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Why is our youth turning away from Islam. One factor explained by Sheikh Mohammed Al-Hilli

Marriage is among the most important institutions in Islam, as it promotes a healthy family and community founded on love and mercy. God tells us in the Quran, “And of His signs is that He created spouses for you out of yourselves so that you might take comfort in them, and He created love and mercy between you.”1In a narration from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hp), he strongly states, “Of my tradition is to marry.”2 Thus, we can see that in the religion of Islam, marriage is of the utmost importance. There are many contemporary challenges that young Muslims face when it comes to the issue of marriage. Today, we find many youth having difficulty getting married for a variety of different reasons. In some cases, parents think their children are too young, have not finished their degrees, or are financially unable to marry. And unfortunately, in other cases, parents consider the person the child wants to marry unsuitable because they are from a different ethnic background. For us to progress as a community, it is imperative that we hold on to the divine teachings that the Prophet and Imams (pbut) have given us, especially when it relates to marriage. Priorities Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hp) has advised us that, “There is no foundation that has been built in Islam more loved by God Almighty, than marriage.”3 At a very young age we begin to lay the foundation of our lives by establishing an educational background that serves as a framework for our future careers. Similarly, just as the best time for starting an education is at a young age, the best time for marriage is in our youth. While an academic background is needed earlier in life to enter into a career path, marriage is necessary at a young age to keep us safe from entering a sinful lifestyle. Therefore, while achieving an education is important, it does not need to come at the expense of getting married. There is no ruling or law in Islam that forbids the pursuit of knowledge and marriage at the same time. Hence, we can begin to see why marriage is the most beloved foundation built in Islam by God Almighty. Financial Complications of Marriage Financial hurdles are perhaps another major obstacle to allowing our youth to get married. God has promised, “Marry the single people among you…If they are poor, God will make them rich through His favor.”4 It is important to recognize that God has given a guarantee to help those who want to get married but do not have the means. We need to entrust our affairs to Him in this regard. Moreover, many young men are afraid of getting married due to the dowry that has to be given to the bride. These days, some families of the bride ask for a large sum of money that is often unaffordable to the groom. Islamically, the dowry is a gift that the bride requests from her husband and can be anything tangible (not necessarily money). We see the best example of this in the life of Imam Ali (p) and Lady Fatimah (p). Imam Ali (p) had nothing to give Lady Fatimah (p) for her dowry. The Holy Prophet (pbuh&hp) advised Imam Ali (p) to sell his shield and give its worth to Lady Fatimah (p) as her dowry.5 Sayyid al-Sistani has stated that, “Guardians are not permitted to prevent their daughters from getting married, nor are they permitted to put obstacles in their way using improper traditions not required by God, such as asking for exorbitant dowers.”6 Race Often, we see parents refusing to let their children marry someone who is outside their cultural or ethnic background. No matter how pious the person is, parents tend to concentrate on the fact that they do not come from the same country or speak the same language. This is not part of Islamic conduct. God states, “We have created you all male and female and have made you nations and tribes so that you would recognize each other. The most honorable among you in the sight of God is the most pious of you.”7 God has created us from different backgrounds so that we may get to know one another and learn about each other. Furthermore, the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hp) states, “If someone with good etiquette and religiousness comes to you [for marriage], then marry him. If you do not, then you have caused great corruption on Earth”8 It is extremely important to note that in this narration, there is not even a small hint that speaks about race. Additionally, the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hp) did not direct any of his family to only marry within their bloodline. There are many sayyid (those who come from the lineage of the Holy Prophet (pbuh&hp)) families that do not allow their children to marry non-sayyid individuals, regardless of their excellence in piety and other good qualities. This has no basis in Islam. According to Sayyid al-Sistani, not allowing one’s children to marry outside of the sayyid lineage is an example of “improper traditions not required by God” and “there are many sources of corruption in these traditions.”9 Beneficial Tips 1. Choose a God-conscious spouse. We see some youth today getting married for the wrong reasons. Some marry solely for beauty or wealth forgetting that there is something far more important: faith. The Holy Prophet (pbuh&hp) states, “A [person] who marries… for the sake of… wealth, God leaves him [to consume the wealth until it depletes], and the one who marries… for… beauty, he will find… [the beauty depleting with old age], and the one who marries… for the sake of… faith (religiousness), God will give [him the long-lasting wealth and beauty].”10 2. Concentrate on Islamic Practices. As stated above, many of the youth are finding it difficult to get married due to cultural practices, such as sayyids marrying only sayyids. We should instead focus on what the religion of Islam permits and forbids. This way, we will allow the challenges of getting married to slowly disappear. 3. Parents should offer their help. Parents should find creative ways to support their children’s marrying early, even while attending college, such as by continuing to help pay for their children’s tuition until they are ready to support themselves independently. In addition, if the youth are not financially ready to have their own place, parents could offer their help by allowing their children to live at home. This will not only provide great support for the new couple, but also provide much needed support for aging parents who may require additional care. 4. Have a written document. Although Islamic marriages are solemnized verbally, it is important to have written documentation to record many of the points discussed above. By having any stipulations (i.e., dowry) recorded, a newlywed couple can eliminate fears of unexpected demands. To learn more about Islamic Marriage Contracts, click here. 1. Quran 30:21. 2. Bihar al-anwar, vol. 100, p. 222. 3. Bihar al-anwar, vol. 100, p. 222. 4. Quran 24:32. 5. Bihar al-anwar, vol. 43, p. 119. 6. “Advice to the Youth from His Eminence, Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani.” 7.I.M.A.M., July 17, 2017, www.imam-us.org/advice-youth-eminence-grand-ayatullah-sayyid-ali-al-sistani/. 8. Shaykh al-Kulayni, Al-kafi, vol. 5, p. 347. 9.“Advice to the Youth from His Eminence, Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani.” I.M.A.M., July 17, 2017, www.imam-us.org/advice-youth-eminence-grand-ayatullah-sayyid-ali-al-sistani/. 10. Shaykh al-Jawahari, Jawaher al-kalam, vol. 29, p. 39. Contemporary Challenges of Getting Married - <-- Link to article on the I.M.A.M website.

