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.
Showing posts with label dawah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dawah. Show all posts
Sunday, November 7, 2010
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
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
Friday, September 3, 2010
April 1996 Progress in Communication
by Norma Tarazi
So often, we sigh and nod together, us Muslims, over the incomprehension of your faith by non-Muslims, of their disregard and disrespect for our feelings, our holidays, our salat, our moral values. Well, we need to note any step in the direction toward understanding that they make, and encourage them in that direction. Several stories came in over the news in the last 2 months about the improved relations we are making. did you know that at the University of Syracuse they now serve halal food in the student residences? They also closed the university in observance of Eid this year, just like they close for Christmas. they are probably the first university to do so, but such recognition is a start and we hope to continue in this direction. The Muslim community reported that their negotiations with university officials were cordial and reasonable at all times, and they obtained these changes in university policy peacefully, without threats or arm twisting.
Hillary Clinton gave an Eid Party at the White House this last Eid. Her daughter Chelsea, has been studying Islam at school and brought her new information to her mother some months ago, before their trip to South East Asia. this brought Mrs. Clinton to a better understanding of Muslims in our country, and she invited about 200 Muslims, families with their children, for an Eid Party, to respect our religion as Christmas, Easter, and Hanukah are represented at the White House. She wrote an article about this experience to the newspapers. They ate lots of different specialties, meat dumplings, pita bread, hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, and pastries. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, people say. The way to help improve understanding among people may be to share more food with them, like these Muslims did with Mrs. Clinton. Here in Columbus, our local MSA did with their Iftar Party at OSU. IQRA! wrote last month about the news coverage of Br. Hakeem Olajuwon's fasting during Ramadan. This month we saw Br. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf of the Denver Nuggets refusing to stand for the national anthem. This controversy did not turn out standard negative publicity for us. Several commentators compared Abdul-Rauf to other non-Muslims who have made public statements of similar kind, like Sandy Koufax. Several major writers spoke up defending his freedom of speech and discussing how poorly many spectators react to the anthem.
We now have Muslim public relations experts to contact the press and give them a reaciton from the Muslim community. CAIR and others were reasonably able to respond to reporters so that the public could understand this as a personal decision of Br. Abdul-Rauf, not as an act demanded of all Muslims. The event culminated with the interview of Br. Hakeem Olajuwon, who helped mediate the problem and resolve it in a peaceful, undramatic way. An article in Newsweek of March 25th is particularly interesting. Frank Deford, the author, manages to respect Abdul-Rauf for his faith and explain his act as an excess of zeal in a new convert. Deford's understanding of the Muslim situation is commendable.
We can see progress in media coverage of Muslims. Hopefully this is a trend. Let us seek to create more examples of this kind. The truth, properly and decently presented, may take more time to be noticed over the strident screaming of slander and sensationalism, but, with continuous effort and the help of Allah (SWT) we will create a better understanding of Islam throughout the United States and the world.
So often, we sigh and nod together, us Muslims, over the incomprehension of your faith by non-Muslims, of their disregard and disrespect for our feelings, our holidays, our salat, our moral values. Well, we need to note any step in the direction toward understanding that they make, and encourage them in that direction. Several stories came in over the news in the last 2 months about the improved relations we are making. did you know that at the University of Syracuse they now serve halal food in the student residences? They also closed the university in observance of Eid this year, just like they close for Christmas. they are probably the first university to do so, but such recognition is a start and we hope to continue in this direction. The Muslim community reported that their negotiations with university officials were cordial and reasonable at all times, and they obtained these changes in university policy peacefully, without threats or arm twisting.
Hillary Clinton gave an Eid Party at the White House this last Eid. Her daughter Chelsea, has been studying Islam at school and brought her new information to her mother some months ago, before their trip to South East Asia. this brought Mrs. Clinton to a better understanding of Muslims in our country, and she invited about 200 Muslims, families with their children, for an Eid Party, to respect our religion as Christmas, Easter, and Hanukah are represented at the White House. She wrote an article about this experience to the newspapers. They ate lots of different specialties, meat dumplings, pita bread, hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, and pastries. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, people say. The way to help improve understanding among people may be to share more food with them, like these Muslims did with Mrs. Clinton. Here in Columbus, our local MSA did with their Iftar Party at OSU. IQRA! wrote last month about the news coverage of Br. Hakeem Olajuwon's fasting during Ramadan. This month we saw Br. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf of the Denver Nuggets refusing to stand for the national anthem. This controversy did not turn out standard negative publicity for us. Several commentators compared Abdul-Rauf to other non-Muslims who have made public statements of similar kind, like Sandy Koufax. Several major writers spoke up defending his freedom of speech and discussing how poorly many spectators react to the anthem.
