The ADS Journal: Issue 1

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“In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”

Assalamu Alaikum ADS and ACP students, teachers, families, and community members. The ADS Creative Media Club is excited to be bringing this issue of the ADS Journal to you!

The ADS Creative Media Club was founded to give students a creative outlet to express their talents. However, the biggest lesson that we want students and our community to take from what we do is that we all have something special to bring to the world in order to leave it better than we found it. In today's world, more than ever, we need outlets through which to express our voices, tell our stories, and make an individual and collective impact. While we know that this is no small feat, we believe we can impact our local and global communities, one artwork, story, or video at a time. Thank you for supporting our mission.

Nejla Hodzic

ADS Creative Media Founder and President

Snapshots From

CAMPUS LIFE

Competingand LearningatADS

A

t ADS, students get the opportunity to learn through unique and interactive avenues One of these is competitions. We have already held a wide variety of competitions this year in order to encourage interactive and productive learning. So far, ADS has hosted our annual Athan Competition, our annual Daily Duas Competition, a "Taking Care of My Salah Competition," our Annual Seerah Challenge Test, our annual Spelling Bee, a Fundraiser Poem Performance contest, and many more. These competitions and traditions motivate students, but we also emphasize that at the end of the day, our intentions are to do our best for Allah This desire to please our Rabb drives all that we do, and it will continue to drive these exciting traditions and competitions that we all look forward to. Congratulations to all those who have participated in these competitions and won!

CAMPUS LIFE

Winter Gala Preparations

ADS campuses have been gearing up to host our biggest event of the year, the ADS Winter Fundraiser. The entire community is invited to join us for this event in order to all share in blessings by supporting the future of Islamic education, so the preparations have been underway for a bit

Attendees can look forward to nasheed and poetry performances by our talented leaders of tomorrow, skits, and the other amazing programs that we are planning to have. Tickets are now available for purchase as well. Stay tuned for a wonderful and blessed night!

CAMPUS LIFE

Giving Back Through Al Ansar

How do we give students the opportunity to lead service projects and give back to the community? This is one of the questions that prompted ADS to establish the Al Ansar Community Service Club Founded in February of 2021 on Zoom, the Al Ansar Community Service Club has grown immensely by the permission of Allah, Alhamdulillah. The current Board of the club is comprised of Nejla Hodzic (President), Serene Khalil (Vice President), Semra Hodzic (Secretary), and Nabaa Alani (Treasurer). The club also has close to 30 members this year, Alhamdulillah.

Al Ansar has been able to grow into an integral part of our school culture in less than two years. The club has hosted food and clothing drives, offered tutoring services for Elementary and Middle School, provided volunteers for major events at ADS and in the community, founded the Ansar Sibling Program, and more. The club's latest project is a food drive in partnership with the AlBaraka Food Pantry May Allah increase them in goodness and service, Ameen!

CAMPUS LIFE

ADS and ACP Students Take Initiative

ADS and ACP students are always looking for ways to positively impact our school beyond their studies. Masha'Allah, they are making their marks in great ways. Middle and high school students are joining and leading a wide variety of extracurriculars, such as the Culinary Workshop, soccer teams, Al-Ansar, ADS Creative Media, STEM Club, Future Health Professionals Club, and much more. While these clubs are supervised by teachers, the majority are student led and run. May Allah protect all of our students and continue to give them the ability to do great things, Ameen!

CAMPUS LIFE

Future Entrepreneursat ADS

Personal Finance students have been working on exciting projects this semester. The class, taught by Ust Ruba Abusharif and comprised of 9th graders this semester, has been an interactive experience

Students have made business plans, raised money, and sold products based on their plans. Masha'Allah, they were all incredibly successful!

COMMUNITY

YMLC:TrainingtheLeaders ofTomorrow

Last year, several ACP students took a course called the Lifelong Leaders Afterschool Club/Program, which is an 8 week course offered by CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations, for high school students to take courses and compete in competitions to learn skills like public speaking, debate, how to influence government, and navigate Islamic history After completing two semesters of this program, these students are eligible to serve on the Young Muslim Leadership Council, which also operates under CAIR Alhamdulillah, this year, current and previous ADS students and Alumni have been chosen for many council positions for the St. Louis Board. Eshan Chishti is the Chair of YMLC, Nejla Hodzic is Vice Chair, Semra Hodzic and Aisha Osman are Secretaries, and Serene Khalil and Nabaa Alani are Treasurers. YMLC had its first event, "To College and Beyond," in October, and it was a wonderful success. Be on the lookout for their next event!

