money, religion and freedom.”

Erin Clare Brown wrote on July 1, 2022 (www.thenationalnews.com) that this refer ence created an uproar among those who are “using” Saied to score points and settle their ideological battles with the Islamists of the Ennahda party. So even for his backers, this last move made the president’s intentions very threatening: to decide on his own on what to include and what to remove from theButconstitution.beyondthese ongoing ideological fights, this new draft brings back the spec ter of autocracy. The arbitrary detention of political opponents, the dismissal of some

I n 2015, six Muslims — Ayanna Jenkins, Najjiyyah Fuller, Buheira AbdusSabour, Omar Craig, Muhijra Muhammad and Luqman Abdus-Sabour — decided to offer the community a much-needed ser vice, one that no one can do without (Quran 21:35): an Islamic funeral and burial service. There were reports about Muslims being buried in un-Islamic ways or, even worse, cremated. One of this group’s main goals was to ensure that Muslims would be buried in accordance with the Quran and Sunna. A hadith, cited on the authority of Abu Hamza Anas Bin Malik (radi Allahu ‘anh), relates that Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself” (“Sahih al-Bukhari” and “Sahih Muslim”). The six-member team decided to estab lish Bury Me Muslim, Inc. (BMM; www. burymemuslim.com) and register it as a 501(c)3, nonprofit tax-exempt organization. The first step was to learn the correct burial procedures (janaza) so they could assist and inform others of what these were. Muslims and even non-Muslims began asking many questions about Islamic burial requirements, questions dealing with the cost, places of burial and general procedures. Thus, to assist people, BMM provides a list of Islamic and non-Islamic mortu aries that cater to Islamic needs • a list of Islamic cemeteries as well as cemeteries with Islamic sections • volunteers to perform the ghusl (ritual bath) and the shrouding • vol unteers to be pall-bearers, if there are no male Muslim family members • volunteers to assist with the internment • an imam, when needed, to officiate the janaza prayer. If needed, BMM is 100% involved in each burial process, from dispensing the relevant knowledge of Islamic practices to actually burying the deceased. The topics discussed range from the importance of financially preparing for burial expenses to how Muslims conduct themselves at the gravesite. BMM offers classes on how to per form the ghusl and the shrouding, as well as to its volunteer staff on the funeral’s pro tocol and etiquette. These presentations are available to the public and have been offered at police departments, mosques, large and small organizations, community centers, as well as to non-Muslim family members in their homes. In 2019, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Council for Social Justice (CSJ) contacted BMM after the chaplain from the Federal Correctional Complex, ADX (Florence, Colo.) reached out to it regarding lifetime inmates’ concerns about being buried as Muslims. Many of these par ticular inmates are foreign nationals who don’t have American citizenship. Moreover, they have no family or friends to depend on for financial help when they die, nor any money to pay for an Islamic burial.

In March 2022, God blessed BMM with the opportunity to purchase burial land within an already established cemetery. This land houses 310 Muslims and meets the need of public access in the tri-jurisdictional area (the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia). This was an answer to prayers for a cemetery that is easily accessible to the

SOCIAL SERVICE A Service that Every Person Needs Bury Me Muslim provides Islamically appropriate burial services

48 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

BY AYANNA JENKINS

The Bureau of Prisons will try to send the deceased back to the prisoner’s homeland; however, many of these countries have no stable, functioning government to receive their remains. If the Bureau of Prisons cannot send the body back, the deceased will be Aftercremated.afewmonths of dialogue among the chaplain, ICNA CSJ and BMM, a relationship was established with an Islamic service pickup for the deceased, an Islamic mortuary, a mosque and an Islamic cemetery. Everything was in place to begin the pilot program. Three BMM board members traveled to Colorado to meet with the perspective participants and to officially implement the pilot program. After a couple of days, the appropriate criteria were established. BMM uses these criteria to ensure the proper burial of our Muslims from the time of death to their actual burial. Abdullah bin Umar (radi Allahu ‘anh) reported, the Prophet said, “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. So, he should not oppress him nor should he hand him over to an oppressor. Whoever fulfills the needs of his brother, God will fulfill his needs; who ever removes the troubles of his brother, Allah will remove one of his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever covers up the fault of a Muslim, Allah will cover up his fault on the Day of Resurrection” (“Sahih al-Bukhari” and “Sahih Muslim”). Due to Covid-19 social distancing and other requirements, BMM devised a plat form for sharing knowledge through Zoom. These interactive classes were attended at four-month intervals with different topics related to the janaza process: How to Financially Prepare Yourself for Your Janaza, The Responsibility of Talking to Your Family About Your Demise, Your Last Will and Testament and many other subjects.

The BMM Board

Bury Me Muslim had heard stories within the umma of brothers purchasing land for burial and all the troubles they had encoun tered. We encountered no such roadblocks, because of the location of our burial land. During April through July, BMM has helped bury nine Muslims. We not only provide a place for at-the-time-of-need burials, but also offer three payment plans for preplanning, which is highly recommend for Muslim families.

PREPLANNING BURIALS

Preplanning consists of a Last Will and Testament • Financial Planning for Burial Expenses • Talks With Your Families Regarding Your Janaza • Pre-purchase of Mortuary Services • and Pre-purchase of BurialTalkingPlots.with your family, your loved ones, goes a long way is enabling a smooth transi tion when families are aware of the janaza process. During their presentations, BMM tries to stress to all Muslims the importance of preplanning for their death. One obstacle in this process is the lack of such communication with family mem bers. This oversight leaves family members at odds with each and confused about the deceased’s burial rights. This is where BMM steps in to explain to them, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, the importance of bury ing the deceased in accordance with Quran and Sunna. Unfortunately, sometimes such efforts have no effect and the family decides upon burial in another fashion or cremation.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 49 area’s hub as well as affordable. This jour ney began in 2019 when a non-Muslim who knew of BMM’s need for burial space and its proximity to the city helped identify this land. Neither he nor BMM could know that the cemetery could be purchased for such a fairBuryprice.Me Muslim went into negotiations over the cemetery. The first salesperson presented a price that left us a little over whelmed. He not only wanted an excessive price for the land, but also to make us respon sible for fixing the wall that cordons off the burial land. The second salesperson only budged a little on the price. However, after that God sent a third salesperson who became an advocate for us. During our meetings with her, we could sense the compassion she felt for what we were trying to achieve. After much nego tiations and many duas, BMM and the cemetery came up with a very reasonable agreement. And yet the biggest challenge was still to come — securing the necessary funds. However, God provided a donor who loaned the amount needed for the down payment.

