June 1997 General Assembly Meeting

By Fauzi Labidi

The general assembly meeting was held on Friday, May 16, 1997.  The purpose of the meeting was to report back to the community of the accomplishments of the board of trustees (BOT) those of the executive committee (EC), and to elect new members to the general body of representatives (GBR) and to the BOT.

The meeting started with a presentation from Br. Mouhamed N. Tarazi (Abu Omar), board chairman.  Abu Omar started his speech by thanking the brothers and sisters who played an active role in the different projects and activities of the community.  

At the forefront of those projects is the Islamic School. With the help of Allah, the ISG was successful in establishing a full time Islamic school, the first in Central Ohio.  This project stemmed from the fact that the Muslim community in Central Ohio has grown considerably over the years and its make-up has shifted from a predominantly student population to that of settlers.  Providing the Muslim children with an Islamic education is essential to the preservation of their identity and to their protection from the pitfalls and problems that public school are currently facing.

To shed some light on the various activities of Sunrise Academy, Br. Mahmood Moosa, Chairman of the school board, was invited to speak.  In his speech, Br. Mahmood highlighted many school activities, accomplishments, and future plans.  Among there were:

•  Currently, Sunrise Academy is offering education from pre-k to 3^rd grade to be extended to 4^th grade next year (inshallah).  The student enrollment currently stands at 30 students.
• As far as school chartering is concerned, a letter of approval was received from the Ohio Department of Education on January 13, 1997.  The school is now in the final stages of the chartering process.
• The school acquired 2 buses to be used for transporting the students back and forth from school. 
• The school board hired three consultants, two of them, Dr. Shaker Al-Sayed and Dr. Kevin Freer, serve on the board in a non-voting capacity.  The third, Ms. Suzanne Jones from the Hilliard school District, is reviewing and conduction the testing and record keeping activities for the school
• There is a weekend program for Arabic and Islamic Studies
• A Chat Room has been formed where parents, teachers, and the school board meet to discuss school issues.

Once Br. Mahmood finished his presentation, Br. Abu Omar took over to shed some more light into other accomplishments and project that the ISGC is currently undertaking.  Among these projects/accomplishments are:

• Two public hearings were held to discuss the proposed Muslim Community center in Hilliard.  As a result of these discussions, a technical committee, headed by Br. Ayman Ismail, was formed to look into the viability of these recommendations.
• A media recognition of the ISGC both in the newspapers and on TV
• Revision of the ISGC constitution to reflect the dynamic nature of the organization and to correct whatever loopholes might exist.  A three member committee was formed to help out in formulating a new constitution.  This committee is made of Br. Hussein Al-Kazzaz, Br. Hazem Gheith and Br. Fauzi Labidi
• A face uplift of the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque.  This project is headed by Br. Nassir Hassan.  A great improvement has already been achieved in this endeavor.
• A newsletter that reaches a wider readership to keep the Muslim community abreast with what’s going on.  

To this fact, editorial board member Br. Fauzi Labidi discussed the following points.

• This is IQRA!’s 5^th year of publication with no interruption.  All brothers and sisters on the IQRA! Staff are volunteers.
• IQRA!’s circulation is close to 500.  About 430 copies are mailed regularly and the rest are distributed in the masjid and Muslim grocery stores.
• The current cost of printing and mailing IQRA! Is about $250/month; $200 for printing and about $50 for mailing.
• IQRA!’s budget consists of SGC funding and proceeds from advertisements and subscriptions.  About 4 months ago, IQRA! Started receiving $100/month from ISGC.  Prior to that, it had been self-supporting.  The proceeds from advertisements and subscriptions vary and tend to be very low.  This is due in part to the fact that IQRA! Is a free newsletter and subscribing is voluntary.  Therefore, financial support from the community is essential to the continuation and growth of the newsletter.

Following IQRA!’s presentation, MSA president Br. Sultan Salim was invited to report on the MSA activities on the OSU campus.  In his speech, Br. Sultan articulated the following points:

• Promote the unity and joint action among Muslims on the OSU campus.  This includes responding to unfair critical articles of Muslims and taking a proactive role to acquaint people about Islam.
• Provide a dawaa table to introduce non-Muslims to Islam
• Hold Jummah prayer on campus
• Invite Muslim speakers from out-of-state to talk on major issues that affect Muslims in North America
• Hold regular meetings and dinners to foster a stronger brotherhood and sisterhood among Muslims on the OSU campus and to bring in the different cultural groups to the MSA>
• Conduct athletic activities such as basketball and camping trips.

Following Br. Sultan’s speech, ISGC president Siraj Akhtar spoke on the accomplishments and shortcomings of the ISGC.  His recommendations and personal views were summarized in a report he passed out to the GA.  Among the points accented in his report were:

• Defining a clear objective and mission of the ISGC.  The main objective of the ISGC is to bring people closer to the true path of Allah (SWT).  Our success would depend on how closely we achieve this mission.
• Restructuring the ISGC to reflect the dynamic nature of the organization.  This includes:
• Enhancing the participation by all members of the organization. Abolishing the concept of permanent members in the BOT and explicitly defining the responsibilities of the BOT members in the ISGC constitution.
• Reducing the criteria for individuals to be on the GBR and the size of the GBR.
• Defining specific tasks and duties for GBR members.
• Holding monthly shura meetings in the masjid.
• Expanding the IC to include deputies from the different committees.  The deputies would attend the EC meetings but have no voting power.
• Requiring by the constitution that final decisions on any major matters be made by the BOT, GBR, and EC meeting in a joint session.
• Focusing on continuity and growth of the community.  There should be a mechanism through which experience from the past is used to formulate better products for the future.
• Expanding EC to include a full time administrator.
• Having a better outreach to the different Muslim communities in central Ohio
• Providing the community with a correct and pristine Islamic knowledge.  This educational process must be organized and targeted to all age groups.  Providing our youth with a correct and authentic Islamic knowledge in all spheres of life, ranging from the basic aspects of personal life to the global aspects of the Muslim Ummah.
• Renovating the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab mosque.
• Finding a permanent place of our own for Jummah prayer.

Following the completion of his speech, Br. Siraj turned the meeting into the hands of the election committee to conduct the elections for GBR and BOT seats. 