I heard a shia scholar from Iran saying that Iranian youth is converting back to zoroasterism (Majoosiat) (the video is available on Youtube) I did a small google search and found a number of sources saying the same thing. Why so?

Salam, Mut'ah marriages (Islamic "pleasure" marriages) are wajib (obligatory) for most Shia Muslim youth who attend undergraduate college in the West. This is because most Muslim youth in such situations will be sexually frustrated unless they relieve themselves in three ways: masturbation, permanent marriage, or mut'ah. The first way is haram, the second way is highly impractical and unfeasible for most such youth in their freshman/sophomore/junior years of college (of course it shouldn't be this way, but unfortunately this is the way things often are and we should now see what a youth should do if permanent marriage in these years is indeed not possible for him - while we should also try to change the way society is, but that takes time, so what should youth do right now?), and therefore the third way is the only way a youth must take nowadays. Considering that most Muslim youth have normal youthful human libidos, most of them cannot survive years of time without sexual release. It would be seriously delusional to think otherwise. Most normal, healthy, normal-libido-possessing youth cannot go for years without neither masturbation nor sex. Heck, I don't think even an adult can go that long. Of course there will be the rare and exceptional cases where a youth either has no libido or possesses extreme self-control (which may be superhuman or even unhealthy), but for the most part, youth generally cannot go for years with absolutely no form of sexual release. And that is why for most youth, mut'ah will not only be mustahab - it will be wajib. If I found a Shia Muslim youth who was in his junior year of college, and he wasn't permanently married, and he hadn't ever done mut'ah in his life either, I think I can be reasonable in my assumption that this guy has been masturbating (committing haram). Of course, Islamically, I shouldn't assume negative things about a fellow Muslim brother, but from a secular/realistic/statistic perspective, such an assumption would not be irrational. It's time that more Shia college boys are encouraged to get girlfriends in college by doing mut'ah. Whoever encourages another Shia Muslim brother to get a girlfriend using mut'ah will have done a very good deed by preventing him from committing haram (masturbation). P.S. I follow Ayatollah Khamenei, and according to him it is obligatory precaution to seek the father's permission when doing mut'ah. But my next-in-line scholar is Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani, and according to him, such permission isn't necessary. So mut'ah is very feasible for me and others who follow these two scholars. There are plenty of Christian and Jewish females in college whom us youth could take as partners.

