Reddit’s Islam-focused message board has long been a place where Muslims, as well as those curious about the faith, go to debate theology, learn about Islamic history, share video of their favorite sheikhs’ lectures and make prayer requests.

And as of this month, the popular r/Islam subedit also offers a designated space for young Muslims to explore their own mental health with guidance from a licensed clinical psychologist.

The two monthly discussion threads are the result of a new partnership with the nonprofit Khalil Center, a faith-based psychological and spiritual wellness organization. The posts take the form of Reddit’s popular Q&A-style AMA, or “Ask Me Anything,” interactive interviews.

“One of the issues with youth is that they’re very tentative to seek help,” said Fahad Khan, deputy director at the Khalil Center and clinical director at the organization’s Chicago headquarters, who responds to the questions users pose in the threads.

Conceived by Khalil Center intern Hamzzat Soyege, a recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the project is part of the center’s ongoing effort to develop ways to reach Muslim youth in the spaces where they already gather. The r/Islam subreddit has close to 84,000 members and sees dozens of posts and hundreds of comments on those posts every day.

The Khalil Center focuses on providing psychology services “rooted in Islamic principles.” Khan, a fellow of the International Association of Islamic Psychology and an editor for the Journal of Muslim Mental Health, has also memorized the entirety of the Quran and has been a student of Islamic studies under various scholars.

Source: Religion News Service (RNS)