|  | Nurturing the Next Generation
Project of Sound Vision |
| |  | Taking the Lead to Educate Our Community about LGBTQ Issues By Wendy Díaz As the LGBTQ community becomes increasingly visible and active in all public spheres, including education and entertainment, the Muslim community in the U.S. must reflect on how to ensure our rights as a conservative religious minority are respected. Organizations like the Islamic Circle of North America are coordinating events to address these matters and provide opportunities for community engagement and growth. Writer Wendy Díaz spends time with Jim Sues, Director of ICNA's Council for Social Justice in New Jersey, to discuss brainstorming and spearheading relevant programs to address current issues of concern for American Muslims. |
| | | Parenting Tip Muslim leaders, organizations, and local activists are stepping up to take action in their communities to educate parents and children about Islamic guidance on LGBTQ issues. Enhancing understanding is an important way to build resilience when any of us face challenges. But a collective response is also vitally important. |
| |  | Sticky Situations: Applying Islamic Guidance to LGBTQ Challenges By Zahirah Lynn Eppard Parents who already have open and honest conversations with their children may have already treaded into a discussion about LGBTQ challenges. Others, who usually shy away from controversial topics or whose children rarely ask questions or share information, are trying to figure out how to begin the conversation. One very nice resource for families was developed by DearMuslimKids.com and is called Sticky Situations. This article is a review of that resource. |
| | | Inspiration “The impact of gender ideology extends far beyond the number of children and teens who personally experience identity confusion, however. Gender ideology has distorted the cultural meaning of “man” and “woman.” It is changing our language, dictating new words and meanings (e.g., “cisgender”), and altering our relationships. Every institution is affected.” The Basics of Gender Ideology, Person and Identify Project (assists Catholic families and institutions in responding to the false claims of gender ideology) |
| |  | Yaqeen Institute: Providing Comprehensive Curriculum for High Schoolers on LGBTQ Matters By Zahirah Lynn Eppard Yaqeen Institute is a reliable source of Islamic guidance on a wide variety of topics. Their efforts to ensure that educators have the tools they need to tackle contemporary challenges facing Muslim youth in North America are impressive and have included the development of curricula on tough topics that are readily available for use in classrooms and communities. One such curriculum explores the biggest challenge of our time - Islam and Homosexuality: Reframing the Narrative on LGBTQ. The comprehensive package is designed expressly for students in grades 11 and 12. It is worth a look and should be put to good use. |
| | | Islamic Guidance “˹It is the believers˺ who repent, who are devoted to worship, who praise ˹their Lord˺, who fast, who bow down and prostrate themselves, who encourage good and forbid evil, and who observe the limits set by Allah. And give good news to the believers.” (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:112) |
| |  | My AI: The Dangers of Its Answers on Gender Identity By Zahirah Lynn Eppard Adults and children think about artificial intelligence as an objective arbiter of truths. In fact, it is an advanced technology that runs off of a series of algorithms that use real-time data to simulate human intelligence. When a user poses a question to an AI platform, the answer to that question is formed by a data set of contextual information on the topic. And when that comes to questions surrounding issues related to LGBTQ matters, there can be irreparable harm in the answers, particularly for youth who rely on the advice of technology. Parents need to be aware of these challenges, particularly with a new feature on the popular Snapchat app called “My AI.” |
| | | Changing Landscape Laws and policies related to LGBTQ issues are changing quickly and vary widely across the U.S. Here are just some of the initiatives in different states. - So far, 19 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have banned or limited the use of conversion therapy, especially for youths under 18.
- In South Dakota, a 2022 law bans transgender women and girls from playing in school sports leagues that match their gender identity.
- Currently 19 states have enacted laws barring gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
- In Alabama, doctors who administer gender-affirming care for minors can be charged with a felony.
- In Maryland, Muslim parents have challenged a new county school board policy implemented in one of the largest districts to add LGBTQ books to the English Language Arts curriculum. Protests have ensued and even led to a lawsuit by three Muslim and Catholic families to protect parents’ rights to “opt-out” of the lessons.
- In New Jersey, Muslim leaders are strategizing about how to respond to legislation that would “establish certain protections for a person receiving gender affirming care” which includes taking temporary custody of children who are at odds with their parent’s refusal to push forth with gender transitioning processes and procedures.
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| |  | Adam’s World Video: Adam Is Thankful Adam forgot his homework, dropped his ice cream, and is having a TERRIBLE day! Leave it to his little sister Aneesah to teach him a lesson about shukr, being thankful. The Arabic letter “sheen” is showcased for shukrun and the English letter “T” for Thank you. A beautiful nasheed by Dawud Wharnsby called Being Thankful complements the lessons. (7:05) |
| | | | | 🥳 The FUN has begun in our summer camp, but there is still time to join! |
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|  | | Pre-recorded classes offer another option for learning and FUN! |
|  | | 💝 Muslim Home subscribers are treated to a discount! 💝 Use coupon code MuslimHome15 for a 15% discount on all of our children's classes! |
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| |  | The Sound Vision Foundation has been a trusted source of Islamic knowledge for more than 30 years. Our work with the world-renowned puppets Adam and Aneesah pioneered creative programming for Muslim children, encouraging them to learn about and love their religion. We continue to bring sound content and engaging programs that stimulate minds, touch hearts, and strive to fulfill our mission of raising better Muslims, better neighbors, and better citizens. This latest effort is designed to support and empower Muslim parents to do the same. |
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