Uplifting Black Muslim Youth: A Positive Youth Development Approach

By Sameera Ahmed, Hanan Hashem and Muneer Khalid

Black Muslim youth stand at the cross section of anti-Black racism and anti-Muslim sentiments. What is it like to identify with both of these uniquely marginalized groups? How are young Black Muslims thriving in these conditions? What can adults do to ensure optimal development? Following 10 years of work from the authors who have pioneered research on American Muslim youth and counseling Muslims, this groundbreaking book explores the complex factors impacting Black Muslim youth outcomes. Centering the voices of Black Muslim youth, this book summarizes the latest research and is a road map for individuals and institutions invested in transforming feelings and experiences of marginalization, to those of strength and resiliency.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543988765

Book preview

Copyright © The Family & Youth Institute 2019

All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of The Family & Youth Institute.

Published by

The Family & Youth Institute

42807 Ford Rd, #203

Canton, MI 48187

USA

http://www.TheFYI.org

Ahmed, S., Hashem, H., & Khalid, M. (2019). Uplifting Black Muslim Youth: A Positive Youth Development Approach. Canton: The Family & Youth Institute.

ISBN # 978-1-54398-875-8 Print

ISBN # 978-1-54398-876-5 eBook

Table of Contents

About The FYI

Authors

Acknowledgements

Section I: Positive Black Muslim Youth Development

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Understanding Development

Chapter 3: Positive Youth Development Framework (PYD)

Section II: Socio-Political Realities Impacting Development

Chapter 4: Anti-Black Racism

Chapter 5: Historical Contributions to Development

Chapter 6: Socioeconomic Conditions

Section III: Identity and Belonging

Chapter 7: Individual and Group Identity

Section IV: Institutions and Individuals Impacting Development

Chapter 8: Black Families

Chapter 9: Schools

Chapter 10: Peer Influence

Chapter 11: Neighborhood Community Context

Chapter 12: Muslim Community Context

Conclusion

References

About The FYI

The Family and Youth Institute is a 501(c)3 not for profit institute whose mission is to strengthen and empower individuals, families, and communities through research and education.

What we do

The FYI finds solutions to issues we struggle with in our daily lives. We do this by understanding our challenges through research and providing solutions that are tailored to community needs. In order to be most effective, we focus on four key areas: positive youth development, healthy marriages, effective parenting, and mental health.

Research

We conduct original research strengthening individuals and their families, using a community-based public health approach. Our research is presented at professional conferences and published in peer-reviewed publications.

Education

Community education takes research and empowers individuals to make a positive change for themselves and their community. We integrate behavioral research, clinical and community-based knowledge into educational tools that include lectures, infographics, videos, toolkits, workshops, articles, and reports. These resources are tailored to meet the needs of individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Authors

Sameera Ahmed, Ph.D. is the Director of The Family & Youth Institute. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and specializes in American Muslim youth and Muslim mental health. She serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Muslim Mental Health (JMMH) and is a Board Certified Licensed Psychologist in Michigan. Her areas of interest include: risk behaviors and protective factors of Muslim adolescents and young adults; promoting culturally and religiously meaningful psychotherapy; and skills-based parenting and marital interventions to strengthen families. Dr. Ahmed has published numerous journal articles, book chapters, reports, and is the Co-editor of Counseling Muslims: Handbook of Mental Health Issues and Interventions. She speaks nationally at academic conferences and has been invited to speak at the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration, and the Department of Education. She has been quoted by media outlets such as The Washington Post, New York Times, and Huffington Post for her expertise. In addition, she has been a community activist within the American Muslim community for more than thirty years and is regularly invited to speak at conferences and mosques across the nation.

Hanan Hashem, M.A. is a Research Assistant and Community Educator at The Family &Youth Institute. She completed her Master’s in Counseling Psychology at Wayne State University and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Counseling Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin. Hanan’s focus lies in community-based research and program evaluation. Her current research explores contextual factors that influence American Muslim youth development, including the role of racial, religious, and gender identities in their everyday experiences. She has published numerous manuscripts and regularly presents at professional conferences. Hanan has been a community activist for the last ten years and focuses her efforts on youth empowerment through local Muslim Students’ Associations, youth groups, regional camps and conferences, as well as serving as an educator for varying institutions.

Muneer Khalid, M.A. served as a Research intern at The Family and Youth Institute. He has a Masters in Educational Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is a middle school teacher at Scarlett Middle School, an International Baccalaureate school located in Ann Arbor, MI. Muneer has been involved with building curriculum to promote social-emotional development of middle school students and mentoring young people in after school activities, retreats, and camps for the past fifteen years.

Acknowledgements

What began as a late night conversation of youth activists trying to meet the needs of Black Muslim youth resulted in ten years of learning and exploring. Over the last decade, The FYI has conducted focus groups, needs assessments, surveys, and interviews with Black Muslim youth, their parents, mentors, community leaders and activists across the nation. These individuals selflessly shared their time, voices, and experiences. We are forever grateful to you and hope we have fulfilled your trust.

