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10 things you and your family
can do for civil rights in America
Mosques and Islamic institutions with big budgets, lawyers and legal experts are not the only ones who can do something to further the cause of Muslim civil rights. Individuals and families also have a role to play in this struggle. Here are some practical things individuals and families can do to fight for civil rights in America. 1. Know that Islam is about more than rituals Our commitment to Islam is not simply to a series of daily rituals. If that were the case, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him)'s enemies in Makkah were willing to let him pray
the way he did and would have left him alone. The purpose of life is to worship Allah, and justice is a prime value of Islam. If your Salat (prayers) and Sawm (fasting) do not encourage you to stand up for justice, then you need to think about the purpose of your worship. 2. Pray for yourself What is one of the biggest obstacles to standing up for justice? It's the fear of what others will say or do to you for taking this step. Pray that Allah liberates you from the fear of human beings, the fear of hunger and that He makes you a truly free person by making you a good slave of Allah. 3. Pray with the family Make Dua (supplication) with your children and family to help a person suffering from injustice, whether they are Muslim or not. 4. Read more about it What have you read about the U.S. civil rights movement? If your answer is "nothing" or "not much", you're missing out on developing a clearer understanding of civil rights and the struggles undertaken for it in this country. Consult this reading list to start with. 5. Ask yourself what you can do for civil rights Do you think you need to be a legal expert to help fight for Muslim civil rights? Wrong. There are many skills necessary to do this battle. Make a tally of what you and your family members can contribute. For some this might be money. For others, writing and speaking skills. For others still, it could be public relations and campaigning for a cause. 6. Put your money where your mouth is The U.S. civil rights movement of the 1960s was always a political, legal and public relations process. Each one of these processes costs money. The fight for Muslim civil rights is no different. You may have paid for Masjids and Islamic schools, but have you paid for freedom and justice? Make a commitment to portion out an amount of money, no matter how small, on a regular basis for the cause of Muslim civil rights. 7. Set up a Muslim defense fund in your family Make one of the kids in charge of constructing a "Muslim defense fund" box. Everybody must contribute to this fund and every month after a family meeting, it should be counted. Everyone should discuss whom to give the funds to. 8. Give your time Do you want to contribute to this cause even if you don't have money or specific skills? Then give the gift of time. Everyone has the same amount of time. It's what they do with it and how they plan for it that makes the difference. Can you take a month or a week off from work or school anytime soon to work for this cause? Or, on a more regular basis, can you dedicate one day a week to volunteer for Muslim civil rights movement? 9. Encourage Khutbas (sermons) about civil rights What kind of Khutbas do you hear in your Masjid? Khutbas are the main form of communication amongst Muslims. No newspaper preaches as much to Muslims as Imams' Khutbas do. Do Khutbas in your Masjid discuss the issue of justice and equal rights for all human beings in your country? If they do not, why not take out your Imam for lunch or dinner and suggest some topics like for his Khutbas? Better yet, have some printouts of articles on this topic for him to read. Ask him when he can give a Khutba on it, then follow it up. 10. Write letters Can you and your family write letters to people who have had their civil rights violated? These can include those who are imprisoned, or those currently struggling for justice.
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