Girls’ Guidance Class Celebration

By Hajja Khalida Beydoun-Hachem

Editor’s note: A terribly important issue that faces all Muslims is the conduct of our children and the manner of our raising them. The Islamic Institute of Knowledge has one of the best program designed to reach out to Muslim adolescents in the entire Southeast Michigan region–the following is a letter by one of its directors regarding the progress they have made over the past year.

On Friday, December 7, 2007 at 6 p.m. the Islamic Institute of Knowledge celebrated the first anniversary of the Young Ladies Guidance Class.

During this celebration, imam Abdul-latif Berry and I greeted a crowd of about 150 parents and students. We talked about the great milestones we have accomplished in the short year.

We established a class that now embraces about 55 girls of the community. They became role models, leaders, mentors, writers, etc… We also established the first all-girls camping trip thru the IIk and the girls class.

We were able to send the girls to an all-girls swimming program too. The knowledge, understanding, and work we have established in this class has been phenomenal to say the least.

Working with a large group of girls and their parents, we have established a great network within our community enabling our girls to achieve the unachievable within the framework of what Islam requires.

We have also instilled in the girls the proper morals and ethics and have witnessed them first hand in how they act, interact, and have implemented the teachings from this unique course.

Due to popular demand, we have now expanded our class. Also, students from the girls’ class have been receiving various leadership roles in their schools and communities.

We even have a young lady from the class that has chosen to go to hajj.

She will be returning Inshallah Jan. 2. Furthermore, our girls have truly been implementing what they have learned from the class their parents said to me.

Many girls have stopped listening to music, while others now pray on time instead of postponing it.

A few parents even stressed that the girls have been practicing patience as Islam stresses that factor. Many others are now devoting their time to helping the less fortunate by either collecting money, food, or clothing for them. Also under the Imam and myself supervision, the girls attend various community events such as funerals to pay respect to the deceased and their families, or to fundraising dinners in volunteering.

As you can see, this class and made a HUGE impact not only on the girls, but their parents as well. Since the parents have noticed such a tremendous change in their daughters. Since the class has been such a hit, we now have also opened up a class to the mothers every Saturday from 6 p.m. thru 7:30 pm.

Hajja Khalida.

“Modesty and faith are both companions: when one is taken away the other is taken! “

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