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ISLA + MKTV Animated Stories: African + African American Muslims

ISLA + MKTV Animated Stories: African + African American Muslims

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Image with various African and African American Muslims

Celebrating African and African American History

A Recap on our CAAAMH Contest

In 2022 and 2023, ISLA ran the Celebrating African and African American History Contest. We were blessed to have MuslimKids.TV as a major sponsor of this contest, which seeks to encourage middle school students to learn about the rich and diverse contributions of African and African American Muslims to society.

A whopping 398 submissions were turned in last year from 44 different schools, from which a handful of winners were selected.  Over the past year, the dedicated team at MuslimKids.TV has sought to bring students’ winning submissions to life for children all over the world to enjoy!

Bringing Student Stories to Life

As a proud sponsor of this initiative, MuslimKids.TV has a team of illustrators, animators, and talented artists creating animated videos and beautiful books to share the amazing stories submitted last year with children across the world! The MuslimKids.TV team is diligently working on the animation and will release 8 animated episodes on muslimkids.tv this month, inshaAllah.

Sneak Peak

Here’s a sneak peak of some of the animations from our students’ winning submissions!

Mumin Abdul Qadeer (Quba Islamic School, CA) won 1st place for his presentation on Mansa Musa.

 

Juhi Naeema (Goodtree Academy, TX) researched Ayuba Suleiman Diallo.

 

Presentation by Khadija Serir from Daarul Uloom Islamic School (IL), animated by MKTV.

 

ILM Academy (GA)’s student, Nora Iftikhar, submitted a winning presentation on Halima Aden.

What You Can Do

While ISLA is not hosting a nation-wide contest this year, here are a few ways you can celebrate African and African American Muslim History this year:

  • Explore last year’s material: Explore the materials from the previous contest and inspire your students to uncover the stories and legacies that contribute to the vibrant tapestry of our ummah. 
  • Host a school-wide contest: provide your students with a unique opportunity to delve into the deep and rich history and contributions of African and African American Muslims. This history is sometimes overlooked in our schools and curriculum but holds immense significance. Use the rubric to guide your students in their research and presentations.
  • Stay Connected: Follow MuslimKids TV (Facebook + Instagram)  and ISLA (Facebook +Instagram) for more updates and resources to enrich your educational journey.

Keep the Tradition Alive- Run A CAAAMH Contest this year!

We want to encourage educators to find ways to celebrate Black History Month in your Islamic schools. Doing so is an important endeavor, as contributions from African, African American and Black individuals and societies have often been omitted from textbooks and curriculum, and even within Islamic learning circles. 

Yet, we have so much to learn from exploring this deep, beautiful history! Through learning about our diversity, we come to appreciate one another and become closer as an ummah, inshallah. Importantly, research shows that when we students see themselves reflected in the curriculum, their sense of belonging increases and academic success is enhanced. 

And… the learning shouldn’t stop in February. Allah says to us (what is translated as) in the Qur’an: “O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another” (Surah Hujurat: 13). Recognizing and exploring the diverse cultures and histories of our ummah and beyond makes us better humans and better Muslims, inshallah.