On reflection, BMM sometimes finds that the deceased’s family didn’t receive the janaza-related material prior to his/her death and that no money was set-aside to cover the burial expenses. BMM is dedicated to serving the umma on such events, for every Muslim is obliged to ensure that the burial rights of all Muslims are observed. The funeral prayer is fard kifaya (a communal responsibility), meaning that if some people do it, then the rest of the umma is absolved of this responsibility. But if the umma as a whole fails to do it, then all of its members are guilty of sin. Interested people can assist BMM by sponsoring a class on janaza, aiding in ghusl and shrouding, volunteering to be a pall bearer or financially securing the cem etery. We can be reached at 301-364-1619 (office), 240-877-5525 (mobile) and bury memuslim@gmail.com. ih Elizabeth Jenkins (aka Ayanna Jenkins; vice president, BMM) is the intake coordinator, meaning that she facilitates the funeral arrange ments. Jenkins was born, raised and educated in Massachusetts. She moved to the District of Columbia in 1969 and, in 1972, she and her husband embraced Islam. They mother of four grown chil dren and a retired nurse who owned a nursing agency, she spent many years counseling families in hospice situations and home care in general. Both of these long-term experiences were a great preparation for BMM.

THE FUNERAL PRAYER IS FARD KIFAYA (A COMMUNAL RESPONSIBILITY), MEANING THAT IF SOME PEOPLE DO IT, THEN THE REST OF THE UMMA IS ABSOLVED OF THIS RESPONSIBILITY. BUT IF THE UMMA AS A WHOLE FAILS TO DO IT, THEN ALL OF ITS MEMBERS ARE GUILTY OF SIN.

Jazak Allahu khair.”

Changing Around Being Divorced or Widowed

This year, Ikram Foundation has seen a significant increase in applications from women across the country seeking educa tional grants. For the first half of 2022, it has distributed over $84,000 in grants to 32 beneficiaries across nine states. Beneficiaries received degrees and certifications in a wide array of fields, including software testing, echocardiography technician, data analytics and certified medical assistant, among others. According to an Institute of Islamic Policy and Understanding (ISPU)

SOCIAL SERVICE

According to data from the 2006-10 National Survey of Family Growth, approxi mately half of all first marriages in the U.S. will end in divorce. Ghariani mentioned that sta tistically, divorced or widowed Muslimas may be at a greater risk of poverty and have more barriers to overcome, among them language, health problems, gendered Islamophobia, special needs children, lack of confidence, trauma background and no work experience or education from their homelands. “We are in the business of breaking cyclical poverty,” says Ghariani. She gave an example by sharing about a client who went from serving tables to working in the IT sector. She is now a proud Ikram program alumni and mentoring other women in the IT space.“Wesaw our client going from waiting tables and making $2.00 an hour to being in a managerial position making six figures as a software QA tester. The passion for the work we do at Ikram Foundation is renewed every single time we have a new application come through, and we get to really step into the lives of each one of our clients. Being in a position where you can see empowerment play out through the journey of education not only renews our passion, but makes it evenSamanstronger.”Quraeshi, an Ikram alumni and program director, agreed and added, “The reason why I am literally standing today as the program director of Ikram as well as a therapist is because I had a community around me that invested in my growth.”

Quraeshi remarks that her own educa tional journey has given her an insight and the drive to help clients continue the path of education. “I was able to see how my situation changed, how my mental health improved and how I became excited about my future. That and many other experiences gave me the blueprint to continue working with a population whom I deeply care for and relate to.”

The Ikram Foundation invests in education for Muslimas across the U.S. BY SAMAN QURAESHI T he conversation around being a divorced or widowed Muslima in the U.S. is changing. Since 2014, the catalyst of this change has been Ikram Foundation, a Herndon, Va. 501(c)3 nonprofit organi zation. Through its Employment Career and Prep Project, to date it has distributed $600,000 in grants for education to 150+ clientsIkramnationwide.Foundation executive director Somayyah Ghariani explains, “Ikram does one service, and that is empowering women by investing in their education. The women we work with are strong, resilient and inspir ing individuals who, despite the challenges they are facing, still push through and give back to their children and communities.”

Delhi Elkambo, an Ikram Grant recipi ent, says, “I am truly grateful for the generos ity of the Ikram Foundation toward funding my post-bachelor studies. My lifelong goal has been to become a doctor, and I truly believe Ikram Foundation’s contributions places me one step closer to realizing that goal, al-hamdu llilah. This organization was quick in its response and generous in its donations. I felt truly dignified during my interactions with Ikram. I am forever grateful, and I pray that this organization grows to benefit even more of our sisters.

Conversationthe

50 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

She recalled the experience of coming to the foundation first as a client. “As a newly divorced single mother, I was overwhelmed with pain and had very little confidence. I remember meeting with the former executive director and telling her sheepishly about what I wanted to do, and she didn’t hesitate and believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.”

graduate) and

An increase in support from the Muslim community has allowed Ikram to continue to grow and reach more women in need. This past Ramadan, the foundation was honored to be the winning charity of the Muslim Women’s Giving Circle’s Ramadan giving campaign. Also, Ikram has received grants from the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, Human Concern International (HCI), Muslim Aid USA (MAUSA) and other grant-giving entities. These partner ships have expanded the organization’s reach from stakeholders to beneficiaries. Ikram’s most recent partnerships, those established with Lutheran Social Services, helps distribute grants for education to newly arrived divorced or widowed Afghan women. Many of these women arrived as refugees with educational backgrounds in such fields as medicine and law. One shared client was a physician and, after arriving in the U.S. as a widow, came to Ikram seeking assistance in evaluating her degree so she could practice her profession to support herself and family. In its capacity as a client-centered orga nization, our work at the foundation has revealed to us that we are stronger together. It takes the larger community to uplift divorced or widowed Muslimas and their children. Muslims can each play a part in changing the conversation and narrative around being divorced or widowed as a Muslima. ih Ikram, which welcomes potential beneficiaries, can be reached at www.ikramfoundation.org. Saman Quraeshi, (program director, Ikram), (Ikram-supported Somayyah Ghariani (Ikram, executive director).

THIS YEAR, IKRAM FOUNDATION HAS SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN APPLICATIONS FROM WOMEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY SEEKING EDUCATIONAL GRANTS. FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 2022, IT HAS DISTRIBUTED OVER $84,000 IN GRANTS TO 32 BENEFICIARIES ACROSS NINE STATES. (L-R)

Sumaira,

ISNA Monthly Sustainer –A Good Deed Done Regularly! Convenient. Secure. Affordable. You can make an impact with as little as $10 per month! www.isna.net(317)839-8157

2020 American Muslim Poll, “A majority of Muslims would like more support for divorced people in their faith community.”

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 51

Muslim parents should do their best to guide their children toward an Islamic lifestyle BY FREDA SHAMMA G od obliges Muslim parents to raise their children as practicing Muslims if possible. But doing this in the U.S., which worships wealth and the individual’s right to live life as he/ she wishes, is an enormously difficult task. What makes it even harder is the absence of rightly guided extended family and friends and a hostile environment. Most Muslim children attend public schools, which takes up about 50% of their awake time. At school, they interact with teachers and students who either know noth ing of Islamic values or believe the misinfor mation presented by the media. Textbooks reflect no religious values and present noth ing positive about Islam or Muslims. Leaving school doesn’t necessarily mean engaging with a more Islamic atmosphere, as schoolwork, TV, video games and non-Muslim friends suffer from the same lack of information. Even in the typical Islamic school, only 14% of each school day is spent on Islamically oriented material (assuming two classes that teach Quran, Arabic and Islamic studies), while the other subjects are taught with the same public-school curriculum and text books. Although most of the teachers and students are Muslim, they aren’t necessarily practicing Islam as one might hope. THE PROBLEM How can Muslim parents help direct their children toward an Islamic lifestyle? Parents can’t take any time away from school, and most of them certainly don’t want to take time away from homework. That leaves mealtime, prayer time and/or leisure time. The quickest way to make children dislike Islam and parents is to try to fill their leisure time with lectures about Islam.