Hi everyone, How is everyone doing? I am MuhammadXII, a Pakistani Sunni, but one who views Shias as Muslim brothers and sisters. I was wondering, why are the youth in Iran abandoning Islam at an alarming rate. Every single Iranian youth I have come across here in Canada is against Islam and anti-Islam. Furthermore, I heard that the youth in Iran is like this as well. I have heard from a trusted source that 70% of Iran's youth are irreligious, and eventually this will lead to the end of Islam in Iran as the youth form the majority of the population of Iran right now. Is this true, are there any religious youth? Why is Tehran one of Iran's least religious cities?

Please read all of it. This is a serious issue affecting our Muslim community! Assalaamu alaykom wa rahmatullahu wa barakatuh, firstly I ask all of you who read this to sincerely open your hearts to accepting what is truth and rejecting what is false. If you find any good in what is said then follow it, if not you are free to choose what to do with it. There is an issue in the Muslim youth that I am particularly disturbed by and have been looking for ways to create this awareness through people of influence or who have the platform to create awareness on a large scale. I don't know how impactful this message will be but I pray to Allah that he makes it reach all of you and that this helps to put an end to this issue. The problem effecting our youth is the whole Youtuber and Social Media Celebrity syndrome especially in our women with the whole Muslim "Make Up Artist" (MUA) and "Modest trend". This is a trend that is leading our youth in complete destruction. Day after day, one after another Muslim MUAs are popping up and Muslim youtubers/vloggers/pranksters in search of fame and money. I am so ashamed to admit that MAJORITY of our hijabis have fallen into this trap. I really don't wish for you anyone to see any of the images of our sisters in this way social media is filled with it and there is no escaping from them. We have sisters with a million over followers and some hundreds and thousands and are promoting make up and "modest" fashion which are not what would be considered acceptable or pleasing to Allah at all. And their fame is a complete joke vlogging about everything and nothing. Astaghfirllah -hijabis using vulgar language, talking about what they wear underneath, bedroom talk with their husbands, full on tabbaruj and just complete shamelessness. On the other hand you have the youtuber brothers doing pranks, vlogs, social experiments and what not. They start innocently and end up with kufr pranks such as pranking their friends that they are leaving Islam and actually say words of kufr and even asking Muslim sisters for sex as a prank and many other sick things. And they are so followed and come across as "Islamic" because they combine committing major sins openly and doing qur'an or prayer social experiments or "dawah" and occasionally post Islamic quotes or term their videos as "halal". And sometimes these brothers are defending hijab at the same time kissing hijabis and posting the photos. What a combo right? "I'm not perfect, I commit major sins and kufr and love Allah at the same time." This is the trend now wal iyyadhubillah! I want to reach out to the youth to let them know to make a concious decision to get ouf of it. Unfollow these people! I don't want to name names but you know who they are. Unfollow them FOR Allah'S SAKE. I am begging you brothers and sisters. Wallahi I have no self interest in this matter. Do it for the ummah, for Islam. Don't support the wrong things. And sisters, stop beautifying yourself, whether you do it for your own self or for men or whatever, it is still haram and hated by Allah. It is sinful for you to display yourself in public beautified whether you are wearing hijab or not. Please learn more seek knowledge and let Imaan enter your hearts. Seek Allah's pleasure alone don't fall for the trap of shaytaan. It's gotten so bad to the point that the pages with pornographic images of women are reposting hijabi photos praising their makeup and eyebrow game and beauty. And the husbands who allow their wives to display their beauty, Rasulullah ص called them dayooth. ‘’Three people will not enter paradise, and Allah will not look to them on the Day of Judgment: the one who is disobedient to his parents, the woman who imitates men and the ad-Dayooth.” Please brothers and sisters, reach out to them and speak more openly about this issue. Discourage the sisters from displaying their beauty. From wearing heels and the wrong hijab and fake lashes and doing their eyebrows and displaying themselves. Brands today have completely hijacked the term modesty and Hayaa, we need to redefine it to it's originally meaning which is what Allah has defined it as. So please brothers and sisters talk more about this and discourage them from it. Keep on sending the message out. Wassalamm aleikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh PS: Sorry for the long post

Salaam Alaikum A brilliant opportunity for an educational trip, as well as activities, please email the email on the poster for any further questions. Would not miss this opportunity!

