Graduating from college in Gaza feels like a burden, as unemployment is at more than 80 percent.

Odai Shanah details being among the children forced to huddle in classroom during attack at Islamic Center

A nine-year-old boy has described witnessing Monday’s deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, saying that he “saw bad stuff” and huddled in a closet during the attack.

Odai Shanah, whose mother emigrated from Gaza and settled in southern California two decades ago, told Reuters that he heard a barrage of gunshots coming from outside the walls of the mosque complex, which also houses an Islamic day school.

Continue reading...

That night, the sounds began. Scratching behind the walls, rustling movement in the ceiling. Something alive, something in there.

Our research has uncovered young entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka and Pakistan using AI tools to make deeply objectionable content – and money

• Niamh McIntyre is a senior reporter at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Scroll through any Facebook feed in Britain and, between the baby announcements and petty neighbourhood beefs, you’re likely to come across an account with a union jack profile picture and a vague, generic name like Britain Today.

These accounts – and there are hundreds, possibly thousands of them – present themselves as the work of British patriots. In one typical, AI-generated video, a middle-aged man claims his local cafe “has stopped serving pork, bacon and sausages just to avoid offending people”. Another post from the same account includes a sepia-tinted set of images of Victorian London, mourning a time when the city “was English, first-world and beautiful”. Alongside this type of reactionary nostalgia, it’s not unusual to see memes that call Islam a “cancer”, decry Muslims praying in public as an “invasion of the west” or promote the “great replacement theory” (which claims that white populations are being deliberately replaced by non-white immigrants).

Niamh McIntyre is a senior reporter at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Continue reading...

It’s been almost a decade since I wrote about Choosing a Good Quran Teacher. Back then, the brave new world of online Quran study was just opening up. Many parents have since turned to online Quran lessons for their children due to convenience and cost-effectiveness in our post-COVID world.

Unfortunately, there are serious safety concerns that parents must be hypervigilant about, particularly in the online class setting. Hearing about more and more children becoming victims of sexual abuse from “talented Quran teachers” is a wake-up call to all parents. 

As a nitpicky Quran teacher since 2011, my convictions in finding the best Quran teacher for your children have now changed – prioritizing your child’s safety is of the utmost importance. 

Rules for Online Quran Lessons

These rules are especially important if families are working with a Quran teacher online.

–Only the parents’ contact information should be shared with the Quran teacher. Whether it’s text messages, emails, phone calls, or anything else, the Quran teacher should never be able to directly and privately contact the student. Make sure your child is joining video calls from a device that has the parent’s login information displayed in the call. If sending voice messages for review homework, ensure your child is either using your phone to do so, or forwarding messages to you that they have sent to their teacher. 

–Personal information about the child and family should not be shared. Where the child goes to school, the family’s home address, the child’s schedule of weekly activities, and other information that can help the Quran teacher find your child in person are dangerous to share. Although this may be difficult to avoid or seem obstructive to the child developing a positive relationship with their teacher, it is important to protect the safety of your child. 

–All video lessons should be conducted in a communal area and with parent supervision. The parent should be able to see the screen and overhear the entirety of the lessons. This measure is to hold the Quran teacher accountable for their speech and actions during each and every lesson. It might be very challenging to arrange a productive environment for Quran lessons with other noisy children and activity in the home. It may also seem like a waste of time not to take care of other things, such as making dinner or exercising, while the child is occupied. Having your child in an adjacent room and being on a three-way video call with the teacher, child, and parent present may be a good workaround for this. Some teachers will not allow parents to be in the room or watch lessons. If the teacher will not concede after you’ve explained your concerns for your child’s safety, find another teacher. 

–No photos or videos should be exchanged. Lessons should not be recorded by the teacher. You and your child should not be sending photos or videos to their teacher. This will be more complicated with social media in the mix, particularly if the teacher can access you or your child’s social media profiles. There may be instances where the teacher would like your child to listen to audio or watch videos for homework. In that case, these should be sent directly to you, the parent. The teacher should never record lessons with your child because you can’t ensure how those videos will be used.   

–Establish body safety and boundaries with your children. Teach your child about the importance of keeping their private areas covered at all times and to not discuss their private areas with others. In the context of video Quran classes, your child should understand that only faces and hands should be shown during the video lessons. If the Quran teacher makes a request to see more of them, the child should firmly say “no” and promptly alert the parent. If the Quran teacher ever shows more of themselves than their face and hands, the child should also promptly alert the parent. Tell your child they can also hang up the video call or leave the room immediately if they feel uncomfortable or scared.

–Discuss the online safety plan with your child. Your child should be aware of all the safety measures you are taking so they can comply with them. This includes ensuring they will not accidentally share their personal contact information with their teacher.  Transparency with your children is key to ensuring your plan works.

Communicating Your Rules with Your Kids’ Quran Teacher

The rules that you have come up with for your child’s safety don’t need to be kept secret. Go ahead and clearly communicate what your expectations are to your children’s Quran teacher. You can use the message template below to send as a text or email (You’re welcome!):

Dear xx,

As we begin our Quran learning journey with you, we want to ensure our child’s safety. We have some rules in place that we want to inform you of so you can respect the boundaries we’d like you to uphold. They are:

• You should only contact me outside of Quran classes. You will not have my child’s contact information. 

• Please do not ask about personal information about my child and family, such as which school or masjid we attend.  

• All video lessons are conducted in a communal area in our home and with adult supervision. We apologize for any background noise or distractions in advance, and please let us know if we need to make changes to have smoother lessons.

• Do not exchange photos or videos with my child during or outside of class.  

• Our family has discussed this online safety plan and body safety. My child is aware that you know the safety rules as well and will report any concerns they have directly to me.