THE SOLUTION

What can parents do? A surprising amount, it turns out. Let’s examine every activity in daily life.

The Importance of Parental Involvement in Schools

52 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 FAMILY MATTERS

❯ Talk to the administrators and offer your assistance, perhaps helping the librar ian one day a week or in the office xeroxing materials that teachers need. If they know you, they’ll ask you to participate in World Culture Day or a similar event that highlights the world’s different regions. When they ask you to present something about your home land, suggest something about Islamic art and civilization, or possibly about how the Muslim minority community contributes to American life. ❯ Work with the school board. Attend its meetings and make positive comments about how the school is run. Offer to sit on a committee and/or run for office. Regular visits can bring enormous benefits. As teachers and administrators get to know you, they’ll begin to value having Muslim children in the school, and this attitude will have a positive effect on your child. This will happen even if you do nothing else. But add to that the value of the work you’ll do if you’re involved. Another hidden value is that your child will see how important education is to you and that you interact with the school in a positive way. ❯ Time and money are important. Buy some Islamic books and videos for the library, most of which have no books about Islam written by a Muslim. Check with an organization like CAIR or Islamicmedia. com for suggestions on which books and/or videos might be best. The Unity Productions Foundation (UPF) recently released a threepart series on PBS about an American Muslim Road Trip — meeting Muslims along Route 66 who are contributing to American society. Leisure time. Most Muslim students have two major problems with their leisure time. Spending hours online or interacting with videogames has several negative aspects. First, these activities focus on a screen that changes every few seconds. The brain is very adaptable and easily becomes a brain which can only focus for a few seconds at a time, that of course leads to very poor school per formance. The other huge problem is that screen time with others does not lead to real personal interaction. Instead, it often leads to depression and/or anti-social interaction.

School. School absorbs an astonishing 50% of your child’s time. Think of how you can utilize that time more effectively.

The other major problem with leisure time is that most, if not all of it, is spent on non-Islamic oriented activity. Students need friends, real friends who they spend real time with. And at least some of these friends must be practicing Muslims. Parents are no longer the main source of guidance for their youth. Now the main source of guidance is their friends, and if the friends are not practicing Muslims their advice will too often lead your child away from Islam. Even if you must go out of your comfort zone of friends of your own ethnicity, for the sake of your children you must find some good friends for them to interact with on a regular basis. CAUTION Unfortunately, many Muslim students are shy or ashamed of their religious identity and do not want their parents coming to school looking “strange” or speaking broken English. This is not the time to argue about such things with them; rather pity those children who may be the only Muslim in the public school or his/her class. Being part of a school group is extremely important for teens. If your child feels like this, seek some activity that involves no interaction with students. If you try to force your way in, your child will be more likely to dislike Islam and/or native culture. For example, make an appointment to talk with your child’s teacher after school when the students have left. If your child experiences verbal attacks on his/her religion, skin color or culture, call CAIR to see if they can intercede. Or contact Islamic Networks Group (ING) to give a school-wide presentation on these issues, as much of the harassment will be coming their lack of knowledge about what Islam really is. ih

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 53

Sleep. Unless you believe in subliminal messages, the only time available here is just before bedtime and right after waking up. Some successful families conduct a family Islamic study session for half an hour to an hour either before bedtime or upon getting up in the morning.

❯ Meet your children’s teachers early in the school year. Let them know that you’re just as concerned about your children’s education as every other parent. Explain what a Muslim student should be. Offer to help on school trips, in the office and during special activities like graduation. In short, make yourself available for whatever comes up. Once you have a positive relationship with the teachers, offer to come to explain Muslim holidays such as Eid. It’s also a good idea to bring some sweets for the kids when you come.

❯ Join the parent-teacher organization and attend its meetings. If you help with the ordinary activities, like bringing cookies when they’re needed, then when it’s time to plan the theme of the senior graduation party and someone comes up with “Let’s make it seem like a gambling casino,” your opinion will be sought and listened to.

THE QUICKEST WAY TO MAKE CHILDREN DISLIKE ISLAM AND PARENTS IS TO TRY TO FILL THEIR LEISURE TIME WITH LECTURES ABOUT ISLAM. ISNA Monthly Sustainer –A Good Deed Done Regularly! Convenient. Secure. Affordable. You can make an impact with as little as $10 per month! www.isna.net • (317) 839-8157

Freda Shamma is founder and director of the Foundation for the Advancement and Development of Education and Learning. She has spent the last 50 years working on Islamic schooling in three different continents. She is the compiler of the “Treasury of Muslim Literature,” an anthology of Muslim writings during what is called the Golden age of Islam, 850-1250 , aimed at middle school students and can be used as the major reading material for the seventh grade up.

Muslims are the country’s most econom ically underdeveloped, academically most backward and politically most marginalized community. This reality is often hidden by the success of Muslims in some sectors, such as sports and entertainment, and in some regions where Hindutva’s penetration is limited.Sincethe Sachar Committee’s revela tions in 2006, this systematic and structural discrimination and neglect has become an indisputable fact. This seven-member blue-ribbon commission was established in March 2005 by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, under the chairman ship of former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Rajinder Sachar, to study the social, economic and educational condition of Indian Muslims.

Indian Muslims in Peril

I ndian Muslims are going through a very treacherous and hazardous period in their history. Their lives and livelihoods, rights and culture, places of worship and even homes are at risk and under daily assault by some governmental agencies and extremist organizations. The situation is precarious. If corrective measures are not taken by New Delhi, the country’s political parties and judi ciary, as well as the international community, this crisis could explode into a humanitarian disaster of catastrophic proportions.

MUSLIMS LIVING AS MINORITIES

BY MUQTEDAR KHAN

What can American Muslims do?

In pursuit of these goals, they are renam ing cities and landmarks that have Muslim names and seeking to convert into temples or rename icons of Islamic heritage, such as the Qutub Minar and the Taj Mahal. Muslims are lynched for allegedly eating and traffick ing in beef — and emerging Muslim lead ers are harassed and jailed for speaking up.

