Advocate for Muslim Issues
So, what can you do? True, you may not be at the helms of affairs and you may not know anybody that is but, insha Allah your sincere intentions will be enough to get the job done. That brings us to the first point on how to be a voice.
a) Passion: To effectively be a voice, you must believe in and have passion for the subject e.g. to be a voice for issues concerning children, you must be passionate about children. To be a voice on issues concerning Muslims, you must be passionate about Islam. It’s the passion that will see you through even when your strength fails you.
b) Knowledge: You must know and understand the subject at hand. Source for and acquire information on your chosen area of issues that affect Muslims whether in your community, within the country or within the global Muslim community.
c) Lobby elected officials and policy makers for stronger hate crimes legislation and the promotion of victim rights at the state and federal levels. Community leaders willing to take a stand against bigotry also play a critical role in advancing this end. Whether the police chief, school officials, corporate CEO, in fact every key leader has the capability to transform an act of hate into a positive community experience.
d) Use whatever legal (and Islamically sanctioned) means at your disposal to get the job done. E.g. Join political parties, seek election to public offices, write articles, hold enlightenment seminars, press releases, discussions even debates where applicable. If it’s a community issue, organize and host community meetings etc.
e) Be Positive: It’s very important to be positive at all times. If you have to criticize, make it positive. If it’s a request or a protest, don’t go rioting. If it’s a violation of rights, make it public to mount pressure and take it up legally if necessary.
MUSLIM STUDENTS LOBBYING TIPS
• Use the grapevine. Researchers tell us that nine of every ten people who receive a personal message will tell ten others, and one of every ten, the professional talker, will tell more than twenty others. There are communications grapevines in every school through which rumors travel, sometimes at alarming rates. That grapevine can also be an effective vehicle for taking your organization’s messages to an existing system in the school whereby everyone is linked to someone else either personally or professionally More >>>
May Allah bless your efforts and grant you success as you become a voice today.