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.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Dec 1994 Highlights of the International Festival
by Soumaiya Bousfiha
I would like to thank the Islamic Center [ed. on E. Broad St., IFCO] very much for their participation in representing Islam at the International Festival, November 5th and 6th, which was held at Veteran's Memorial Hall in downtown Columbus. I thank all the brothers and sisters who worked so very hard at planning, setting up the booths, and giving their time for this most important function.
The festival makes one feel like the world comes together in peace and respect, having fun and enjoyment at the same time. It is educational in the sense of providing opportunity for people to learn about other countries, nationalities, cultures, and religions.
I want to especially thank the Islamic Center for giving me the chance to take part and work with them in passing on the Islamic information to non Muslims. It was wonderful to meet brothers and sisters from the Islamic Center, hopefully strengthening our friendship and the relationship between the two masjids. Please allow me to help next year.
A big thanks goes to Hamida Ismael for all her hard work in taking care of the planning, setting-up, and scheduling. You are a joy to work with. Hamida and her husband have gone to and/or worked at the festival since the late 70's. I talked with her about the festival. "We don't go to make money. Our main purpose is to present Islam to non-Muslims and show what Islam is all about. a lot of people have been exposed to Islam through the festival. Also, it is fun working with other ladies. Of course the food and people from other countries are fun and interesting." she said.
I also talked with Shahida Khan and Selwa Abdullah who have both worked in the Festival for 25 years. Selwa said, "We must be at the festival every year to represent Islam as there are many churches represented there. It is good exposure for Islam."
Nabiha Hawramey, who also worked there with me, said, "The international Festival is a wonderful idea and I enjoy it. I like meeting different people from different religions and nationalities."
Alhamdulillah! I found several booths run by Muslims at the Festival. I would be looking at some interesting piece of jewelry or art object and the next thing I knew, the people working there would approach me and say "Asalaam alaikum" and I would find out they were Muslims. This gave me great joy.
I had the honor of meeting new as well as familiar people, and also some new sisters from Bosnia. Mashallah! I feel the world is our neighbor.
"Serve Allah and join not any partners with Him and do good, to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbors who are of kin, neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side, the way-farer (you meet). .." (4:36)
Ubn Umar and Aisha related that the Holy Prophet said: Gabriel kept exhorting me about the neighbor until I imagined he would include him in the category of heirs. (Bukhari & Muslim)
Abdullah ibn Umar relates that the Holy Prophet said: The best companion in the sight of Allah is he who behaves best towards his companions, and the best neighbor is he who behaves best towards his neighbors. (Tirmidhi)
Each of us has an obligation to reach out to our neighbors and introduce them to Islam in word, deed, and actions. May Allah bless all who helped make the Festival a success.
I would like to thank the Islamic Center [ed. on E. Broad St., IFCO] very much for their participation in representing Islam at the International Festival, November 5th and 6th, which was held at Veteran's Memorial Hall in downtown Columbus. I thank all the brothers and sisters who worked so very hard at planning, setting up the booths, and giving their time for this most important function.
The festival makes one feel like the world comes together in peace and respect, having fun and enjoyment at the same time. It is educational in the sense of providing opportunity for people to learn about other countries, nationalities, cultures, and religions.
I want to especially thank the Islamic Center for giving me the chance to take part and work with them in passing on the Islamic information to non Muslims. It was wonderful to meet brothers and sisters from the Islamic Center, hopefully strengthening our friendship and the relationship between the two masjids. Please allow me to help next year.
A big thanks goes to Hamida Ismael for all her hard work in taking care of the planning, setting-up, and scheduling. You are a joy to work with. Hamida and her husband have gone to and/or worked at the festival since the late 70's. I talked with her about the festival. "We don't go to make money. Our main purpose is to present Islam to non-Muslims and show what Islam is all about. a lot of people have been exposed to Islam through the festival. Also, it is fun working with other ladies. Of course the food and people from other countries are fun and interesting." she said.
I also talked with Shahida Khan and Selwa Abdullah who have both worked in the Festival for 25 years. Selwa said, "We must be at the festival every year to represent Islam as there are many churches represented there. It is good exposure for Islam."