Had it not been for the community insight, relationships, and efforts of Sultan Sharrief, many of the voices shared in this book could not have been gathered. The behavioral research conducted by The FYI team members, volunteers, and associates was a result of many individuals diligently working to facilitate, transcribe, and analyze the perspectives and experiences of Black Muslim youth, their parents and community leaders. Much appreciation to Munzareen Padela, Zainab Kabba, Rebecca Hankins, Ayesha Anwar, Farah Khan, Khadija Abdallah, Cynthia Arfken, Rasheed Shabazz, Leslie Wade, Iman Khalid, and Khadigah Al-Asry. Without the constant support, feedback, and advice from Madiha Tahseen, Nadeem Siddiqi, Irshad Altheimer, and Sarrah AbuLughod, much of this work would not have been completed.

Many thanks also go to Hadiyah Muhammad, Kameelah Mu’min Rashad, Mona Abo-Zena, Fatimah Best- Jackson, Jalil Abdul Adil, Alicia Jewell Bayi, Sumaiyah Clark, Abdul Malik Merchant, and Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, for providing constructive feedback at varying stages of the manuscript.

Partial funding for this book was provided by a grant from Islamic Relief USA. We thank them for their commitment to promoting individual and community thriving.

The aim of this book is to help individuals and institutions better understand, support and uplift Black Muslim youth. This effort is meant to contribute to the many ongoing efforts that are diligently working to uplift Black Muslim youth. It is our intention that this scholarly work is just the beginning and we hope others will join and continue to carry this important effort forward.

We recognize that there is much work to be done to better support and uplift Black Muslim Youth. While some may see or believe the work as daunting, we also know that Allah does not lay a responsibility on anyone beyond their capacity (Quran 2:286), so we got this!

Section I:

Positive Black Muslim Youth Development

Photo Credit: Zachary Nelson

As we aim to nurture vibrant and confident Black Muslim youth, we must have a road map in order to attain success. This section begins by introducing the importance of the topics, provides insight into the developmental process, and presents an overview of the positive youth development approach..

Chapter 1:

Introduction

Photo Credit Nicola Fioravanti

Recent research has found that Black Muslims consist of 32% of native-born Muslims in the United States (Pew Research Center, 2017). Despite being the largest percentage of native-born Muslims, the voices of Black Muslim youth have consistently been excluded from the overall narrative on American Muslim youth. Their racial and religious identities intersect in ways that are uniquely different than Arab and South Asian Muslim youth and are integral to understanding the diverse experiences of Muslim youth in America (Ahmed, Patel, & Hashem, 2015). Black Muslim youth experience Islamophobia like their non-Black Muslim peers, however, they must also contend with anti-Black racism. A stark example of different lived realities for Black and non-Black Muslim youth is expressed by a Black Muslim male college student,

My roommate is Arab [Muslim], but I’m Black [Muslim]. When we are late for Fajr [dawn] prayers at the mosque, he doesn’t get it! I can’t just leave [the apartment] without my [drivers] license. I keep tellin’ him, bro, I’m Black. We just can’t drive a car without a license and proof [of ownership] in the car. You’re bound to get stopped by the police! (Ahmed & Muhammad, 2019)

In addition to anti-Black and anti-Muslim sentiments, Black Muslim youth also encounter anti-Black Islamophobia, in which their racial and religious identities are not recognized, valued, and often erased (Mugabo, 2016). The additive impact can result in Black Muslims feeling marginalized within an already marginalized group. However, when caring relationships are present, a strong identity is nurtured, and young people are empowered to positively affect their environment, Black Muslim youth flourish, thrive, and positively impact the world around them (Ahmed & Muhammad, 2019). In order to promote resiliency, this book will focus on understanding Black Muslim youth’s experiences and identify individuals and institutional efforts that can be taken to promote development.

While exploring the lives of Black Muslim youth, it is important to recognize the diverse experiences, cultures, and communities that exist. Black Muslim youth are not a monolithic group. This book will attempt to highlight variations and experiences of different subgroups; however, due to limitations, not all subgroups will be addressed. For example, children of African immigrants share African heritage and daily encounters with racism. However, the impact of colonialism and subsequent immigration experiences of African immigrants differ greatly from the history of U.S. enslavement and oppression encountered by indigenous African Americans. Given these differences, this book will focus on the descendants of enslaved Africans. The authors of the present book also recognize differing scholarly preferences and rationale to refer to the community as African-American, Black or Black American. We acknowledge these differences and use the terms interchangeably throughout the book. Behavioral research on Black Muslim youth is in its infancy stage and much more research is needed. This book attempts to share the diverse experiences of Black Muslim youth using their own voices. Due to the scarcity of research on Black Muslim youth, this book will also draw from research conducted on the experiences of Black youth in America and will be appropriately and conceptually applied to the context of Black Muslim youth. Additionally, for the purpose of this book, youth are defined as school-aged persons and emerging adults.

The intention of this book is to highlight some common issues and experiences of Black Muslim youth, recognize factors that may influence development, and provide suggestions to help them thrive. Towards this effort, the present book applies a positive youth development (PYD) framework. The book begins with summarizing the PYD framework, highlighting individual and environmental strengths that need to be nurtured for optimal Black Muslim youth growth. The book then highlights complex interconnected factors and realities, such as