Deaf, But Not Dumb: Muslims

Our Deaf Brothers & Sisters Need Us NOW

Who Speaks For Them?

*Prepared by Guide US TV for Islam Newsroom - May 29, 2012

There are hundreds of deaf and hearing impaired Muslims living in almost every Muslim community - Yet there is almost no communication provided for them to know the true message of Islam.

Our deaf brothers and sisters from UK after Ummrah in Makkah

Sister Sarah in the UK tell us about the importance of providing accommodations for disabled people in general as well as the deaf and hard of hearing in particular.

Referring to the broader scope of things, Sarah speaks to us about access to mosques for those with other disabilities as well. She says, "Our mosques in a general sense aren't very disabled-friendly. It is not just about the issue of deaf people, but also those disabled in other ways. We need more access"

Sarah points to an incident that took place in one mosque, when a deaf Muslim brother who was making wudu incorrectly. A few older men were making fun of his mistakes to each other and just then one Muslim brother who knew sign language for the deaf entered and helped our deaf brother correct his wudu.

"That was disgusting" said Sarah, "Those other men violated the example of the prophet" (peace be upon him), referring to the way these men had made fun of the brother instead of trying to show him or assist him.

Sister Sarah has worked with the deaf community more than 10 years. While working with one organization for the deaf, she noticed almost all its users were Muslims and they experienced a serious lack of Islamic education. For this reason she began her own classes for deaf girls and is now preparing a specially designed Islamic studies course.

There is a definite need for this service.

One 13 year old deaf Muslim girl who was born with serious bilateral hearing loss, says by sign language "Faith is important to me. I am a Muslim. Just because I am deaf is no excuse for me not to practice Islam." She does well in regular school in the day and goes to madrasah in the evenings. To make things easier for the deaf students, the madrasah provides visual tools like interactive whiteboards and Power-Point presentations.

What is the problem in most Muslim communities in dealing with those who have handicaps, especially those who are deaf? Good question.

Sister Sarah tells us that, "It is more about fear of the unknown. The younger generation are much more open. There is definitely an interest but not necessarily awareness."

The young children play a vital role in increasing deaf friendly provision. “We have to teach and empower children so that they don’t feel hesitant in approaching deaf individuals,” says Sarah.  According to the 13 year old sister, when children are not taught they find it much more difficult to understand how to treat deaf people.

Our 13 year sister lets us understand even more, "Muslims can use different techniques other than just speaking. I think they should be taught how to talk to deaf people like facing towards them, not shouting, not speaking too quietly, not too fast, not too slow. It would help to to have subtitles on Islamic DVDs and video clips."

To mock or hurt someone on the basis of their disability is abhorrent. It is the attitude of our young people which will form the basis of how the Muslim community moves forward in terms of inclusion.

Consider the treatment of those who are commonly discriminated against and compare it to the way of our prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. When it came to being inclusive and making all the people feel a part of ummah, our prophet, peace be upon him, was the very best example.

Our prophet, peace be upon him, chose a black African who had been freed from slavery by Islam, to call to the prayers as muadhan. Bilal ibn Rabah was being tortured by pagans in Makkah, when the very first man to choose Islam, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, offered to pay a large amount to free him. Later Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, was appointed to call the adhan for all Muslims to come to salah (connection with Allah).

The second muadhan he chose Abdullah ibn Umm Maktum, a blind Muslim.

Islam has always recognized people for their efforts and for contributions regardless of race, color, nationality or physical limitations.

Sister Sarah would like to see "signing" for the deaf to become more commonplace at all Islamic events.

She refers to successful examples in London and Leeds in the UK, where the Jummah (Friday sermon) is interpreted by BSL (British Sign Language) interpreters and she thinks other mosques across the country need to get on board as well.

Organizations like Muslim Deaf UK and Al-Isharah work in collaboration with mosques to provide such services.

Regarding a broader issue, referring to people with other disabilities, Sister Sarah points to the need for a more disabled-friendly environment. She says, "Our mosques in a general sense, are not very disabled-friendly. It's not just the issue of people people, but also those who are disable in other ways. We need more access."

Accessibility is the issue for mosques in the UK. But what about here in America? Who is doing anything about this? Who speaks for the disabled Muslims around the U.S. and Canada?

What about Guide US TV? Can someone step up and sponsor interpretations, sign language and subtitles for TV programs that run every day on the air?

Live shows must have someone "signing" for the deaf during broadcast, while subtitles and scrolling texts can be used on screen for recorded programs. All of this costs money. But consider the chance for all deaf people, everywhere to get the message of Islam.

Living in a world of silence does not have to mean living in a world without the message of "Laa elaha illallah".

Write to us with your ideas for support to our disabled brothers and sisters out there - the silent minority - who need our help to know our deen. Write to:

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