June 1996 Our Youth - Their Needs

by Safwan Halabi

Muslim youth in North America love to point out the day-in and day-out struggles they face. whether it is interaction with classmates at school or even with the local Islamic community, they are always faced with a multitude of trials and tribulations. However, there exists a much greater "pressure" on Muslim youth before they even have a chance to interact with their classmates or community's life at home.

A parent might sit back and ask, "Where is this discussion going? I provide my children with everything: a roof over their head, three square meals a day, the latest trends in clothing and shoes, a thorough Islamic education and a wonderful Islamic role model." I salute those parents and individuals in every Islamic community who do everything in their power to make sure that the next generation has a secure foothold in their Islamic education and identity. However, there seem to be a number of essential ingredients that are absent in many families and communities. these ingredients have the potential to make or break any family/community structure. Those ingredients are friendship and understanding.

How many Muslim youth in North America feel comfortable enough to reveal anything and everything to their respective parents and members of the Muslim community? It is all too often the case that the youth will hold in their deepest and darkest secrets in fear of being looked down upon or even black-listed by the Muslim community. It is no wonder then, that many youth turn to others like their classmates at school and people outside of that community for assistance and counseling. They feel comfortable discussing major issues in their life with complete strangers to avoid the often confusing and messy political cultural, and nationalistic issues they face within their own family and community.

Many parents across the nation have heeded the call of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), "Teach your children and teach them properly." (Ibn Majah) and "Order your children to abide by all the commands of Allah, and to avoid all the prohibitions, and by that you protect them from the Hellfire." (Ibn Juryar) However, we sometimes come to a point where teaching is the only thing that is done! In essence, we throw knowledge at the youth without taking the time to see if they have absorbed it in a proper manner.

One way to gauge how the youth handle their given knowledge is to interact with them as a friend or confidant. Let them ask their questions and discuss their concerns. be a good listener. Develop a solid rapport with them. All of these attributes are what make up a good friend. Why is it that parents often only play the role of provider and teacher? what it boils down to is reaching out and becoming a child's or youth's friend.

We must back up the youth's knowledge and support them on a daily basis. This can be done with the second ingredient, understanding. Many of the Muslim youth in this day and age feel that their parents and the community at large do not understand what they go though on a daily basis. Many youth spend six hours a day, five days a week at a public school; a place packed with social pressures, unwanted interactions, questionable food, and no Islamic role models to follow. I urge all of the truly concerned parents and community members to explore and experience a day in the life of a Muslim youth in North America. It is only through this means of understanding that we can make sure that Islam will flourish for generations to come on this continent and beyond.

It is very easy to sit back and complain, criticize, and whine about the current status of our Ummah at the present time. So, I would like to present a potential solution to the problem that may provide us with a glimmer of hope. A group of devoted brothers in Columbus are mulling over the idea of forming a "Boy's Club" to allow the male youths of our community to expend their energies for the will of Allah. There is even talk of forming an official Boy Scout troupe through the sponsorship of the Omar Mosque. This may sound like a wonderful endeavor" However, we need the help and support of every community member whether he or she has children or not.

There is nothing better than to be among one's own peers to face the struggles against the decaying society that youth face every day. the "Boy's Club" mission is to provide the Muslim community in Columbus with an Islamic choice when it comes to the activities and entertainment in which the youth enjoy participating (i.e. camping, sports, restaurants, etc.). Another goal is to provide the youth with the tools and the understanding of how to develop their Muslim identity. The areas of friendship and understanding will naturally be built into this type of organization "Inshallah (God willing). the list of benefits is infinite. If you are interested in supporting this idea either with suggestions, time, or money, please contact one of the following people: Safwan Halabi at .... Omar Qureshi at ....., Muhammad Abdulhaq at ..... we will call our initial organizational meeting by about June 15th, Inshallah.

Note: A Girl's Club has already been established for girls age ten and up. It meets at the Omar Mosque every other Sunday morning. for information please call Sr. Nowal Yakob at .....