Hindutva is a Hindu nationalist movement that seeks to privilege the Hindu faith and equate Indianness with being Hindu. While the movement itself is over 100 years old, during the past three decades it has gained significant influence sociopolitical power. The turning points leading to its ascen dance were the 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque and the 2002 massacres of Muslims in Gujarat state. The multilayered movement has cad re-based member organizations like the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), which is its heart and soul, and political parties like the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), student wings and street thugs like the Bajrang Dal. Since 2014, when Narendra Modi became prime minister and his party, the BJP, gained an absolute majority in Parliament, this ide ology has weaponized many governmental functions, including making laws, to wage an economic and cultural war against Muslims.

HINDUTVA AND THE MODI GOVERNMENT

The Karnataka high court’s decision to endorse the policy of banning Muslim students from wearing the burqa or hijab in schools, a decision that contradicts the freedom of religion guaranteed by the consti tution, is one example. The Supreme Court’s decision to treat Hindu mythology as fact in its decision on the Babri Masjid case is another example of how the courts some times privilege majority sentiment over facts.

54 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

Parliament is also passing laws prejudicial to Muslims, like the Citizenship Amendment Act, and reshaping the constitution (abrogat ing articles 370 and 35A). During BJP’s rule, Muslims have become incredibly insecure, and democracy has become very fragile.

Often described as the world’s largest democracy, India has allowed nearly all its institutions to become ideologically cor rupted and captured by this movement. The police and other law enforcement agencies often act in concert with violent Hindutva groups and mobs, watching without inter vening when Muslims are subjected to mob violence. Even the courts, including state high courts and the Supreme Court, are making communal decisions.

Hindutva’s adherents seek to transform India from a secular, pluralist democracy into a majoritarian Hindu state in which Hindu religion and culture is dominant and excludes all other faiths and cultures. It hopes to achieve this by erasing the coun try’s glorious Islamic past, forcing Islam and Muslims to become invisible in the public arena and destroying their spirit and resolve to defend their cultural identity and heritage, and render their electoral power moot.

INDIA’S MUSLIMS

WHAT MUST WE NOT DO?

(1) Underdevelopment: There is relative underdevelopment and a continuously growing achievement gap between Muslims and non-Muslims; (2) Existential threat: Frequent violence — lynching and brutal beatings — and calls for genocide and the communi ty’s destruction by Hindutva nationalists; (3) Periodic emergencies: The community regularly experiences destruc tion of homes by the BJP governments, destruction of property and businesses in riots and by police. Additionally, pandem ics, natural disasters and bad policies have a disproportionately devastating impact on them because of their relative poverty and government neglect.

While there are limits to what American Muslims can do, by virtue of their location and resources, they can do a lot. There are a few things they can do, and one thing they must not do.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 55 Muslims have suffered from policies enacted by Hindutva and so-called secular parties for decades. Consequently, they lag far behind other communities, in every area of socioeconomic development, income, education, health, political power, physical secu rity and religious freedom.

• Increase awareness. India has a lot of soft power and enjoys a very positive repu tation as the world’s largest democracy, the land of Gandhi and nonviolent struggle, and as one of the biggest and fastest growing economies and a technology hub. It also has the world’s largest diaspora, which is very talented and contributes to this image. Hence it is important to engage with policymakers, media leaders and opin ion makers to make them see Hindutva’s danger and threat. Less than 10% of the Indian American diaspora is Muslim, and a very small percentage of them are actively engaged with this issue. They need American Muslims to step up and help them.

Muqtedar Khan, PhD, professor of Islamic studies and international relations at the University of Delaware, is author of the award-win ning book “Islam and Good Governance: A Political Philosophy of Ihsan” (Palgrave, 2019). A former presi dent of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists, Dr. Khan is the host of the YouTube show Khanversations. His personal website is www.ijtihad.org, and he tweets @Muqtedarkhan.

• A few Indian Muslim organizations in the U.S. are trying to address the challenges in India. You can help them financially, vol unteer and use your sociopolitical capital to strengthen them and their connections to the corridors of influence in the U.S. The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC.com) is the largest and most impact ful advocacy group. There are others, but IAMC is the most visible and influential one both here and in India. IAMC is focused on exposing the threat posed by Hindu nation alism to India and Indian Muslims.

WHAT CAN AMERICAN MUSLIMS DO?

The goal of 200 million Indian Muslims is to live as equal citizens of India, safe and secure and able to practice their faith freely and take pride in their culture and heritage. They are seeking greater acceptance not conflict. This is important to keep in mind. Because the current federal government and gov ernments in several key Indian states are part of the Hindutva movement, and thus responsible for the rampant Islamophobia. Democracy and religious freedom activists in the U.S. tend to blur the distinction between India and Hindutva political parties. The message must be clear: We want India to be a secular democracy. We oppose Hindutva, we are not anti-India or anti-Hinduism.IndianMuslims seek to live in peace with Indian Hindus with mutual acceptance and mutual respect. American Muslims must not jeopardize this overall goal. ih

Indian Muslim Relief and Charities (IMRCUSA.org) provides emergency relief and financial assistance to projects that sup port India’s most vulnerable Muslims. They have spent decades providing this relief and helping Muslims fulfill their religious duties of zakat and udhiya (Eid sacrificial meat). Channeling your charity through IMRC will help them continue this effort. Another core issue is the community’s relative poverty and underdevelopment. If it were more robust economically and better on the educational achievement parameter, Hindutva’s threat would be less ominous.

The long-term solution is to invest in eco nomic development and education. This is not as pressing as it may seem, but it must be addressed thoughtfully. The U.S. Indian Policy Institute (USIPI. org) and the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) are trying to address these issues. However, they are strapped for resources and need an influx of capital to fund their proj ects. USIPI articulates devel opment policies driven by data and empirical research. AFMI invests in educational initiatives. If you are an edu cation or development expert or scholar, please consider donating money or volunteer ing with them.

• A very large and influential Hindu Indian diaspora lives in the U.S. Muslims need to estab lish a standing dialogue with its members. Both Muslims and Hindus desire a prosperous, democratic and peaceful India. While there is much coopera tion with Hindu organizations like Hindus for Human Muslimdeepersystematic(hindusforhumanrights.org),RightsengagementandaandbroaderHindu-dialogueisneeded.

Islamic centers and Muslim institutions like ISNA and the Muslim Public Affairs Council can play a role in enabling this dialogue.

MUSLIMS HAVE SUFFERED FROM POLICIES ENACTED BY HINDUTVA AND SO-CALLED SECULAR PARTIES OR DECADES.

Muslims face serious and numerous challenges. These challenges can be clustered in the following categories:

Not helping are results from a 2017 Angus Reid Institute poll, which showed that almost 50% of Canadians has an unfavorable view of Muslims. This is a matter of some concern, given that Canada’s 1 million Muslims make up over 3% of its population. Unfortunately, such an attitude is indicative, given that during the last five years Islamophobia has gone nationwide due to the French-inspired laïcité law influence and Bill 21 in Quebec.