What'S What'SNext Next ffororADSADS? ?

Spelling Bee December 2nd Class Pictures and Retakes December 6th

Annual Winter Fundraiser December 10th

Coffee with the Principal at ADS North Campus December 16th Secondary Finals 8:30-12:00

(Elementary Full Day) December 19th 21st

Early Dismissal (1:00 PM) December 22nd

Winter Break December 23rd January 3rd

DAY

L C U R

U T E DAY

FieldTripDaysatADS

Photo by Tala Daboul

Photo by Tala Daboul Photo by Nejla Hodzic

Photo by Nejla Hodzic

Every year on October 31st, ADS has a Fall Festival. The Fall Festival included all types of different activities, such as a petting zoo, horse rides, henna, face painting, s ' mores, a hay ride, a bouncy house, laser tag, and many more games!

Everyone had so much fun with all of the activities ADS had provided for everyone, Alhamdulillah. The purpose of the Fall Festival was for kids to not go out and do the activities that we do not do as Muslims, as well as to have a fun and halal night!

Fall Fall Festival Festival Fun Fun

By: Shahd Ghnimat

By: Amadou Dieng

A D S GreenStars

A D S GreenStars A D S GreenStars

TheADSGreenStarSoccer Clubwasstartedasan opportunityfortheyouthtobe abletotrain,compete,and havefun.Itwasstartedby UsmanJavaid,anADSfather, andIFGSTLcommunity member,in2009,tofillamajor gapintheMuslimcommunity andtoallowourchildrento uniteandparticipateasMuslim youth Theclubbeganasa weeklymeetupwherechildren ofallagescametogethertobe taughttheartoffootball(oras itcalledhereintheUS “soccer”).Thisweekly“soccer meetup”grew,eventually formingitsfirstcompetitive kindergartenteamin2011

Since then, Green Star has expanded Currently headed by Yusuf Javaid, a USSF (The United States Soccer Federation) licensed soccer coach and local Academy player, Yusuf is a junior attending Al Salam Day School, and he has high hopes of expanding ADS Green Star even further. Overall, ADS Green Star provides a healthy, competitve, nurturing environment to hundreds of Muslim youth in the Greater Saint Louis Area. Green Star is a non profit organization, but despite any financial problems, all money given to the team goes right back to the players by using the money to buy equipment and uniforms. They believe that no barrier should come in between their athletes and them playing a sport they truly love.

M

I’ve been able to watch both 6thgrade and 7th 8th grade teams practice, and they are incredible, especially their teamwork. They are some of the best strikers and defenders I have ever seen. Their teamwork is awesome, and I give a lot of credit to the goalkeepers too. So, let us give thanks to all the coaches for all they do for the youth at ADS.

FILMMAKING FOR FREEDOM

A LOOK INTO THE PALESTINE FILM PROJECT

BY: NEJLA HODZIC AND RANEEM KHALIL

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” This quote by Shirley Chisholm, a former United States Representative and the first Black woman elected to Congress, is part of a set of Historical Thinkers’ quotations that Ustathah Janet Curry, the Secondary social studies teacher at ADS/ACP, has made part of her curriculum for her classes. Along with this quote, the skills of empathy, critical thinking, reading comprehension, and taking wisdom from Qur’an quotations are also a critical part of what she teaches her classes

During the spring semester of the 2022 2023 school year, Ustathah Janet Curry and a group of dedicated Secondary students set out on a mission to do exactly what Chisholm encourages: bring their own seats to a table that had not been listening to their voices Since last spring, this group of students, the ADS Current Events Action Committee, has been meeting with Ust. Janet almost every week for the Palestine Video Project. The group is working on a film about Palestine and related connections with the intention to send it to our lawmakers This leap to action was prompted by many factors, but one of them was the violence that was inflicted on Palestinians during Ramadan of 2022.