We now have Muslim public relations experts to contact the press and give them a reaciton from the Muslim community. CAIR and others were reasonably able to respond to reporters so that the public could understand this as a personal decision of Br. Abdul-Rauf, not as an act demanded of all Muslims. The event culminated with the interview of Br. Hakeem Olajuwon, who helped mediate the problem and resolve it in a peaceful, undramatic way. An article in Newsweek of March 25th is particularly interesting. Frank Deford, the author, manages to respect Abdul-Rauf for his faith and explain his act as an excess of zeal in a new convert. Deford's understanding of the Muslim situation is commendable.
We can see progress in media coverage of Muslims. Hopefully this is a trend. Let us seek to create more examples of this kind. The truth, properly and decently presented, may take more time to be noticed over the strident screaming of slander and sensationalism, but, with continuous effort and the help of Allah (SWT) we will create a better understanding of Islam throughout the United States and the world.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Dec 1995 Columbus Holds International Festival
by Mufakharul Islam
The International Festival in Columbus is an annual festival of the international community living in Central Ohio. It is held on the first weekend of November of each year. The organizer of this event is the United Nations chapter of Columbus, Ohio. even though it is held in Columbus, different ethnic people living all over the U.S. attended this event to represent their ethnic and cultural customs. It is interesting to know about the different cultures and the different ethnic groups in this festival. Every year an estimated 40 to 50 thousand visitors attend the festival. This year it was help on November 4th and 5th. There were at least 200 booths where foods, clothes, and different traditional items were for sale.
The Islamic Foundation of central Ohio (IFCO) had a booth in this festival where foods and clothing form different Muslim countries such as Egypt, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh were sold. Sisters and children from IFCO helped in cooking and selling food. At one end of the booth an "invitation" table was set up to attract visitors. Some brothers from IFCO were there to explain Islamic traditions and principles to them. There were a lot of pamphlets on Islam and the sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). There were some Islamic videos displayed for the children, to help them learn about Islam. This turned out to be a key attraction for both parents and children and an opportunity for them to inquire about Islam. IFCO's booth was the only booth with an Islamic agenda. the festival environment may not be suited for Muslim women gatherings but it is good for disseminating ideas about Islam to the attendees.
Due to the fact that this festival attracts a very large crowd, the ISGC and IFCO should take more initiatives to disseminate information about Islam in this festival.
The International Festival in Columbus is an annual festival of the international community living in Central Ohio. It is held on the first weekend of November of each year. The organizer of this event is the United Nations chapter of Columbus, Ohio. even though it is held in Columbus, different ethnic people living all over the U.S. attended this event to represent their ethnic and cultural customs. It is interesting to know about the different cultures and the different ethnic groups in this festival. Every year an estimated 40 to 50 thousand visitors attend the festival. This year it was help on November 4th and 5th. There were at least 200 booths where foods, clothes, and different traditional items were for sale.
The Islamic Foundation of central Ohio (IFCO) had a booth in this festival where foods and clothing form different Muslim countries such as Egypt, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh were sold. Sisters and children from IFCO helped in cooking and selling food. At one end of the booth an "invitation" table was set up to attract visitors. Some brothers from IFCO were there to explain Islamic traditions and principles to them. There were a lot of pamphlets on Islam and the sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). There were some Islamic videos displayed for the children, to help them learn about Islam. This turned out to be a key attraction for both parents and children and an opportunity for them to inquire about Islam. IFCO's booth was the only booth with an Islamic agenda. the festival environment may not be suited for Muslim women gatherings but it is good for disseminating ideas about Islam to the attendees.