With transparency and straightforward communication with their Quran teacher, your plan should be successful, inshaAllah! Hopefully, such a clear outline of what is acceptable for your family will deter any potential predators from preying on your child and family.

Conclusion

As Muslims, we take pride in learning how to read and memorize our Sacred Scripture in its original form–a gift hardly any other religious communities enjoy. Teaching our children how to read the Quran is an important goal for many Muslim parents and a lifeline to their faith once they become adults. However, ensuring child safety while undergoing online Quran study is of the utmost importance, arguably much more important than teaching your children how to read Quran.

As a Quran teacher myself, I’d much rather children learn how to read/memorize Arabic suboptimally than expose them to harm from a teacher who can create the next Mishary al Afasi. If a parent decides to use an online Quran teacher, it is essential that they stay engaged with their children’s lessons to ensure abuse or exploitation is not taking place.

 

Related:

– Safeguarding Children In Today’s World: An Islamic Perspective On Child Sexual Abuse Prevention And Protection

– [Podcast] Raising Children As Huffadh | Sh Fatima Barkatullah

The post Protecting Our Children As They Learn Quran Online: A Guide For Parents appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Students, professors and commencement speakers all targeted for opposing Gaza genocide.

How US sanctions criminalize those upholding law.

Alhamdulillah we’ve been blessed to make it to that sacred month of the year again – Dhul Hijjah. While some of us have been afforded the privilege of fulfilling this pillar of our deen this year, others are reflecting on their previous Hajj, while even more are waiting to be “invited”, prepping themselves to optimize the most sacred days of the year.

Here, we at MuslimMatters have compiled for you yet another edition of ‘The MM Recap’ with this ultimate Dhul Hijjah and Hajj round-up of articles straight from the MuslimMatters archives. From the educational to the inspiring, from the helpful to the reflective, we hope to provide you with an updated one-stop resource that you can keep coming back to inshaAllah.

Dhul Hijjah

– Not Everyone Goes To Hajj…But Everyone Is Called: Gaza, Gratitude, And Dhul Hijjah

Not Everyone Goes To Hajj…But Everyone Is Called: Gaza, Gratitude, And Dhul Hijjah – MuslimMatters.org

– When Allah Chooses Something: The Blessings Of Dhul Hijjah

When Allah Chooses Something: The Blessings Of Dhul Hijjah – MuslimMatters.org

– Embracing the Sacred: A Heartfelt Journey Through the First 10 Days of Dhul-Hijjah

Embracing the Sacred: A Heartfelt Journey Through the First 10 Days of Dhul-Hijjah – MuslimMatters.org

– The Bigger Picture: Understanding Loss, Sacrifice, and Purpose in Dhul Hijjah

The Bigger Picture: Understanding Loss, Sacrifice, and Purpose in Dhul Hijjah – MuslimMatters.org

– Optimizing The First 10 Of Dhul Hijjah

Optimizing The First 10 Of Dhul Hijjah – MuslimMatters.org

Hajj

– What Is Your Role In The Story Of Islam? : On Hajj, Eid, And Surat Ibrahim

What Is Your Role In The Story Of Islam? : On Hajj, Eid, And Surat Ibrahim – MuslimMatters.org

– Experiences, Lessons, And Reality Checks From Hajj 2024

Experiences, Lessons, And Reality Checks From Hajj 2024 – MuslimMatters.org

– A Less Than Perfect Hajj: Hajj Reflections

A Less Than Perfect Hajj: Hajj Reflections – MuslimMatters.org

– Audio Article: Spiritual Prep For Hajj

Audio Article: Spiritual Prep For Hajj – MuslimMatters.org

– Reflections On Hajj I Sh. Furhan Zubairi

Reflections On Hajj I Sh. Furhan Zubairi – MuslimMatters.org

 Dhul Hijjah/Hajj & Parenting

– Dhul Hijjah With Kids In The Home And Palestine On Our Minds

Dhul Hijjah With Kids In The Home And Palestine On Our Minds – MuslimMatters.org

– 3 Fun And Educational Dhul Hijjah Activities For Children

3 Fun And Educational Dhul Hijjah Activities For Children – MuslimMatters.org

– Hajar, Motherhood, And Children: Reflections on Dhul Hijjah

Hajar, Motherhood, And Children: Reflections on Dhul Hijjah – MuslimMatters.org

– From The MuslimMatters Bookshelf: Hajj And Eid Al-Adha Reads

From The MuslimMatters Bookshelf: Hajj And Eid Al-Adha Reads – MuslimMatters.org

MM Dhul Hijjah/Hajj Series & Resources

– The MM Recap: A Dhul-Hijjah And Hajj Resource [2022]

The MM Recap: A Dhul-Hijjah And Hajj Resource – MuslimMatters.org

– Reviving The Sacred Months: Dhul Hijjah (Part 1)

Reviving The Sacred Months: Dhul Hijjah (Part 1) – MuslimMatters.org

– [Dhul Hijjah Series] Calling Upon the Divine: The Art of Du’a (Part 1)

[Dhul Hijjah Series] Calling Upon the Divine: The Art of Du’a (Part 1) – MuslimMatters.org

– The Things He Would Say – [Part 1] – The Call to Hajj

The Things He Would Say – [Part 1] – The Call to Hajj – MuslimMatters.org

– 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Makkah and the Ka’bah [Part 1]

15 Things You Didn’t Know About Makkah and the Ka’bah [Part 1] – MuslimMatters.org

 

May Allah accept the Hajj of all the hujjaj, allow us all to make the most of Dhul Hijjah, and give us the privilege of fulfilling this pillar of our deen at least once in our lifetime inshaAllah.

The post The MM Recap: Our Most Popular Dhul Hijjah And Hajj Articles [2026 Edition] appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

“Terror connection” claimed by judge could have lifetime consequences.