In a month that marks one of the greatest opportunities to attain Taqwa (piety), reflect, and improve our Iman, Muslims frequently flock to the masjid, a sanctuary of peace One of these masjids is Masjid Al Aqsa, and for our Palestinian brothers and sisters who wished to do their Ibadah at one of the most important masjids in Islam, their Ramadan was marked by rubber bullets, terror, and chaos inflicted on them in their own place of worship In April 2022, Al Jazeera reported that the raids being done by Israeli forces at the Al Aqsa mosques during the holy month of Ramadan heightened tensions from the year before in 2021, which involved public outcries and protests over the expulsion of Palestinian families from their homes Another Israeli assault on Gaza followed soon after, lasting for 11 days

"From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free

We have seen the pattern forming for decades We have felt these emotions before. We feel them every time we read the name of another Palestinian brother or sister who has been taken too soon. We feel them every time a new video comes up on our page that shows the oppression that our brothers and sisters face We feel them every time we wish, with all of our might, that we could do something, but ultimately end up feeling like we cannot. Al Nu’man ibn Bashir reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever” (Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī 6011, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2586). When we see our brothers and sisters hurting, we are hurt too, and while it may seem like we cannot, from an ocean away, make an impact, the Palestine Video Project has proved to many of us that we indeed can.

As members ourselves, we know that our group is dedicated to producing a film that will show

lawmakers a perspective they do not get to see often and remind them that no decisions about Palestine should be made without Palestinian voices. Our members come from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and stories, exemplifying the fact that you do not have to come from Palestine to speak up for what is right Many of us joined this project because we saw common throughlines in all of our different stories, which we then saw in Palestine. One of the virtues and unique factors of Al Salam Day School and Al Salam College Preparatory that we have observed in our years here is that our stories unite us The most beautiful example of this is the fact that when someone does not know your story, they want to learn and listen. These powerful skills of listening and empathy have brought us here, ready to continue to tell our stories and spearhead projects like this one to make sure that we have a place at the table, and so do our brothers and sisters in Palestine, even if we are apart. We know that what connects us is greater than distance, and our will to keep going and bring change is greater than any obstacle in our way.

"With the unusually close confluence of Ramadan, Passover, and Easter this past spring; with the renewed violence from spring 2021, and from 100 years prior; with the comparative moment Russia’s war on Ukraine afforded the world’s eye, ADS students sought to redefine what it means to see each other...This is our project in making this film: to put before US lawmakers ourselves, our interconnecting stories, our way to help us see and be seen. And so may justice grow."

Ustatha Janet Curry

R E A T I V E M E D I A

O PE D A D S

A F F

The Shrinking Middle Class

By: Nabaa Alani

When the specificities of the shrinking middle class are brought up, the average American will not be able to discuss them. Why? Because, although 50% of American citizens are part of the middle class, most have yet to realize that they are perishing with every passing day. You may have heard the phrase, “The rich become richer, and the poor poorer, ” which has never been more accurate since the 21st century, and there are a plethora of reasons to explain this One of them is that while the middle class attempts to gather more wealth over time, the rich get the money whenever they want it. They make resources for themselves to get money in the most accessible way The middle class also tries to have “The rich look,” and wastes their money by doing this.

Whether it be handbags, jewelry, luxury cars, or enormous houses, these are getting a few things that would classify as the “Rich look.” And while they attempt to have this look, they keep losing money day by day Until they run out of luck, and their bank account is dry But the real question is, why should we care? What does this have to do with us? Well, most of us are included in that middle class bracket With the way, inflation is running, and an expectation of another stock market crash, our days are numbered Because when the rich get richer these things don't impact their day to day lives. Only the others around them and this is not meant to necessarily blame them. But let this put you into a lens through which you have probably not attempted to look through.

SourceCited: Arends,B.(2019,April22).Whythemiddleclassisshrinking.MarketWatch. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/whythemiddleclassisshrinking20190412

WORLD CUP WORLD CUP

WONDERS WONDERS

BY: SEMRA HODZIC ADS CREATIVE MEDIA

“What are we doing here?” Half time has just begun. The Saudi Arabian team sits solemnly in their locker room listening to coach Hervé Renard shout in English, followed by their translator in Arabic. The Saudi Arabian team was trailing behind the thunderous Argentinian squad, captained by one of the best players in the world, Lionel Messi, whose first half penalty put Argentina in a comfortable position, while Saudi Arabia had yet to score. Renard makes a passionate display of determination, telling his team that this is the World Cup, and they must “give everything!” No one would expect this match to end the way it did. For it ended with the same Saudi Arabian players who sat in despair at the half time mark, defeating a World Cup favorite, 2 1. Despite Saudi Arabia's eventual group stage exit, their first match victory against Argentina will never be forgotten, as it is now a national holiday in Saudi Arabia (November 23rd).

