Muslim kids get tips on dealing with bullies
Panel draws 200 at convention held in Dearborn
BY ZLATI MEYER
December 25, 2006
Sixteen-year- old Maliha Taufiq remembers when another student at East Lansing High School called her “rug head” to mock the hijab she wears to cover her hair.
She knows that peer pressure and teasing are as much a part of growing up as acne and book reports, but as a Muslim, Maliha sometimes finds herself getting a few extra jabs.
The 11th-grader was one of approximately 200 students of all ages who attended the “Intimidation at School: How to Deal with It” panel Sunday at the Muslim American Society and Islamic Circle of North America’s annual convention at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency.
The theme for the convention, held Saturday and Sunday, was “Muslim Americans for Revival and Reform.” The convention featured workshops and discussions for all ages.
Two youth mentors, Raeed Tayeh and Muslema Purmul, outlined how to handle various bullying scenarios, what causes people to taunt schoolmates and how to stay strong when being picked on.
"There are certain realities Muslim kids face more because of their religiosity, " said Tayeh, adding that children of immigrants often have a tough time turning to their parents for help because of their different cultural experiences.
Among the situations discussed were how to respond to name calling, what to do when physically attacked, how to help a fellow Muslim student in distress and what to consider when friends want to do things Islam disapproves of, like drugs and drinking.
Purmul, for example, suggested joining with other Muslim students to become an active force on campus, turning to teachers and school officials for help and being the person to make plans for the group to ensure the activities are acceptable.
“When you’re in a room, everyone’s disgracing Allah, you’re not the minority, you’re the majority,” she said, inspiring the attendees to look beyond themselves for the courage to defend their faith.
Maliha said that she ignored the name-calling and reported the incident to school officials because she saw through the boy’s fake bravado.
“He was an ignorant student,” she said.
Comment:
This is a great initiative and maybe we need to organise something similer in the UK and Australia to show the youth that they are not alone and their is a way we can deal with Islamophobia. I saw a brother on TV who decided to get Islamically active after his 6 year old daughter came home from school and said " daddy i dont want to be a Muslim, Muslims do bad things".
I have met many Muslims who as a result of being bullied for being Muslim have adopted the practices of the disbelievers in order to fit in and some of them in later life refuse to wear the hijab as a result of wearing it once and being chased and insulted.
We as Muslims need to stand up against anyone who insults Islam and committs injustice even if it is against non-Muslims.
Muhammed saw said " if u see an evil then change it with your hand, if u cannot then speak against it, and if u cannot then condemn it in your heart, and that is lowest level of iman".