MuslimKidsMatter | What Should Muslim Kids Do After a Tragedy

What Should Muslim Kids Do After a Tragedy

A week ago, I had never even known that a Charlie Hebdo newspaper existed.  Unfortunately, my blissful ignorance shattered suddenly when some crazy men who called themselves Muslims angrily murdered a dozen people.  And just as suddenly, life for Muslim kids changed everywhere.

With people all over the world criticizing Islam, despising Muslims, and mocking our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW), it can be really difficult for us to find out how we fit in within all of this.  As Muslim youth, seeing our religion displayed the way it is all over the news can really bring everything we’ve learned over the years tumbling down, leaving us unsure of who we are.  Muslim hijabis who have been accustomed to wearing the hijab in public may suddenly become more self-conscious, and kids with Muslim-sounding names may feel inclined to quietly seclude themselves from others.  We are all affected by the killers who committed murder in the name of our peaceful religion, brought worldwide attention to awful cartoons, and made Muslims everywhere miserable.

It’s important for us as Muslim youth to know what to do in such situations (that are disturbingly becoming more prevalent) and to be confident in who we are as Muslims.  Knowing our Prophet (SAW) is a key component in this struggle.  Why should we let sensational journalists who just want to make money define for us who our prophet is?  If we know the details of Muhammad’s (SAW) life, of how merciful he was to everyone, of how gently he responded to insults, of how patient he was with wrongdoers, of how fun he was to be with, then we would never feel confused about nonsensical cartoons.  Knowing our Prophet, we would feel deeply insulted by the messages against him, but we would never resort to violence as a method of retaliation.

Portraying our Prophet’s (SAW) teachings within our actions and words is also necessary if we ever want other people to understand what Islam is really about.  Since Islam is under so much scrutiny right now, we as Muslims have to show the world what real Muslims are supposed to be like.  This involves every area of our lives, and no one is too young to do their part to be an example Muslim.  Do you make too much noise when you play outside and bother your neighbors?  When you accidentally knock something over in the grocery store, do you clean up your mess or do you walk by, pretending nothing happened?  Do you lazily leave litter in the park or do you make an effort to make the world a greener place?  At school, do you disrespect your teachers or do you make an effort to be the most well-behaved student?

Everything we do directly influences what people think of Muslims.  If your neighbors know you’re a considerate neighbor and your teachers and classmates find you a helpful and friendly student, then in the case of another similar Charlie Hebdo incident, they will know what a true Muslim is like and won’t believe everything the media tells them.  Let’s follow the example of the Muslim heroes who portrayed the sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) through their actions this past week, such as the Muslim worker who saved customers from gunmen by hiding them in his store’s walk-in freezer.  These efforts can change the way people perceive Muslims.

Rather than getting depressed about the actions of other people in the world, let’s make an effort to learn more about our Prophet and better ourselves.  Let’s attempt to be a better generation of Muslims than the one before us by being role models for mankind.