March 1996 Interfaith Iftar Held at OSU

by Habiba Gaiter

The Muslim Student Association is proud to report that after weeks of planning, we held our first Interfaith Iftar on Friday, February 9th (19 Ramadan). The event was free to all. One hundred and fifty Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and other non-Muslims gathered in the Frank Hale Black Cultural Center at the Ohio State University for an evening of dining and of gaining knowledge on the meaning of Ramadan, Islam, and Muslims. Alhamdulillah this was a successful event n which the Muslim students here on campus were able to eliminate Muslim stereotypes and present genuine Islam effectively to the curious guests.

The program began with Br. Tariq Jalil detailing an overview of what to expect throughout the evening and Br. Aladdin Gohar giving the opening speech. following this, the Muslims broke their fasts and prayed while the guests listened to Yusuf Islam's DC, "Life of the Prophet Muhammad (PUBUH)" and prepare themselves for a feast of lamb, rice, humus, and other dishes catered by Firdous Middle Eastern style Restaurant and others. the highlight of the evening was Br. Brian Clouse's excellent speech on Islam. Alhamdulillah, his eloquent talk touched the non-Muslims and Muslims alike. Br. Clause explained in detail the five-pillars of Islam, the meaning of tawheed, the role of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and the international appeal of Islam. He also took time to address many of the misconceptions surrounding Islam today. And of course, the topic of fasting in the month of Ramadan was another central aspect of his presentation. Jezak Allah Kheir to the brother for providing such an important and clear dawah to our non-Muslim guests. Inshallah through his presence, the guests were educated in better understanding Islam.

Next, a panel of six brothers and sisters answered the questions given by our guests. Even some of the Muslim guests themselves participated to help with the answering. Some inquiries of the guests' included the relationship between Christianity and Islam, Islam's view on the Day of Judgment, the difference between Nation of Islam and true Islam and questions regarding the dress of Muslim brothers and sisters. After the discussion, the guests were shown all the essentials of prayer including the adhan, wudu, and the actual salah. Towards the end of the program, salatul isha was offered and cake was distributed. Sr. Sama'a concluded the program with closing remarks and a beautiful du'a of which she read in both Arabic and English.

All praise is due to Allah (SWT) for giving the Muslim students the resources and opportunity to come together and offer the Interfaith Iftar at OSU. Inshallah our guests left the program with not only a clearer understanding of Islam, but also with a better ability to determine the differences between stereotypes and true Islam. May Allah (SWT) bless us with the chance to provide other events such as this one so we can further extend Allah's (SWT) message to even more people. Jezakum Allah Kheir to all the brothers and sisters who helped in any way in making this event a success.

July 1995 Shame on Perez

by Tarek Jalil

Muslims have grown complacent and sluggish. Actions and deeds have been replaced by excuses and living room, rhetorical talk. Islamic values and rules have slowly melded into cultural concepts and norms. The obvious question is, what does it take to prevent these things from happening? Apparently, a good amount of persecution and turmoil.

The invitation of Shimon Peres to Ohio State University's June 9th commencement was a slap in the face to every Muslim in the world. Peres' contribution and leadership in the Israeli government has contributed to the displacement, persecution, and killing of Muslims in Palestine. What is surprising, is that The Ohio State University, the self-proclaimed institution of diversity (in President Gordon Gee's words) which contains over 50 nationalities invited Peres.

In anticipation to Shimon Peres' arrival, a small, makeshift committee was formed in order to protest his arrival. The five member committee consisted of members of the Islamic Society of Greater Columbus (ISGC), one member of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), and several other members of the community. The committee was able to draft a letter to the OSU newspaper, (The Lantern). In response, two Non-Muslim OSU students declared that the MSA has a "violent" agenda and is only telling half-truths about Israel. flyers were also distributed after Friday prayer containing phone and fax numbers of various OSU officials. The reaction was less than admirable.

Peres' arrival proved to be damaging and detrimental. Part of his speech was dedicated to "fundamentalism" which he declared, "spread among 1 billion and 300 million Muslims with the same old philosophy as communism. Namely, that Muslims believe that goals justify means, that they have permission to terrorize, kill, cheat, and but on a double face." Peres' intent is obvious and debasing. His guise of peace is constantly destroyed by these type of comments, and more detrimentally, his government's actions. Around 5 or 6 brothers walked out of the ceremony, while at the same time, others stayed.

How can a whole community let this type of situation go unheeded? Lack of action now, will lead to more instances of slander, abuse, and humiliation in the future.
Currently, the ISGC and the MSA have formed a new committee to deal with a response to Peres' visit. This time, an effort to recruit support from national and local institutions is under way. On the university level, obtaining a meeting with President Gee and the Director of University Communication, Malcolm Baroway, is crucial for two reasons. First, to explain to President Gee why this decision was irresponsible and biased. Second, to learn how to prevent this in the future. Attempts to arrange a meeting with President Gee have thus far been unsuccessful. It took consistent calling to get a response from President Gee's secretary that his schedule was "up in the air". Hopefully President Gee's decision to stay at OSU stabilized his schedule.

Brothers and sisters can help by writing letters to President Gee requesting he meet with the MSA and explaining the unfairness of the situation. Also provide your name and phone number. ...

Hopefully, the Muslim community will respond quickly and effectively so that these type of events will not happen again. Inshallah, in the future, our supposedly neutral institutions will not take such obvious sides.

Allah (SWT) says, "Do men think they will be left alone on saying, "We believe", and not be tested?" (29:2). Of course, Allah knows best.

June 1995 Election Announcement from ISGC

General Body Representatives
Ali Khalaf
Amr El-Saadany
Fauzi Labidi
Hazem Gheith
Jamil Shalash
Minhaj Uddin
Mulya E. Siregar
Taymour El-Hosseiny
Executive Committee
President: Mohammad Matus
Secretary: Ahmad Al-Akhras
Treasurer: Atef Almosa
Daawa: Siraj Akhtar
Social: Mahmoud Halfawy
Information: Rached Zantout
MSA Executive Committee
President: Aladdin Gohar
Secretary: Abdullah Unatikan
Treasurer: Tarek Jalil

May 1995 Dear Editor

R.I.P. The Constitution

On the evening of April 7, 1994, MSA members were supposed to vote on a proposed constitution to replace the current one. The announcement sent by mail to all members, hung on the door of the masjid, and made after about three Jumaa prayers specified the meeting to start at 9:15 pm. Fortunately most of the brothers and sisters understood what the MSA executive committee meant and they all ignored the 9:15 pm meeting start time and came after Isha prayer to vote.

