The launch of the only Youth Crisis Hotline with a Muslim perspective based in the United States is good news for the thousands of young men and women, who need help in moments when they feel they have no one else to turn to. 443-429-0095 is the number that youth around the country can call.
This free line is for youth of all backgrounds, regardless of their faith and background, funded by the Muslim community, has an anonymous and confidential capability through ILIA’s http://ask.fm/iliaadvice web presence.
“This is the only service in America for Muslim youth —there are a ton of youth hotlines— but these kids are looking for Islamic answers and perspective,” says Ayman Nassar, President of the Islamic Leadership Institute of America (ILIA), the Howard County organization that initiated the program to address problems including teen suicide and drug abuse.
The Muslim community suffers from the same challenges as the rest of the country. Muslim youth are not immune to engaging in risky behavior. According to a study published in the Journal of Muslim Mental Health, Prevalence of risk behaviors among U.S. Muslim college students, approximately half of the Muslim college age students have engaged in premarital sex and alcohol use, and 19 percent of women and 28 percent of men have tried illicit drugs.
The hotline is staffed by volunteers who receive calls on a number designated by them. They do not ask for any identifying information. The service informally started in 2009 with the question-answer forum, ask.fm. Youth started contacting ILIA for a variety of topics — as the volume of calls increased the ILIA team decided to start a more formal service. Fliers were sent to MSAs, Youth groups and masajid.
“We are not an emergency service; if you need 911, don’t call us,” says Nassar. The normal response time is immediate and at the most a few hours, depending on the time zone the call is originating from. Since its launch, calls have been received from around the country. Some problems are as mundane as a child feeling overwhelmed with stressful situations at school, while other youth are dealing with being kicked out of their homes.
“I am sitting in math class, I am homeless, have no money, no hope,” shared a recent caller. “My parents are always fighting. I am scared that they may get a divorce,” cried another teen. The person staffing the crisis line analyses the situation, sometimes over a long period of time and makes suggestions. If the client is at risk, the crisis counselor may recommend a call to law enforcement.
Some callers are concerned about their friend’s activities. “Some are lonely, others are bullied, or can’t sleep at night,” says Nassar. He says that they have dealt with runaways, who are usually in the 12-16 age range as well as cases where parents have thrown the kids out of the home. Many cool down after talking to the crisis line and go back home. Other times, Nassar and his team have picked up children, driven them to safety, acted as buffers between the child and family and provided local resources for help.
“It is very needed service considering the number of Muslim kids in the country that face one challenge or another,” says Nassar.
One young woman who called was a victim of incest, said Nassar, and her local masjid had shunned her and swept the abuse under the rug. She was in trauma.
In a situation like this a good volunteer would use emotional intelligence and take it one step at a time, says Nassar. The crisis counselors calm callers down, suggest resources, or recommend the client call law enforcement.
The helpline has helped avert two suicides, according to Nassar. A local youth, considering ending her life, was successfully intervened and her parents were given the number for a local psychiatrist who helped them.
This hotline is a lifeline for Muslim youth in rural areas who often do not have any Muslim community to rely on. Some want to know if something is haram (permissible), others need resources.
Parents call as well. “People don’t talk about [issues], they are very discreet about it with family friends and relatives. They suffer in silence. It is important that the community try to realize that these issues exist and our [Islamic] centers have resources to deal with them or at least acknowledge them and refer people to professionals,” says Nassar.
The Youth Crisis center is looking for diverse volunteers of all ages. They need people to take in calls and direct callers to resources. ILIA will also prepare volunteers for what they might encounter on the calls. The volunteers are trained and certified according to several criteria related to communication skills, problem solving and understanding of Islamic values. Counselors are required to have basic Islamic knowlegde. Calls are answered by the first available counselor. “It’s just like when you call a service call center, the service agent could be of either gender.” says Nassar, “the training does include how to deal with [the] other gender and more importantly what to ask, and how to ask it. In some cases remember the youth access [ILIA] online and sometimes are fully anonymous.”
An ideal volunteer is someone who is empathetic, non-judgmental, patient and has speaking skills. Volunteers don’t need counseling experience, says Nassar, and youth above the age of 16 are welcome to apply.
A mature 16 year old may be the perfect person to answer a crisis call, says Nassar.
Psychologists, social workers, mental health professionals are also needed to volunteer behind the scenes, as well as other health professionals. A local doctor in Maryland has been accepting ILIA referred youth and providing free physicals for youth without health insurance; ILIA pays for the lab tests and medication. They have an attorney on call who gives pro bono legal advice in case a youth needs it.
Interested in volunteering- please email YC@Islamicleadership.com
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