On September 14, 2025, the Islamic Schools League of America (ISLA), in partnership with the Islamic Schools Association of Canada (ISAC), hosted a powerful two-hour workshop titled “Sacred Duty: Sexual Abuse Prevention Training for Islamic Schools (SAPT)”, featuring Sr. Qur’an Shakir, ISLA Board Member and Project Director for ISLA’s Sexual Abuse Prevention Toolkit, and Dr. Ismail ibn Ali, Head of School and Program Manager for the Center of Innovative Religious Education (CIRE) at Al Fatih Academy in Virginia. With more than 400 registrants from across North America and 160 educators, leaders, and parents attending live, the training marked another vital step in ISLA’s commitment to ensuring that Islamic schools are safe, nurturing environments where children can flourish spiritually, emotionally, and academically.
This workshop builds upon ISLA’s Sexual Abuse Prevention Toolkit (SAPT), which provides schools with resources, scenarios, and best practices for safeguarding students. Earlier initiatives included the spring webinar “Amana and Accountability: Safeguarding Our Children”—now available on YouTube—and a session on mandated reporting at ISLA PDW 2025. Together, these trainings are equipping Islamic schools with the knowledge and tools to address a difficult but essential responsibility.
Framing Through an Islamic Worldview
At the heart of the September workshop was the reminder that children are a sacred trust (amana) from Allah. The Arabic root of the word amana—closely connected to meanings of safety, security, and trust—underscores the spiritual obligation to ensure children’s well-being.
As Imam Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī explains in Al-Maqāṣid al-Asnā fī sharḥ asmā’ Allāh al-Ḥusnā, one of Allah’s Names, Al-Mu’min (The Granter of Security), is a reminder that:
“A person’s embodiment of this name and attributes lies in all creatures being safe from them…”
[Imam al-Ghazālī, Al-Maqāṣid al-Asnā fī sharḥ asmā’ Allāh al-Ḥusnā]
Sr. Qur’an Shakir framed this as a core question for schools: What does it mean in practice when we say “our children are our amana”? Participants responded with words such as trust, honesty, fairness, safety, integrity, and accountability to Allah. Schools must translate these values into action:
- Creating safe spaces where children are protected from harm.
- Empowering students to speak up and understand their rights.
- Training staff and parents to recognize, report, and prevent abuse.
- Developing clear policies that reflect the sacred responsibility of safeguarding.
Understanding Abuse and Misconduct
The workshop provided clear definitions drawn from U.S. law and best practice. Sexual misconduct was defined as any inappropriate, unwanted sexual behavior—including verbal or physical acts—that violate professional or legal boundaries.
Child sexual abuse was defined as the involvement of a child in sexual activity that violates laws or social taboos. Importantly, children can never give informed consent to sexual activity. Such acts are always an abuse of power.
From an Islamic perspective, child sexual abuse is among the gravest of sins because it may combine multiple kabā’ir (major sins), including:
- Zina (fornication and related acts)
- Harming a child
- Breaking the God-given trust (amana) of an adult in their interactions with a child
As the speakers emphasized, abuse is not only a crime. It is a spiritual wound—an act that shatters dignity and leaves deep scars, one that must be prevented and, where it has occurred, addressed with both justice and compassion.
Learning Through Scenarios
A distinctive feature of the training was the use of framing scenarios, which helped participants reflect on realistic school situations. These scenarios included, for example, a student mentioning that “someone showed me something inappropriate online,” or a middle school child withdrawing from peers while receiving unusual attention from a volunteer.
Through this process, attendees were invited to think about the situation, learn more about appropriate responses, and then revisit the scenario to consider how to apply new insights from the workshop. This method allowed participants to practice identifying signs of abuse, responding to disclosures, and activating school protocols in a way that protects students without retraumatizing them.
The message was clear: effective safeguarding requires not just information, but practice, reflection, and preparation for difficult conversations.
Policies, Procedures, and Legal Obligations
Dr. Ismail ibn Ali guided participants through best practices for schools, stressing that policies cannot remain in a handbook—they must be actively lived and enforced. This includes:
- Background checks for all staff and volunteers.
- Clear expectations about professional boundaries and physical contact.
- Visible, public meeting spaces with accountability measures.
- Transparent technology policies, ensuring all communication with students occurs through official, monitored channels.
Equally critical is understanding mandated reporting. Educators and school staff are legally required to report suspected abuse to state authorities—not merely to inform administrators. Reporting is not investigation; it is a protective act rooted in both law and faith. As the workshop emphasized: reasonable concern is enough. Documentation should be factual, timely, and secure, with schools maintaining both internal and external records.
Courage, Compassion, and Next Steps
Perhaps the most powerful takeaway from the training was that safeguarding requires both courage and love. Islamic schools must create environments where children feel safe, seen, heard, and respected. Preventing abuse is not simply about compliance but about embodying prophetic pedagogy—educating with justice, mercy, and protection at the core.
To continue this work, ISLA used a post-workshop feedback survey to collect attendee insights on their needs as school leaders and educators. This feedback will guide the next phase of the Sexual Abuse Prevention Toolkit, including new resources and trainings that address the real challenges faced in schools.
As one participant noted, “Islamic schools have grown towards establishing policies and standards to provide high-quality education in a holistic way based on prophetic pedagogy, leadership, and tarbiyah. Safeguarding is part of that standard we are entrusted to uphold.”
Watch, Learn, and Stay Connected
The recording of this workshop is now available on ISLA’s YouTube channel. For future trainings and updates, we invite you to:
- Join our Islamic Educators Communicator Network (IECN): theisla.org/iecn-subscription
- Follow us on social media: @islamicschoolsleague
Together, as educators, parents, and community leaders, we must hold ourselves accountable to the sacred trust of protecting our children. This is our duty before Allah, our responsibility to society, and our promise to the next generation.