The meeting started and it took the MSA about 20 to 25 minutes to count the MSA members present. The count was 64, two short of the quorum required to begin the vote. Instead of following the constitution by adjourning the meeting for lack of Quorum, the 'majority' of the people present voted to continue with the meeting especially that it seemed that more pope were trickling through the door.

Alhamdulillah, the ISGC constitution passed with flying colors (55 out of the 66 present voted for it). the Muslims in Columbus should rest in peace now and sleep in comfort, we have the new constitution and the new organization.

Unfortunately, at least one Muslim will not sleep comfortably or rest in peace. According to this Muslim, a very dangerous precedent was set many times today. the more disturbing fact is that most of the brothers and sisters that are active in the Masjid have little or no regard for the constitution. If the pope who are most serious about Islam are at such a level then this Muslim feels sorry for our society.

The last time I checked, in Islam, ends to not justify the means. Even if the ISGC constitution was the best thing that ever happened to this community, the means that lead to its adoption should have been avoided.

Rached Zantout

May 1995 Meet the stress - The ISGC Constitution Vote

The ISGC is finally a reality. some say it took too long, others may say it is a 'premature step'. Both have a point. Discussions on the constitution were going on for over a year with meetings, seminars, presentations, and lengthy debates. On the other hand, the ISGC had a newsletter and a board of trustees long before it had a formal structure or a constitution.

In any case, its constitution passed by a sweeping majority albeit a marginal quorum. While the election process was swift, perhaps the shortest in MSA history, it was not exactly smooth. some inconvenience was caused by the delay and confusion of starting time for the elections. Yet, the legitimacy and effectiveness of the infant organization was unexpectedly tested by the recent tragedy in Oklahoma (covered in this special issue). What is the expected role of ISGC in the future? How can it cope with the increasing challenges the community faces? What resources will this entail and are we capable of delivering are some of the uncertainties we now face. IQRA! interviewed ISGC BOT member, Khaled Farag.

Q: Briefly, how would you comment on the legitimacy of the allegations made regarding the elections procedure?

A: All members were notified that the meeting will begin after salat Isha. The athan was at 9:19 that day. The meeting was formally started and Thanks to Allah, enough people came. We need to go on beyond bickering on small issues and concentrate on the growth and efficiency of the Muslim community and its dawa efforts.

Q: Now that the ISGC has passed, what is the immediate next step?

A: Elect good General Body Representatives (GBR) in order to practice Shura in the community. The GBR will be an important body that advises the Executive Committee (EC) president and the BOT. the community should select its representatives on the basis of qualifications and fear of Allah. Everyone in the community should remember that these representatives will represent your opinion on the important decisions.

Q: What is your vision of the ISGC five to ten years from now?

A: Allah willing, ISGC will be one of the most active Islamic organizations in the United States. Allah willing, ISGC will be a wide umbrella organization under through which all Muslims will work.

Q: What are the challenges facing ISGC that may hamper the establishment of this vision?

A: Convincing people to abandon individualism and work in groups with professional advice and supervision. Most importantly work for the sake of Allah.

Q: Do you think the ISGC is an organization with too many chiefs and no Indians? where can we mobilize the human power and the resources needed?

A: The punch line of an award winning story (Field of Dreams) was: "If you build it, they will come".

Q: Finally, what distinction in responsibility do you foresee between the resident and non-resident members?

A: Resident and nonresident members are equal. The reason of the unfortunate label is the sincere intention to have equal representation of the community. we do not want ISGC to be a student organization only. Nor is it desired to have ISGC to be an organization of primarily professional residents. ISGC should rather be a unifying and inclusive organization that provides the proper platform for Islam to grow in the United States.

May 1995 Oklahoma City

May 1995 Spillover of a Disaster

by staff

Form the first moment Muslim Americans watched the horror of the Oklahoma City bombing, they knew they were struck twice. First, by the sheer size of the calamity that his innocent citizens and children, and second, by the suspicion that they would probably have another hate wave to deal with. Here is how their fears were proven right.

The earliest victim was Abrahim Ahmad; an American Jordanian who was hauled back to the U.S. to be questioned by FBI. "I was treated like dirt, like a dog. I was pronounced guilty by the media," said Ahmad, who just happened to be flying to Europe less than two hours after the explosion." They have spat on my wife, they have put trash on the lawn, filthy things..." he added.

Perhaps the most devastating spillover was what happened to Sahar Al-Saidi in Oklahoma City. Haidar Al-Saidi's 6 months-pregnant wife was alone at home, when angry assailants banged the doors and smashed windows, responding to TV rumors that Middle Easter people were responsible for the deadly bombing of the federal building. Fearing for her life, she locked herself in the bathroom and in the tension and anxiety, went into labor to give birth to the only Oklahoma bombing victim who did not die of the bomb's blast, but of the blast of Tabloid Media and people's ignorance.

The rush to judgment led to bomb threats, harassing phone calls and vandalism against Muslim groups, mosques, and Arab-Americans across the United States. A Muslim couple in Norman, OK received a threatening personal response. Norman Police Lt. Leonard Judy said the Islamic Society of Norman reported an onslaught of threatening calls and death threat calls after the bombing. Ninety miles up the road, in Stillwater, the window of the Islamic Society was shot at with a pellet gun sometime after 2 p.m. Wednesday, said Stillwater Police Chief Norman McNickle.

Similar incidents happened across the country, even here in Columbus, where local media coverage was responsible. Community leaders reported to IQRA! of at least two threats on the answering machine and one community member spoke of her colleague at work who called her 'murderer' the day after the bombing. the local MSA president had police check the place for Friday prayer for fear of bombs.

If the media condemnation was - to put it mildly - explainable given the anxiety associated with the blast, the attitude that followed was certainly not. Grieving Muslims, who (according to AP) have contributed to the relief efforts, and collected donations, were not acknowledge.
In Oklahoma City, Muslims were excluded from Sunday's prayer service led by President Clinton and the Rev. Billy Graham. "We have the same grief and sorrow, and we were told we could not be accommodated," said Rehab Robyn Assaf, a Muslim-American teacher at an Oklahoma City mosque.