Due to the fact that this festival attracts a very large crowd, the ISGC and IFCO should take more initiatives to disseminate information about Islam in this festival.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Jan 1995 Non Muslims Visit Our Mosque
by Fauzi Labidi and Norma Tarazi
On December 7, 1994 a group of students in a theology class visited the Omar Ibn ElKhattab Mosque to learn about Islam. The program started with the Isha Prayer at 7 P.M. The visitors sat down to watch the way Muslim perform their prayers. Once the prayer was over, Brother Ashraf Sabrin presented a hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) that highlights the embryological growth of the fetus in the womb. The point was to show how the Prophet, (PBUH) through revelation from God, knew scientific facts hundreds of years prior to their discovery.
The meeting then separated a bit as most of the women of the group entered the ladies prayer area to meet with some sisters who had come to the prayer. The mostly men's meeting continued with questions and answers session led by Br. Hani Saqr. The main questions raised by the guests as well as some of the responses were:
"Why were there more men than women in the mosque?" A sister responded to this question by saying that men and women in Islam have different responsibilities and it is not mandatory upon women to pray in the mosque. She added that the sisters do not usually gather during the Isha Prayer because of their family responsibilities during that time.
"What's the most difficult thing you faced when you first came to America?" was addressed to immigrant Muslims. Some of the response were: the materialistic nature of life, the absence of God in the lives of people, the deteriorating moral values (crime, teenage pregnancy, ...) The sister's discussions were informal and spontaneous.
They were asked a lot about the role of Muslim women. It was interesting to see that the women guests had respected the mosque to the point of wearing their idea of Islamic clothing to the meeting. They couldn't seem to understand that our sisters do not feel un-modern, that they feel not a need to modernize Islam, but instead a need to return to the practice of pure Islam, without the cultural contamination added on over the centuries. the guests also seemed surprised that the brothers served the refreshments, not the sisters.
The sisters suggested that future meetings of this type be kept informal, with perhaps a short opening and closing formal address to the group, and then a break up into smaller groups. As usual, sisters in the ladies section cannot properly participate in meetings held in the men's section, even with microphones.
Finally, Br. Khalid Farag thanked the guests for taking their time for stopping by to learn about Islam. He added that this kind of event should be repeated in the future.
On December 7, 1994 a group of students in a theology class visited the Omar Ibn ElKhattab Mosque to learn about Islam. The program started with the Isha Prayer at 7 P.M. The visitors sat down to watch the way Muslim perform their prayers. Once the prayer was over, Brother Ashraf Sabrin presented a hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) that highlights the embryological growth of the fetus in the womb. The point was to show how the Prophet, (PBUH) through revelation from God, knew scientific facts hundreds of years prior to their discovery.
The meeting then separated a bit as most of the women of the group entered the ladies prayer area to meet with some sisters who had come to the prayer. The mostly men's meeting continued with questions and answers session led by Br. Hani Saqr. The main questions raised by the guests as well as some of the responses were:
"Why were there more men than women in the mosque?" A sister responded to this question by saying that men and women in Islam have different responsibilities and it is not mandatory upon women to pray in the mosque. She added that the sisters do not usually gather during the Isha Prayer because of their family responsibilities during that time.
"What's the most difficult thing you faced when you first came to America?" was addressed to immigrant Muslims. Some of the response were: the materialistic nature of life, the absence of God in the lives of people, the deteriorating moral values (crime, teenage pregnancy, ...) The sister's discussions were informal and spontaneous.
They were asked a lot about the role of Muslim women. It was interesting to see that the women guests had respected the mosque to the point of wearing their idea of Islamic clothing to the meeting. They couldn't seem to understand that our sisters do not feel un-modern, that they feel not a need to modernize Islam, but instead a need to return to the practice of pure Islam, without the cultural contamination added on over the centuries. the guests also seemed surprised that the brothers served the refreshments, not the sisters.
The sisters suggested that future meetings of this type be kept informal, with perhaps a short opening and closing formal address to the group, and then a break up into smaller groups. As usual, sisters in the ladies section cannot properly participate in meetings held in the men's section, even with microphones.