Salaam Alaykum, I'm new to Gloucester, Uk. Just moved in over two weeks ago and the first thing I did was find out if there was a community. Turns out there is a small family who run programs on thursday nights - whilst that is nice and does feel like I get some connection to a mosque, I was wondering if there were any youths around the age of twenty or slightly older who were also in Gloucester? It would be nice to meet/hang out/socialise every once in a while. Please get in touch Wasaalaam

Asalaamu alaikum, I just wanted to announce for anyone that's interested, I recently started up a blog for talking about different subjects related to Islam, social issues facing Muslims, issues of Muslims in the West, and convert related issues. The blog can be found at http://kadhimontreal.com . As in, my pen-name is kadhim, and I'm in Montreal. Only one "m" in the middle though and all one word. I have about six posts up so far, but I can promise a steady stream of a few posts a week over at least the next few months, as I've got an archive of about 60 other articles from a previous website project that I plan to review, repurpose, and republish. And hopefully some brand new material as the spirit moves me ;) Anyhow, feel free to take a look, to read, to comment, to subscribe. Enjoy! Fee iman illah "kadhim"

(bismillah) Another great lecture series helping you ready for marriage and even helping those out who are already married. Worth a watch!

In the West(Europe, USA, Australia) many young people, especially with migration background, fall in the criminality trap. The least crime is selling drugs or becoming a pimp(or a so-called rapper/gangster rapper/ dancer or whatever). Also young people lack education and fail to find a job etc. and fall deeper, having no money, bad housing etc. Like this German rapper(with migration background) who robbed a gold transporter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xatar http://rt.com/news/g...-rapper-moscow/ So why do so many young people become criminals? It might be the politics on one hand(which also is criminal and corrupted to some extend, with arm trades being controlled by companies and pressure groups etc. instead of investing more in youth). But is this the only problem? Why don't people invest more in the socially neglected in the West, so they don't lag behind the rest of the population? What would your suggestions and solutions be? Btw. it is not just a problem of migrants that's why I didn't point out migrants only. I personally know some social workers who told me that the native youths have the same problems if not worse. So how is it best to fight criminality in your neighborhood at least.