This Tunisian-born Muslima, fluent in French, Arabic and English, wishes that she had learned more. She believes that learning a language other than your mother tongue and the majority-spoken language of where you live, opens one’s mind more; shapes one’s imagination, horizon and knowledge; and enables one to acquire more social intelli gence at a professional, school and cultural

Muslim Canadians need to learn Canada’s other official language: French

A 2006 study by Focus Canada finds most “Canadians believe Muslims wish to remain separate as a society” — even though most Muslim Canadians wish to be integrated.

T

BY ZAINEB SURVERY

FRANCOPHONE MUSLIMS

Learning the Languages of the Land

he first word God revealed to Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was “Read,” not “Listen” or “Repeat.” The physiolog ical impact of reading on the human mind cannot be underestimated. Letters them selves aren’t pivotal, for they’re no more than mere symbols inferred by the pre frontal cortex in the brain comprehending abstract concepts like reading, behavior and metacognition — thinking about thinking. Many are aware of, “O humanity, indeed We have created you from a male and female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another” (49:13). This command can be deciphered as respecting and learning one another’s languages, for we’re all related. However, as Muslims in North America or Turtle Island, how much do we truly communicate, let alone read, outside our conventional languages? We are over-zealous — and rightly so — in learning, memorizing, deciphering and/or interpreting Quranic Arabic. Some also embrace their mother tongue, as the Companions did even after accepting Islam but still speaking in Hebrew, Aramaic or Farsi. Muslims are true locals of the land if they embrace each other’s languages. Knowing these languages shows respect for those who settled earlier. After English, North Americans speak Spanish and, to a far lesser extent, French and numerous Indigenous languages. Communicating in them is a form of da‘wah Living in Canada, I will relay the need for understanding French, one of the country’s official languages.

One need not need know French for the sake of knowing it nor to earn a competitive salary. Instead, Muslims need to significantly increase their representation in public ser vices such as government, legislation and politics given Canadians’ immense miscon ception of Islam. Language can even give one some leverage in educating others. In 2021, almost 50% of Canadian public ser vice employees’ first official language was French. Competition is already tough for those who are visibly Muslim due to preju dice or misconception. Language need not be yet another barrier.

Publishing children’s literature on Indigenous Peoples in French is increasing in Canada – but remains at a minimum when on Islam. French Muslim children’s writers are needed in order to combat negative stereotypes of Muslims, and that can only happen as more Canadian Muslims learn French.

56 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

CIVIL JUSTICE Monia Mazigh, a force to be reckoned with in this regard, is in the thick of cor recting misconceptions of Islam within the Canadian government and civil justice realms. Having written almost half-a-dozen books in French, she also fought — and won — reparations from Ottawa for the wrongful conviction and treatment of her husband Maher Arar. Yet, she humbly attributes her strength to the Grace of the Creator and the “power of language.”

Of course, Mazigh is aware of the diffi culty of learning a new language. However, it really is a matter of priority. Methods vary — surrounding oneself with books, going to events and movies or visiting the public library or a French bookstore and requesting specific material. This pursuit is a matter of how we use the existing resources. Curiosity is a must, particularly if we have the privilege of having the time or money to do so. She compares learning a new language to becoming a doctor through hard work. Acquiring the skill is not easy, but the ben efit is well worth the effort and investment. Mazigh equates the sociological changes brought about by the masses of Vietnamese refugees who moved to Quebec from the 1970s to 1980s — approximately 20,000 settled there with no fluency in French whatsoever. Now, they or their children are contributing members in all aspects of its society: from medicine, business and politics to theOnearts.such artist is writer Kim Thúy; who humorously writes about the Boat People’s experiences with culture shock. She attends the annual French bookfair Salon du Livre de Toronto , which introduced Mazigh to Indigenous French-speaking writers. She knows Michele Jean, the Inuit author of “Kukum,” in which he tells about his grandmother, the wonders of an integral landscape livelihood and the Indigenous peoples’ displacement by Ottawa. Mazigh also recommends writings by the Indigenous French poetesses Joséphine Bacon and Natasha Kanapé Fontaine. Some French-Canadian literature is even recognized in the mother country — France — such as Sonia-Sophie Fontaine and Acadian French writer Antonine Maillet. Of course, Mazigh’s all-time favorite Canadian children writer is Robert Munsch, all of whose work has been translated into French. Finally, she cautions people to be open minded rather than concerned with the French-speakers’ various accents. Whether one learns French from a Métis, Inuit, Quebecois, Acadian — these are all oppor tunities to comprehend and be in awe of the diversity of language in and of itself. This makes her all the more curious and motivated to learn. One such inspiration is my friend Sara Mohammed.

ISNA Monthly Sustainer –A Good Deed Done Regularly! Convenient. Secure. Affordable. You can make an impact with as little as $10 per month! www.isna.net • (317) 839-8157 ONE NEED NOT NEED KNOW FRENCH FOR THE SAKE OF KNOWING IT NOR TO EARN A COMPETITIVE SALARY. INSTEAD, MUSLIMS NEED TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THEIR REPRESENTATION IN PUBLIC SERVICES SUCH AS GOVERNMENT, LEGISLATION AND POLITICS GIVEN CANADIANS’ IMMENSE MISCONCEPTION OF ISLAM.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 57 level. In fact, she admits at one point that listening to music and learning from song lyrics helped her understand how people think. However, she now cautions on the lyrical content more than ever. Mazigh opposes the typical view that learning another language is a luxury. Rather, she believes it’s a must and a necessity because Canada’s Muslims need a presence, as they understand the issue, add richness and, ultimately, have to protect themselves. She quotes a popular Arabic proverb from her childhood: “Whoever learns the language of the people or nation is safe from whatever bad or harm is being tried against them.”

PUBLIC SERVICE Sara Mohammed has pursued her interest in French even though her Trinidad and Tobago immigrant parents don’t speak it.

Enrolled in an Ontario French immersion program since kindergarten, she pursued French throughout high school and gradu ated with honors in French linguistics from the University of Toronto. She continued studying it in teachers’ college and worked as a fulltime French public-school teacher for 12 years in Ontario as a visible Muslima. Given her vast experience and under standing, Mohammed suggests that parents learn French with their children, whether they are enrolled in French immersion or not. The ease of speaking French is due to its phonetic similarity to English, along with direct trans lations, as in food labels. She equates learning French to how some parents learn Arabic or Islam with the child’s own lesson. The daily use of visual dictionaries is recommended, along with signing out home-reading French program books, which start at Level A. Mohammed recommends Scholastic publishing’s “Escalire: Niveau F” for helping children learn how to read in French. In addition, she is fond of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic “Le Petit Prince.” She states, “Ultimately, learning together brings closeness between parent and child. The catch is consistency and longevity of implementing the program either at home, school or both.”

