The work from a recent graduate of George Washington University will help Muslim-American youths to freely and comfortably discuss their problems with Muslim leaders and health professionals through an online discussion called the Nur Youth Forum.
Saud Inam graduated in May 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and religion. A few years ago he counseled two Muslim youths, one a victim of rape and the other a victim of sexual abuse from a family member, when he realized how important it was to overcome the stigma and find a way to help the youth discuss the issues they were facing.
“It was a very eye-opening experience for me and I saw the inability to discuss their issues and seek help due to the stigma,” he said.
He initiated the project early 2008 but it did not launch until May of 2010 in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Inam plans to spread the forum to include people from other cities across the U.S. once they are fully prepared and organized. Although it has taken about two years, said Inam, to unfold, the project is well underway.
“I’ve been blessed to have great advisors from the DC Metro area to help me develop the idea and give me support with it.”
The forum is a two-fold project first creating a network for Imams and Muslim health professionals to come together and address issues ranging from drug abuse to rape using their medical and religious knowledge. This will provide accessibility for the youth to communicate their problems, said Inam. The Nur Youth Forum will also hold seminars and lectures, with panel discussions, to educate the Muslim-American community about issues facing the youth. The second part of the project is still in its developmental phase but will allow the youth to post their problems and questions anonymously online that will be answered by trained volunteer counselors who have consulted health professionals from the Nur Youth board members.
The forum currently includes “a handful of individuals” said Inam, that range from imams, health professionals, psychologists and undergraduate students. Imam Makhdoom Zia of the Mustafa Center in Annandale, Va., is serving as one of the board members for the Nur Youth Forum. He believes it is necessary to create a place for the youth to comfortably speak their minds and seek help with any problems they may have.
“What’s unfortunate is that most of these kids have no one in their families to talk to and we are often the first ones they turn to for help, hence the need for an organization like the Nur Youth Forum,” he said. “We have many organizations that work on larger issues but organizations that deal with issues such as identity and mental health of our youth are underfunded and go unrecognized due to the unfortunate apathy to these issues in our communities. So my hope is this organization will go a long way in reaching out to our youth and tackling the issues they are facing.”
Inam said he is constantly seeking ways to better the idea and to ensure there is a “solid foundation before the forum officially is open to the youth.”
“We are not at the stage of serving the community as of yet,” said Inam. “We are currently in what I call Phase I in which we’re building the foundation of the forum.” This phase includes gathering the resources of the DC Metro Area Muslim-American community, organizing and compiling the information into a central database, he said, which will include contact information of imams, mental health professionals, and organizations that do similar work.
The Nur Youth Forum members have created a Facebook page with all the necessary information about the project. They are currently reaching out to people through the internet and through word-of-mouth. They hope in the near future to create a promotional video that will explain what the Forum is about.
Inam is still trying to reach out to imams, professionals, and volunteers who would be willing to help stabilize the foundation. “This is not about credit or status, it’s about helping the community and I don’t want to lose our youth. If we don’t nip this in the bud now, then we will be facing more serious issues.”
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