What is A Creative Minority?

The concept of a creative minority has nothing to do with race or ethnicity, but everything to do with the ability of a small group of thinkers who can creatively respond to the challenges of their society. Every society faces times of incredible moral weariness, and ours is no different. Creative minorities are armed with their ideas, which they articulate convincingly to the public causing the latter to lead the former out of confusion into clarity. It is important for people of faith and moral conviction to be in this group because they will ideally have the most sophisticated ideas about morality and ethics, the value of human life, and the direction toward which a society ought to be headed. 

Creative Minds Make Order Out of Chaos

Education and Research as Activism

Right now there is a lot of focus on political activism as a path to liberation. And while that is certainly a tried and true method, it is not the only one. The most important liberation is the liberation of the mind from falsehood to truth, darkness to light. Liberation comes when one knows their place and purpose in the world and understands who they are and what their capabilities are. Freedom to express oneself is predicated on the freedom to think for oneself, and we believe we can help equip youth with skills and knowledge, so they have space and confidence to bloom. They can take these skills and knowledge into whatever fields they pursue. 

All around the country people are focusing on alternative ways to improve the way youth orient themselves to their world. Meditation instead of detention, time in nature instead of concrete playgrounds, gardening as an extracurricular activity. These alternatives to the current system stimulate the creativity in youth and stir in them a more compassionate, thoughtful and measured engagement with themselves and the world. Our goal is similar. We want to instill in youth the value for their own thoughts and give them the time to work through the big ideas of the Islamic tradition. 

“The secondary teacher is simply a better student, and he should regard himself as learning from the masters along with his younger charges.” Mortimer J. Adler, How to Read a Book

The Creative Minority Start-up Grant 

1. To plan and execute programming for Muslim youth that is free of charge. The programming is for all Muslim youth, but the outreach is unique in that it intentionally reaches out to minority and disenfranchised youth to make sure they are included. It offers a stipend to a select number of youth facilitators. A liberal arts approach will utilize discussion to draw out the collective genius of the group. It would introduce students to Islamic religious texts as well as great literature of the Western tradition. This course will model slow, deliberate learning- the kind that deepens thought and prepares one for lifelong learning. The texts will be specifically chosen for their ability to give the reader an expansive view of Islam, its metaphysics, and worldview. 
2. Research, writing, and acquisition of knowledge. When I worked at a research institute in Princeton, NJ, I witnessed the power of funneling funds into a set of ideas and people who produce literature and programs. An institute of no more than a dozen people can effectively disseminate knowledge, change minds and impact cultural and societal trends over time. This part of the grant is focused on research that is necessary to continually develop and sustain the vision of this project.

Working Toward A Long-Term Vision

The long-term vision is to develop a non-profit institute that works to enhance understanding among the youth of the importance of free thought and religious education. An institute which teaches that true individuality is the ability to think freely and for oneself. This program targets young people who are on the eve of entering college. It seeks to prepare them for the world better they are entering by equipping them with a religious education that is expansive and responsive to the culture and society around them. It will bequeath them with an Islamic worldview so that they can move through life and its challenges with confidence. Eventually, we would like to offer week-long and month-long workshops that bring youth together from across the nation. This way we can take students with interest in their religion and give them the knowledge to solidify their beliefs and adequately be able to articulate and defend them, as well as build on them if they choose. We believe that the benefits of contemplation are innumerable, but the prerequisites are time and thought. How will we start? Small. With a small group of students, we can try and tailor our approach so that we improve our offerings in the future. 

Committed to Access

I did not have to pay a penny for the knowledge that I gained at Zaytuna College, and I firmly believe that there are some things everyone has the right to learn if they are interested and willing to put in the time. Everyone does not need a degree in religion or to spend years studying Islam. But a basic knowledge of one's religion, one that helps them understand themselves and their world is everyone's right. That is why as big as our organization may grow, we always want to maintain a core aspect of our programming that is free of charge to youth. 

The Time Needed to Make a Difference

When we say “time is money” we usually mean that time wasted could have been better spent making money. But if you flip the phrase around we get “money is time.” Many of us experience the reality of not having the time to better ourselves (or others) to the extent that we would like because we simply can’t afford it. Acquiring a particular level of knowledge requires a serious time commitment, and building on that knowledge through research and writing is a further time commitment. There are two reasons why minorities do not produce research and writing on the level of others. One, because the lack of finances often stunts one’s educational maturation. Two, because even when one has the education they must spend all of their time capitalizing off of it, effectively shredding the free time needed to research, write and teach for the benefit of others who are now where they once were. 

There are a lot of promising kids out there. But as promising as you are, if you live in certain neighborhoods in America there are not many opportunities to grow intellectually, and there are not many organizations or programs seeking you out. The Creative Minority program seeks to include these bright young students actively and offers them an opportunity to meet virtually with other bright young minds like them. It focuses on slow and careful learning, giving students the luxury of time to read books, time to discuss, thereby unearthing the tools of learning, reading and thinking. Not only does the Creative Minority program focus on book learning, but it also puts great emphasis on character building and religious education.

Funds help pay for:

• Books for students
• Stipends for youth facilitators
• Time to develop and execute the course 
• Time for research, writing, personal & project development
• Longevity and stability of the project 

"Be a scholar, a teacher, a listener, or one who loves them." - A well-known narration

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-Faatimah Knight

BA in Islamic Law and Theology, Zaytuna College

MA in Religious Studies, Chicago Theological Seminary