The second event IQRA! know about happened in Tempe, Arizona's State Press, the student newspaper of the Arizona State University. It featured a cartoon showing a picture of the Prophet which is unacceptable in Islam - among three other pictures. On top of the pictures a sign that reads "Dead Religious Leaders. "The first picture has a name tag of "J. Smith" showing probably a man resembling the Mormon leader carrying a Bible and smiling. The second picture shows a grim-faced fiercely looking bearded man holding a large dagger/sword dripping with blood. The name tag reads "Muhammad". the third picture is showing a Buddhist monk with the name tag"'Buda". The last picture frame is empty, but has a name tag reads "Jesus". One police officer points to the empty frame and asks another officer: "What happened to this one?" the other officer answers: "It's empty."

The MSA of ASU at Tempe along with the Islamic Cultural Center of Tempe met twice with the "State Press" editorial board and the cartoonist Bryce Morgan, and demanded that an official apology be published in the paper. They wanted a statement from them that this cartoon is inaccurate, inappropriate depiction of our Prophet (PBUH). The demands were denied.

In spite of some serious inaccuracies and false hints from major TV Channels and newspapers (including unfortunately CNN) there were no acknowledgement of wrong or apologies from ABC or NBC that hosted numerous self-proclaimed terrorist experts throwing hate and conspiracy theories here and there (except for the responsible coverage of the Columbus Dispatch and Lantern on the local level). As far as we know, no channel apologized for the 'mistake' (e.g. the broadcast of two "white male" suspects. Channel 6 by Charlene Brown still associated them with Middle Eastern descent!)

The Local Reaction - How the ISGC reacted in a few hours

by Ayman Ismail

As soon as the Islamic Society of Greater Columbus (ISGC) and the MSA members heard the news of the Oklahoma City bombing, they knew it meant trouble. The pessimism was based on previous experience for the Gulf War, the World Trade Center bombing and the PBS documentary "Jihad in America."

Since the media was already speculating on the involvement of some Islamic groups, the BOT of the ISGC found that it is important to meet and discuss some action plans. The meeting was arranged within an hour. 7:30 pm at room 11 at the OSU Fawcett Center for the second day was the place, all TV channels were contacted - in person - in addition to the Columbus Dispatch. The idea was to involve as many people from the different Islamic organizations in the city. However, it was difficult to reach everyone within this short period of time.

With the grace of Allah, those able to attend represented most of the organizations of the Columbus Islamic community. Many options were on the table, including the press release and media coverage. The controversy was that it might be early to have a statement to the media which might further expose the community. The discussions finally resulted in a draft statement for the media, a spokesperson and a list of what to say and what not to say. At 9:30 p.m., the taping for TV news began with a question and answer session following it. What finally aired were two minutes of 35 minutes in tape that did not include the press statement! The following day Channels 10 and 4 asked for representative to talk on TV. the ISGC selected Sr. Hiba Nasser and Br. Brian Clouse. By April 27th, the Dawaa Committee had arranged for an Open Forum on Islam with Dr. Shaker El-Sayed from ISNA at the Ohio Union.

MSA vice president Abdullah Al-Amiri advises the community to be cautious and act responsibly. "We always emphasize to everyone including the media that painting everyone with the same brush will do nothing but increase the number of hate crimes."
He asks that all Muslims who receive any form of threat to immediately contact the police and report it to the BOT. It is important to keep track of such acts to make a case to the officials and to the media about the seriousness of this issue should legal action be deemed necessary, then this information will be useful. This also should be reported to the hotline established by ICNA [Islamic Circle of North America] at *******.

April 1995 Eid, What Does It Take?

by Rached Zantout

On the morning of Friday 3/3/1995, exit 115 of I-71 got very busy. What was happening? Lots of bearded men, women with scarves on their heads, and everybody had good looking clothes.

Going into the parking lot of the sports complex at that exit, you could feel you were going into another world. Suddenly, this area was transformed into a Muslims gathering area, a place to pray, enjoy and celebrate the end of our month of fasting, Ramadan.

The speakers were set at strategic places, the microphones were ready, one where the Imam would give his Khutbah and a wireless one with the brothers chanting the Eid chants. Lines were set on the floor for the first few rows so that brothers and sisters could make straight rows while praying. Donation boxes were set up at the entrance for different causes, Zakat-ul-Fir, as well as an Eid Hall fund.

Outside, tables filled with donut boxes and refreshments were setup. Two sites were designated, one for men and the other for women. Even IQRA! had its own table to collect donations, subscriptions, and distribute the Eid issue.

The announcements, the prayer and the Khutbah all went smoothly. Then the brothers and sisters went outside to take their issues of IQRA! and eat and drink, for on this day we were allowed, again, to eat and drink whenever we felt like it. Even children had fun outside with the balloons and the candy. Later on, the children and their mothers would celebrate in a party at Haggerty Hall [at OSU].

Every year we do this kind of activity twice, once at Fitr and once at Adha. Just how do the brothers and sisters prepare for Eid? Is it easy? How many brothers and sisters does it take and how long before Eid do they begin preparing for it?

According to Brother Khalid, [Farag], the president of the MSA, preparation for Eid starts with preparation for Ramadan. This year the MSA, Islamic Center and Masjid Al-Islam decided to use a facility similar to the one in which the MSA is holding its Jumma prayers. The facility was larger than the Whitehall Community Center (the place where we used to pray Eids previously). Also, the parking lot of the facility is much larger than any other facility they looked at.

After the middle of Ramadan, the brothers and sisters geared up for Eid preparation. according to Br. Fauzi Labidi, there were 8 brothers who helped set up the infrastructure for such a smooth Eid. Two brothers transported the tables, boxes, microphones, and speakers. Buying and bringing donuts, coffee, and tea also required 2 brothers. Setting up the line guides, the speakers, and microphones was done by one brother. It took 7 brothers to set up the tables outside, clean up the place after we left, and return everything to its original place.

Br. Fauzi estimates that a total of 50 hours went into preparing for Eid prayer. This number of hours was spent planning, laying out, and dismantling Eid prayer.
The organizers of Eid prayer also hired 2 policemen for traffic and security purposes.

