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Fundraisers: The Child’s Perspective
By Altaf Husain, MSW, LSW
12/12/2000
In the United States, Muslims have been actively building institutions such as masjids, Islamic centers, and Islamic schools. However, because of the separation between religion and state, the U.S. government is not allowed to assist in the establishment of any one religion; therefore, Muslims (as well as followers of other religious groups) must conduct fundraising activities and projects to support their activities.
For the most part, within the Muslim community, we have relied on two methods for raising capital: 1) we seek financial assistance from generous donors, here and abroad, who are interested in helping to propagate and establish Islam in North America; or 2) we ask for donations (and fees) directly from the people being served.
The first option often goes unnoticed by the community and, indeed, most donors prefer to contribute anonymously.
The latter option, often to support the opening or building of a masjid, center, or school, is typically carried out through fundraisers in the community where the new institution will be located. And, as Muslims are enjoined to give as much as they can in charity during Ramadhan, the month of fasting is often chosen as the best time to conduct such events.
Sometimes, proposals get funded entirely at the outset, and construction flows smoothly from start to finish. Other times, we may witness fundraising at different stages of a project. For example, fundraising at phase one, then at phase two, and so on. Unfortunately, however, either due to mismanagement or unforeseen circumstances, a project sometimes requires more funding than is available and the project stalls in the middle of a phase. Other times, construction of a facility may be completed, but additional fundraisers are needed to cover on-going maintenance expenses or expansions.
While adults may be accustomed to the idea of attending fundraisers, we seldom think about how our children must feel when they attend these events. However, when we take the time to ask them, we find out that they are not usually as inattentive and unable to comprehend what is going on as we might have imagined. Indeed, their comments regarding such matters is not only insightful, but they are also reflective of their own passionate beliefs about the need for Islamic institutions.
This past weekend, Al Huda Islamic School in College Park, Maryland held a very elaborate fundraiser with the theme, “A Ramadhan Never to Be Forgotten.” In addition to the very good iftar meal, there were reminders about the blessings of giving in charity to our community’s institutions delivered by Br. Talib Abdullah, Br. Dawud Wharnsby Ali, Br. Safi Khan, and Br. Muhammad Ash-Shareef. Al Huda students also recited Qur’an and sang nasheeds.
Although I did not have a chance to attend this particular fundraiser, I interviewed two students about their experience at the event. Yusuf and Musaab Salloum, 11 and 9 years of age respectively, very much love their school. They have been attending Islamic schools since kindergarten – first, at the Michigan Islamic Academy in Ann Arbor, MI and now, at Al Huda Islamic School.
As the frigid winter cold was keeping them from going outside, the two brothers were throwing a football back and forth inside their home. Intrigued about being interviewed, Yusuf, a 6th grader, paused to answer my questions as Musaab giggled all the while.
“So what was the fundraiser about?” I asked.
“Basically about Ramadhan, how we should act in Ramadhan and why giving is important in Ramadhan,” said Yusuf, catching his breath between each comma. Musaab, a 4th grader who was among the students chosen to perform an-nasheed, answered more to the point, “It was about raising money and about Ramadhan.”
“Why does your school need money?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I was not there the whole time. I ate and then I was looking for this bag of gym clothes that I left behind in school,” he said. Like most 9-year olds, Musaab went about his own program that night.
Yusuf, however, reflecting on the question, said, “Well, they are having financial problems, like paying for the building maintenance and other stuff.” They had stopped throwing the ball, and Musaab was now sitting on the ground waiting for his turn to respond.
I continued along the same lines, asking them who should be taking care of these problems. “The community, like parents of kids who go there… everybody, actually,” said Musaab, almost matter-of-factly. He seems puzzled that I would even ask such a question. Yusuf on the other hand, put it more systematically when he said, “People should give cause they get something back from the masjid and the schools.”
“So what do you feel like when your teacher and principal and others are standing there asking for money?” This question made them both think for a while, “My feelings?” Almost as if no one had ever cared to inquire how the students of a school for which money was being raised would feel.
For Yusuf, the more emotional of the two, embarrassment was the key word. “People feel embarrassed; people asking, I mean, feel embarrassed.”
Musaab, more adamant about his feelings, said, “People should give; otherwise, why did they come if they are not going to give? I feel kinda bad for the teacher.”
Yusuf added, “Since I don’t have much to give myself, I keep looking around the room to see who will actually be able to give $10,000 or whatever they are asking for?”
“How come we need fundraisers if everyone feels so embarrassed?” I then asked.
Yusuf immediately responded by saying, “We get no support from the government, I mean, like what the public schools get.”
Perhaps feeling that he had not answered my earlier question of why their school needs money, and after hearing Yusuf talk about maintenance earlier, Musaab eagerly responded, “Maybe they need the money for computers or stuff like heating problems, old pipes and electrical wires.”
In closing the conversation, I asked them how they felt when they heard reminders from the Qur’an and the stories of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his companions about giving charity. Putting into practice one of his new vocabulary words, Yusuf answered that he felt “increased zeal to give.” Musaab responded, “When I hear all that, I feel interested; that giving is important.”
“So what are you going to do when you are grown-up and have kids going to Islamic schools? How will you help them?”
Musaab was quite straightforward about this question, “I would give them money.”
Yusuf stopped to think for some time, and continued smiling, “Insha’Allah, we will not need fundraisers… but I highly think so. We should set up banks or something – Islamic banks – like they collect money from people every year and then give that to schools and masjids.”
“What was your overall feeling about the fundraiser?”
For Yusuf, “The best part is when they collect the money, like hearing the big amounts of money being collected for our school… cause I know it is halal money. Insha’Allah, they are going to use the money to upgrade the school and make it a better place for us.”
Musaab tried his best to sum up his feelings by saying, “I feel good. Happy. I feel that people should give. Like, they are wasting their time.”
I asked for clarification and he added, “I mean, because no one is giving and people who are supposed to give at the fundraiser are wasting the time of the brother who is asking. I guess they needed $100,000. I think they almost got it, I don’t know. In the end, I felt upset cause we had to leave early and they had not announced the award for the best classroom yet!”
And so, we end our inquiry into the hearts and minds of the children for whom so much is being done in our Islamic schools and masjids. It is obvious that they are quite mature, and they are tuned in to what is happening around them. And, although perhaps as adults, we may view these fundraisers as mundane or almost too routine, we should stop to think how our children feel as their teachers stand up and appeal to audiences at such events to support a worthy cause.
When I asked if they had a copy of the program, almost as if to sum up the whole experience, Musaab and Yusuf excitedly reminded each other of its theme. I suppose for them, it will truly be “A Ramadhan Never to be Forgotten.”
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