Nabiha Hawramey, who also worked there with me, said, "The international Festival is a wonderful idea and I enjoy it. I like meeting different people from different religions and nationalities."
Alhamdulillah! I found several booths run by Muslims at the Festival. I would be looking at some interesting piece of jewelry or art object and the next thing I knew, the people working there would approach me and say "Asalaam alaikum" and I would find out they were Muslims. This gave me great joy.
I had the honor of meeting new as well as familiar people, and also some new sisters from Bosnia. Mashallah! I feel the world is our neighbor.
"Serve Allah and join not any partners with Him and do good, to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbors who are of kin, neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side, the way-farer (you meet). .." (4:36)
Ubn Umar and Aisha related that the Holy Prophet said: Gabriel kept exhorting me about the neighbor until I imagined he would include him in the category of heirs. (Bukhari & Muslim)
Abdullah ibn Umar relates that the Holy Prophet said: The best companion in the sight of Allah is he who behaves best towards his companions, and the best neighbor is he who behaves best towards his neighbors. (Tirmidhi)
Each of us has an obligation to reach out to our neighbors and introduce them to Islam in word, deed, and actions. May Allah bless all who helped make the Festival a success.
Dec 1994 Muslim School in Columbus - Robbery and Survival
by Hiba Naser
Brother Sunni Islam, MA. ED. counselor of 20 years, and Muslim chaplain, started a full-time Islamic school on 14th St. over a year ago in a rented building. He and his wife, Kathy, have been working for this period for no salary. The number of students has increased and, Alhamdullah, a few families were successful in keeping their children in an Islamic environment virtually all the time.
Brother Sunni has had some successful, though modest, fund-raising efforts to support the school. Otherwise, tuition is set at a marginal sum, based on family income and size.
The school was recently robbed! In fact, it was so thoroughly "cleaned out" that the thieves even ripped out the copper plumbing pipes and shelves from the walls!
The school could no longer operate in its rented building. Sunni and Kathy invited the students to their home to attend classes. The MSA president, Khaled Farag, has invited the school to use the Omar Mosque or the next-door school house for the school the idea is under discussion and decisions must be made regarding logistics. At this crucial time, it is very important for the community to start providing more support for this educational effort.
Some of us who are not directly involved with the school have also kept open the lines of communication so that all of us in Columbus can experience a sense of community. In addition to keeping in touch, we recently decided that a much more aggressive effort to raise funds and increase enrollment must begin. WE (you and I) of the community must do that. The people managing a school and teaching the children can't possibly do the job. The teachers, staff and students must know we support them. (We support unbelievers through our tax dollars. Now let's support Muslim children to keep them out of the educational control of unbelievers.)
Brother Sunni Islam, MA. ED. counselor of 20 years, and Muslim chaplain, started a full-time Islamic school on 14th St. over a year ago in a rented building. He and his wife, Kathy, have been working for this period for no salary. The number of students has increased and, Alhamdullah, a few families were successful in keeping their children in an Islamic environment virtually all the time.
Brother Sunni has had some successful, though modest, fund-raising efforts to support the school. Otherwise, tuition is set at a marginal sum, based on family income and size.
The school was recently robbed! In fact, it was so thoroughly "cleaned out" that the thieves even ripped out the copper plumbing pipes and shelves from the walls!
The school could no longer operate in its rented building. Sunni and Kathy invited the students to their home to attend classes. The MSA president, Khaled Farag, has invited the school to use the Omar Mosque or the next-door school house for the school the idea is under discussion and decisions must be made regarding logistics. At this crucial time, it is very important for the community to start providing more support for this educational effort.
Some of us who are not directly involved with the school have also kept open the lines of communication so that all of us in Columbus can experience a sense of community. In addition to keeping in touch, we recently decided that a much more aggressive effort to raise funds and increase enrollment must begin. WE (you and I) of the community must do that. The people managing a school and teaching the children can't possibly do the job. The teachers, staff and students must know we support them. (We support unbelievers through our tax dollars. Now let's support Muslim children to keep them out of the educational control of unbelievers.)
