By: Badees Nouiouat, NDG Contributing Writer
For the past five years, hundreds of young Muslim men and women have enjoyed weekly programs every Friday night throughout Dallas. The grassroots organization that started the program, named Young Muslims (YM), originally started in the early ’90s. The organization is comprised of two parts, YM brothers and YM sisters.
The nationwide movement is entirely run by youth in the range of 14 to 25 years old. Local chapters are led by a coordinator and a board of typically five members. There is also a national board of nine members overseeing branches all over the country. In total, there are over 40 brothers and almost 30 sisters chapters nationally, and more than 2,000 consistent weekly members.
My first introduction to YM was five years ago when Jawad Karim, a former YM attendee in New Jersey, moved to Irving with his family. As he got to know the youth of the community, Karim decided to start his own chapter in Irving. He would invite 30 to 40 guys to his house every Friday for a spiritual group discussion, known as the halaqa, which was done in the traditional YM style of everyone sitting in a giant circle to leave nobody out. Afterward, everyone carpooled to a nearby restaurant and enjoyed a meal together.
Today, there are five brothers chapters in Irving, Valley Ranch, Carrollton, Frisco, and Richardson, and three sisters chapters in Irving, Frisco, and Coppell. Each chapter meets at their local mosque at a designated time and day.
“I joined YM when I was 18 years old. I only wish that I had found YM while I was younger,” Samiur Rahman stated the regional coordinator for the Dallas brothers chapters. “Consistently attending weekly meetings, firstly connects us to the mosque and makes it a place where youth want to be. Secondly, we grow a stronger bond with each other and realize that we don’t have to be blood to be family.”
“YM has given me a new definition to the word brotherhood,” says Ziyad Pida, the coordinator for the Irving chapter. “It’s the only organization I’ve seen that can create a bond between two brothers that is practically impossible to sever.”
Consistency is critical for YM. Weekly meetups are rarely ever canceled, regardless of the situation. “Whether 50 people show up or two, we are still going to have our halaqa,” Karim says.
Many YM chapters are the only source of activities for Muslim youth in their communities. This makes it even more impressive than the whole organization is youth-run. Without the efforts of responsible young men and women in leadership, the youth could be spending their Friday nights in a negative environment.
“There are football games, parties, and a lot of other fun things to do on a Friday night. YM has all the fun stuff but in a good environment,” says Mariam Abdulla, part of the Texas sisters’ regional leadership. “For the past few years, Fridays have been a day I look forward to. I really don’t know if I would be the person I am today had it not been for YM guiding me through the ups and downs of life.”
To learn more about YM or to find a chapter near you, visit their website at www.ymsite.com for the brothers wing or www.ymsisters.com for the sister’s wing.
Badees Nouiouat is the Publisher of The Irving Muslim.