According to Sr. Aalia [last name??], there were 10 sisters involved in the preparation for Eid. Two purchased balloons, rented the helium containers, and sold the balloons outside the Eid prayer hall. All 10 took part in organizing, acting, and singing during the Eid party at Haggerty Hall. It also took 3 sisters to buy the gifts for the large number of children that attended the party. Approximately the same number of hours spent by the brothers preparing for Eid was spent by the sisters preparing for the Children's Eid Party.

A simple mathematical calculation would tell us that on the average a brother or sister worked between 6 and 7 hours for us to have that smooth of an Eid. They all did that in addition to running a life with all its responsibilities of taking care of their families, working or studying. If you think this number of hours is too much for a single brother or sister, you can help. Volunteer to take a portion of thouse hours by contacting Sr. Aalia or Br. Fauzi before the next Eid.

One important task that was left out of the above jobs for Eid is the advice. This task is an obligation on all the Muslim community towards the brothers and sisters responsible for Eid prayers. What is your impression about the Eid prayer? Go to the brothers and sisters and congratulate them on the good things you saw or felt!
More important, go to the brothers and sisters and tell them about what you think went wrong. Do you have a better solution? Volunteer it. You will feel good if you get to implement it next Eid!

April 1995 ISGC Constitution Vote

by Khaled Farag

The Muslim community in central Ohio has grown dramatically in the last few years. The average Jumma Prayer is now attended by at least 450 people. at least 3000 people attended the Eid prayer on March 3. During Ramadan, Omar Mosque was regularly occupied to its fullest capacity. Omar Ibn El-Khattab Children School had 132 children registered this fall. The school administration had to deal with multiple shifts to accommodate the lack of space.

The mosque structure itself is in its old age and the cost of regular maintenance required just to maintain it is increasing. In one year we learned that we need several thousand dollars to repair the parking lot's cracking pavement. Several thousand dollars are needed to change the carpet. Recently, it was concluded that a new roof, which will cost more than $7000, will be needed very soon.

The most serious problem the community is facing today is the dramatic change in the type of services the MSA does for the community at large and the massive demand for services. This is all happening while the number of willing volunteers to do the work is declining.

I told a friend once that I was the president of a student organization called the MSA. He then asked me what type of activities do we do as an organization. When he learned that this small humble "student" organization operates a "church" of 400 professional and student patrons coming from at least 80 different countries, marries people, buries people when they die, mediates family disputes and provides counseling, raises on average $100,000 a year for international relief, organizes every Friday two off-site congregational prayers, conducts at least 4 weekly study sessions "halaqas", operates a weekend school for 132 children... My friend interrupted me and asked, "Whom was I kidding?" He continued to say, "You are obviously not describing a student organization. What you have is a small independent community."

The fact that the community has outgrown Omar Mosque in size and capacity is not new news for many. For that reason, in 1989, the MSA executive committee commissioned a task force to plan and work on long term solutions for the administrative and capacity problems the community is facing. the task force developed a plan to expand the structural assets of the community to accommodate its growth. The task force studied primarily the construction, development and operation of a full time Islamic school and the acquisition of a new Mosque-Community center complex with all the associated administrative and financial needs.

The acquisition of such assets required clear and perfected plans to manage and operate such facilities. The task force recommended to the MSA general assembly the complete restructuring and the overhaul of the existing management style of the MSA. The idea was to reorganize the MSA to accomplish the following goals:

• Preserve all the excellent Islamic characteristics and actions the community has developed and accomplished in Central Ohio over the years.
• Expand the opportunity for the professional members of the community to undertake a more active role in the leadership and service of this community.
• Re-energize and enrich the Muslim activities in the local universities and colleges. Such activities have almost been abandoned due to the work load of the members of the MSA with community projects.
• Provide a flexible and stable platform for the establishment of the full time Islamic school.
  Guard the Islamic assets (waqf) and guarantee that such assets grow and remain in Muslim hands.
• Initiate financial investment plans for the community to financially sustain the operation of the organization.

In early 1994, the MSA General Assembly accepted a proposal to reorganize the MSA under a new name, The Islamic Society of Greater Columbus (ISGC), and approved a new management structure that included an elected board of trustees and an executive committee. The general assembly elected initial members of the board of trustees and made a recommendation that a new detailed constitution of the organization be presented for adoption in the near future.
[ed. note: Those were Ahmed Abdullah, Hany Saqr, Khaled Farag, and Mouhamed Nabih Tarazi. See June 1994 ISGC passes with flying colors By Rached Zantout]

The Board of Trustees of ISGC organized many informal meetings with many of the brothers and sisters to brainstorm and critique several outlines for a proposed constitution. Presentations and seminars were organized for the brothers and sisters to maximize their critique and hear all suggestions.

Many models were initially at hand. After each meeting, the BOT collected the suggestions and critiques of each model. Most of the suggestions were excellent, but many of them contradicted one another and had to be integrated together to form a complete draft constitution and a set of bylaws. The notes were reconciled many times and, slowly, a skeleton of a draft constitution began to emerge.

The draft constitution was debated again in many small groups whose purpose was to eliminate the contradictions and further perfect the proposal. Many participants started with opinions that were later changed by others who debated their points through constructive criticism and mutual respect. The depth and seriousness of the analysis that these brothers and sisters gave to the proposals reflected the maturity of the Muslim community in Central Ohio. The resulting document was a constitution in its embryonic stages. Although it contained many ideas from just about everyone, many people who drafted the constitution will not agree with every detail in it. That indeed reflects the multitude of differing views on some issues and the resulting compromises. The draft constitution was then posted in the Mosque in order to be circulated for further modification and change. Written suggestions were also encouraged. Many suggestions and modification were further debated and critiqued by the BOT and the person making the suggestion before being added to the proposal. After nearly 2500 man-hours of debate, editing and critique, a semifinal proposal was presented to at least 13 members of the MSA (10%) of the number of members to read it and formally presented to the MSA executive committee.
The proposed constitution was mailed to every member with a notification of the special general assembly to be held at 9:15 pm on Friday, April 7, 1995. Since absentee ballots will not be taken, the attendance of all members is critical.

Highlights of the Proposed Constitution:

Continuity of the growth of the Muslim Community in Central Ohio. this will be the result of stable Islamic leadership and will ease focusing on long term community goals.

