The names in the above stories may be different. The circumstances may be different. But the reality is the same. Our Muslim brothers and sisters continue to suffer in Kosova. They are not just hungry. They are dying. They are being raped. They are suffering.
Everyone is asking...what can I do to help? The answer is simple...so simple in fact that most people don't take it seriously. We say to ourselves that small things can't possibly make a difference and we defeat our goal before even getting started.
While the role of parents and the family is unmistakably the first in helping Muslim youth keep their Islam and practice it throughout their lives, Imams and community leaders play a role as well, we will look into example of Shabir Ally's life.
Parents' love and acceptance are crucial during the teens, when most youth, Muslim and non-Muslim, are struggling. How did some parents do it? How do we raise righteouse children?
In our time, and our part of the world, if nothing is strange and nothing immoral, I guess it's only good then, if we feel connected to the strange. 'Good tidings for the strangers.'
Dr. Irving was once a fixture at Muslim conventions. This author, professor and translator of the first American English translation of the Quran who accepted Islam over 50 years ago, passed away in 2002, very lonely.