Finally, Br. Khalid Farag thanked the guests for taking their time for stopping by to learn about Islam. He added that this kind of event should be repeated in the future.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
May 1994 The Sign In The Window
by Katie Abdullah
Recently I started a new job, working evenings at a gas station in the northeast quadrant of town. My husband, a recent immigrant from Egypt, comes with me, and we spend our time in the bulletproof booth helping customers, talking, reading, and learning about some aspects of American culture.
During our shift is Magrib, the early evening prayer. While we pray, we put a sign in the window, so that customers know we'll be back soon. We didn't feel comfortable using the "Shift changing, please wait" sign, because that wasn't what we were doing. We found a sign with "I'll be back in three minutes, but this was ineffective, as customers pounded on the window upon arriving, hoping, I assume, that I was near the end of my three minutes.
With one or both of these signs in the window, I would pray right in the front of the store or my husband and I would pray together in the back room, visible through the windows. After reading the sign and seeing us, customers would beat on the windows and shout, getting noisier when we didn't respond.
In Egypt, shopkeepers and clerks pray, right in the store. My husband wanted to maintain this practice here in the U.S., and I wanted to start the tradition myself. Hoping for an undisturbed prayer, I hand, lettered a sign which reads simply, "I'm praying. Please wait 3 min. Thank you." My husband and I felt sure that most people would respect this, even if they didn't understand exactly what we were doing. So far, no one has openly complained about having to wait while we fulfill our obligation to Allah (SWT). However, people have grimaced, pouted, thrown their money in the tray, and grumbled their purchase requests. Some people still pound on the window and shout!
One evening, after having difficulty concentrating on our salat, due to pounding and knocking, I lifted my sign up in front of the face of the waiting customer, who was scowling. After entering her order into the cash register, I thanked her for waiting, (yes, she probably heard the sarcasm in my I voice), and she sulked away. The ten-year old boy waiting behind her said, "I'm sorry, I didn't see the sign," and bought a candy bar. I smiled at him and thanked him , (sincerely) for waiting. My husband was encouraged to see such a young person have respect for religious activity. He took this as an indication, insha'Allah, that other persons, of all ages, would share this young man's respect.
Although many of the customers have been neither as patient, nor as respectful as we had hoped, we have received a few pleasant surprises. A day or two after the young man apologized, we finished salat and found waiting for us several customers, the first of whom was an older gentleman. "Did you pray for me?!", he asked enthusiastically. "No, sir," I answered. "But I will the next time I pray!" "OK!" he exclaimed with joy and hopping on one foot a bit, "I'm just glad to see someone's praying." I think he was surprised to see a woman wearing hijab (the head covering) and maybe he doesn't know much about Islam, but his appreciation was genuine. Since then, we have been asked about our religion and asked why we pray. It seems that people are adjusting to our praying, and we are adjusting to their reaction.
However, the enthusiasm of the older gentleman after one of our first evenings with the sign was contagious. The rest of our shift my husband and I talked and laughed, discussing the potential of the future. What if Muslims in all occupations had small signs to put in their windows or on their desks? "I'm praying. Please wait ten minutes. Thank you. If What if we gave our bosses and supervisors copies of the local prayer schedule, with prayers during working hours highlighted, so that they would know when we'd be taking our "coffee breaks"? What if we who own our own businesses had signs which read "This is a Muslim-owned business" and "Bismillah arRahman arRahim"?
By merely announcing our existence and exercising our right to pray, we would be sending such a powerful message to the non-Muslims around us that it would be making quiet yet constant da'wa (education making quiet yet constant da'wa (education - about Islam). Insha'AIlah, more and more Muslims will feel comfortable being open about Islam, and our presence in this country will become increasingly noticeable. But for now, I use a hand-lettered sign which reads: "I'm praying. Please wait 3 minutes. Thank you."
Recently I started a new job, working evenings at a gas station in the northeast quadrant of town. My husband, a recent immigrant from Egypt, comes with me, and we spend our time in the bulletproof booth helping customers, talking, reading, and learning about some aspects of American culture.