June 1996 Islamic Attire: A View of Elegance and Comfort

by Bonita McGee

On Saturday May 11, Muslim and non-Muslim women gathered together to experience an evening of elegance with the First Annual Islamic Attire Fashion Presentation. The purpose of the event was twofold, one, to share in our cultural uniqueness while emphasizing Islamic dress and two, as a fundraiser for the proposed Islamic School.

The program opened with the recitation and translation of the Holy Quran. While the mood was light and festive, as children and women presented a wide variety of outfits from multiple Islamic cultures, during the intermission there was a moment of serious reflection for our brothers and sisters who are being oppressed. A song of peace was played by a folk singer who was inspired after seeing the tragedies in Bosnia. The song was accompanied by a slide presentation. "It was very moving... I saw some sisters in tears." stated Zahira Kirby, one of the attendees. The grand finale for the program was a presentation of all the models in hijab and jilbaab. Many sisters commented on wanting to purchase a hijab or jilbaab after the presentation.

Vendors were available afterward in the lobby to give everyone an opportunity to buy some of the fashions shown. Food from each respective culture was sampled by everyone in attendance.

June 1996 Mosque Visit

Recently some 50 children from the sixth grade at Maryland Avenue Elementary School in Bexley came to visit the Omar Mosque for a field trip. they went to a church, then a synagogue before getting to the mosque.

Some people from the mosque met them at the door and welcomed them, showing them how to take their shoes off and put them in the shoe racks. Then they entered the prayer area where Sr. Hanan [Farhan] recited some Quran for them in Arabic. Br. Sufyan Matus told them a little about Islam and Br. Ayman Ismail showed slides about mosques. A display corner behind the speakers was prepared by some sisters with lots of carpets and pictures of mosques and some Islamic art pieces.

Afterwards they received bookmarks with Arabic writing on them and cookies to eat on the bus back to school. These are some of the letters we received in return:

Dear Omar Ibn El Khattab Mosque,

Thank you for letting us come to your mosque. we could tell you had planned your presentation. All the presenters did a good job. we also enjoyed getting bookmarks. Tell the woman who read the Quran that she did a good job. I liked your display in the corner with models, calendars, books, and more. Those cookie things were really good. My class could easily find symbols of Islam, minarets, the Kaaba, and prayer rugs to name a few. Thanks again!

Salaam, Daniel Blair

Dear Omar Ibn El Khattab,

Thank you very much for letting our sixth grade classes come to your mosque. We all learned a ot. The mosque was a real good symbol from your religion.

You were very generous for helping us learn about your religion. Thank you very much for bringing in all those maps of Mecca and other unique things.

The slide show was really great. We had a real interest in learning about your religion, and facts about Mecca and other places and things you have to go to and follow.

Sincerely, Masha Slivnyak

Dear Congregation of Omar Ebn El Khattab Mosque,

Thank you for having us, the sixth grade at Maryland Avenue School for your field trip yesterday. I learned so much about Islam. It's such an interesting religion! I especially enjoyed the reading of the Koran and the slide show! You were the friendliest congregation that we went to!

Thanks, Simone Gabel

Dear Congregation of Omar Ibn El Khattab Mosque,

Thank you for the wonderful time. I wish we could have stayed longer. You made that the best stop of the day (except for MacDonalds). You made us wonderful cookies and bookmarks. Thank you for the wonderful 45 minutes that day and most likely that week.

Thanks again, Jenn Jarrell

June 1996 Mr. President

by Ayman Ismail

Exclusive interview with Br. Siraj Akhtar, newly elected president of ISGC as he talks about hopes, aspirations and goals for the next year.

In a reclining chair at his oval office... Actually, on a keyboard behind an eye-exhausting monitor, Mr. Akhtar, a graduate student in electrical engineering at OSU, tells IQRA! why he thinks this year is going to witness some major changes in this community.

