community

When Masjids do not welcome children, children will find other places to go. At the Masjid children often receive criticism for their noise, for how they dress, for playing basketball instead of praying Sunnah, and so on. In the schoolyard, children receive praise for their jokes, their clothes, and their athletic abilities. Where will our children prefer to spend their time?

Even with a job and summer school, the summer weeks can and should be marked by fun and frolic, balanced with a growing sense of responsibility as young adults. Here are a couple of ideas for tweens and teens.

"The Earth is a mosque, and everything in it is sacred." This is the first line in Ibrahim Abdul Matin’s book, and it shows the clear connection between environmentalism and faith, Islam in specific.

Plan to "upgrade" your Masjid in the coming year with ideas to reconnect to the community and make it the dynamic, including optimistic Friday sermons, a Muslim joke festival, a Facebook page, and a way to text donations, among other ideas. 

Thank you in Islam means that, let’s stop practicing “auto pilot thanksgiving” and start expressing heartfelt thanks, to God and His Creation. It is one small way we can not only reconnect with people beyond tweets and texts, but it will also deepen our relationship with Allah.

Fighting domestic violence cannot be tackled in isolation. It requires an approach that involves our families and communities in a systematic, hands-on manner. Here are ways Muslim families and communities can start.

On any given night, an estimated 700,000 people in America are homeless. Some 20% or more of these are families with children. Homeless families are the fastest growing segment of the Homeless population.