Monthly Archives: March 2012

Are We Failing Our Young Muslim Generation?

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Dr. Bhana forwarded an e-mail detailing statistics on Muslim youths in USA.

Less than 5% young Muslims in the US
attend Juma Khutba or any Islamic education.

* About 47 PERCENT of Muslim youth on college campuses drink alcohol.

* More than 26 PERCENT of Muslim youth report feeling anger;   Only 18 percent of the general youth population report he same.

* Only 40 PERCENT are considered “thriving,” which is significantly less than other youth groups.

* 75% said they or someone they know have been discriminated
against. (Zogby Poll)

Although these statistics are alarming, as Dr. Bhana rightly described it, but not surprising.

The young Muslim generation is having  hard time in adjusting because they are living in two different cultures, parents ‘culture and American culture. They are trying hard to please both sides and for many of them it is creating a conflict, confusion, anger, and sometimes even hopelessness. This is not because of less religious education, which most likely many Muslim organizations will conclude, but due to feeling isolated, feeling of being “different “than other youths and  subject of discrimination. Many do not share these feelings and experiences at home because either they do not want to burden their parents or they believe that their parents would not understand them. They keep it bottled up, and for some it becomes unbearable, and they rebel against their own culture and religion.

Our generations have built Islamic Centers in almost every county of USA. It has provided religious, emotional and social support for our generation and a main source of Islamic learning for the young generation. These Islamic Centers provided our generation, to a large extent, similar atmosphere and surroundings as we had back home and we did not feel the need for integration into the American Society. While doing this, we did not foresee the needs of American born young generation.This Islamic Centers focused life, that is tailor-made for the old generation, is neither attractive nor satisfying for the American born and raised young generation. Despite the fact that majority does well in academic studies, but when they compare themselves to other American youths, they come up feeling short because they mostly shy away from other activities and feel isolated.

Our generation failed to integrate into American Society and we are holding back the new generation also. Integration into American Society does not mean one has to sacrifice its culture or religion, but getting involved into many local activities as suggested by Ann Rosenberg in her e-mails (http://www.thinkersforumusablog.org/archives/378 ), and encouraging the young generation to get involved in extracurricular activities with their American friends, is a big step forward. I think having separate Islamic Recreational Activities, as many Islamic Centers are organizing, is further isolating us from the American Society. We should be planning these activities in association with local sports leagues and joining the schools and colleges in such activities.

If above statistics are correct, in spite of the hard work, the methodology as well as religious substance chosen for teaching by the Islamic Centers and Muslim organizations is not working in any aspect. Most of the Islamic Centers and Muslim organizations are spending lot of their energies on arguments and fights over Islamic Rituals (veil, halal meat, separation of men and women etc) and not focusing on real issues facing the Muslims in general and the young Muslim generation in particular. These rituals have become a litmus test for being a “Good Muslim “ and is driving away many people especially young generation. Despite the fact that many American Islamic Scholars and Imams are available in USA, still speakers and Imams in many Islamic centers are brought from back home. This may satisfy nostalgia of old generation, but these Imams and speakers do not connect with American born and raised younger generation. We have neither encouraged the young generation to get involved in leadership role of the Islamic Institutions nor have we created an atmosphere in these centers that will attract them. There is no new blood with fresh ideas in the leadership of Islamic Centers and Islamic organizations. The old guards neither have prepared the new leadership with new ideas, nor are they willing to hand over the power.

Few years back, Prof. Abou El Fadle, Professor of Law at UCLA and Islamic Scholar, wrote in one of his letter to CAIR regarding Muslim leadership:

“My experience is that most Muslim organizations do not have the ability to benefit from and adequately utilize their human resources; they are unable or unwilling to incorporate a dynamic process of intellectual regeneration. For example, the same individuals who have existed at the helm of leadership when I came to the USA in 1982, are the same fellows who continue to dominate the Muslim reality today. What is interesting is that these individuals do not seem to have developed intellectually, or even linguistically, in more than twenty years. I find them still relying on the same ideas, and using the same language, that they utilized over twenty years ago without development or regeneration. Even worse, I find that their grip on power is such that they muffle and suffocate the emergence of any fresh intellects, original ideas, or the incorporation of diverse experiences. Whether we are from the Arab or Indo-Pakistani world, it seems to me that despite the façade of democratic processes that we have learned to master in our home cultures, despotic processes and paradigms has become well-ingrained in the very psychology and intellectual fabric of our leadership. Our main organizations, despite the façade of democracy, are still trapped within the mainly despotic paradigms that they imported from back home.”

