June 1996 Election Frustration

IQRA! Critique of the First Years Experience of the ISGC Election Process

This year's ISGC election was characterized by Confusion and low turnout. In spite of the habitual pattern by which elections were held since 1984, it was as though this was the first year it has been done. Only one week before the membership drive was closed, an election committee was selected. Members of the committee who did not have any previous experience were unaware of many constitutional requirements that needed to be fulfilled. When the election committee searched for the previous election file that contained many valuable information on the procedures, they discovered it had disappeared! Confusion resulted from the sporadic distribution of nomination forms, especially on the sisters' side, additional forms for the computer center and lack of understanding of the nomination and membership constitutional requirements.

As a result, strange things happened, like extending the deadline for nomination for the sisters, receiving verbal nominations by phone, and post-deadline payment of membership fees. Unfortunately, in order to bring some order into the process, some nominations were removed (verbal nominations and new members) and voting rights were revoked for those who have been members for less than 4 months. Statistics show that this year's membership is 30% less than last year.

Two factors led to that phenomenon. first, the low profile given to the membership drive. The window was open for only 2 weeks, although the constitution defines eligible voters and members to those who have applied at least 120 days. Second, it is claimed that the 300% increase in membership fees led to the unfortunate decline in membership. Although some speculate that this might have been intentional to facilitate a 50% quorum, it is unjustifiable to exclude members rather than to reduce the quorum percentage.

It is understandable that first trials are usually laden with new lessons, but it is now up to the new administration to thoroughly organize the structure of the election process to make it more equitable and just to all members of the community.

       1995 -  1996 Changes

• Total Members    155    84    -30%
• New Members      95    15    -73%
• General Assembly 68    42     -24%
• Sisters Enrolled     35    16     -37%
• Membership ($)    05    15   -300%

Feb 1996 News Fly Around

MATT

February 22 - Columbus -- Muslim employees of AT&T, Columbus, have formed an official group at the company called MATT (Muslims at AT&T). the objectives of this group are "to support and provide resources for the Muslim associates at the Columbus Works" and to "facilitate a better understanding of Islamic ideology and culture at the Columbus Works" according to their by-laws. Among their activities is public relations and increasing awareness. This is done by participating in activities in the workplace and by inviting guest speakers to address issues that face Muslim employees in the workplace and address stereotyping of Muslims in general.

The group also has some social activities for occasions such as a collective family iftar in Ramadan. The group meets regularly to discuss 1. issues that relate to Muslims in the workplace, and 2. study teachings from Quran and Sunnah. the group also has a room for congregational prayer where Dhuhr and Asr prayers are performed. AT&T at Columbus has about 20 Muslim employees. Similar groups within AT&T exist in Illinois and New Jersey.

Nov 1995 Mosque, School, Cemetery: Light at the End of the Tunnel?

by IQRA! staff

The ISGC general assembly meeting should have been better attended, because important projects were presented which need community input. The simplest is the cemetery project. at present, the community has an arrangement with a public cemetery north of 270 on route 23, but the commercial expense is considerable. For the long term community benefit, plans have been made for owning our own cemetery, and, of great importance, people have already donated a substantial amount of money to a special fund for it. At present, an offer has been made on 2 acres in Northwest Columbus area, contingent upon obtaining zoning and a positive engineering report. A map of the area was passed around at the meeting. The purchase price is $50,000 for the acreage.

Two more project possibilities, for mosque and school, were unveiled at the meeting. the larger, and further off, is the possible purchase of about 12 acres, again in the Northwest area, for a mosque, full time school, and daycare center. The total project, land purchase and building construction, is projected at about two million dollars. Zoning problems, which are expected to be resolved soon, prevent action from being taken yet. If the community embraces this project, construction could probably start in the winter of 1996.

Recently, another school project had become possible. A 25 year old school is up for sale in Whitehall. This former elementary school, Robinwood, is located across from Town and Country Mall at East broad and Robinwood. It has a cafeteria, kitchen, gymnasium with stage, and a large area of flexible classroom space. If purchased, the community could start a full time school in the building by next fall. This facility could become a permanent location for our school, or used temporarily and sold later, when and if the Northwest project becomes a reality. All members of the community are urged to attend an open house of this facility on November 11th at 2 pm and express their views on the proposal.