Dec. 1994 Slander!! The Muslim Response
By Norma Tarazi
"It was team work. When we work together, with selfless interest, it pays off, declared Br. Souhail Khan. The greatest united effort of the entire Muslim community of Central Ohio took place with a phoning and writing campaign to WOSU's channel 34. This was done to protest the airing of "Jihad in America", a propaganda film designed to encourage distrust of all Muslims, disguised as a documentary.
As early as 2 months ago, information about this film started circulating around the country and the Internet started buzzing warning signals, but the leaders of our community understood that national Islamic organizations like CAIR, [the Council on American Islamic Relations], ISNA [Islamic Society of North America] and ICNA [Islamic Circle of North America] were handling the problem with the national headquarters of Public Broadcasting system. PBS, however, refused to recognize Muslim interest in the film, and insisted on relying solely on its own internal board of review which, in turn, refused to recognize the implicit slander of the 'documentary'.
When all efforts to discuss the issue were rudely thrown out, the national organizations sent the message out on Internet to local Muslim communities all over the United States, warning them of something bad coming down the pike. Still, responsible people want to protest responsibly. The community had a general idea of what the slander was, because of the reputation of the producer and those around him.
Some two years ago, a documentary about the Intifada was aired on PBS, but, because of protest, a panel was allowed to discuss the film before and after its airing, and money was allocated to produce this second 'documentary' ,"Jihad in America" which had to be aired to compensate for allowing the Palestinian documentary on the air. But, until about a week before public airing, nobody had actually seen the response film. Then PBS allowed a group of journalists to see the film, and, Alhamdulillah, one journalist happened to be a Muslim. He took notes of the film and passed a summary of it onto the Internet. Muslims responded all over the country. In many cities, like Detroit and Dayton pressure caused the local PBS station to cancel airing the show. In other cities, Muslims were offered the right to have a panel discussion after the show.
Here in Columbus, responsible Muslims were a bit slow to respond. We waited to have the Internet summary before spreading the news. However, the news spread. The problem was brought up at Isha prayers. It was the central focus of the Friday prayer khutbah. Networking occurred spontaneously. Each brother or sister who heard, passed the word to others. The telephone number and even the fax number of the local program director, Mr. Willis Parker became known to all interested Muslims overnight.
Channel 34 was swamped with hundreds of phone calls and over 80 faxed letters of complaint. People voiced their concern about negative stereotyping of Muslims as terrorists in the media at large and asked the station to cancel the program or delay it until we could prepare a good response. Brothers and sisters included their personal stories of the frequent harassment that comes with living in this country and being Muslim. WOSU people were impressed but relied on the parent organization, PBS, and its internal advice that the film was not biased.
Brother Brian Clouse, of the MSA Public Relations Committee, prepared the formal letter of complaint from the whole Muslim community to the president of OSU; as the overall sponsor of WOSU. Brother Souhail Kan, of IFCO, on top of his efforts to inform Muslims, notified a variety of influential organizations outside of the Muslim community and urged them to respond. At the end of Friday, Mr. Parker told people to watch the film on Monday night, and see what it was, and then an appropriate response could be considered. Saturday and Sunday the phone calls and faxes continued. Monday morning at 9 a.m. Mr. Parker phoned the leaders of the community and asked them to assemble a panel of 4 to 5 people to discuss the film after its presentation.
This was really last minute. We had a few hours to find a panel of prepared people able to come at last minute notice, from our community which has not had great media experience. Those panelists had to view the film, and put together a response on the fly, to be aired immediately after the show, (at 11 pm when most of the people watching the show would have gone to bed.)
Lists of potential panelists were made and an emergency meeting of the Columbus Muslim Council was called that afternoon to organize the response. (The Columbus Muslim Council is a coordination group of representatives of IFCO, Masjid AI-IsJam, lSGC, and the MSA.) At this meeting it was decided to have Brother Tariq Jalil represent the MSA and Brother Brian Clouse represent both ISGC and IFCO. Brother Emil Bashir of Masjid AL-Islam was unfortunately unable to participate due to time constraints. Brother Khaled Farag (the MSA President) particularly voiced his regret to Brother Bashir's absence.
