Page 6 - Pakistan Link - October 13, 2023

P6 - PAKISTAN LINK - OCTOBER 13, 2023 OPINION
n By Dr Akbar Ahmed and Melody Fox will surely galvanize the next genera- goodwill and compassion that per-
Washington, DC Friendship of Civilizations tion of student leaders to action. meated the gatherings. They would
The genius of the organizers was to have also been conscious that here at
he ceremony around the Opus partner with Georgetown University in least, people were seeing each other
Prize held in November 2013 organizing and hosting the event. Led as first and foremost part of a world
Tin Washington DC was a by John J. DeGioia, the President of civilization where there was respect
strangely exhilarating sight to behold. the University, Vice President Thomas and acknowledgment of work that
Strange because we Banchoff and Professor Katherine was extraordinary, irrespective of
are told that there is Marshall, the University opened its the faith of the individual. Indeed,
a clash of civilizations arms to its guests, reflecting its deep faith was recognized to be a great
between the US and commitment to interfaith understand- source of unity rather than divi-
the Muslim world. ing and bridge-building. sion. Here was a display of true hu-
Exhilarating because, At dinner attended by the Who is man compassion and spirituality, an
we, the authors, wit- Who of the city, when DeGioia intro- inspirational call to the world in a
nessed America wholeheartedly em- duced and requested Michael Rauen- time when such stories of hope are
bracing Muslim educators from Af- horst to say a few words about the needed more than ever.
ghanistan and Indonesia. Opus Prize, we were moved by his Perhaps what moved everyone who
Had the champions of the clash humility and modesty. A God-fearing participated in the ceremonies was the
of civilizations theory – like Bernard Christian from the Midwest who in- struggle that the prize-winners had
Lewis and Samuel Huntington – been sists on keeping his family name sepa- experienced. You could see it etched
present, they may have revised their rate from the prize, he told us the story on their faces. These were not young
theories. What could refute the idea of Actions speak louder than words. The two days over which the event was of how his humble, simple parents people in the first flush of youth. They
the theory more dramatically than an conducted brought together Muslims, Christians, Jews, and other faiths started life with a few hundred dollars, were battle-hardened warriors in the
Afghan woman wearing a hijab who in various highly elegant and emotional events which acknowledged the built a business empire, and decided to field. They had seen horrors and felt
was receiving the first prize of a million common humanity of the prize winners – Opus Prize give back by awarding this huge sum pain, but also knew that they must
dollars and, equally important, so much to those who do good works through not abandon their mission. There was
love and admiration from the West? when the forces of violence in their so- ing star, their faith, whatever it may be. more than an echo of the last lines of
Here was the friendship of civi- cieties must be countered with educa- Beyond the utmost bound of hu- At the dinner, Catholic priests Ulysses in their stories:
lizations. tion and compassion. The prize went man thought.” dressed in their black robes from “We are not now that strength
The Opus Prize recognizes unsung to Dr Sakena Yacoobi, who has worked Actions speak louder than words. Georgetown were constantly moving which in old days
heroes of any faith tradition, anywhere most of her life to promote education, The two days over which the event was among the tables with great hospital- Moved earth and heaven; that
in the world, solving today’s most per- especially for women and girls, in her conducted brought together Muslims, ity asking if they could do anything for which we are, we are;
sistent social problems. Given annually, home country of Afghanistan. The Christians, Jews, and other faiths in the guests, how everything was. The In- Made weak by time and fate, but
the $1 million prize, with the runners runners-up were the Fahmina Institute various highly elegant and emotional donesians, in the US for the first time, strong in will
up receiving 75k, carries a great deal of in Indonesia for their work promoting events which acknowledged the com- looked dazed from the jet lag but hap- To strive, to seek, to find, and
attraction, along with the honor of re- an understanding of the Islamic faith mon humanity of the prize winners. py. Dr Yacoobi, a woman of great dig- not to yield.”
ceiving one of the world’s most presti- dedicated to justice and gender equity, We were privileged to attend the glit- nity, never stopped speaking humbly of (Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Khal-
gious humanitarian and spiritual prizes. and Sister Carol Keehan, a Catholic tering dinner hosted by President John how important and moving the expe- dun Chair of Islamic Studies, School
A Catholic university hosts the award nun, for her life’s work to provide af- J. DeGioia and the awards ceremony rience was for her, and how she knew of International Service, American
selection and presentation each year. fordable healthcare for the poor. the following day. Dr Yacoobi was throughout all her difficulties, through University, Washington DC. He is
That year two of the three finalists In their yearning for knowledge and visibly emotional as she accepted the death threats and the brutality of the a Wilson Center Global Fellow. He
were Muslim, from two of the larg- its equitable promotion the finalists em- award on behalf of the women and Taliban, that she could never give up was the former Pakistan High Com-
est and globally significant Muslim braced the spirit of Ulysses, the famous children of Afghanistan, emphasizing and must trust God and persevere. missioner to the UK and Ireland and
nations, Afghanistan and Indonesia. Greek, as depicted by Lord Tennyson: that education is the only way forward All those who participated would in 1970-71 was Assistant Commis-
Both faced a crucial moment in history “To follow knowledge, like a sink- for her people. Her inspiring words have been conscious of the sense of sioner in East Pakistan.)