Regardless of whether we have a special building or not, a group of committed volunteers has started meetings to plan the opening of "The Columbus Islamic Academy" by next fall. Four committees have been formed, for curriculum, administration, finances, and technical considerations. All in our community agree generally on the concept of a full time private school for our children, but up to now there has been too much procrastination. Parents are struggling with the unwholesome environments in public schools and praying that their children come out safely. The school can start temporarily at the mosque, or in rented quarters of some sort. We have qualified people in our community to staff the school. We have access to numerous curriculum sources. Our community is generally blessed with financial resources. The general feeling is that a start must be made, and Allah will provide for the growth and success, through the commitment of those who struggle for His Sake alone.

July 1995 Dear Editor

This Ummah is a Single Ummah

by Sr. Hiba Nasser

And verily this Ummah of your is a single Ummah and I am your Lord and Cherisher, therefore fear Me and no other. But people have cut off their affair of unity, between them into sects: each party rejoices in that which is with itself. (23:52-53).

After much planning, discussion, and voting, we have finally achieved a structure that is set up to represent everyone and to help us all to work together and to stay balanced as a Muslim community. The ISGC can do that if we use it properly. In the past, a lot of things did not get done or were not clear because no one talked to anyone else, and because the officers kept changing every year under the MSA (which is fine for students, but not conducive to growth as a permanent community). Now that has changed. Different people know what others are doing, who to contact regarding a particular issue, women are listened to for the first time, women and men can each feel that they are truly represented in a governing and administrative body. Now it is possible that we are being asked to consider a step backwards. It has been proposed by a few that women separate themselves into a sub-organization. Let me explain why I think we should stay intact as a unified organization.

For those of you who do not know, there has been a long history of almost no communication between men and women on the business of the masjid, planning major events, working towards common goals (i.e. full-time school, programs for everyone, both social and educational etc.) There was no one representing all the women (or all the men). Men and women did not know what was going on with the other even when it was a common concern or an Islamic project on which we could collaborate. When it comes to the community needs, goals, and other projects, there needs to be some clear, regular, and timely communication so that everyone who wants to can work together wisely. Also, there are ways now in which we are successfully collaborating without attending meetings together for everything.

It may be that some small groups feel that they are not here permanently and do not have a vested interest in a structure that focuses on permanency. That's a valid feeling but they can meet, study together, socialize, whatever they want and not have to be a separate or "sub' organization of the ISGC. The nature of the ISGC is to be all-inclusive but it allows for some separateness now if we want it. A proposal to separate ourselves from it formally is moving backwards. Nothing in Islam teaches separateness in the Ummah. we are to be a unified community.

The ISGC has a structure that allows for personal differences. Women and men can have separate study groups, separate meetings, and other events. We can pray in separate rooms or the same room, as you like. there is representation for men and women. We can go to a GBR (woman or man) or the Executive Committee or even the Board of Trustees - whoever is appropriate. We can offer help, complain, work, ask questions, literally anything we want to do that is Islamically correct.

The ISGC has not been in place for very long. we need to at least try the system. We can challenge each entity to do something different or better. We have the structure to do anything!

I truly believe that the BOT and the Executive Committee will keep the checks and balances in place so that no one goes too far in any direction. If they don't, you and I can challenge them to do the right thing. The current structure allows for correction from the general membership.

The ISGC is not an entity that came in, imposed something strange on us, and now we have to protect ourselves. No, this is an organization that the majority voted in, and in which we still have a voice. Let's try working with them and help each other to grow in the right direction. We have a lot to accomplish and we must do it together. Let's wait and give everyone a chance to develop. They are inviting our help and criticism - that's part of the structure we have voted in.
Keep in mind, that in the end, we are not meeting just for the sake of meeting; we are not studying Islam just to fill hours: we are trying to establish an Islamic community. The ISGC is one vehicle to do that.

May Allah guide us. May we grow together into a stronger, unified community and, Insha'Allah, make the ISGC the beginning of a true Islamic society beyond our walls.

June 1995 Women General Body Representatives

IQRA! Special Report

The Islamic Society of Greater Columbus (ISGC) is a reality now. After months of electing the Board of Trustees, and after months of the hard work to put a "suggested constitution" in place, the constitution passed with flying colors. Last month was also an active one, preparing for the nomination and the election of the General Body Representatives (GBR). There were 14 brothers and 2 sisters who accepted their nominations. by the time of the election, one brother and the two sisters pulled out. Unfortunately, rumors were heard that the sisters were pressured to withdraw their nominations.