One problem seemed still unsolvable even during the last hours before the show. The Islamic community leaders had little background data about the film. Proper defense required full knowledge of the truth about what the attacks were. Brother Hani Sakr phoned ISNA in Indianapolis and got them to send us Brother Shakir El Sayed. Brother Shakir EI Sayed is the Director of Islamic Education for ISNA, and has spoken in public here in Columbus, and all over the United States. He also happened to have ISNA's background research about the film and had been helping CAIR in their efforts to negotiate with PBS on the national level. A friend in need, he came immediately upon request.
Five brothers went to WOSU studio and viewed the film an hour before it was aired to the public. They just had that hour, while the public viewed the film, to prepare their presentation with moderator, Mr. John Brodie, who was described by the panelists and the Muslim viewers as sympathetic and helpful.
A copy of the film and the discussion afterward is available at the mosque for those who missed it. A number of criticisms were leveled at the film by our panel, the first being the misuse of the word jihad, which has never meant "holy war" to Muslims. Jihad in Islam means struggle for the cause of God, toward self improvement, toward harmony n the family, toward protecting the rights of the poor and the oppressed anywhere in the community or in the world.
Among the criticisms was also that the film compared the righteous struggle in Afghanistan and Bosnia to the bombing by strange radicals of the New York City World trade Center. [At this time the people of Afghanistan were fighting the Soviet Army and the Bosnians were fighting for survival against the Serbs and Croats. ed.] The film also slandered numerous Muslim charities, insisting, without proof, that money donated for hospitals and refugee camps was being spent on arms.
The film also took clips of demonstrations in Iran years ago, and said these demonstrations happened in the U.S. recently. It used interviews of former FBI and State Department people, with the false implication that these people were spokesmen for their former employers. In fact, their testimony was their own personal opinion, nothing more.
The film also took short film clips of Arabic speeches and used sinister 'translator' voices, as it labeled one after the other as a 'known terrorist'. Innuendo and slander were rampant in the film, and the conjectures as to the motives of every Muslim shown were continually negative, without any proof.
What apparently blinded the PBS internal advisory board was a disclaimer at the beginning and end of the film that only fringe groups were being attacked. However, the overall effect of the film was to render the disclaimers empty. Many brothers and sisters who viewed the discussion have expressed their pride in our representatives on the panel and their strong response.
Inshallah, we have made our point with PBS. As we responded in community, so did all the brothers and sisters who made the effort to express themselves, to phone or write in. The leaders of our community worked hard to get positive results from this case. Inshallah, when we speak in the future, we will be better respected. We made valid points and were generally well received by Mr. Parker and the staff of OSU, especially Mr. John Brodie.
For the future, Brother Souhail Khan is planning a discussion on media relations December 4th, entitled Analysis and Discussion of, and Lessons from the Documentary: Jihad in America, at the Islamic Center.
Suggestions of known videos that PBS might air about Islam have been presented and need to be considered. It is possible that PBS might authorize a grant to a Muslim film producer to make a new documentary material about the silent majority of normal Muslims.
Brother Brian Clouse and Sister Hiba Nasser of the Public Relations Committee are interested in hearing from anyone who wants to help on media relations and follow-up of this event. For the time being, they have sent thank you letters for all the people at WOSU who were cooperative with us on this issue.
Generally Muslims here in Columbus can benefit from such an incident by trying harder to learn about Islam and spread the true image about our great religion. We should be more and more involved with the activities our Islamic organizations are organizing throughout the year.
"It was team work. When we work together, with selfless interest, it pays off, declared Br. Souhail Khan. The greatest united effort of the entire Muslim community of Central Ohio took place with a phoning and writing campaign to WOSU's channel 34. This was done to protest the airing of "Jihad in America", a propaganda film designed to encourage distrust of all Muslims, disguised as a documentary.
