Muhsen: Texas Muslim Volunteer Teaching Program Allows Special Needs Children To Be Treated Equally in Houses of Worship

The Sunday School Program held at the Islamic Center of Frisco is looking for local volunteers and is being sponsored by the pioneering national disability rights organization, Muhsen.

Pictured: Rafia MunirRafia Munir, the Dallas Chapter Lead for Muhsen, a word derived from Arabic referring to the act of helping others, said their program is designed to fit into any Sunday School program at any mosque.

“Our mission is to provide Islamic education to every student with special needs and disabilities. We do not leave anyone behind or pick and choose students according to their functioning level,” she said.

Eligible volunteers can have a background in teaching, but Munir said that is not a requirement. Muhsen is specifically looking for anyone over the age of 17 who has a passion to help special needs students and their parents.

The Muhsen staff at ICF, she said, is a combination of students, moms and professionals whose only purpose for signing up is to provide accommodation to those that need it.

The Sunday School Program has three tracks: Foundation, Gateway and Inclusion. While the Foundation track was created by Muhsen, the Gateway and Inclusion tracks are more flexible.

“In the Gateway and Inclusion track, there is an opportunity for modifying the curriculum according to the student's needs. The Muhsen Program leads have strong support provided by the Coordinator and team,” she said. “The students are evaluated and given one on one assistance for their individualized curriculum that includes Islamic studies, Arabic alphabets, Surah recitation, and Salah. The schedule starts with the Morning circle and gets divided into individual teaching lessons to end the day again with a group activity of Salah.”

Munir believes this opportunity will benefit both Dallas Muslims and American Muslim communities in general.

“The families and individuals with special needs and disabilities get recognition, accommodation, and acknowledgment that they are part of the rest of the community. The rest of the community gets awareness and the opportunity to feel humble and recognize their feelings of empathy,” she said. “I cannot begin to tell you the happiness of a parent’s heart to see their child with special needs being acknowledged as any other child at the Mosque. We all can give that small amount of happiness to a parent who has daily struggles that multiply to the daily struggles of a parent with a child who has no special needs.”

While the stigma surrounding disabilities may never completely diminish, Munir hopes these classes will help open eyes and hearts in the American Muslim community.

“A mosque can serve all of the members of the community now by partnering with Muhsen. They provide space, accommodation, welcoming arms and Muhsen will provide resources to bring that awareness and education. It is a win-win situation in both worlds for all of us, only if we think about it.”

Interested applicants can send a volunteer request to dallas@muhsen.org.