Representation Isn’t Working. Here’s Why. | Focal Point with Imam Tom Facchine

Mahmoud. Leqaa. Dr. Khan Suri. They imprisoned their bodies, but not their minds. True activism is rooted in fearlessness, as Dr. Omar Suleiman highlights in this powerful message on standing up to those complacent and complicit with oppression. 

Islam values emotional well-being and encourages us to care for our mental health, but faith is not meant to be reduced to a tool for self-soothing alone. Allah says, “Do not grieve or despair,” yet He also reminds us that this life is a test, one that involves hardship as much as it does ease.

Are your goals too small? You might be selling yourself short without even realizing it. If your aspirations are too small, you risk falling into sin, settling for mediocrity, and never reaching the life (or akhirah) you’re truly capable of.

What does it mean to eat and enjoy food while our brothers and sisters are dying because they're being denied a basic human need? Dr. Omar Suleiman looks at the morality of eating while keeping Gaza's suffering close to heart.

Want to know what kind of Muslim you truly are? Pay attention to how people react around you. In this powerful message, Dr. Omar Suleiman reminds us that good character isn't just about personal piety. It's also about being someone others feel safe around. He contrasts this with the painful reality of Muslims who have let their brothers and sisters in Gaza down, not through direct harm, but through silence and inaction when they were most needed. 

How can we hold onto the Qur’an, like the 12-year-old girl in Gaza, paralyzed and unable to move, who still lets the words of Allah guide her in her toughest moments? Dr. Omar Suleiman delivers a powerful message on anchoring our hearts to the Qur’an, even as hope begins to fade.

Witnessing starvation, dehumanization, and atrocity can erode your spirit – or worse, your faith in Allah’s promise to help the believers and hold the oppressors accountable. Shaykh Mohammad Elshinawy shares valuable insight on divine timing, including how to strengthen your faith in the help of Allah.

In a world filled with constant change, uncertainty, and global upheaval, pause and reflect on this question: What if we stopped just asking for safety… and started asking to be used by Allah for something greater? In this heartfelt lecture, Dr. Omar Suleiman explores how to see ourselves as vessels for Allah’s work amid the ongoing global shifts we face. Through inspiring examples of figures like Salman Al-Farsi and Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, learn how true safety and success come from spiritual devotion, not worldly gains. Now is the time to align our talents, circumstances, and heart with divine purpose and to seek Allah’s guidance and protection through challenging times—holding fast to faith and performing every deed sincerely for His pleasure.

Dr. Omar Suleiman explores how to love your blessings without being imprisoned by them, and how to practice detachment daily using dhikr, gaining perspective, and being disciplined with your dunya.

What if the Muslim representation we’ve been fighting for is actually working against us?In this Focal Point episode, Imam Tom Facchine explores the rise of Muslim representation in media, politics, and pop culture, and why it might be more harmful than helpful. From tokenism to identity politics, we unpack how visibility without values can betray the very communities it claims to uplift. Before we celebrate inclusion, we need to ask: At what cost?