As early as 2 months ago, information about this film started circulating around the country and the Internet started buzzing warning signals, but the leaders of our community understood that national Islamic organizations like CAIR, [the Council on American Islamic Relations], ISNA [Islamic Society of North America] and ICNA [Islamic Circle of North America] were handling the problem with the national headquarters of Public Broadcasting system. PBS, however, refused to recognize Muslim interest in the film, and insisted on relying solely on its own internal board of review which, in turn, refused to recognize the implicit slander of the 'documentary'.
When all efforts to discuss the issue were rudely thrown out, the national organizations sent the message out on Internet to local Muslim communities all over the United States, warning them of something bad coming down the pike. Still, responsible people want to protest responsibly. The community had a general idea of what the slander was, because of the reputation of the producer and those around him.
Some two years ago, a documentary about the Intifada was aired on PBS, but, because of protest, a panel was allowed to discuss the film before and after its airing, and money was allocated to produce this second 'documentary' ,"Jihad in America" which had to be aired to compensate for allowing the Palestinian documentary on the air. But, until about a week before public airing, nobody had actually seen the response film. Then PBS allowed a group of journalists to see the film, and, Alhamdulillah, one journalist happened to be a Muslim. He took notes of the film and passed a summary of it onto the Internet. Muslims responded all over the country. In many cities, like Detroit and Dayton pressure caused the local PBS station to cancel airing the show. In other cities, Muslims were offered the right to have a panel discussion after the show.
Here in Columbus, responsible Muslims were a bit slow to respond. We waited to have the Internet summary before spreading the news. However, the news spread. The problem was brought up at Isha prayers. It was the central focus of the Friday prayer khutbah. Networking occurred spontaneously. Each brother or sister who heard, passed the word to others. The telephone number and even the fax number of the local program director, Mr. Willis Parker became known to all interested Muslims overnight.
Channel 34 was swamped with hundreds of phone calls and over 80 faxed letters of complaint. People voiced their concern about negative stereotyping of Muslims as terrorists in the media at large and asked the station to cancel the program or delay it until we could prepare a good response. Brothers and sisters included their personal stories of the frequent harassment that comes with living in this country and being Muslim. WOSU people were impressed but relied on the parent organization, PBS, and its internal advice that the film was not biased.
Brother Brian Clouse, of the MSA Public Relations Committee, prepared the formal letter of complaint from the whole Muslim community to the president of OSU; as the overall sponsor of WOSU. Brother Souhail Kan, of IFCO, on top of his efforts to inform Muslims, notified a variety of influential organizations outside of the Muslim community and urged them to respond. At the end of Friday, Mr. Parker told people to watch the film on Monday night, and see what it was, and then an appropriate response could be considered. Saturday and Sunday the phone calls and faxes continued. Monday morning at 9 a.m. Mr. Parker phoned the leaders of the community and asked them to assemble a panel of 4 to 5 people to discuss the film after its presentation.
This was really last minute. We had a few hours to find a panel of prepared people able to come at last minute notice, from our community which has not had great media experience. Those panelists had to view the film, and put together a response on the fly, to be aired immediately after the show, (at 11 pm when most of the people watching the show would have gone to bed.)
Lists of potential panelists were made and an emergency meeting of the Columbus Muslim Council was called that afternoon to organize the response. (The Columbus Muslim Council is a coordination group of representatives of IFCO, Masjid AI-IsJam, lSGC, and the MSA.) At this meeting it was decided to have Brother Tariq Jalil represent the MSA and Brother Brian Clouse represent both ISGC and IFCO. Brother Emil Bashir of Masjid AL-Islam was unfortunately unable to participate due to time constraints. Brother Khaled Farag (the MSA President) particularly voiced his regret to Brother Bashir's absence.
One problem seemed still unsolvable even during the last hours before the show. The Islamic community leaders had little background data about the film. Proper defense required full knowledge of the truth about what the attacks were. Brother Hani Sakr phoned ISNA in Indianapolis and got them to send us Brother Shakir El Sayed. Brother Shakir EI Sayed is the Director of Islamic Education for ISNA, and has spoken in public here in Columbus, and all over the United States. He also happened to have ISNA's background research about the film and had been helping CAIR in their efforts to negotiate with PBS on the national level. A friend in need, he came immediately upon request.