IQRA! interviewed both Sr. Hanan Farhan and Sr. Farida El-Henawy asking the following questions:

IQRA!: Why did you accept your nomination to the GBR?

Sr. Farida: I wanted to be a representative so that I'll have the chance to express women and children's needs and concerns.

Sr. Hanan: Allah says: "O people, We have created you from a male and a female." The Prophet , peace and blessings be upon him, says that women are sisters and partners of men. I believe that Muslim women have a role in building the Islamic society. Certainly, Muslim women have the obligation and the responsibility that complement men's. No man can play the role of the woman. Consequently, there was nothing to do except accepting the nomination to the GBR to participate in the decision making, in developing the future of this community, and in helping putting our decisions in place.

IQRA!: Have you received any support from the community to continue and be members in case you did win the election?

Sr. Farida: The period of time you are mentioning was very short. The support I got was minimal. the support actually came after my withdrawal!

Sr. Hanan: Like any other matter, there were pros and cons. Unfortunately, the majority was against having women on the GBR. But since I believe that being in this position is not deviation from the Islamic ruling, I insisted on proceeding.

IQRA!: Why did you decide to pull out of the GBR election?

Sr. Farida: I prefer not to discuss that now.

Sr. Hanan: My reasons and principles to accept the nomination in the first place have not been changed. I was the last to withdraw. First because I was left to be the only woman there, and second because I felt that one chair was not enough to represent all the women in the ISGC. I would like to emphasize that the Islamic society is like a bird. One wing represents men and the other represents women. How would a bird fly and get higher and higher with only one wing? If we want to be better and better, we must encourage women's participation at all levels including the level of decision making and execution.

IQRA!, as a part of its own investigation, acquired the following ruling of The Fiqh Council of North America from the American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 9:4, pp. 588-89. [On the issue of] "Whether women may share in the management and administration of mosques, Islamic schools, and executive councils of Islamic organizations. It was noted that there is no legal reason to prevent this essentially organizational concern and also, that this matter was not a source of controversy among the classical jurists, for the question of general sovereignty does not arise."

One prime example: Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA), a continental Muslim youth organization, in which a sister has been the youth chair of MYNA for several years.

Should the ISGC be two communities or are we supposed to be a true ONE community? Some people talk how 'ikhtelat" (mixing between brothers and sisters) is haram (unlawful) and that we should not allow it to happen in our ISGC. To clarify this point IQRA! would like to cite some passages from the book, "The liberation of Women in the Time of the Message" by Abdul-Halim Abu-Shukkah. In this book, the author leaves no doubt that the Muslim community at the time of the prophet, Peace and blessings be upon him, was indeed one community, where brothers and sisters dealt with each other and interacted on a daily basis according to the principles and regulations of Islam.

There are more than 350 authentic hadith (in Bukhari and Muslim) that list such types of interaction in various situations, like:

1. In the mosque, when prayers are held.
2. Gaining knowledge and education whether in the mosque or elsewhere.
3. In Makkah during Hajj and Umrah.
4. In celebrating Eid, during Eid prayers, and after during the celebrations.
5. In a legal court where men and women used to settle their disputes. This even included husbands and wives.
6. During "janazah" (funeral) and what comes after it from prayer to offering condolences etc...
7. During "jihad" (fighting for the cause of Allah) where women used to help in nursing and even in the actual fight, combat.

In addition to the public situations above, a lot of interaction took place also in personal matters like family visits, giving gifts, visiting a sick person, enjoining the good and forbidding the bad.

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.

