Sharing Good Practice
Spread positive images of
young Islamic minds online
By Rahima Jabeen
they would like to solve, rather
than asking what they would like
to be when they grow up. After
brainstorming, they can be assisted
in forming a group where they can
post new and innovative ideas on
tackling these issues. The issue
of negative imaging of Islam can
begin to slowly fade in this way.
3. Blogging: More and more young
people want to be heard and
blogging has taken center stage in
this arena. The right to free speech
is heralded and provided that the
‘free speech’ is not malicious and of
a repugnant nature, children should
be encouraged to write on school/
class/ personal blogs.
M
edia is the strongest medium
of
image
formulation.
Advertising, marketing and
branding are no longer
restricted to television, radio and bill
boards. In fact, the impact that social
media has on influencing the mindset
of a targeted audience is astounding.
Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest
and dozens of other social media sites
where likes, ‘friending’ and sharing
thoughts and views are coveted,
are fast becoming one of the most
effective means of getting heard.
Over the past few months, a series of
tragic events have been highlighted
in the media and have created many
spirited debates, many of which have
been prejudicially negative about the
portrayal of Muslims and Islam. With
such a tool as social media, today’s
youth have a unique opportunity to
correct some of the misconceptions
that are being perpetuated in the
media and to portray the true essence
of Islam, the religion of peace.
Each time we go online, we are leaving
a digital footprint in our wake. We can
train our youngsters to be vigilant on
what they post and how they do it,
so as to optimize their desire to be
efficiently heard. They need to protect
themselves from predators that lurk
online, data hackers and twisted
individuals who manipulate random
data into malicious and harmful
content. Consequently, we can teach
them how to build a pos ]]