One needs to dig to find French liter ature to one’s liking. Unfortunately, doing surface level searches on the internet for “Islamic French children literature” brings up negative stereotypes and anti-Muslim prejudice. Contemporary Muslim writers in English are thankfully growing, but we cannot limit ourselves to one language. The onus is on us to become integral contributors in all aspects of society in all languages, be it in the public or private eye. As Monia Mazigh says, “There is a change, a tide, and we need to be aware of it.” Being aware of and recognizing the need to diversify our communication capacity and mindset is a start — be it in French, Spanish or other lan guages. All change begins with reading. ih Zaineb Survery, a Canada-based community writer and educator, is founder of Indigenous and Muslim Education (IME) and a freelance writer on Indigenous history and social inequality.

BY YUSUF RASUL I never thought I had it in me. Living in a mosque for 10 days without my beloved phone (and family, of course) always seemed like it would be too much for me to handle. I told myself I might do it in a few years when I become a better Muslim or maybe when I have less on my plate. But thankfully my friend inspired me to take the leap this year, and it was so worth it. My previous expectation of i‘tikaf was that everyone had their own little areas sep arated by curtains and just read the Quran and prayed all day, every day. However, while some mosques still do it this way, my expe rience was different. The number of friends I made and the knowledge I gained were beyond my wildest expectations. It truly was one of the best decisions of my entire life. Instead of partitioned rooms, we all slept on a big open floor in the mosque’s basement. We came here to sleep at night and for our after-zuhr naps; however, this wasn’t where we spent the most time. And thank goodness for that, because the snoring of 60+ uncles all in one room is horrifying. I made friends because on the second day I borrowed some one’s phone to ask my cousin to bring me earplugs. When word got out that I had the key to a good night’s sleep, everyone came flocking trying to get their hands on some. That was the start of some great friendships. And great friendships they were. One night a few of us stayed up until 1 p.m., not a.m., having deep conversations about life, society, raising kids and much more. It was amazing meeting people with whom I had so much in common — guys around my age who were struggling to avoid sin but also working to improve themselves. This went against my previous misconception that i‘ti kaf was going to be full of judgmental uncles. I was glad to have proven myself wrong! We heard amazing stories about reverts, learned a lot from students doing hifz and alim courses at the masjid and had a lot of heated arguments over the state of Pakistan. I even had a mini wrestling match one night that we thought would be appropriate, as it’s sunnah. However, we had to shut that down because some uncles didn’t agree. The food was also better than expected. We broke our fasts with dates, fruit chat and delicious pakoras and then went to pray maghrib together. When we came back, we

58 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 FEATURE I‘tikaf : My First, But Not Last, Experience

A young Muslim American experiences his faith at another level

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 59 were greeted by amazing biryanis, burgers and much more. Some days they ordered chicken sandwiches from the local halal restaurants, and all us kids were ecstatic. During sehri there were options for both desi (South Asian) and American dishes, and everyone got to pick what they liked. And while the line was at almost 100 feet long, al hamdu lillah there was always enough food for all of us. We spent most of our time in the mosque’s main prayer hall individually reading the Quran, gathering for congregational prayers and standing for hours during taraweeh (and fundraising). But most of all we were there for the hour-long talks held after each jamaat — except maghrib Even though our generation has the attention span of goldfish, we were engaged the entire time. Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed, Imam and director of Masjid DarusSalam, and and Mufti Minhajuddin Ahmed, principal of the Academy as well as one of the institute’s directors, were amazing speakers whose words ended up changing my life. My nani (maternal grandmother) had told me to take notes. Although I never liked taking notes in high school, I’m so glad I did this time. There was no way I could remember what they said, and every word they said was worth remembering. One of the most important things I learned was about the power of du‘a, how we can get anything we ask God for if we work toward it as well. Yes, manifesting your reality isn’t something zodiac sign-obsessed girls made up recently. It’s what God promised us can happen if we put our complete faith in Him. Another main thing emphasized during our last few days was consistently remembering Allah and avoiding sin. I understood where they were coming from and planned to not waver from the good habits I had established; however, I under estimated how enticing Satan’s tricks are and how slippery the slope of sin actually is. It’s easy to stay pure when you’re surrounded by a pure community. But once you get out in the real world, the real test begins. They reminded us to stay connected with the masjid, as staying close to a good community will help us stay strong ourselves. My i‘tikaf ended two months ago. Although I didn’t stay as strong as I would have liked, I know I will continue to improve and learn from my mistakes. My experience took place at Masjid DarusSalam in Lombard, Ill., a beautiful mosque filled with beautiful people. While some may not like this style of i‘tikaf and would rather be more secluded, I absolutely loved it, especially with it being my first time ever. I was surprised that I didn’t feel homesick or bored at all. We had plenty of space to roam around in, and it was really fun connecting with my newfound broth ers. I’m definitely doing it again next year, inshallah, and if you’ve read this far, I believe you should too. If not for the full 10 days, then at least for a few. It truly was a life-changing experience, and I now feel much more fulfilled and hap pier. Even if you don’t feel like you have the strength or the time to do i‘tikaf next year, ask Allah to give you the strength and time necessary to make it happen. After all, God promised us this, “Call unto Me, and I shall answer your prayer” (40:60). Now all we need to do is ask. ih Yusuf Rasul, 20, a Chicago native studying marketing at Elgin Community College, aims to transfer to Loyola University.

IT WAS AMAZING MEETING PEOPLE WITH WHOM I HAD SO MUCH IN COMMON — GUYS AROUND MY AGE WHO WERE STRUGGLING TO AVOID SIN BUT ALSO WORKING TO IMPROVE THEMSELVES. THIS WENT AGAINST MY PREVIOUS MISCONCEPTION THAT I‘TIKAF WAS GOING TO BE FULL OF JUDGMENTAL UNCLES. I WAS GLAD TO HAVE PROVEN MYSELF WRONG! The world we live in is constantly evolving and ISNA is committed to being a positive driver of change. ISNA has long recognized the importance of engaging with other faith communities as a fundamental part of its mission, and therefore, we continuously host and participate in interfaith events, meetings and webinars to educate our friends, partners, officials and activists about Islam. These interreligious initiatives have helped break down barriers of misunderstanding, formed genuine partnerships of faith and ethics, and established a platform to advocate for social justice issues for the common good. We aim to work together to fight Islamophobia and share knowledge about the true teachings and understanding of our religion in all sectors. The gift of education has a ripple effect—it creates change locally, nationally and globally. Ignorance is our enemy, and with your support we can make a difference. Please donate to ISNA today P.O. Box 808 • Plainfield, IN 46168 (317) 839-8157 • www.isna.net ISNAHQ • @ISNAHQ

a major aspect of fantasy novels, is the process of creating a fictional world. Khan talks about her process and gives advice to other fantasy writers on how to improve writing an epic fantasy book series. She also uses the Dajjal in her stories, an entity derived from Islam and known for having only one eye. The worldbuilding in her four-volume series presents a rich and immersive world that is perfect for fans of S.A. Chakraborty’s “The Daevabad” series. Amani: What inspired the One-Eyed Preacher? Ausma: The One-Eyed Preacher stands for any tyrant who governs without the con sent of the governed and, in his case, someone who tolerates no dissent on how scripture may be interpreted. He’s clearly an ideologue. I thought in the first instance of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, but also of the Dajjal, a figure in the Islamic tradition.