During our shift is Magrib, the early evening prayer. While we pray, we put a sign in the window, so that customers know we'll be back soon. We didn't feel comfortable using the "Shift changing, please wait" sign, because that wasn't what we were doing. We found a sign with "I'll be back in three minutes, but this was ineffective, as customers pounded on the window upon arriving, hoping, I assume, that I was near the end of my three minutes.
With one or both of these signs in the window, I would pray right in the front of the store or my husband and I would pray together in the back room, visible through the windows. After reading the sign and seeing us, customers would beat on the windows and shout, getting noisier when we didn't respond.
In Egypt, shopkeepers and clerks pray, right in the store. My husband wanted to maintain this practice here in the U.S., and I wanted to start the tradition myself. Hoping for an undisturbed prayer, I hand, lettered a sign which reads simply, "I'm praying. Please wait 3 min. Thank you." My husband and I felt sure that most people would respect this, even if they didn't understand exactly what we were doing. So far, no one has openly complained about having to wait while we fulfill our obligation to Allah (SWT). However, people have grimaced, pouted, thrown their money in the tray, and grumbled their purchase requests. Some people still pound on the window and shout!
One evening, after having difficulty concentrating on our salat, due to pounding and knocking, I lifted my sign up in front of the face of the waiting customer, who was scowling. After entering her order into the cash register, I thanked her for waiting, (yes, she probably heard the sarcasm in my I voice), and she sulked away. The ten-year old boy waiting behind her said, "I'm sorry, I didn't see the sign," and bought a candy bar. I smiled at him and thanked him , (sincerely) for waiting. My husband was encouraged to see such a young person have respect for religious activity. He took this as an indication, insha'Allah, that other persons, of all ages, would share this young man's respect.
Although many of the customers have been neither as patient, nor as respectful as we had hoped, we have received a few pleasant surprises. A day or two after the young man apologized, we finished salat and found waiting for us several customers, the first of whom was an older gentleman. "Did you pray for me?!", he asked enthusiastically. "No, sir," I answered. "But I will the next time I pray!" "OK!" he exclaimed with joy and hopping on one foot a bit, "I'm just glad to see someone's praying." I think he was surprised to see a woman wearing hijab (the head covering) and maybe he doesn't know much about Islam, but his appreciation was genuine. Since then, we have been asked about our religion and asked why we pray. It seems that people are adjusting to our praying, and we are adjusting to their reaction.
However, the enthusiasm of the older gentleman after one of our first evenings with the sign was contagious. The rest of our shift my husband and I talked and laughed, discussing the potential of the future. What if Muslims in all occupations had small signs to put in their windows or on their desks? "I'm praying. Please wait ten minutes. Thank you. If What if we gave our bosses and supervisors copies of the local prayer schedule, with prayers during working hours highlighted, so that they would know when we'd be taking our "coffee breaks"? What if we who own our own businesses had signs which read "This is a Muslim-owned business" and "Bismillah arRahman arRahim"?
By merely announcing our existence and exercising our right to pray, we would be sending such a powerful message to the non-Muslims around us that it would be making quiet yet constant da'wa (education making quiet yet constant da'wa (education - about Islam). Insha'AIlah, more and more Muslims will feel comfortable being open about Islam, and our presence in this country will become increasingly noticeable. But for now, I use a hand-lettered sign which reads: "I'm praying. Please wait 3 minutes. Thank you."
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sept. 1994 Farakhan Visit to Columbus
The MSA and ISGC distributed a press release to all news agencies and TV channels in Columbus for the occasion of Farakhan's speech, August 27th. The press release stated that Islam is not a religion of racism, hatred, separation, and violence. It promotes brotherhood and unity. Muslim teaching places strong emphasis on education, respect, tolerance, family values, and above all, a God-centered lifestyle.
A group of MSA brothers distributed flyers in a peaceful manner at the speech. One brother remarked, "The nice thing is that people ignored me until I said 'Asalaam alaikum'. Then they asked me if the pamphlet about Islam was good or bad. So I said, "I am a Muslim. How can I give you something bad?"
A group of MSA brothers distributed flyers in a peaceful manner at the speech. One brother remarked, "The nice thing is that people ignored me until I said 'Asalaam alaikum'. Then they asked me if the pamphlet about Islam was good or bad. So I said, "I am a Muslim. How can I give you something bad?"
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