August 1994 Our Masjid and Conferences

RESULTS OF THE S.E.A.M. CONFERENCE SURVEY SHOW LESSONS TO BE LEARNED.

Reports: Ayman Ismail & Rashed Zantout

During the period of July 1-3, Muslims at Columbus observed the Omar Ibn ElKhattab Mosque being like a "honey-bee". The Isha prayer at one time had more than 120 praying Muslims! Sleeping bags, wires and cables here and there, video cameras, portable computers and even printers were connected to the Masjid's power supply. The occasion, The Fifth South- East Asian Muslim Student Delegates Conference (SEAM) was held, here in Omar Ibn EI-Khattab Mosque. An ingenious idea, definitely, but is it a good idea? IQRA! was there to ask some questions and find out what the participants in that conference had to say about a conference at our mosque.

According to SEAM documents, the total participants including their families were almost 200, many from overseas. Sisters and children stayed in the Fawcett Center while brothers stayed in the Omar Mosque during the program. The results of a limited survey ( 11 brothers) cannot be reliable for making conclusions, but at least they gave us an impression. It might not have been such a great idea given the resources at our Masjid.

The majority of those surveyed thought the mosque was not a suitable place for a conference, and they cited many reasons. The top reason was that it was ill-equipped. Conferences need facilities like overhead projectors, chairs, power outlets, and the like. "The restrooms are not adequate for the number of people attending the conference," one participant said. "There are no showers and the restrooms should be cleaned more often." another said. This seemed particularly true, as the Masjid hosted the majority of those surveyed, and everyone knows the shape of our rest rooms!

What conferences need most is a climate for concentration, and this was difficult given the multipurpose function of a mosque with frequent movement and activity. "People keep coming in and out and children were running during the conference !" one brother said Dr: Muhammad Imaduddin, a retired Professor from the Institute of Technology in Bandung, who flew in from Indonesia told IQRA! that "Conferences need facilities and functions not easily provided by a mosque. It is a good idea, but not necessarily practical. We need a bigger facility. Workshops should be done on campus, while lectures about spiritual issues may be done in Masjid - and thus capture the best of both world, campus facilities and the Islamic environment."

IQRA! went to the Organizing Committee with these results. We asked Br. Hermawan Dipojono if these findings were indeed sensible. "We are not surprised by the comments of the participants about these things; especially on the inadequacies of the showers and restrooms!" he said. "From the very beginning the Organizing Committee of the 5th SEAM Conference was well aware of the inadequacies of our mosque to be a host of a conference with more than 100 participants."

However, if the event was too large for the capacities of the Masjid, it also meant that the load on those who organized it was proportionally enlarged and "whatever the inadequacies. in our mosque, it certainly has given a deep spiritual experience to the participants , who, for a couple of days, stayed and slept in the mosque, alhamdulillah." said Br. Hermawan. Thus, it was not surprising that the participants expressed great appreciation to the organizers and this perspective was reflected in the survey results.

Everyone was very pleased with the treatment and assistance they got from the Columbus community and the MSA. A monumental effort was felt by everyone in the preparation and organization of this event, and IQRA! congratulates Br. Salengke, the Organizing Committee Chairperson, Br. Hermawan, and all those who assisted them. "We want to express our gratitude to the MSA-ISGC for their full gratitude to the MSA - ISGC for their full support of this conference." expressed Br. Hermawan.

Such a spirit for action should he efficiently utilized by the MSA and the ISGC. We hope that a post-ante evaluation will take place so that we learn, improve, and excel, inshallah. The Organizing Committee has a complete documentation of the conference; papers, videos and cassettes. IQRA, in turn intends to publish, inshallah, the findings of a doctoral research survey on the priorities needed for action in our Masjid. We hope the MSA/ISGC will give this and the coming findings serious attention.