The above rings true even today. Our generation has done a great job of building the Islamic Centers and Muslim organizations from a scratch. It is long overdue that we bring the young generation in leadership role. They will be able to navigate these difficult times better with fresh and new ideas. Brain storming by the old leadership to resolve these issues will bring back the same recycled ideas with same outcome and above statistics will get even worse.

Fayyaz Sheikh

 

 

 

Comments and Suggestions by Ann Rosenberg, a Participant at ICR Interfaith Meeting

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Ms. Ann Rosenberg was present at the ICR Interfaith meeting and she has been writing some comments and suggestions to Mr. Noor Salik in e-mails. She has graciously allowed the Thinkers’ Forum USA to post excerpts of those e-mails. She has  Ed.D in Education and History from Columbia University. She is  author of ” Freudian Theory and American Religious Journals: 1900-1965” and has  published other articles. Although these suggestion are for ICR, but these are applicable to all Islamic Centers. Please forward this post to members of other Islamic Centers. Please post your comments. Discussion is the best way to find better solutions. Here are e-mails excerpts in reverse order.

(9)

“I hope that you won’t mind another observation.  Indian Americans are active in RC politics and have successfully fielded candidates.  Volunteering presence at the county and town headquarters is another way to establish a positive American presence.”

(8)

“Other ways to improve and raise the profile of the Muslim community in RC are by encouraging parents, particularly mothers, to become active in the Parent Teacher or Parent Organizations in the children’s schools by attending monthly meetings, participating in bake sales, assisting at spring fairs, book fairs and assisting teachers by chaperoning school trips to museums, zoos, nature centers etc.  Some parents assist in the schools in additional ways.  Both parents can volunteer as Boy and Girl Scout leaders and as coaches in tee shirt and little league baseball and softball teams sponsored by the towns.  There may also be a soccer league.  These sports activities are provided for girls and for boys.  People who have free time because they are retirees or housewives who have grown children can volunteer at Nyack and Good Samaritan Hospitals.  They dispense passes to visitors, push wheelchairs, talk with people whose relatives are undergoing surgery and do clerical work among other activities.   There are soup kitchens in Nyack.  Members of the mosque could volunteer to serve brunch or dinner which is cooked by the organizations.  They could talk with the clients.  The Nyack clergy would know the names of the contact people.

Ann ”

(7)

“Ed.D in Education and History from Columbia University

Rosenberg. Ann. Freudian Theory and American Religious Journals: 1900-1965. UMI Research Press. Robert Berkhofer, ed. Ann Arbor. 1980

I was primarily a high school teacher.  I have won awards and my curriculums have been included in educational publications and been published as stand alone.

Ann ”

(6)

Do you participate along with churches and synagogues in giving night time winter shelter to homeless men?  One of the clergy people in the Nyack area could describe the program to you.

Ann”

(5)

addition sorry: participate in the RC Special Olympics

(4)

“Other suggested activities for increased community involvement: platter of sweets to town senior citizen centers for appropriate Muslim holidays (contact Rockland County Office of the Aged), sweets or little parties for residents of housing for the mentally and physically disabled (contact RC Office for the handicapped), The residents and their families will never forget these acts of kindness, volunteering to serve meals and and push wheelchairs in the hospitals along with synagogue members on Christmas and on Easter enabling Christians to spend the holiday, with their families, Jewish and Christian religious institutions would similarly fill in for Muslims if notified.”

(3)

“Please share all unless I specifically restrict which would be unlikely.