The restructured MSA under the name ISGC will basically have the community manage its affairs by Shura practiced on every matter. the community will elect representatives to a shura council. The representatives are called General Body Representatives (GBR). The shura council elects a president of the executive committee. The president, once elected, will select the remaining members of the executive committee and seek their confirmation by the (GBR). The executive committee remains the manager of the day to day affairs of the community. The role of the BOT will primarily be the long term planning for the community and protection of the Islamic waqf entrusted to the community.

The new structure of the organization allows the creation of additional affiliate organizations to professionally manage and operate future projects such as a full time Islamic School, day care centers, Islamic cemeteries, and financial investments for the community to sustain its growth.
ISGC structure allows other Islamic Organizations willing to affiliate with or join ISGC by name or by effort to complement and accelerate the developed growth of the Muslim community. the student members of ISGC can focus on Islamic Dawah on the campuses in Central Ohio. Many additional MSAs will be formed while remaining inseparable parts of ISGC.

[Ed. note: Main differences between MSA and ISGC: non-student members, new General Body from which elections are made, Veto Powers to BOT, and Quotas for students]

March 1995 Good-bye Ramadan, Hello Easy Life?

by Rached Zantout

[ed. note: Sheikh Shaker, Ahmad, and Aisha are imaginary figures]

"Asalaam alaikum Sheikh Shaker, I would like to congratulate you on your Eid Khutbah. It was, as usual, very powerful. You made me feel for my Muslim brothers and sisters here and abroad. Wallahi, my heart is crying for them."

"Asalaam alaikum Ahmad, how are you doing? Jazakum Allahu Khairan but things that I said that are true are from Allah and all mistakes are because of my shortcomings."

"Alhamdulillah, Sheikh Shaker, Allah (SWT) kept us alive to observe Ramadan and pray Eid. we gained so much in this blessed month. Fasting, taraweeh, quiyam, itikaf, Reading a lot of Quran, zakat ul-fitr, zakat ul-mal, jumaa prayers. praying in congregation more often, attending fajr prayers. This month always brings the good stuff in me," said Ahmad.

"Subhanallah," replied Sheikh Shaker, "This month does that to all of us. Even the prophet (PBUH) was more generous during Ramadan, although he was still the most generous man. He would increase his worship during Ramadan and especially during the last ten days."

"Alhamdulillah," replied Ahmad. "Now I can go back to my usual schedule and relax a little bit. I feel like I have done my job for the year. I will be anxiously I waiting for the next Ramadan."
"You know, Ahmad, the Prophet I (PBUH) used to work all year. He used to fight for the cause of Allah, preach to Muslims and Non-Muslims, take care of the Muslims affairs, his family's, and his own affairs. He even had the time to fix his own shoes." said Sheikh Shaker.

What? The prophet used to do that? I always imagined he was a very powerful man, sitting on his throne with servants doing everything he wished. How did he find the time to do all of those things? Ah, he did not have to go to school and do all the homework and projects, that's how." said Ahmad.

"Tell me, Ahmad, did you slacken on your homework or Projects during Ramadan?" asked Sheikh Shaker.

"No," answered Ahmad, "before Ramadan began, I knew that I had to devote the nights after Maghrib to praying Taraweeh and Quiyam, so I made my schedule so that I woke up at Fajr and finished all my school studying. You know what? I was so fresh after Fajr, that I even had the time to read 20 minutes of Qur'an . before going to classes. "

"That is because Allah (SWT) puts barakah in your time and makes you finish things faster when you obey Him and worship Him more," answered Sheikh Shaker.

"I wish the whole year was like Ramadan so that I could do more in less time," exclaimed Ahmad. "But the problem is that after Ramadan is finished, there is no more taraweeh or quiyam. the brothers and sisters tend to go about their own business. I start missing more congregational prayers. I don't attend fajr at the masjid and become more involved in my day to day activities. I guess it is partly the fact that there is less worship to do outside Ramadan."

"You know Ahmad, the Prophet (PBUH) taught us that not only prayers, paying zakat, hajj and fasting are acts of worship. Everything you do can be a kind of worship for the sake of Allah, if you perform it with the right intention." explained Sheikh Shaker, "Your studies can be for the sake of Allah, playing sports can be for the sake of Allah, even eating and drinking can be for the sake of Allah, provided you have the right intentions that you want to benefit Muslims with the knowledge, strength or power you are acquiring. And you should also have the intention of using what you gain through those acts in something that Allah would be pleased with. You know that the prophet (PBUH) even told us that removing harmful things from the path of people, Muslims or non-Muslims alike, is an act of worship!"

"You know Sheikh Shaker, you are right, I can keep the same pace I gained in Ramadan throughout the year. But..." Ahmad asked, "I don't know what is needed to be done and whether I can do it."

"I was talking to Br. Khaled, our MSA president, a few days ago, and it seems that the masjid needs a lot of things to be done," explained Sheikh Shaker. " He told me that the MSA is overwhelmed with things to be done and urgent projects, but they are getting little assistance from the 500 or so brothers and sisters that attend Jumaa prayers, taraweeh prayers, and the MSA iftars. In fact, I know that only a handful of people are doing the activities you are seeing."

"But... we never know about it. They do not announce it. I make sure to read every bit of paper on the notice board in the masjid. I never saw that they needed any help." said Ahmad.

"You are right," agreed Sheikh Shaker, "but that is not an excuse for us. Even if they are not doing their job properly, we should go and ask them to assign duties to us. After all, it is our masjid and they are only our elected representatives to organize the work and activities around the masjid. I heard Br. Abdullah, when I visited him last week, saying that they had many projects to be done," added Sheikh Shaker. They are trying to:

