Muslim mothers uniting against extremism

The MATTER mission unites Muslim mothers (although our mandate focuses on Arabs and Arab diaspora, mothers of all nationalities and religions are encouraged to come together and join us) to share knowledge, insights, and challenges and to provide moral support aimed at affecting positive outcomes whether it be effective methods of teaching children tolerance, acceptance, and non-violence, introducing kids to causes that help victims of terrorism –even including bullying and peer pressure, and other every-day challenges facing mothers.

The MATTER member roster of currently over 6,000 across 15 nations is growing weekly, and serves not only Muslim majority nations, but also in Western nations with at risk local youth populations or Muslim populations that may have elements of marginalization or low levels of integration. MATTER is united in the belief that violence against others is against the tenets of Islam and only perpetuates more violence, hatred and discord in our communities, and the world, adversely impacting futures and ultimately injuring, or worse, those most precious and innocent -the world's children –while tearing apart families and negatively impacting the perception of the Islamic faith.

By bringing mothers together as friends and allies in the fight against terrorism and extremism, it is projected that a level of radicalization can be prevented.

Why MATTER Matters

A good start toward combating violence calls for mothers becoming the frontline of defense against the war against terrorism. Mothers are best positioned to observe their children’s behavior, to see with whom their children spend time, to note changes in behavior. When mothers witness their children are acting in an unusual manner or involved with a potentially dangerous peer group, no matter what level of the relationship (communicating with teenagers across the globe can be a challenge…), mothers still remain best suited -and obligated- to start a dialogue rather than ignore the potential problem and let circumstances fester. By not allowing children to isolate themselves, mothers can insert themselves into any questionable circumstance and deter extremist ideology from growing and leading to that slippery slope that may lead a child to a point of no return. Most critically, the imperative for motherly involvement is at the basis of Islam wherein the belief is the family is the foundation for all else. Engaged mothers make a difference. As one prominent Muslim mother explains, “Extremists try to divorce kids from their family, their objective is to become your family.”

Mothers are best suited to eliminate possibility of such occurrences, yet mothers need support too and it's proven that mothers benefit by strong peer support networks of friends with common circumstance.

Current Situation & How You Can Help

Some statistics may help. http://tiny.cc/mez98x According to experts at the Global Security Institute:

• 64% of family and friends knew of a person’s intent to engage in extremist activities yet said/did nothing to counter
• Personal grievances can be an indicator of ones propensity toward violence and extremist behavior 
  
• While “at risk” often described as disenfranchised, angry, and socially isolated youth represent great danger toward radicalization, the “uncommitted” segment, defined as youth who are seeking identity, acceptance and purpose pose an equal threat.

Mothers are the secret weapon in disarming youth from reaching the point of deep frustration, detachment and potentially radicalization and thus mothers too need our support and empowerment so they are best equipped to fight the battle to keep their kids safe and on the right path.

This is not a "one-off" project, rather this program pilot will last 1 year (extent to be determined by amount of funds raised) which will enable us to provide consistent support and dedicated staff to the MATTER program as well as provide funding for MATTER chapters to create their own community projects. Your contributions will largely fund the expansion of our Muslim mothers network, coordination and support for the varying expenses and projects taken on by mothers across 15 key nations: Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Morocco, Algeria, France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Australia, Canada, and USA as well as general administration such as web maintenance, blogs and social media.

About us: Our over-arching brand, Mosaic Al Salam http://mosaicofpeace.org , is a US based non-profit endeavor (we do NOT maintain 501c3 donor tax exempt status) focused on integrated programs that aim to eradicate violent extremism by striking at root causes. *We are dedicating $50,000 of our budget to this program and need your help to raise the additional $66,000 needed to further succeed in our mandate*. We've attempted the creation of desirable rewards for your kind contributions. If you would like something different, we are open to suggestions as well as varying, custom funding amounts and rewards. We can't thank you enough for supporting MATTER.