Muslim Youth in Action

Young Americans are often not regularly involved in community service. Not due to apathy, but to the fact that the channels of encouragement and opportunity aren’t easily accessible. The Muslim community in America is no exception. Chances are your average 17 year old is not going to wake up one morning and decide on his or her own to fix the steps of that dilapidated home he or she passes by daily on the way to school. However, when that same youngster is approached with the chance to join an organized effort to help those in need where all that’s required is that he/she commit to showing up ready to work, it’s a different story!

I had this in mind when I joined the support team of the Baton Rouge, LA chapter of ICNA Relief USA. This local branch largely operates to implement disaster relief programs to victims of the region’s storms in addition to providing assistance to local Muslims that have come upon hardships.

During this time, my fellow colleagues and I were impressed by the positive difference that was made by the groups of young volunteers many of whom not old enough to vote that traveled to our region to work on rebuilding projects for days at a time. These teams came representing their faith and various Christian churches that organized these missions. I wondered what motivated these youngsters to volunteer so much of themselves what kind of skills were required to do what they did, but even more I wondered “Why not us?”

Inspired by these groups, fellow support team members Yasmeen M., Zainab H., and I aimed to create a local volunteer database consisting of active young Muslims that will be ready to respond to the call of duty when the need arises. We wrote letters, sent emails, orally spread the message, and even borderline harassed people into signing up. The reply was hardly as enthusiastic as we were hoping it would be, but that didn’t discourage us.

Our first assignment came out of an emergency situation that involved an elderly, disabled Muslim brother. This brother is a war veteran who moved from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and his current residence needed a substantial amount of work before it can even be considered livable. We had days to form a team out of our generated list of contacts. On the morning of Sunday July 19, 14 cheerful volunteers showed up at the agreed meeting spot outside of the ICNA Relief offices. Many of them weren’t sure what we were doing exactly; some even came wearing expensive designer shoes and bright lip glosses. However, the most obvious accessory adorned was the ready-for-anything attitude! It was definitely an encouraging site to see.

“It was extremely touching to step back for a moment and look around the room at our team subhanallah we were a group that embodied the beauty of the ummah through our diversities in race, age, and background and we were all coming together to work hand in hand for the sake of Allah (swt). It was nice to see that despite the fact that none of us knew the brother personally before that day we felt a strong connection to him and desire to help him because of our bonds to him through Islam alhamdulilah” recalled co organizer Zainab H.

The small team moved to our destination on a street that just the week before was the site of a fatal shooting. Across the street from the brother’s home was a Methodist church whose congregation was beginning to disassemble and go home. The sight of us encircling the brother’s home to survey the property and generate a game plan caught their curious attention.

During the next 6 hours the volunteers under the instruction of a volunteer professional carpenter pulled nails, stripped walls, removed debris, and nailed sheet rock to the walls. They were on ladders, squatting to the ground, and working hand-in-hand to get the job done. For most of us the experience was different from anything else we’ve participated in the past.

One of the most rewarding aspects as co-organizer was realizing that the experience created awareness of the importance of community service as Muslims in the hearts and minds of these volunteers. “This is my first time volunteering with a project like this. This experience made me more open-minded in doing more projects in the near future” stated volunteer and University of New Orleans senior Rhonda S. Recent high school graduate Aysheh Z added “I recently helped package senior boxes at the local food bank with a group of friends from school but the experience I had working with ICNA really did change my outlook on volunteering.”

Despite the material difference the team was able to make at the end of the day, it was obvious this job was far from done. Although the volunteers were definitely exhausted, their resolve was never stronger. After having spent half of their day on the site the volunteers couldn’t help but internalize the mission and made it their own. This fueled an undeniable urge to want to come back and finish the job, their job!

The volunteer team returned to the same site two weeks later as the second volunteer project. It was inspiring to witness some of the new young faces brainstorming and initiating discussions regarding future projects that could be done to benefit our community. It felt great as organizers for us to be able to step back and let the creative juices of the younger generation flow and take on proactive roles in these efforts as they discussed potential projects for the future.

During a later discussion the volunteers were asked what they would like to communicate to other communities interested in getting involved in such projects. LSU Sophomore Razan A. stated “Other communities should know it isn’t that hard to get the community together and set up a volunteer project, get a few to spread the word, set a date, and watch how you’ll enjoy having your community work together in a beneficial way.”

Co-organizer Zainab H later reflected upon the projects. “These type of activities are almost of more benefit to the worker than to the one the work is done for, because it creates a sense of fulfillment within you to do something this for the sake of Allah (swt). As Muslims we see our brothers and sisters live under hardship and difficult conditions overseas, but we tend to forget that there are people who we need to reach out and help in our own communities especially since our religion emphasizes taking care of your neighbor. It’s also a part of our religion to reflect on the blessings we are given and to be thankful, and an experience like things make you realize how much you take for granted and how much you have to be grateful for.”

To find out more about past or upcoming projects check out the ICNA Relief USA Volunteers Facebook group page. If you’re interested in starting a similar volunteer team and projects in your own community and would like some guidance, feel free to contact us at support.la@icnarelief.org.

Facebook Group: ICNA Relief USA Volunteers

Asma Alsalameh