The World Cup is arguably one of the biggest events in sports, if not the biggest Only occurring every four years, with the same European giants expected to make it far every time. The last World Cup held in Russia in 2018, was won by the French national team, with Croatia, Belgium, and England not far behind. This time around, the World Cup is being held in Qatar, and the non European or non South American teams, which most sports fans did not think would advance greatly, have been making waves. It began with a match many had waited for, Saudi Arabia vs. Argentina. Fans of Lionel Messi cheered excitedly as the player walked on the pitch, while Saudi Arabia was not given a high chance of winning. As the game went on, Lionel Messi would score a penalty, putting Argentina in the lead, but as the thread that connects all these stories weaves, a win over the countries considered “underdogs” would not be so easy this time.

Moroccan players celebrate a goal with sujood (prostration) (2022)

“So remember Me, and I will remember you, and be thankful to Me, and be not ungrateful to Me.” Quran (2:152)

Saudi Arabia would enter the locker room at half time losing 0 1, but they would leave that match scoring two goals, by Saleh Alshehri in the 48th minute, and Salem Aldawsari in the 53rd, respectively. The Saudi players celebrated their win with sujood, thanking their Creator for their win, for it never would have happened without His decree.

Saudi Arabia was not the only inspirational success of this World Cup. Morocco is a team that has advanced farther than anyone thought it would. Morocco was faced with a treacherous group of Croatia, Belgium, and Canada, Croatia being the last World Cup runner up and Belgium having been third The group was thought to be a dangerous road of certain elimination for Morocco, who placed last in their group in the 2018 World Cup. Once again, a team thought of as the “underdog” would prove people wrong. Out of the 3 matches Morocco played, they drew 0 0 against Croatia, won 2 1 against Canada, and won 2 0 against Belgium’s “golden generation.” Morocco has now officially become the first Muslim country in history to win first place in their group, against teams most had assumed would offer terrible upsets for them. This is only the second time that Morocco has reached the coveted “round of 16” the first time being in 1986, almost 40 years ago. The players celebrated by making sujood, running to give their mothers long embraces, or, as Abdelhamid Sabiri and extra time goal scorer Zakaria Aboukhlal would do, maneuvered a camera toward themselves, pointed at their chests and shook their index fingers “not us,” then pointed to the sky and said “it’s Him.”

The World Cup has always been a tournament meant to symbolize unity and a time when people of every language, nationality, and race can come together in one place to celebrate the “beautiful game.” People are not perfect by any means, but the World Cup is meant to be the time when we can try to feel peace, at least for a little while. Something about this World Cup has been different from the past, however. Senegal has advanced without their star player, Sadio Mane, to the shock of many.

French Coach, Didier Deschamps’s decision to play his “B” team against Tunisia gave the Tunisians a symbolic victory over their colonizers, and Saudi Arabia and Morocco beat teams no one would have expected them to come close to being victorious over This World Cup has been littered with victories for the “underdog,” but something few outlets have discussed is the impact of Islam within these victories. The World Cup being held in the Muslim nation of Qatar has allowed for prayer times to be displayed in stadiums, Quran to be recited in the opening ceremony, and the Palestinian flag to fly freely in many matches Fans have taken breaks to pray outside in congregation, hundreds have accepted Islam, players have taken the Palestinian flag across their shoulders to celebrate their wins, and Quran has been recited on trains, and to retired soccer legends like Ian

Muslim players do sujood at almost every goal, a monumental display of faith in a tournament watched by millions. Islam is being represented on one of the biggest stages in the world. Muslims who are playing or watching have continuously attributed the success to Allah (swt), Ar-Rahman, the Most Gracious, Ar-Raheem, the Most Merciful, and Al-Muhaymin, the Guardian. The reason that teams like Morocco have made it this far and seen a World Cup with success, is because Allah (swt) has decreed for it to be that way. All around the world, Muslims on social media applaud the teams on their efforts and celebrate the victories Allah (SWT) has given them. For if you have Allah (swt), you do not need anything else.

As of December 6th, 2022, Morocco have beaten Spain to reach the Quarter Finals for the first time

courtesy of @muslim and @islamify

Rush, by Bosnian Quran reciter Fatih Seferagic.

Why me?