• Build a mailing list so that they can reach more Muslims in central Ohio.
• Organized the cataloging of all books in the library and build a computer database so that brothers and sisters can find books more easily.
• Run a weekend school. They need help from parents to obey the rules, like dropping their kids off on time and in the masjid's parking lot, not on the street. They also need volunteers to help the school staff, and to clean up at the end of school.
• Organize a boys group for older boys. A small group of boys are trying to organize all by themselves but they need guidance and help from older brothers with some free time, to help them conduct a study group and some regular game time for sports.
• Organize a summer program for Muslim Youth in Columbus. They need volunteers to escort children on field trips, prepare food or watch over children during indoor activities.
• Maintain the weekly halaqahs on Saturdays and Fridays. They need brothers and sisters to attend those halaqahs and participate in giving lectures.
• Organize dawah tables at the unions in central Ohio colleges and universities. They need volunteers to sit there and answer questions, help prepare pamphlets and follow up with interested non-Muslims.
• Maintain the masjid. Part of the roof is leaking and they need donations, ideas, expertise, and manpower to fix it. The parking lot needs to be cleaned regularly, the holes need to be filled, the top resurfaced and the lawns mowed. The gutters need some work to be cleaned and repaired. Helping even with small things like buying supplies for the masjid, cleaning the bathrooms or carpet need volunteers. The children's playground needs to be repaired. Many children play in it during spring and summer. Even the inside of the mosque needs some work. The MSA has been talking for a long time about changing the carpet where we pray. They need also to clean and paint the shoe racks after the dirt built up from the shoes made them look ugly. they need volunteers who will improve the look of the mosque by doing some landscaping and some reorganizing of the inside of the mosque.
• Maintain a Xerox machine, a computer and a fax machine for the use of the Muslim brothers and sisters in the mosque.
• Organize the Eid prayers. This activity alone needs more than 20 brothers and sisters to go smoothly. Jazakum Allahu Khairan, they have been doing with far less brothers and sisters. They need more volunteers to make it better.
• Maintain a positive image of Muslims in central Ohio, nationwide, and worldwide. They have established a media committee for that purpose. However, they still need volunteers to locate articles about Muslims, write press releases to the media, and formulate a good strategy for dealing with the media."

"Ma shaa' Allah", Ahmad exclaimed, "All of that and we didn't know about it? Inshallah, I will contact the MSA and see what I can do."

"Asalaam alaikum Sheikh Shaker, Asalaam alaikum Ahmad. Ahmad! Daddy says that we need to go soon so you'd better come."

"Asalaam alaikum. Aren't you Aish, Ahmad's sister?" said Sheikh Shaker.

"Yes Sheikh Shaker," said Aisha.

"Sis, we were talking about the community needs and Sheikh Shaker explained to me how the masjid and the community in general are in need of every minute we have," said Ahmad.

"Wallahi, I was thinking about that same issue as I was hearing your khuttbah, Sheikh Shaker," said Aisha. "You know the women's section also needs much work and we need a lot of help in our activities. I heard a sister the other day talking about the activities in the women's section. It seems that we need a lot of sisters to be able to even maintain the current activities. The sisters need help in:
• Organizing the Eid party they do every year after Eids.
• Attending and giving lectures in our halaqahs on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Babysitting the children during the halaqahs and picnics.
• Cataloging, expanding, and organizing the children's library we started not so long ago. It even includes video and audio tapes.
• Cataloging, expanding and reorganizing the sister's library including the audio and video sections.
• Organizing the fundraising activities that we do every year, like selling food after jumaa prayers for the benefit of the masjid. The yearly bazaar at the beginning of Fall. Did you know that we ask all sisters who are going abroad to bring us Islamic items from overseas and we sell them for the benefit of our mosque?
• We need help in maintaining and fixing things in the sister's section of the mosque too, or at least volunteers to report defected things to the MSA so the brothers can fix them.

"Ahmad, Aisha, Come on. We have to go visit our brothers and sisters and congratulate them for Eid," shouted their father from their car. "Asalaam alaikum Sheikh Shaker. Sorry for interrupting but we have appointments."

"Jazakum Allahu Khairan Abu Ahmad. A true Muslim always keeps his appointments, and especially when one of them is to visit me at my house after Asr Prayers."

They all laughed and Ahmad and Aisha hurried back to their father's car after they said salaam the Sheikh Shaker. They had learned a lot form their small talk after the Eid prayer. They had made a promise between themselves and Allah that they would devote more time to benefiting the mosque and the Muslim community in general. They even started at that moment by smiling at every Muslim or Muslimah they encountered as the Prophet told them that smiling when you meet a Muslim brother or sister is a donation (sadaqah).

March 1995 Ramadan Harvest

A survey of some of the workers in Ramadan - Four Weeks of Labor + Pure Intention = Eternal Relaxation

by Ayman Ismail

A sense of place is closely attached to its physical as well as its psychological (or spiritual) characteristics. Ramadan memories are always distinct because they concentrate a rich blend of spirituality and action such as prayer in congregation, quiyam, qonoot. They occur at a unique place (the mosque) and are shared by a homogeneous group of souls surrounded by mutual love and affection for Allah.
Who can forget the happy moments when hands reach out together for that first date that breaks the fast, the heart shattering sounds of Quran reciting by Brs. Samy, Yasin, and Mahmoud echoing during Taraweeh prayer, the soul-charging short talks after the forth raqaa, Hani Saqr's cheerful Friday nights with the Seerah of the Prophet (PBUH) and those tranquil pious nights of I'tikaf. Without a doubt, a remarkable environment to anyone, even to an outsider.

However, this environment is not ad-hoc. Hard working individuals devoted their time, effort and foresaw their own satisfaction and comfort to accomplish a single job, like organizing iftar or preparing a halaqa or finding the imam. Who were some of these 'knights', and how did this experience affect them as individuals? What have they learned from it and to what extent did they encounter trouble? In this article IQRA! interviewed some of those 'servants of Allah', not just to acknowledge their effort (may Allah reward them for it), but also to understand the meaning of working for His sake and learning from our won hands-on experience so that our community continues to grow.

Perhaps the most noticeable duty during the fasting month was the 'break-fasting man'!

Title: iftar coordinator, detail: organize iftar, distribute food, clean up. time: 3-4 hours daily. Count: 20 iftar days, 2400 meals served.

Br. Bassam Abdallah, with his team of 'warriors' had the impossible task of satisfying everyone's hunger and thirst efficiently and equitably! Bassam and his dedicated team of brothers (may Allah reward them all) worked 20 days during Ramadan, preparing the cutlery, paper rolls, transporting, allocating, distributing the food and cleaning up the masjid. Bassam was generally pleased with the participation of the community in cooking for the meals, especially during the last ten days which were booked daily. However, he hoped that everybody would help in the clean-up. "It was annoying t see some just sitting against the wall watching those doing all the work! Sometimes I lost my temper, but in the end the feeling I got from seeing fasting people satisfied was great!"