60 ISLAMIC HORIZONS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

WORLDBUILDING A MAJOR ASPECT OF WRITING FANTASY NOVELS. IN SHORT, IT IS THE PROCESS OF CREATING A FICTIONAL WORLD.

“The Khorasan Archives” Series with Ausma Zehanat Khan BY AMANI SALAHUDEEN A usma Zehanat Khan is a crime fiction and fan tasy writer. Her recent book “The Bladebone,” published in 2020, is the final volume in her “The Khorasan Archives” fantasy quartet. “The Bladebone” contains an epic war scene, and Khan goes into depth about why it’s one of her favorite scenes. The series, inspired by her Pashtun background, also incorporates Islam. Khan says, “I offer writing advice with the caveat that you must find what works for you as an individual. But what I’ve found helpful is to read widely not only for pleasure, but also to study craft and technique. There’s so much to be learned about pacing, character develop ment and the art of storytelling by studying those writers who do it Worldbuilding,well.”

Amani: You mentioned that “Call the stars, Rukh!” is your favorite line. Why? Ausma: The line is actu ally from my favorite scene in “The Bladebone.” It’s said by Arsalan, the Commander of the Zhayedan, the Black Khan’s army. The Zhayedan are defend ing the capital of Ashfall from two besieging armies. The city is on the brink of collapse, but the Zhayedan are indomitable and battle on, led by Arsalan — a warrior whose skills and commitment to his people are unparalleled.Arsalanis a very straight forward character, the Black Khan’s closest friend and con fidant. In this scene, a battle rages all around them and the city’s fate seems hopeless. But he continuously encourages Rukh (aka the Black Khan) to make full use of his gifts and power. His faith in Rukh, who is a very dubious character, is what gives Rukh faith in himself, and so you have this moment of quiet inti macy between these two men while chaos rages around them. That was hard to pull off, but it felt beautiful and true to me.

LIBRARY Worldbuilding in Fantasy Literature

Ausma: The story holds that this is the oldest written record of the Quran, compiled by Caliph Uthman, the third caliph. He was assassinated while reading it, and it is said that his blood stains its pages. I was in the presence of a bloodstained man uscript — the Bloodprint, in other words. For those who are unfamiliar with my work, “The Bloodprint” is the first book in “The Khorasan Archives.”

I wanted to capture that sense of reverence in the presence of the written word and also that sense of mourning — the idea that a faith community was still mourning the death of this revered figure. And in the pres ence of his bloodstained Quran, we were deeply moved.

Amani: Do you have any writing advice for those who want to be writers? Ausma: I offer writing advice with the caveat that you must find what works for you as an individual. But what I’ve found helpful is to read widely not only for pleasure, but also to study craft and technique. There’s so much to be learned about pacing, character develop ment and the art of storytelling by studying those writers who do it well. And I also point out that the more you practice, the better you get. My first drafts are far from perfect, but I get them down and then I continue to edit and refine. Amani: Who was the easiest and hardest character to write? Ausma: Arian and Sinnia were easier to write because I had a very clear sense of their personalities, background, and story arcs from “The Bloodprint” all the way through to “The Bladebone.” I knew their histo ries well, and with Arian in par ticular I was writing very close to my own background, history and heritage, all of which allowed me a fullness of expression that maybe other characters did not. The hardest characters to write were Rukh, the Black Khan, and Ilea, the High Companion of Hira. With Rukh, I didn’t know him inside out from the begin ning, so there were shades of him that I continued to explore throughout the series. I realized in the end that this was because he has an ambivalent nature, and that’s never easy to pin down. But it also allows for a great deal of creative freedom. With Ilea, I had to keep asking myself what she wanted, as she had some forward progression from the first book to the final book that I wasn’t entirely expecting.

Amani: What inspired you to write the Khorasan Archives?

Amani: What is one thing you hope readers take away from this? Ausma: I hope readers come away from all my books with a greater sense of curiosity about the world and a greater empa thy for histories, traditions and communities that are different from their own. Khan is currently working on “Blackwater Falls,” a mys tery that features the Muslim detective Inaya Rahman. This book is slated for publication on November 1, 2022. Follow Khan on Instagram and Twitter @askhanbooks to keep up with her adventures, and books. ih Amani Salahudeen, has a B.A. in journalism and professional writing from The College of New Jersey and is currently pursuing a mas ter’s in English Education at Western Governor’s University.

Commons on diversity on screen, it con tains five criteria to measure how Muslims are portrayed on film and TV — is the best way to evaluate a book or media piece’s accu rate portrayal of Muslims. It does this by answering five questions: “If the film/show stars at least one character who is identi fiably Muslim (by ethnicity, language or clothing), is the character talking about, the victim of or the perpetrator of terrorism? • Presented as irrationally angry? • Presented as superstitious, culturally backwards or anti-modern? • Presented as a threat to a Western way of life? • If the character is male, is he presented as misogynistic? or if female, is she presented as oppressed by her male counterparts?” (https://www. riztest.com/).Ifanyofthe above are “Yes,” then it has failed the Riz Test. For example, in Huda Fahmy’s “Huda F Are You?” she draws a cartoon version of herself to tell her story. Her graphic novel passes the test and even shows her immigrant parents in a more positive light than mainstream media usually do. It was truly heartwarm ing to see that kind of representation in this Own Voices book told from a young Huda’s perspective. It discusses periods, hate crimes, relationships (both platonic and conversations Huda has with her hus band). She also explains why she decided to title it “Huda F Are You?”