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]

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

Nov. 1994 MSA General Assembly

Fauzi Labidi reports:

The MSA meeting started with an introduction by MSA president brother Khalid Farag in which he highlighted the following:

He thanked the brothers and sisters who contributed to the MSA activities and specially those who are working on the newsletter "IQRA!" and whose efforts, with the help of Allah (SWT), led to newcomers to Islam. He tackled the problem of raising funds for the Voice Mail system. He stated funds for the Voice Mail system. He stated the cost to be in the range of $5000. All funds will be raised by private donations. He stated that the MSA had a press release when Louis Farrakhan visited Columbus. Some brothers distributed flyers to the people attending Farrakhan's speech in the Convention Center. He touched on the problem of overcrowding of Jumaah prayer. He added that the MSA is in the process of looking for a better alternative.
He said that the Omar Ibn ElKhattab school is overcrowded and lacks support. The MSA was expecting an enrollment of 80 students while the current number is 138. The MSA is in the process of renovating the school house to accommodate the unexpected increase. He complained of the lack of participation by some brothers in the MSA activities and• how it led to putting sq many tasks on the back burner. He lamented about problems with the Fire Marshal and the Ohio Fire Code violations that are taking place and he urged the brothers and sisters to keep low profile to minimize the problems.

Once brother KhaIid was done with his introduction, the brothers embarked on the progress reports of the different MSA committees. The brothers in charge and the attendees covered the following points:

• The mailing list database is done and it has 320 members.

• One brother mentioned that the information committee should put more effort in advertising the Islamic events such as Ramadan and Eid.

• Brother Muhammad Selim complained about the lack of support for Da 'wah activities and especially the Da'wah table at OSU.

• One brother inquired about the possibility of inviting Muslim guest speakers to talk at OSU.

• Another brother complained about the lack of vision and long term planning of Da'wah activities.

• Some sisters asked if they can sit on the Da'wah Table. Brother Muhammad Selim replied by saying that if proper arrangements are made, he sees no problem in doing so.

• Brother Samer Suleiman stated that the social committee arranged visitations to patients in the hospital and accommodations of newcomers to our community by providing them with financial and logistic support.

• Some brothers praised brother Ali Al-Rubaian for managing the MSA finances adequately.

• One brother suggested that the MSA should collect donations for the Masjid more often to cover the rising expenses.

• Sisters inquired about their access to public facilities such as the computer and the library. Brother Khalid replied that he had requested the sisters provide him with a suitable time for them but, received no reply.

• Another brother inquired about systematic savings. Brother Ali said that some brothers are still doing so, and they are looking at different alternatives to promote this process.

Once the discussions on the MSA committees progress reports ended, brother Mouhammed N. Tarazi began his presentation on the proposed constitution of the ISGC. He explained the ISGC structure (e.g. Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, General Body), the function and the relation among the different bodies.

Some brothers complained that there was insufficient publicity for the meeting and that was why the attendance was less than expected. One brother commented that the ISGC is overprotective in its structure.

Some brothers requested that they should be given more time to read the ISGC constitution and to forward their comments. As a result, it was decided that the deadline for submittal for comments will be Friday, October 21, 1994. The ISGC will meet on October 28 to discuss those comments and on November 4 to vote on the ISGC constitution.

Oct. 1994 Dear Editor

Your Responsibility and Your Obligation

A recent habit has developed this summer. Some parents come to the mosque and leave their kids unattended in the parking lot. This is a formula for sure disaster, and a potential for lawsuits. While you are attending functions in the mosque, some of your children have been shredding Islamic leaflets in the paper shredder upstairs. Others have been getting free rides in a "Kroger Shopping Cart" which is propelled by another 6 year old down Riverview Drive.

I am not sure who is to blame, the undisciplined child or the careless parent? If you cannot keep your children under control and do not know what they are destroying during your visit to the mosque, then perhaps you should leave them at home with the other parent. I always believe that a child imprisoned at home is much better than a dead child on Riverview Drive.

At this time I would like to encourage the fathers to donate 2 hours a week to give a chance to their wives to have quality time in the halaqahs for sisters. This was the common practice of our brother, Dr. Ibrahim AI-Hadban. No parent should be permanently stuck home with the kids.

Khalid Farag



Dear Editor

Confusing Committees

In the last issue of IQRA, the MSA announced the formation of a new committee. The name of the committee was "Media Awareness". The goals of this committee were:

1. Handle the increasing frequent communication with the commercial media.
2. Prepare press releases.
3. Hold news conferences.
4. Prepare statements.

