Project Sakinah presented a webinar for the Muslim Chaplain’s Association on developing safe boundaries in inter-gender relationships on July 29. The presentation set a framework for thinking about the complex issues that arise when counseling students in these times of “Blurred Lines.” The presentation was followed by extended discussion of some of the points raised. Brief consideration was given to the ways in which student’s increasing time spent in mediated interaction online is impacting both social norms and individual psychology. The webinar was organized by Sharif Rosen, the Muslim Chaplain’s Association’ Vice President for College Chaplains. Project Sakinah is committed to providing useful content for groups grappling with the social issues that face Muslim families.

It is obvious that raising a healthy Muslim child in the United States is challenging. While Muslim parents may share their frustrations from time to time with each other – there is no strong culture of opening up to others about actually dealing with the serious problems that arise in families. The direction in which we need to head, as a community, is to acknowledge our condition and learn to truly engage with the issues that Allah, subhana wa ta’ala, has placed right in front of us on a daily basis. Our community can only stay strong if we are able to hold to the rope of Allah together. A first step toward this is to avail ourselves of resources that are ready to hand. Here are few worth looking into.

“The greatest catastrophe for Muslim youth is that they have no one to talk to,” says Nouman Ali Khan, in this accessible and insightful video clip. Brother Nouman has many videos worth viewing, and for further information about his work, see his website.

Out of the UK comes the site “Effective Islamic Parenting.” This site features articles and online courses on many aspects of parenting and Islamic education. On Facebook, check out the Conscious Parenting Approach Facebook page, which provides a wealth of ideas for activities for children. Finally, check out “Productive Muslim” which has articles, tips, and blogs from a number of Muslims with expertise in matters relating to the challenges of Muslim Parenting.

It is easy get overwhelmed when we reflect deeply on the issues we face as a community, and as families. This particular website is a good resource – but what is really valuable here is the very personal way the sister engages her audience. That is a quality that is vitally necessary for us to begin building the level of trust among each other that will enable us to make ourselves vulnerable with our brothers and sisters in sharing the most difficult of the challenges we face. Please take a look, benefit from the resources, and reflect on the accessibility communicated through this sister’s work.

The Muslim Mental Health Institute is excited to announce that we are now accepting submissions for abstracts for the 8th Annual Muslim Mental Health Conference that will take place on March 17-20, 2016 at The Dearborn Inn. This year's theme is "Peace and Justice: Building Harmony between Psyche & Law". Please note that all abstracts must be received no later than September 11, 2015. Additional information can be found here.

Abstracts should be submitted here by September 11, 2015. Please include a brief statement with your current position and academic affiliation.