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Salaam Dear Allison,
Thank you for your excellent question.
For sure we are not doing enough here in the West for helping our Muslim children to know more about Islam and put into practice what they do know.
However, there is some effort going on, and as it is usually the case in volunteer organizations, it is suffering from too few volunteers with too little time and money, to make it all happen as we would like. But due to their dedication and hard work, along with the support of Allah, we are witnessing some very excellent results in the areas where the brothers and sisters are all working together for the pleasure of Allah.
Some of the online learning of Islam projects that we are doing here at Islam Tomorrow include:
- Arabic and Muslim history
- Lectures and seminars on Islam and Muslim character in Western society
- Learning how to grasp the meanings of the religion of Islam without all of the cultural sigma that often accompanies it
- Stories of righteous people in Islam who have been instrumental in building the world up in many ways
- Radio, TV broadcasting for all ages
- Audio, Video and CD projects that can help children at home or in remote areas where there are few, if any Muslims
- Summer and winter camps, including sleepovers
- Teaching youth how to present their faith and beliefs in a positive and assertive manner
- Assisting youth in getting proper education and grants for special interests
In fact, there is also a number of organizations that are full time operations to assist Muslim children in everything, from education to physical development to practical steps in being a good citizen.
Here is a partial list of some of the International groups that I have personally observed and even volunteered as chaplain, advisor and camp counselor:
WAMY [World Assembly of Muslim Youth] -- Toronto, Canada. Summer camps - social and personal skills development - sponsor of athletic programs, camps, skating parties, physical development, marital arts, Qur’an studies and Arabic lessons. Also, book distribution, tapes, videos, CDs regarding being good Muslims and excellent citizens.
WAMY [World Assembly of Muslim Youth] - Orlando, Florida. Social and personal skills development - sponsor of athletic programs, camps, skating parties, physical development, marital arts, Qur’an studies, Arabic lessons - games - working with other local organizations in Florida. Also, book distribution, tapes, videos, CDs regarding being good Muslims and excellent citizens.
WAMY [World Assembly of Muslim Youth] - Washington, DC, Falls Church, VA - Northern Virginia. Sponsor of athletic programs, camps, skating parties, physical development, marital arts, Qur’an studies and Arabic lessons. Also, book distribution, tapes, videos, CDs regarding being good Muslims and excellent citizens.
Islamico Cultural Center - Mexico Youth projects: campouts, trail hikes, sponsor of athletic programs, camps, skating parties, physical development, marital arts, Qur’an studies and Arabic lessons. Also, book distribution, tapes regarding being good Muslims and excellent citizens - Spanish language.
Also, here is a partial list of some of the schools that I myself visit on a more regular basis:
MAS Youth Center - Brooklyn, NY. Sponsor of athletic programs, work out room, video room, children's gaming area, indoor playground, outdoor playground, basketball, camps - summer and winter - indoor camps, skating parties, physical development, marital arts, Qur’an studies and Arabic lessons. Also, book distribution, tapes, videos, CDs regarding being good Muslims and excellent citizens.
Nur School - Brooklyn, NY. Full time school, outdoor playground equipment, sports, play area, computer classes, gym, games, Arabic and Islamic studies, character development, etiquette and behavior skills.
Badr School - Jersey City, NJ. Full time school, outdoor playground equipment, play area, games, Arabic and Islamic studies, character development, etiquette and behavior skills.
Muslim Community Wilks Bere – PA. Part-time school, play area, gym, games, Arabic and Islamic studies, character development, etiquette and behavior skills.
There are even more and we are working around the clock in order to help our Muslim youth here in the US. We have a number of programs, projects and places established to bring it all about. We did a fundraiser a while ago and gathered over $250,000 USD for one of our projects, located in Brooklyn, NY. It is called the MAS Youth Center [Muslim American Society].
We had a number of sleepovers there and also summer camps. My own daughter went with me on one of the trips and she is still talking about it. We also have programs for the younger kids that include boy scouts, cub scouts, girl scouts, exercise rooms, video educational games, picnics, family days and much, much more. The children in these areas are doing much better than our children in the areas where we do not have the programs in place yet.
Another new mosque and school is starting here in my own area, known as the Woodbridge Muslim Community. We have already put in a mobile home to use as a mosque, while we do our fund raising. This place is very close to my home and close to my heart…
There is also something interesting to note. That is, even the communities that do not have the children centers set up, the governmental authorities have told us in a number of statistical reports that the Muslim communities in America seem to have the highest success rates in education, vocation and business ownership. They also have the lowest rate of crime, abuse and sexual offenses. This is along with other violence, rape, divorce, theft, drug abuse, family violence, as well as alcohol and drug abuse.
If you know any qualified Muslims who would like to dedicate a portion of their time or resources to this most important project, be sure to have them contact our office here in Washington, DC and we will try to place them with an agency or mosque in an area nearby to them, God willing.
Hope my answer is satisfactory, thank you.
Interesting Links:
Teaching Islam in Europe
The Future of Islam in America
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