Why am I the one in this situation? Why did this happen to me on this day? Why am I so awkward?

Why me?

POEMS

By Creative Media Members

Submerged in Questions

By: Raneem Khalil

I ask myself every day; Looking at my reflection in the mirror that turns me gray, While my smile turns upside down into a frown.

Every time I ask myself this question, I feel isolated in this world, Like a deserted ship in the middle of the ocean, With my troubles that I think no one else has endured.

I blame God for my conflicts and insecurities, “Oh God, why is this happening to me?” But I forget that He does everything for a reason So I should stop complaining and start taking action.

I need to shift my mindset, my point of view. Now I exclaim, Me is Why!

I am the problem turning myself blue, Keeping myself from aiming high.

I am the reason why I think negatively about every possibility. I need- no, actually we need To start taking responsibility from the seed of the issue.

We are the reasons why; The reason we use up every tissue For every tear in every cry. So, take this lesson as key.

Don't question God or your situation. Instead, be the one to blame, to give you motivation to strive to be the best version in game. So, I show you how to think; I say…

I am the reason why I think negatively in this situation! I am the reason why I feel ashamed of what happened to me!

I am the reason why I’m so awkward! But, I can change that, Because Me is Why!

What Keeps Me Up

By: Anonymous

3 in the morning, Unable to move or speak, My worries pouring, And the darkness won’t shrink

Sweaty palms, Worried tears falling down my cheeks, “Stay calm,” I try to tell myself, but I still feel weak.

Hugged down to the bed, And hallucinations that never end, This was the paralysis that I feared, And without a doubt, it appeared.

I see a shadow figure across the room, Someone, please help, for all I feel is doom, It felt as if something was pressing on my chest, Like I was going into a cardiac arrest. I eventually wait for it to disappear, With all my hope and despair

T h e M a p o f M e m o r y

By: Nejla Hodzic

I have been given a map of our memories How I longed to hold these moments That I thought would feel like home To go on a trip down memory lane And explore the memories of those closest to me As I make my own

Too eager for a good story I wanted to be there And feel the sunshine Pick from the gardens Play with the neighborhood kids I wanted to know what it was like To be in their shoes Because it felt like everyone around me knew such stories

But soon, I reel back This map is etched with scars

It is broken

It is wounded

It is a thing of nightmares The people I love are cornered Their worst fears come to life

The memories of war weigh them down Crinkled and aching, the darkness they bring is numbing And those are their memories

Golden years cut short by pounding bombs Beginnings and endings stained by blood Wounds never healed, always stinging

Evil has taken this map Hands that destroy Have cut down our family trees forever They have taken without mercy Even as they heard the echo of their screams

I try in vain to make it better I cannot bear to see the people I love this way Carrying so much pain with them But you cannot smooth out a map so crinkled Or heal a heart so wounded on your own

Yet, there is a part of the map that glows Its ink is fresh, smelling of a beautiful life built from ashes And those are our memories

Embraces and smiles from those who gave me everything they never had Stories of the happiness we have shared

The unbreakable spirits of my loved ones Who have taken my hand And shown me that the wickedness of war did not take everything from us Our Creator Our purpose They will never take away

This nightmare This shattered past That has bled into the present Which no one helped them through Even as the world was watching Thinking messages of peace were enoug As they left my people to fight and die al Is being revealed to me now

As we travel across the land Decades later

They sit me down to tell me

That the memories The good and the bad Replayed in front of them As they took steps back onto the soil they once knew

Their memories I let their lessons ring out For all to hear

The map of our memories will never be perfectly smooth Justice will not come to us like a warm embrace For they killed them for their names Because the sound of a Muslim name haunted them It threatened their evil ways

But all is not lost The proof is with us

My people redrew the map They faced the darkness themselves They picked up the pieces They still do

As generations still guide me beyond the map’s cracks I will keep their memories with me As I make sense of them While they allow themselves to remember too

I have begun my journey

Across the map of our memories The cracks Big and small Threaten to stop me But for the generations before me The ones after me And my purpose I refuse to fall through.

M M U N I T Y S U B M I S S I O N S

Community Submissions

Issedah abdullah 11th grade

The ADS Creative Media Team

appreciates all the submissions that we received from ADS students and community members. JazakAllahu Khairan!

THANK YOU

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTORS:

NEJLA HODZIC AND AJLA AHMETOVIC HODZIC