Although forming new committees should be commendable, especially in our current situation, I would like to point out a paragraph in the MSA constitution that really confuses the roles played by this committee. The paragraph in the constitution is the following: "The Information Coordinator shall be responsible to the President for:

9.1 Coordinating the Islamic Children school and Adult Education Programs.
9.2 Preparing circulars, bulletins and newsletters of the Association and presenting the same before the Committee for their views.
9.3 Circulating the Association's publications (i.e. prayer calendar, etc.)
9.4 Editing and publishing literature on behalf of the Association.
9.5 Organizing and directing the use of the library, media center, television programs, Islamic book service, exhibitions, etc."

I would like to emphasize points 9.2 and 9.4 and ask what is the difference between this new committee and the information committee? More specifically how does the MSA plan to prevent duality between the newly formed committee and the Information committee? Finally, I would like to ask the MSA to clarify who is responsible for the committee and who are the members? The announcement said that the committee had been formed. It is only logical to give a contact name or list the members of that committee.

Rached Zantout

Oct. 1994 MSA/ISGC News

Two important meetings are planned for the MSA and ISGC in October, to discuss and institute a constitution for the new ISGC, a well as evaluate the progress of the MSA executive committee.

Public Hearing Friday, Oct. 14th at 8:30 p.m.

Agenda:
1. Progress Report by MSA Executive Committee,
2. Hearing on ISGC Constitution

General Assembly Meeting, Friday, Oct. 21 at 8:30 p.m.

Agenda: Vote on ISGC Constitution

All MSA/ISGC members are urged to attend!

Last month a new MSA was inaugurated - THE MUSLIM STUDENT ASSOCIATION AT COLUMBUS STATE COLLEGE. Your sister MSA at OSU congratulates you!

June 1994 ISGC passes with flying colors

by Rached Zantout

On the night of Friday, May 6, 1994 the general assembly of the MSA (Muslim Student Association) met for a historic voting. The main issue at hand was the approval (or rejection) of the new proposed organization, the Islamic Society of greater Columbus (ISGC).

Preparation for that General Assembly started months before that Friday. The MSA conducted four workshops to educate its members and the Muslim community in general about ISGC. Attendees of each workshop were around 20 brothers or sisters. During those workshops the MSA also collected suggestions from attendees about ISGC. The most prominent objection to the proposed model of ISGC was about the permanency of the members of the board of trustees. Many brothers and sisters felt that a permanent member of board of trustees will help to create dictators in the board of trustees that are not answerable to the community.

Due to the importance of this issue, it was decided by the MSA Executive Committee (EC) to include both models on the ballot so that the general assembly would decide which was better. Another main issue was the election of the four initial members of the board of trustees which will oversee the final stage of bringing ISGC into existence. There were 17 members who were nominated by the general assembly and who accepted their nominations.

During the meeting many objections were raised and many new suggestions were introduced. it was clear that many members did not attend the workshops and therefore necessitated from the MSA president [Khaled Farag] to re-explain many things about ISGC. This lead to the frustration among members who attended the workshops as some of them considered it unfair for them after they took out of their time and attended the workshops.

Another problem was a brother who was authorized by his wife to cast her ballot in absentee. The MSA president explained that absentee ballots were not acceptable although the constitution did not say anything about that issue. A suggestion was put to the floor on whether the voting on the permanency of the members of the board of trustees should be done now or later. Many objections were raised "we are here to vote on issues not vote on postponing them" a sister said. "(members) who do not like the issues we vote on today can change them in later general assembly" the sister affirmed later. Also an objection from a brother who had written a suggestion during the workshop that did not make it to the ballot was noted. The MSA president explained that only suggestions which were given to the MSA by a large number of people made it to the ballot. All other suggestions are still on file and will be dealt with later.

The results of the meeting were that the budget of the MSA was passed by more than 51% of the members. Issue 2 (removing a trustee only by a unanimous vote of other trustees) did not pass. Issue 3 (removing a trustee either by a unanimous vote of other BOT members or by a 90% vote in a general assembly which contains at least 90% of the total ISGC membership) passed with a large difference between acceptance and rejection. Issue 4 (the formation of a new organization called Islamic Society of Greater Columbus) making MSA a sub-organization of ISGC, and accepting the proposed model that was presented in the workshops) passed with only 4 out of the 78 members present voting against it.

The initial plan was to provide both the men and women sections with a microphone so that each would be able to participate in the meeting. At the last minute the microphone did not work in the sisters room. The MSA president [Khaled Farag] attacked the manufacturers of the device and affirmed that a better system should be purchased. The MSA president allowed opening the double door separating the sister's section from the brothers' to facilitate communication.