"My first action as president is to ban IQRA! and expel its staff members from our organization!!!" says Mr. Akhtar humorously before returning to his usual seriousness.

Q: As President with limited resources, how do you see your number one priority?

"Among the first issues, " said Br. Siraj, "is enhancing the structure of the organization to optimize our efforts in order to achieve maximum cooperation amongst us."

Mr. Akhtar sees many problems with the current ISGC constitution, with which he was once involved in developing, that must be addressed in order to smoothen the organizational structure, and to define specifically the roles of the different bodies, especially the BOT.

"Another important priority is to enhance the participation of the various ethnic and linguistic groups that comprise the diverse fabric of our community," said Br. Siraj.

Q: The ISGC, in spite of its deliberate reorganization for greater unity in the community, is still accused of being student-based, insensitive to African-Americans and self centered. How do you plan to address these issues?

"Any organization is only a reflection of its members and those who participate in its activities," said Br. Siraj. "If more students and non-African Americans participate, we cannot blame them for excluding others. Rather, we strongly urge everyone to help and participate in making our community better. There has never been, and Inshallah will never be, any attempt, official or otherwise, to prevent any person from participating in any of the activities of the organization, within the limits of the Book of Allah (SWT) and the authentic sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). Whether you are an African American, or an Arab student or a green creature with blue stripes from Mars, we could care less. All we want are committed Muslims ready to serve for the betterment of themselves, their community and the entire Ummah, only for the sake of Allah (SWT)."

Br. Siraj, himself from Pakistan, clearly states that the ISGC does not believe in favoring one person over another, simply because he belongs to a minority group. The overriding criterion has got to do with the willingness to work and deliver the best results, with only the pleasure of Allah (SWT) in mind.

"At the same time," he added, "it would be naive of me to say that all ethnic and cultural groups participate in the ISGC. Obviously many don't. Many of them have their valid reasons. The immense challenge that lies for us, is to identify the reasons and address them. Perhaps we need to conduct detailed surveys. Perhaps we need to set up open meetings where people come and air their concerns,... we are open to all suggestions and ideas. Indeed, this is a critical objective for our organization.

As individuals, there is a lot that we can do, that we are not currently doing. For example, when we see a new individual at the masjid, how many of us go up to him and say salaam, and ask him how he is doing? If we do so the first time we see him, do we bother to greet him and inquire about him every time we see him?... There is a brother from Nigeria that I see very often at the masjid, yet I don't see others talking to him and trying to be friendly. The masjid can be a very unfriendly and uninviting place for those who are new and don't know others. Obviously, this problem is very much [more] profound for non-Arabs, than for Arabs. We need to address this, not be telling the Arab brothers to be more friendly towards others, but rather by reminding them and educating them of what Islam says about this issue. Unless and until we can educate the people about the authentic Islamic teachings, we will see problems like these, and others arising out of ignorance of the masses.

Finally, Br. Siraj, who has barely accepted his nomination, extends a sincere call upon everyone to join the ISGC in order to make it a better place for all. "I know many have their doubts and concerns," he says, "some which are genuine and others which are not. I do not ask that you set them aside and forget about the,, but all I ask is that you come to us, air your concerns and work with us, in improving ourselves and our organization. Let us work in the spirit of the Quran and authentic sunnah, and then if we do not deliver, I will be the first to say that you have a genuine reason not to participate in the organization."

Election Results

Fiqh council:
Dr. Salah El-Sawi,
M. Adam Elsheikh, and
Safwat Morsi.

New Board of Trustees Members:
Safwan Halabi,
Abdullah Al-Amiri,
Aly Eman, and
Mohamed Matus.

General Body Representative seats for the 2 year term ending '98:
Ashfaq Tashfeen,
Mohamed Salem,
Siraj Akhtar,
Hazem Gheith,
Suhail Munir,
Bilal Farhan, and
Asmaa Al-Khourasat.