Social Rejection May Trigger Harmful Immune Response Social rejection during adolescence hurts more than the psyche. A new study links it to changes in the immune system that could result in negative physical and mental health outcomes down the road. Among a group of adolescent girls followed for more than 2 years, researchers found evidence that targeted social rejection upregulated proinflammatory signaling molecules, particularly among girls who felt they were at the top of the social ladder. In a statement, study investigator Michael L. Murphy, PhD, of the Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, who worked on the study, noted that targeted rejection is "central to some of life's most distressing experiences — things like getting broken up with, getting fired, and being excluded from your peer group at school. In this study, we aimed to examine processes that may give these experiences the ability to affect health." The findings support other emerging evidence that "inflammation and the molecular signaling pathways that regulate inflammation are influenced to a significant degree by the external social world," the researchers write. According to the researchers, the findings have implications for understanding how social conditions increase risk for a variety of inflammation-related diseases, including depression, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. The study was published online September 7 in Clinical Psychological Science. Rejection Packs a Proinflammatory Punch The study included 147 adolescent women between 15 and 19 years old who did not have a personal history of mental health problems but were at risk of developing a first episode of major depression due to family and other personal risk factors. Every 6 months for roughly 2.5 years, the researchers assessed them for recent episodes of targeted social rejection and psychiatric diagnoses. At each assessment, they drew blood to determine expression levels of key inflammatory signaling molecules and the inflammatory biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Overall, 134 participants (91%) completed at least 3 assessments, and 94 (64%) completed all 6 assessments. The researchers observed higher mRNA levels for both nuclear factor–kappa B (NF-κB) and inhibitor of kappa B (I-κB), and a lower ratio of NF-κB to I-κB, following visits when a recent targeted rejection life event had occurred compared with visits when no targeted rejection life event had occurred. Targeted rejection was unrelated to levels of either CRP or IL-6. "Several studies have now shown that negative social experiences upregulate inflammatory activity," the authors note. "The present study extends this work by demonstrating for the first time that acute life events involving targeted rejection are associated with increased expression of the genes encoding NF-κB and I-κB, especially for adolescents who perceive themselves to be high in social status," they add. Dr. Murphy and colleagues speculate that this inflammatory response might be adaptive for individuals at the top of a social hierarchy, giving them a survival advantage. The researchers note, however, that an overly productive immune response can be harmful to mental and physical health in the long run. Overall, they say the findings "converge with a growing number of transcriptome-wide studies showing enhanced expression of pro-inflammatory immune response genes for individuals confronting a range of adverse social experiences including anticipated bereavement, low socioeconomic status, traumatic life events, and the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness." The findings "also challenge fundamental notions about the self as a biologically stable entity. For example, although the structure of human DNA changes relatively little over the life course, the activity of our genome is quite fluid and more permeable to external social influence than we realize." The next step, they add, is to replicate the effects they've seen in a separate study with a "more rigorous experimental design and then, if successful, evaluate their contribution to subsequent mental and physical health problems." Unique Focus Commenting on the study for Medscape Medical News, William Copeland, PhD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, said the study adds to the evidence that negative life events, particularly those that involve loss or humiliation, are related to changes in immune function and inflammation. "What's really interesting about this study is that it kind of gets at the mechanism that really explains how this is all happening by basically looking at the gene products that are related to nuclear factor κB and inhibitor κB. "In doing so, it kind of shows us how stress may be getting under the skin and affecting inflammation," said Dr. Copeland, who has been involved in research on psychiatric predictors of inflammatory response in adolescence, including some work on peer victimization. "It's their focus on the messenger RNA which is rather unique," Dr. Copeland added. "There haven't been a lot of studies that have done that; most studies tend focus on levels of cytokines or reactive proteins in cells. This study gets at the messenger RNA." Dr. Copeland agrees that further study is needed and worthwhile. "There are a couple good steps the researchers could take for replicating it," he said. "Here they are just looking at single incidences of social rejection and the association of mRNA levels. What we have found and what other people have found is that it seems to be more chronic exposure to these negative types of events like peer rejection but also other types of things like maltreatment which seem to have the most potent effects on inflammation levels and cytokine levels; so really looking at the effects of chronic stress on inflammation is really the way to go forward." The study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The authors and Dr. Copeland have disclosed no relevant financial relationships. Clinical Psychological Science. Published online September 7, 2012. Abstract