n By Tayaabah Qazi research is telling us about the effects of
Maryland The Influence of Social Media on excessive SMU on physical, emotional,

any of the parents reading Children's Growth and Development and spiritual development of our chil-
dren.
this article grew up without
Ma cell phone as a necessary Physical Development
attachment to their bodies, and/or nities have observed the rising effects “Recent studies have revealed that
their pictures plastered on the walls of of social media on the growth and technology and social media use is
Meta (Facebook), X (Twitter), or In- development of our children in later associated with changes in structural
stagram. Rest assured, I am not here years. In fact, some communities and brain development (i.e., changing the
to tell you how things were “normal” schools are taking extreme measures size and physical characteristics of the
back in “the day” but to help decipher to mitigate the harmful effects of social brain).”- Mitch Prinstein
and navigate through the unprec- media on young children. There are a It’s easy for children to become ad-
edented world of social media our few examples like a town where parents dicted to social media as the use of it
children are living in. have come together to voluntarily dis- floods their brains with dopamine
We need to educate ourselves and allow their children's cell phones until and adrenaline. One can say that who
figure out how to help them keep their secondary grades.1 Or A Silicon Valley doesn’t like a little dopamine every
physical, emotional, and spiritual de- school that doesn’t allow screen time at day? However, there are specific physi-
velopment optimized. For this, we need school and discourages it at home.2 cal consequences of excessive SMU in-
to know the phenomenon of social me- “Developmental neuroscientists cluding:
dia use inside and out, its effects, and have revealed that there are two high- • Insufficient Sleep – Children stay
how to use it to our advantage. ly critical periods for adaptive neural up late, and are on the screen in the
Allah made our bodies physically development. One of these is the first from imagination frustrated them, children’s SMU on their school life. As dark, disturbing their wake and sleep
interact with our world in three di- year of life. The second begins at the and they would be frequently angry a matter of fact, as adults, we often find cycle which affects their performance
mensions and additionally connect an outset of puberty and lasts until early at the non-touch laptop screens dur- ourselves too, struggling to balance our the next day. Children with a lack of
invisible dimension of spirituality to adulthood (i.e., from approximately ing technology-based lessons are some time between SMU and regular life re- sleep are agitated and inattentive in
our psychological and emotional de- 10 to 25 years old). This latter period observations to mention a few. And sponsibilities. school.
velopment. In order to function in our is highly relevant, as this is when a then there were increased cases of stu- • Blue Light - The blue light ema-
full capacity as human beings, we need great number of youths are offered dents’ personal therapists demanding Impact of Social Media Use nating from the screened devices nega-
to interact with our environment fully relatively unfettered access to devices that their clients not be allowed near So, what can be said about the chil- tively affects the development of eyes
immersed. No other time is more im- and unrestricted or unsupervised use a computer in the classroom due to a dren? We’ve learned that time spent on and vision and may cause Myopia.5
portant than a child’s growing years. of social media and other online plat- medical diagnosis and given paper- social media on average by: • Speech – Some in the scientific
forms.” - Chief Science Officer Mitch based homework assignments. And, • 8-12 years - 5.5 hours a day community are concerned about the
Concerns about Children and Social Prinstein, PhD3 there were social media use (SMU) • Teens - 8.5 hours a day speaking skills of children due to ex-
Media Use The first time I ushered in a new related incidences on a daily basis that • Use is statistically higher for Black cessive use of social media. Developing
Science and research have already class of iPad-exposed 5-year-olds in needed intervention in the middle and Hispanic children. a robust vocabulary and language ac-
proven the significance of providing Kindergarten, I immediately started school grades. Many of you are prob- • 32% of teens surveyed considered quisition involves understanding body
a healthy environment to a child in noticing differences in the mobility ably nodding your heads reading this. YouTube essential to their lives. language, cognition, and extensive en-
their formidable early years. There is and dexterity of those children as com- Parents were baffled and often unable • 43% of teens surveyed play games gagement with family and community,
no debate on this. More recently, sci- pared to previous classes. They had a to make a connection to the physical on a smartphone or tablet everyday.4 especially in early childhood.6
entific research and medical commu- harder time holding pencils, drawing and emotional implications of their Let us delve into what the current (Continued on page 23)
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