School: Somali American Community Assoc/Mafiq Foundation
    Takoma Park, MD, USA

2 students, ages 13-14 worked together to complete this Doors to Diplomacy project on March 21, 2010. They have participated in Doors to Diplomacy in the following year(s): 2010

Classes and Teachers: Susan Jenkins

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://

1. Description of Our Team

Shefa and Faraz participated in a community essay and multimedia contest through the Mafiq Foundation (www.mafiq.org). The winner of the multimedia contest was invited to adapt that presentation for the Doors to Diplomacy contest. As the winner Shefa and Faraz worked with one of the volunteers with Mafiq to create this submission based on the original multimedia presentation. They did a lot of research and expanded the content of eth original presentation. It helps both Muslims and non Muslims understand how the leadership style of the Prophet Muhammad should still be an example for us and still effects us today.

2. Summary of Our Project

The project is designed to help Muslim and non Muslim people understand leadership and how it relates to diplomacy. Using the example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him (PBUH)), it shows how his style of leadership made him a great leader and diplomat in his time as well as providing a guide for modern leaders. The project uses the examples of the spread of the message of Islam, women’s rights, and treatment of enemies to highlight to success of Prophet Muhammad’s leadership style. Connections between Prophet Muhammad’s leadership and the later leadership of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa are used to show the continuity of the basic approach of fairness and justice used by all three. The team also presents some thoughts on what this example means for us today.

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:1

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:4-6

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

There were no particular obstacles to this project. The hardest thing was narrowing down the topic and selecting specific examples of leadership and leaders to highlight. Another issue was that as an extra curricular project the coach and the team members had to work on the entry in their free time.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Prophet Muhammad is considered a great religious and civil leader among Muslims, but the details of his civil leadership are not well known by others. We want to dispel misconceptions and show how his style, based in justice, has important lessons for all of us.

6. How did your activities and research for this Doors to Diplomacy Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

While this project was a voluntary extra curricular activity, we consulted the standards from the National Council for Social Studies (http://www.socialstudies.org/).

Power Authority and Governance: This project examined the authority and governance styles of important world leaders. It focused specifically on leadership styles and the long term impact on human rights (i.e., women’s right and the rights of prisoners). It also made connections across leaders’ overtime who shared the basic theme of justice as a central tenet of their leadership style.

Civic ideals and practice: The focus on justice and human right brought to light issues related to the roles and responsibilities of leaders as well as the pitfall and dangers of leadership.

1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your Doors to Diplomacy project?

The project started as a completely student lead multi media project. Upon winning the annual Mafiq Foundation contest the students were paired with a coach. Most of the communication took place through e-mail.

2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your Doors to Diplomacy project both on-line and in person.

The students presented the multi media portion of their project at the annual Mafiq Foundation competition. There was an audience of more than 100 youth and community members. The event was covered by the Mulsim link newspaper. The original project was posted on You Tube. The Mafiq Foundation and the Somali American Community Association both sponsored this project and have created links to it on their websites and developed press releases.

3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?

This project has made us and other youth like us feel proud of our religion and the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). We have received very positive feedback from the sponsors and from winning the Mafiq Foundation contest

4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

Members of our community have supported us through helping us with the Mafiq Foundation contest and then linking us with a coach. The two community organizations that sponsored this project (the Mafiq Foundation and the Somali American Community Association) have been very supportive. Our parents have also been supportive and drove us to the working sessions.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

We were surprised at how helpful the community has been and how interested the local Muslim community has been in the contest and in our project. We also learned more about Islam and how the Prophet Muhammad has impacted the world-especially in terms of women’s rights and the spread of Islam in Africa.