Suicidal Thoughts Common Among Victimized Youth Suicidal ideation is significantly more common among adolescents who have experienced any form of victimization compared with those who have not, new research shows. Heather Turner, PhD, from the University of New Hampshire, in Durham, and colleagues found that the risk for suicidal ideation was 2.4 times greater among youth who experienced peer victimization in the past year compared with youth who had not experienced bullying. Thoughts of suicide were also 3.4 times greater among youth who were sexually assaulted and 4.4 times greater among youth who had been mistreated by parents or caregivers. Youth who had been exposed to 7 or more types of victimization in the past year were almost 6 times as likely to report suicidal ideation as nonexposed youth. "We know that many adolescents are exposed to several different types of victimization, often within a fairly short period of time, so one of the important advantages of our survey is that it is a more comprehensive assessment of victimization exposure than usual," Dr. Turner told Medscape Medical News. "And I think the findings emphasize the need to include comprehensive victim assessment that takes in a wide array of different types of victimization when considering suicide intervention and prevention efforts in general." The study was published online October 22 in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. All Types of Victimization Because earlier studies investigating the effect of victimization on suicidal ideation have typically focused on only 1 form of victimization, researchers used 2 waves of longitudinal data to examine the effects of several forms of victimization on suicidal ideation. The wave 1 survey was conducted between January and May, 2008; the second wave was conducted approximately 2 years later. An enhanced version of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire was used in both waves of the study, and 1 item from the Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children was used to assess suicidal ideation. Results showed that 4.3% of the total sample of 1186 children and adolescents between the ages of 10 to 17 years in wave 1 experienced suicidal ideation in the month preceding the interview, with females reporting ideation rates almost twice those of males. The forms of victimization associated with the greatest percentage of youth reporting ideation included maltreatment, with over 16% of maltreated youth reporting suicidal ideation compared with 2.7% of adolescents who had not been maltreated. Some 23% of sexually assaulted youth also reported suicidal ideation vs 3.7% of those who had not been sexually assaulted. Almost 16% of adolescents who had been exposed to 7 or more individual types of victimization reported suicidal ideation in the past month, investigators add. There was also a "substantial" association between suicidal ideation and living in a household with a stepparent or unmarried parent partner. Victimization exposure did not fully explain this association, as investigators point out, and the particularly strong association between suicidal ideation and stepfamily households is both "worrisome" and warrants more attention, researchers suggest. "I think it's important to recognize that we're talking about the kinds of victimization many adolescents experience," Dr. Turner said. "So this is about the accumulation of different types of victimization episodes across multiple domains in adolescence, and this accumulation is what creates the greatest risk of suicidal ideation. "Our findings show how important it is to take a more holistic youth-centered approach in promoting youth health and well-being and reducing suicidal risk." Beyond Mood Disorders Peter A. Wyman, PhD, from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, told Medscape Medical News that what this study adds is the finding that multiple victimization episodes have an effect on suicidal ideation "above and beyond" a diagnosis of mood disorder. "It also underscores the fact that some youth are vulnerable to multiple forms of victimization, particularly when from very adverse family environments," he added. Dr. Wyman also noted that the suicide prevention field typically emphasizes the role of mood problems along with other psychiatric and substance use disorders in suicide risk. This focus usually translates into strategies to identify youth with these specific disorders before making a referral for treatment. "Far less attention has been given to clarifying the contributions of adolescents' social environment and experiences such as being victims of bullying," Dr. Wyman said. "So this study draws attention to considering doing an assessment of at-risk youth by asking about peers and events that happen in families as well as exposure to violence, as they can have added risk beyond a single event." The authors and Dr. Wyman have disclosed no relevant financial relationships. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Published online October 22, 2012. Abstract on the other side.... Bullying Strongly Linked to Mental Health Disorders NEW ORLEANS — Children diagnosed with mental health disorders are at least 3 times more likely to be labelled as bullies as those without such diagnoses, new research shows. A nationwide survey found that 20% of US high school students reported being bullied on school property and that 16% reported being cyberbullied in the past 12 months. "The presence of a mental health disorder diagnosis, regardless of the type, is strongly associated with being a bully," said principal investigator Frances G. Turcotte-Benedict, MD, a fellow in pediatric emergency medicine at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. The findings of the study were presented here at the 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition. Although it is well established that victims of bullying are at increased risk for mental health disorders and suicide, less is known about the mental health status of those who do the bullying, Dr. Turcotte-Benedict pointed out. "Victims are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, and psychosomatic complaints, while we believe that bullies are at increased risk for substance abuse, academic problems, and violence," she said. "We wanted to identify the prevalence of bullying among children with mental health disorders and to determine if the diagnosis of a mental health disorder should be considered a risk factor for bullying behavior," she said. "Our hypothesis was that children with a mental health illness would be more likely to bully other children." Need for Psychological Support Dr. Turcotte-Benedict and colleagues reviewed data on 63,997 children, aged 6 to 17 years, provided by their parents or guardians in the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health. Bivariate analyses and logistic regression were performed to assess the association between mental health status and being identified as a bully. The survey showed that 15.2% of US children were identified as bullies by their own parent or guardian and that 16.6% had been diagnosed with at least 1 mental health disorder. Children with mental health disorders were most likely to be white, non-Hispanic males. Significant differences were observed in mental health status according to age, neighborhood safety, parent-child communication, type of school, and bullying status. The logistic regression analysis controlled for these. Overall, children with mental health disorders were 3 times more likely to bully other children. Of 10,616 children with a mental health diagnosis, 2503 (29.8%) demonstrated bullying behavior. Of 53,445 without a mental health diagnosis, 4986 (12.4%) were considered bullies. A subanalysis of the type of mental health disorder, adjusted for age, sex, race, ethnicity, neighborhood safety, and parent-child communication, found the following odds ratios for children who engage in bullying behavior vs children without these mental health diagnoses: Depression: odds ratio (OR), 3.31 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.70 - 4.07) Anxiety: OR, 2.89 (95% CI, 2.41 - 3.46) Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: OR, 2.82 (95% CI, 2.43 - 3.28) Oppositional defiant disorder: OR, 6.02 (95% CI, 5.03 - 7.21) When questioned as to the finding of bullying among children who are depressed, Dr. Turcotte-Benedict pointed out that depression in adolescence is often associated with impulsivity, which can fuel bullying behavior. "These findings highlight the importance of providing psychological support not only to victims of bullying but to bullies as well," Dr. Turcotte-Benedict said. "In order to create successful antibullying prevention and intervention programs, we need more research to understand the relationship more thoroughly, and especially the risk profile of childhood bullies." Worry About the Bully Session moderator Benjamin Hoffman, associate professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, said the findings fit his gestalt of the issue. "This study confirms what most of us have long suspected. In a bully relationship, it's the bully I worry about most," he told Medscape Medical News. "We worry about the short-term effects on the victim, and we understand there may be long-term ramifications, but the factors that underlie the bully's motivation to bully are important," he said. "This study highlights that we have a lot more to learn about what gets the bully 'to bully.' I am sure the issues around mental health disorders will be the tip of the iceberg, and we will find issues of poverty, education, exposure to domestic violence, and so forth to also be factors. While the findings do not surprise me, it is important to have the science to back up this up. This will help us identify kids at risk before they develop bullying behaviors, so we can protect both the bully and the victim." Dr. Turcotte-Benedict and Dr. Hoffman have disclosed no relevant financial relationships. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition. Presented October 22, 2012.