This experience definitely changed both the way he perceived people's attitude and the way he behaved with them. "Astaghfirullah!" he said, smiling, when he was asked about people's manners. "One really has learned patience!" Next year, if he were to do this again, he would organize this differently. "Every member of the food distribution team should rotate leadership of the distribution process. There are too any opinions that confuse everyone and lower the efficiency."

Br. Bassam is engaged to a sister from Lebanon. May Allah complete their marriage in happiness and bring them together in peace.

Title: prayer imam. Detail: Lead Taraweeh prayer. Remarks: imam of mosque in Saudi Arabia, majors in English as a second language.

Away from the messy food stuff and more into spirituality, Br. Sami Al Mubareek was our imal for many of the Taraweeh prayers. A delightful new addition to our Columbus community from Saudi Arabia. He brought along a sensational voice and tilawaa that penetrated the hears with Quran's meanings. Br. Sami is a recent 'hafiz' (memorizer) of Quran. He owes that gift to a halaqa in Al-Hofouf, western Saudi Arabia and a Syrian Moqri'e (Quran teacher).

"Memorizing the book of Allah is not easy, and it is easily forgotten. I have to constantly remind myself by practice over and over again," he says.

Although he heard a lot about Columbus from his brother Khalid, who studies at OSU, Sami was impressed by the commitment of the Columbus Muslim community. Sami, a graduate of Arts majoring in English, is here to study for a Masters in English as a Second Language. He was an imam of a mosque in Al-Hofouf and gave khutbahs there.
Sami is married in Saudi Arabia and has two children. He is currently staying with his brother and making sure that his brother's life is in full accordance with Islam.

Title: MSA secretary. Detail: you name it, he did it! Time: 1-2 hours daily.
From an organizational standpoint, the MSA made a tremendous effort in putting the Ramadan team together. IQRA! tried to interview many of the MSA staff during Ramadan, but it was virtually impossible to get a few minutes of their time. "I really have so much to do," said Khalid Farag, MSA President as he dashed off chasing one MSA staff member.

Rached Zantout, being also on IQRA! staff, was contacted through e-mail. Informally, MSA staff complain from lack of responsible 'labor force'. According to Rached, the total number of assignments is 65 people in the various committees and subcommittees, "but when you remove the overlap of individuals who serve on many committees simultaneously, the number is much less than that," he said. "Basically, everyone is doing everything. There is no clear definition of responsibility," he complained.

financially, Ramadan has not yet materialized as a donation month. Br. Ali Rubaian, MSA treasurer observes that beside the zakat box, donations in the masjid have not increased during this month! He explained that ever since the Friday prayer moved to Bethel Road, the donation boxes became almost empty. "One can assume that those who donate are not the ones who regularly come to the mosque!" he said.

It is not possible to acknowledge all those who served Allah during this month. One can only pray to Allah "Oh Allah! Reward the one who spends in your cause freely!" and hope that more and more Muslims will seek this reward.

Feb 1995 Fasting in Columbus

[For its first issue during Ramadan as the ISGC newsletter, IQRA! staff created a two part edition with multiple spiritual articles and background information about fasting. Only one article in all of this might be considered an article about the community, and most of it is a long highly technical discussion about moon sighting. I'm omitting that technical detail, which people can access from other sources like www.moonsighting.com, and including only the short discussion of the local community issues with moon sighting. An announcements in these pages give the hotline telephone number people were urge to call to find out about when the month started and ended. There were also 3 letters to the editor this month.]

Sighting the Community

Why is there more than one day for the start of Ramadan in the same city? I called HOME and the month of .... has already started!!! Should I fast with them or should I fast with the local community? Why can't we just follow astronomical calculations to start the month?

These are probably some of the most common questions that we hear every year with the start of Ramadan. This occurs in the U.S. because there is no single Islamic authority, its area covers various time zones, and there are so many nationalistic entities that remain attached to their homes rather than to the local community. The issue could easily be a DIVIDING FACTOR for Muslims to the extent that in one apartment in Chicago three roommates fasted on different days. This year, Columbus performed better than last year in preparation for the moon sighing event. These efforts were characterized by organization, responsibility, and openness. The fruits of that effort were clearly apparent in the smoothness with which the decision was transmitted to the community, the speed with which the decision was taken after a brother witnessed the crescent, the voicemail which never gave a busy signal, and the media coverage in IV (Channel 10), radio (NPR Weekly Edition) and press (the Columbus Dispatch). However, some people still fasted with other overseas countries, and not with the local community.

To clarify this issue, IQRA! contacted Dr. Mohib Durrani, an Islamic scholar of Columbia University, who has been researching the issue for years and currently works with ISNA for the moon sighting committee. He demonstrates how the astronomical method (Al-hesab Al-falaky) can be reconciled with the fiqh rul, (somo le-rou'yateh, was afteroo le-rou'yeth) and support it instead of contradict it. [this introduction is followed by a very detailed long discussion of the issues.]

Community Eid Dinner with the Islamic Center

at Whitehall Community Center off Hamilton Rd. in Whitehall Park, Saturday, March 4th.
Magrib prayer with be at 6:30 followed by a potluck dinner. A children's program is planned with the traditional clown entertainment, goody bags, and pizza for all.

MSA Children' Eid Party

Sunday March 5th at 12:00 noon. Songs and theater skits presented by the Arab sisters' halaqah for women and chldren. The Hall must be left clean and vacted by 2:00 so please come promptly at noon to avoid missing any of the snow.

Nov. 1994 Dear Editor

Meeting Courtesy

As Salaam Alaikum,
I attended a MSA general assembly meeting a week ago to participate in questions, answers and concerns. It was totally unfair that some of the members, that are brothers, were able to hear clearly, understand questions and respond with answers. While the other members, that are sisters, had to listen to parts of questions and half answers. The brothers were allowed verbal or written questions and comments while sisters were only allowed written questions and concerns. This caused total misunderstanding for I both brothers and sisters.

All members of the MSA should be respected regardless whether they are sisters or brothers. Is not that a major principle of Islam? Aren't male and female equal although they are not the same? Isn't it time to get rid of our cultural background and follow the genuine Islam? We can have courtesy through providing some way for everyone to hear and understand questions and answers in an Islamic way. Islam is our religion, and we are striving to keep it our way of life. Whatever a Muslim strives to do, he strives to perfect it.

Your sister in Islam Rhoda Abdul-Mateen