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Interpreters were provided for deaf Muslims at a conference in order to help participants communicate. ()

As technology advances and the need arises, Global Deaf Muslim gains members and the tools needed to help deaf Muslims adapt to the world of the hearing.
New phone applications and adaptations for the deaf and hard of hearing along with new video-oriented websites were introduced in the last five years.
This technology has created more awareness of the deaf community and the movement for more interpreters and more support for deaf Muslims. This awareness led GDM to grow since its creation in 2005.
“We started the organization with five members and now we have grown to more than 750 members,” Nashiru Abdulai, president of Global Deaf Muslim said. “This number doesn’t include our international members.”
The organization now has members in 35 states.
At the Eid dinner in 2008 at Gallaudet University, 135 were in attendance. For the dinner at Georgetown University attendance was even higher, said Abdulai.
This growth is not exclusive to GDM; many deaf schools have booming growth rates in deaf Muslims all over the country.
Gallaudet University as well the National Technical Institute for the Deaf have had increases in students, said Greg Livadas, the director of media relations at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
Muslim students and the MSA is active on campus, said Livadas.
According to Abdulai, the growth of the organization has spread to other countries. The GDM has a growing number of international students and a conference in Dubai for 2010 is planned.
“Our aim is to give opportunity to those from different nations to participate,” Abdulai said.
Michigan State University has a similar approach to ASL abroad. Students taking deaf education classes meet virtually with teachers and student sin Guam and Maui.
The idea with both programs is to spread ASL and the deaf community to other parts of the world.
With growing numbers of students, new programs were started to help resolve the issues students and members faced.
New technology, such as, videophones and webcams allow more accessible communication. However, long-lasting obstacles remain for deaf Muslims.
Global Deaf Muslim provides DVDs, information for members across the country. They also provide services for hard of hearing or deaf Muslims at mosques and Islamic centers, but there are some things the organization cannot supply.
“At Islamic events, conferences and other important social events, we often go depending on knowing that the organizers will provide sign language interpreters,” said Abdulai.
Other challenges GDM face are monetary, interpreters are expensive and often hard to find due to the limitations in language. Services need interpreters who are well versed in Arabic and Islamic studies, but these interpreters are few and far between.
“When we have hearing participants, we use pens and papers to communicate which often slow the process,” said Abdulai.
This has improved since 2007, said Abdulai, since major Muslim organizations like Islamic Society of North America and Muslim Student Association National are now providing sign language interpreters.
Although these changes are important to forward progression for deaf Muslims, this is only occurring on the East coast.
These advancements need to move towards the middle of the country and the West coast, said Abdulai.
Global Deaf Muslim started to work closely with the Islamic Society of North America and Muslim Student Association National to provide services, seminars, workshops and conferences for members.
The conferences with these organizations focuses on the stresses of deaf culture, the deaf language and how Islam can be made accessible to the deaf community, said Abdulai.
The conferences are a larger example of what the GDM mission to educate and provide seminars and workshops to establish a basis of faith for deaf Muslims locally and internationally.
They provide free sign language lessons and encourage the Muslim community, both deaf and hearing, to take ASL and learn the basic of deaf culture.
Abdulai said, “Islam forbids discrimination and the mission is to enforce that as often as possible.”