Ann”

 

(2)

“Questions involved: jihad, Islam and Christians, veiled women, women drivers, women reading the Koran, general treatment of Muslim women in Kerala

Comment: In my opinion the afternoon was very successful.  The hospitality was warm.  The presentations were carefully prepared, and there was a genuine desire for improved mutual understanding.    I think that sometimes it is better to understate than to overstate,  In the Western tradition historical evidence or primary sources are offered to support statements such as the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution being based upon Sharia law.  How did  Thomas Jefferson or James Madison become  study Sharia law? Which books were found in their libraries?

Secondary sources such as a lecture by a professor would not be convincing evidence.  Perhaps a more accurate statement would be that US historical documents are in conformity with Sharia law.  Citing the Sharia law referenced would be helpful and convincing.”

Ann

(1)
It was nice to meet you.
Ann

 

ISLAMIC CENTERS, NEIGHBORS & LOCAL COMMUNITY

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I am sure other Islamic Centers also must be involved in activities with their neighbors and local communities, but I want to share my views about what Islamic Center of Rockland is doing, and start a discussion to learn from each other and figure out a best way  forward and respond to legitimate concerns as well as counteract onslaught of  propaganda and misconceptions.

Islamic Center of Rockland hosted the first discussion session of Interfaith on March 11, 2012. There will be multiple sessions held on all three religions, Islam, Christianity  and Judaism. The topic of first session was ” Islam ” . The Islamic Center of Rockland did a great job in arranging this session. It was well-organized, the    lecture hall was full, and I think about 70 to 80 % of the audiences were American Christians and Jews. Local politicians also attended the forum.The speaker and panelists did a great job in their presentation and by adding the human history and stories made the discussion very interesting and effective. Some of the questions raised and discussion included, the commonality in three Abrahamic religions, the veil issue, Sharia Law, the US constitution and Sharia Law, Democracy in Islam, Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and extremist elements, Islam in Saudi Arabia, mixing of local customs and culture in Muslim Societies with Islam and confusion it created in minds of west in differentiating the two. The panelists did a very good job of keeping the focus of on commonality among three religions and avoiding the friction points.

During the snacks the discussion in small groups also continued. Most of the discussion in small groups included the same topics but I think the Sharia Laws were the main focus. These discussions were more on personal level. Distribution of English Translation copies of Quran and pamphlets prepared by Mr. Azeem Farooki was a great idea. One of the pamphlet on the Lecture by Professor Mark David Welton , who teaches Sharia Law at US Military Academy at West Point, mentions that 90 % of the Sharia Law is in US Constitution, is worth reading.

About two weeks ago Islamic Center of Rockland held a session on “Prevention of Domestic Violence In Muslim Community “. It was held with the co-operation of Rockland Family Shelter and AWAKE, an Asian Women’s organization. The focus of this session was awareness about domestic violence in light of Quran and Sunna and its prevention. The discussion and video presentation in this session was extra ordinary. This session was also attended by American Christians and Jews.

Islamic Center of Rockland also joins other organizations for charity on Christmas, Thanksgiving and other occasions.

I think such activities in co-operation with local organizations are more effective and have more impact. These sessions  give us the chance to interact with our neighbors at human level, and this way they don’t see us in some scary abstract image as projected by media.

I think following are the points of discussion:

1- Is this the most effective way to address the legitimate concerns of our neighbors and counteract propaganda and misconceptions?

2- What other Islamic Centers are doing in this regard on local level ? By sharing this information we can learn from each other.

3- Questions and comments on what was said during these sessions and individual comments after the session. This will help other Islamic Centers to learn the points of discussion.

4- Individuals who attended the Lecture by Professor Welton or others who are knowledgeable should share the basis of comments made by Professor Welton ” 90 % of Sharia Law is in US Constitution”. I think it is based mostly on civil rights, individual rights and equal justice for all in the Constitution Amendments. Similar views are expressed by Professor Abou El Fadl in his writings about Democracy in Islam.

5-Any other comments or questions?

Fayyaz Sheikh

PLEASE FORWARD THIS POST TO YOUR FRIENDS AND MEMBERS OF YOUR ISLAMIC CENTER AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO TAKE PART IN THIS IMPORTANT DISCUSSION