Muslims need to know about the Riz Test and use it when deciding on buying books BY AMANI SALAHUDEEN W ith the constant oversat uration of books every year, one must understand how to look for those that have good Muslim representation (hereinafter “rep”) when selecting them. Even today it’s hard to find novels with practicing Muslim pro tagonists or talking about their relation ship with Islam. Although the community isn’t a monolith, the average practicing Muslim shares certain core values. Good Muslim rep doesn’t mean that it reflects my personal experience or only positive experiences. Selecting the right books depends on the readers and how observant they are. Prime examples of good Muslim rep books are those that don’t present a nega tive portrayal of those who are conserva tive or struggling to practice. Some novels talk about Sunnis and others talk about Shias, which is something that not every one is aware of. The best way to decide what constitutes good Muslim rep books is to figure out if the character practices Islam. According to Bashirat Oladele, Muslim authors must write with a diverse com munity in mind. From his perspective, a good rep of Muslims in novels occurs when authors avoid the typical stereotypes. Oladele emphasizes the importance of seeing Muslims as people, as opposed to terrorists. “How about we focus on repre senting Muslims who enjoy being Muslim and have interests outside their identity as a Muslim? In the West, struggle is a part of the Muslim experience, but by no means does it define the Muslim experience — whatever that may be because we are all diverse individuals going on different jour neys. Not to dismiss those who like the ‘cap tain saves a hijabi’ narrative, but it is old and overdone. I will be mainly speaking about fiction books [novels] because it is what I enjoy reading, but prior to this I need to shout out It’s Not About the Burqa. Shortlisted, rightfully so, as ‘Foyles Non-Fiction Book of the Year’ in 2019, it touches upon topics such as mental health, sex, identity, and finances”

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 ISLAMIC HORIZONS 61

Another good example is Sara Sharaaf Beg’s “Salaam, With Love,” a story about exploring growth in faith. The protagonist, Du’a, is a child of immigrant parents who both argues and gets along with them — rather refreshing to see in a coming-ofage story. Throughout the novel, she prays either at home or the masjid. I loved how her family celebrated Ramadan. Du’a strug gles a bit with balancing culture, religion and who she wants to be. It was also incredible to see a large Muslim family in a novel. One of the most memorable quotes is, “There is no faith without trust, and there

representation-muslims-in-literature/).(https://theboar.org/2020/08/TheRizTest—inspiredbyactorRizAhmed’s2017speechintheHouseof

THE BEST WAY TO DECIDE WHAT CONSTITUTES GOOD MUSLIM REP BOOKS IS TO FIGURE OUT IF THE CHARACTERISLAM.PRACTICES

What Constitutes a Good Muslim Rep in Books?

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Rebellious Wives, Neglectful Qur’anicControversiesHusbands:inModernCommentaries

T he past two decades have witnessed a proliferation of scholarship focused on women and gender in the Quran. Yet much of it evades a substantive engagement with tafsīr as a scholarly genre in the field of women. This stems partially from evaluations of this tradition as patriarchal and incapable of offering egali tarian interpretations. This book argues for a critical reassessment. Rather than discard it as meaningless to Muslims’ contemporary efforts to recover the Quran’s ethics, this book brings it into conversation by exploring modernity’s impact on three influential 20th-century Sunni Quranic commentaries through the lens of gender: “Tafsīr al-Manār,” “Fī Zilāl al-Qur’ān” and “Al-Tahrīr wa’l-Tanwīr.”Thisauthor identifies significant shifts in modern Quranic commentaries on the subject of women against the backdrop of broader historical, intellectual and political develop ments in the early 20th century. A serious engagement with tafsīr opens up its gateways and provides a clearer understanding of the genre’s intellectual history, development, methods and construction of interpretive authority. Rather than pit a seemingly egali tarian Quran against an allegedly patriarchal exegetical tradition, this book captures a tafsīr tradition with pluralistic, complex and evolv ing interpretations of women and gender in the Quran. The capacity to bring new mean ings to bear on the Quran is therefore not only intellectually viable, but also is inherent in the exegetical tradition.

Living Where We Don’t Make the Rules: A Guide for Muslim Minorities Ebrahim Rasool (ed.) 2022. Pp. 236. PB. $28 Claritas Books, Milpitas, Calif. T his work operates from the premise that today, 90% of all countries have significant minorities that constitute at least 10% of their populations. Approximately 25% of Muslims live in minority situations. Some have assimilated and forfeited their practices and identities to “belong”; others have iso lated themselves with those who share their language, national origin, culture or religion. Some Muslims, however, have balanced both their Islamic identity and other elements of identity that come with their adopted countries. “Living Where We Don’t Make the Rules,” which pursues the third option, balances theo retical rigor with practical direction. The book includes the lived experience of those on the forefront of living as minorities, as well as the scholarship of those who apply the synthesis of Islam’s timeless values, norms and principles with the exigencies of where these Muslims live. It provides leadership that can guide everyday life, manage our faith, direct partner ships with fellow citizens and campaigns for inclusivity.

Hadia Mubarak 2022. Pp. 368. HB. Oxford$29.95University Press, New York, N.Y.

NEW RELEASES

Understanding God and His System Akhtar Alvi 2022. pp. 214. PB. InternationalLegacy$21.99Ventures

“ Understanding God and His System” offers a uniquely precise guide to better com prehending the Quran and its teachings as translated into English. For 50 years, Akhtar A. Alvi has researched God by reading English-language translations of the Quran. Finding most of the translated texts difficult to understand, due to their many verbose explanations and grammatical errors, he has translated the Quran into simple English. This Quran-based book helps readers better understand God and His system by cov ering such topics as God’s existence, location, names, characteristics, methods and actions, and system. A devotional, inspiring read for guiding individuals toward leading more ful filling lives. ih is no trust without faith; they go hand in hand.” In short, “Salaam, With Love” passes the Riz Test. Du’a is never described as a ter rorist, is never irrationally angry or cultur ally backward or a threat to the Western life and isn’t oppressed by the men in her life.

On the other hand, Tashie Bhuiyan’s “Counting Down With You” presents Karina, the protagonist, as stating, “My grandparents are extremely traditional, and I understand. It’s all they’ve ever known.” This quote makes it seem as if Karina believes she’s inferior to her grand parents. This violates the Riz Test because the story’s perspective is that practicing Muslims are anti-modern and thus cul turally backward. Karina also constantly complains about being oppressed by her parents — another violation — as is her statement, “I wish we could all live our lives in peace, without these expectations that seem to dictate our every breath.”

Another book that fails this test is Tahereh Mafi’s “A Very Large Expanse of Sea,” in which 16-year-old Shirin is bitter after dealing with numerous racist events in a post-9/11 world. Mafi writes a romance between a Muslim girl and a non-Muslim boy named Ocean, which violates Islam, but not the test. However, the novel’s depic tion of Muslims acting violently does vio late the test. I wouldn’t recommend adding this book to classroom libraries. Unlike in “Counting Down With You,” “A Very Large Expanse of Sea” shows Shirin embracing her culture and taking pride in it. To conclude, one should read a wide variety of Muslim rep books and under stand that readers might not relate to cer tain characters who may be portrayed as more (or less) practicing than the reader. Evaluate which novels to bring into class room or home libraries. At the very least, use the Riz Test to determine if it should be recommended to others. Some Muslim rep books are solely based on the author’s own experiences, thus often making it a self-insert story. Representation means a lot to readers, and good representation is even more important. At the end of the day, everyone is responsible for the books they read, so learn how to determine if a novel consti tutes as having good or accurate Muslim representation. ih

Amani Salahudeen, an undergraduate majoring in journalism and professional writing from The College of New Jersey, is pursuing a graduate degree in education.

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