The newly elected board of trustees for the ISGC are: Ahmed Abdullah, Hany Saqr, Khaled Farag, and Mouhamed Nabih Tarazi.


IQRA! survey of the MSA general assembly for the ISGC

Following the MSA general assembly, IQRA! made an opinion poll of the men and women of the MSA who attended the meeting. The sample was chosen at random made up of 38 men (or 48%) and 7 women (or 37%) of those who attended. Here is what they thought:
Do you understand that the ISGC is about? 35 said yes. 5 said no. 5 said no comment.
Did you attend the workshops? 25 said yes. 20 said no.
Did you approve how this meeting was managed? 18 said yes. 20 said no.
Give me one reason only why you did not approve?
• Khaled [Farag] was one of the nominees. He should not have chaired the meeting.
• Clear regulations must be made regarding the women's participation.
• The absentee votes
• A meeting should take place to discuss the issues before voting.
• All suggestions of the people should be posted before the meeting and those who second them should mark on the ones they approve.
• The issues to be voted on should have been publicized before the meeting (especially the budget and issues 3 and 4) so brothers and sisters could think about them, discuss them and form an opinion about them before coming to the meeting. This would have made the meeting more smooth and we could have finished everything before Isha' prayer as was planned.
• The men's questions suggest they were ill-informed.
• I could not hear well or ask questions. I didn't want to yell.
• No time was given to consider the budged and other issues on the agenda.
• I cannot recall issue 3 being raised in the workshops.
• The men were allowed to open already settled issues; we were there to vote, not debate.
• Proxy voting was acceptable before. I was surprised the rule was changed.

May 1994 MSA Restructuring

staff report

Usually when an organization sees itself getting too big it breaks itself into smaller pieces, controlled at the top by the same executives, who become the parent organization. The MSA of Columbus [Muslim Student Association] is doing something else. It is creating a parent organization for itself to become a subsidiary.

The Islamic Society of Greater Columbus, ISGC, has been proposed by members of the MSA, including the newly elected executive council, to the general membership of the MSA and the general public at a series of workshop discussions held during the mid April. The ISGC would be a nonprofit Islamic organization which would initially take over responsibility for the Omar Ibn El Khattab Mosque, the Saturday school, the summer school, and the proposed school project, plus all of the community responsibilities that stem out of these responsibilities.

The ISGC would have a board of trustees of long-term members, and an executive committee of elected officers for everyday affairs. It would be overseen by a board of fiqh.
The current MSA would become a small part of this organization, and envisions breaking up still smaller into separate MSA organizations for each of the different universities here in Columbus area to better meet the students' needs, increase student participation at different institutions, and to improve dawah efforts.

General Assembly Meeting
May 6 will be a very important date for the MSA. At a mass MSA meeting between Magrib and Isha, a vote will be held whether or not to approve the creation of the ISGC. If it is approved, MSA members will proceed to vote on a list of proposed Board of Trustees members for the ISGC, trustees who will be charged with creating a proposed constitution for the organization.
All MSA members and all members of the community, men and women, are highly encouraged to attend this meeting. Anyone who would like to participate in voting is urged to join the MSA as soon as possible. All members of the new ISGC automatically. MSA membership is required for voting. Membership forms can be obtained at the mosque, and the fee is only $5 for the year.
There is a proposal to make the initial board of trustees permanent. An alternate proposal would make trustees subject to impeachment (removable) if impeachment is voted by 90% majority of a quorum of 90% of the ISGC membership at a General Assembly Meeting. Voting on these proposals will take place at this meeting if the ISGC creation is approved.

The MSA has received many names of nominees for Board of Trustee positions. These names are being screened based on these criteria:
1. A good Muslim of about 30 years old at least.
2. Read/write ability in English
3. Has been in the U.S. for the past 3 years and will be in Columbus for the next 3 years.
4. Leadership ability and behavior.
5. Active member of any Islamic organization and a team worker.
6. Clear vision on the expansion of the community. For example, building a larger mosque, a school, ... etc.
7. General common interest of the community.
Other MSA business at the May 6th meeting will include the introduction of its newly elected executive committee. They will present their plans and projects for the current year, along with a review of the MSA budget.