786 Salamu alaikum everyone, I am writing to ask what are the different approaches/materials you have used to educate young children regarding our faith (i.e. 3 years and up)? I expect that the best education is through what they observe and therefore my wife and I have a strong responsibility to be engaging in the wajibat. Insha'Allah we pass of this front. Now that our oldest is at a point where we can engage in dialogue, I would like to know what has/has not worked for you...whether it be in home lessons, sunday school, online curriculum, etc. Open to learning what has worked so that we maximize the role we play in helping our children to the right path (of course ultimate guidance and support is from Allah and the Ahlul Bayt). Thank you in advance, BB

Salaams, Thought some of you on this forum would be interested in nominating/applying for the Young Muslim Beacon Awards. Please circulate to organisations, friends and colleagues - open to all. This is a great opportunity for local / regional / national projects and organisations who are making a difference in their communities to be recognised. Please note that it does not need to be a Muslim run project/organisation so long as it has helped young Muslims. Traditionally our community has been underrepresented at such events and with many organisations and projects doing work worthy of recognition it would be good for them to get the acclaim they deserve. The deadline is the 30th of September for nominations. Further information can be found below and on the website at http://www.ymba.co.uk/ And yes, there is a strong Shia contingent volunteering at the MCB! Cheers. M Jaffer. Young Muslim Beacon Awards 2011 Designed to Recognise, Celebrate and InspireExcellence amongst projects / organisations which cater for young British Muslims; to showcase the very best of Muslim youth work. Only one award for each category - Local, Regional and National for Muslim or non-Muslim projects / organisations which have made a meaningful contribution to the lives of young Muslims in the UK. Winners will be announced at an awards reception at the Houses of Parliament. Watch a clip from last years awards: http://bit.ly/qCD84v Nominations Now Open To nominate visit: www.ymba.co.uk Deadline: Friday 30 September 2011, 18.00hrs The Muslim Council of Britain is the UK's largest Muslim umbrella body with over 500 affiliated national, regional and local organisations, mosques, charities and schools. For further information please contact: The Muslim Council of Britain PO Box 57330 London E1 2WJ Tel: 0845 26 26 786 Fax: 0207 247 7079 media@mcb.org.uk Follow MCB Online Twitter: www.twitter.com/MuslimCouncil Youtube: www.youtube.com/MuslimCouncil