Focus On Muslim Kids - Not Me!

Salaams Everyone

May 8th the HalfDate organization generously began a fund raising campaign to try and get donations for my publishing business to design 5 teacher study guides: 4 for Islamic fiction books and 1for a non fiction book I have published.  Pretty cool..right?

The intentions were the very best but somewhere along the way… our Muslim children (who were the focus–the teacher study guides being created for their benefit—seemed to get lost in the promotional activities being done by many generous Muslims trying to help pursuade Muslims to donate money.

Some how the focus has come to be aimed at me and my disabilities and it seems to me that the work I have been doing publishing books for Muslims and trying to help Islamic schools get quality literature for our Muslim kids …. well all the attention pointing to me as  doing something other than my duty and responsibility is causing the true focus to get lost.

Truly.. I have been doing what as a Muslim I am supposed to be doing… nothing more than that… using my time and resources in excess of my essential needs to work and spend in His service for others.

I have been pointed to as a Muslimah of strength and a role model..  and that is so far from reality. Fooie! I say to that!  Before I got so disabled that I must keep to my house mostly… I use to go to the local masjid and gripe and complain about this and that..such as lack of community services dollars assigned in the masjid budget, inadequate funding for library books and equipment, lack of services for identifying the elderly, sick and sisters among our community needing help or some kind of assistance.  Believe me I was and am not one to speak with flowery and soft pursuasion… I was impatient (a constant character flaw of mine) and I lack diplomacy. In fact unintentionally I overheard a brother refer to me as “the big mouth”!

I set high goals and long term objectives for myself and incorrrectly try to shove my idealism and expectations at others to the point where I become pushie and alienate people. Hey…. it is probably a good thing I am homebound so I can do my work and not raise lots of discord in my local community! <grin>  So when you read all that well intentioned stuff about me…. remember what I just wrote.

I know that those individuals writing about me are well intentioned… but really… my disabilities pale in comparison to the trials and harships that millions of Muslims suffer daily. 

So… I want to ask everyone to do is refocus their thoughts, efforts, and work on our Muslim children/youth/teens who are the future of our Islam!

What Muslims need to Focus on:

1. In the USA and other westernized countries reading fiction books is a requirement of Language Arts courses. Children must also learn to write creatively.   Islamic schools must teach this and provide fiction books in the classrooms in order to meet State and National educational requirements .. or be accredited. ..same as public schools.

2. Many Muslim parents don’t realize this..that fiction reading beyond the little kid’s picture book reading level must be done by their children and teens.

3. Most Muslim publishers don’t produce the Islamic fiction books needed by our Islamic schools and Muslim students because they are ignorant about the need for such books and this might stem from reading fiction and writing creatively NOT being a requirement in majority Musim populated countries.

4. Muslim retailers (and many Muslim publishers serve as ther own retailers) don’t buy/list/make available the Islamic fiction books written by Muslims (English language) because they believe they will lose money because the books won’t sell to Muslims. Their may be some basis in fact here, too!

5. Many Muslims do not understand what fiction is… let alone Islamic fiction and many mistakenly think that it is lies or a useless waste of time. See the website www.IslamicFictionBooks.com to learn more..become informed.

–Seems lots of Muslims need some information and education…right?

6. Islamic school principals and teachers are well aware of the need for quality fiction books that have to be read by students through their high school years.  They complain with some justification that there aren’t sufficient quality and quanity of Islamic fiction books authored/published/avalable for them to use in their classrooms. (the chapter books and non picture reading level books)

7. So they have become used to sponsoring once or twice annually book fairs which promte to students, family and the community fiction books authored and published by non Muslims.  Many times these books have content that is inconsistent with Islamic teachings/beliefs/practices.. but they (teachers) tell me that these secular books come with teacher study guides which make it easier for them to use these fiction books in the classroom and which enhance the stusents learning experience.

REFOCUS—NOW!

1. MWP, my publishing business, has been busy locating, publishing, and trying to make available to Muslims and Islamic schools quality islamic fiction books.

2. The teacher study guides are being created to ensure the books can be used… that teachers will want to use… the Muslim authored, published and halal fiction books in their classrooms.

3. Muslim students will have the opportunity to see by reading IF books that Muslims are talented and creative writers cabable of creating quality fun and interesting stories with book characters and challenges which they can relate to as minority Muslims living in a larger secular society!

4. Four Muslimahs have donated their time and talent and are creating the content for the 5 teacher study guides.  I need $1,250 or $250 per TSG to have them designed and made ready in  pdf booklets. The TSGs will be given to teachers/schools at no cost to the schools.

5. If you make the decision to donate and help me with this… you are NOT doing so for me..but for, Allah willing, hundreds of Muslim students.. and their education IS your responsibiluty just as it is mine.

6. I ask each of you to visit an Islamic school in your area or write to an Islamic school and find out what these schools need for our children. Do what you can with your time and money to help them.

I always think… when this road I am traveling on gets bumpier than usual …. of the first word the Angel Gabriel said to our dear Prophet (pbuh). It was READ!   I think this pretty much sums up where I take my direction from…… to provide books so our children can READ.

You can be part of the solution to the problems I have outlined or you can not. With or without your help I will get the TSGs ready for our Musim kids. I don’t give up and I don’t give in. I trust in Allah. Pray on this matter brothers and sisters in Islam.

Widad (AKA) Linda Delgado, Publisher, Muslim Writers Publishing

www.MuslimWritersPublishing.com