Five brothers went to WOSU studio and viewed the film an hour before it was aired to the public. They just had that hour, while the public viewed the film, to prepare their presentation with moderator, Mr. John Brodie, who was described by the panelists and the Muslim viewers as sympathetic and helpful.
A copy of the film and the discussion afterward is available at the mosque for those who missed it. A number of criticisms were leveled at the film by our panel, the first being the misuse of the word jihad, which has never meant "holy war" to Muslims. Jihad in Islam means struggle for the cause of God, toward self improvement, toward harmony n the family, toward protecting the rights of the poor and the oppressed anywhere in the community or in the world.
Among the criticisms was also that the film compared the righteous struggle in Afghanistan and Bosnia to the bombing by strange radicals of the New York City World trade Center. [At this time the people of Afghanistan were fighting the Soviet Army and the Bosnians were fighting for survival against the Serbs and Croats. ed.] The film also slandered numerous Muslim charities, insisting, without proof, that money donated for hospitals and refugee camps was being spent on arms.
The film also took clips of demonstrations in Iran years ago, and said these demonstrations happened in the U.S. recently. It used interviews of former FBI and State Department people, with the false implication that these people were spokesmen for their former employers. In fact, their testimony was their own personal opinion, nothing more.
The film also took short film clips of Arabic speeches and used sinister 'translator' voices, as it labeled one after the other as a 'known terrorist'. Innuendo and slander were rampant in the film, and the conjectures as to the motives of every Muslim shown were continually negative, without any proof.
What apparently blinded the PBS internal advisory board was a disclaimer at the beginning and end of the film that only fringe groups were being attacked. However, the overall effect of the film was to render the disclaimers empty. Many brothers and sisters who viewed the discussion have expressed their pride in our representatives on the panel and their strong response.
Inshallah, we have made our point with PBS. As we responded in community, so did all the brothers and sisters who made the effort to express themselves, to phone or write in. The leaders of our community worked hard to get positive results from this case. Inshallah, when we speak in the future, we will be better respected. We made valid points and were generally well received by Mr. Parker and the staff of OSU, especially Mr. John Brodie.
For the future, Brother Souhail Khan is planning a discussion on media relations December 4th, entitled Analysis and Discussion of, and Lessons from the Documentary: Jihad in America, at the Islamic Center.
Suggestions of known videos that PBS might air about Islam have been presented and need to be considered. It is possible that PBS might authorize a grant to a Muslim film producer to make a new documentary material about the silent majority of normal Muslims.
Brother Brian Clouse and Sister Hiba Nasser of the Public Relations Committee are interested in hearing from anyone who wants to help on media relations and follow-up of this event. For the time being, they have sent thank you letters for all the people at WOSU who were cooperative with us on this issue.
Generally Muslims here in Columbus can benefit from such an incident by trying harder to learn about Islam and spread the true image about our great religion. We should be more and more involved with the activities our Islamic organizations are organizing throughout the year.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
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
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
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Nov. 1994 Our Bosnian Families
Our community is receiving more refugees from Bosnia. Muhammad Tinjak, seriously wounded in the war, has arrived to enter Riverside Hospital for treatment. His wife Mejra and his two "children, Elma" and Elmoudin are currently staying in the Lancaster home of Br. Ahmed Abdullah and his wife Salwa. They will get an apartment on Riverview Drive on November 1st. Let's welcome them warmly!
By the end of November we win, insha'allah have three families of Bosnians living near the Omar Mosque. Murad, whose son was paralyzed and received treatment in the hospital, is expecting his wife Yassminah and daughter Sanada to join him very soon. The boy's medical situation has improved a lot, Alhamdulillah.
Sisters Ameena and Adela Dilberovic have found work at Riverside Hospital, thanks to the efforts of Sr. Leah Mohiuddin and others. They will move to Riverview Dr. on November 19th. Their mother, Elvira has gone to Croatia to try to meet her husband, still in Sarajevo. She wants to bring him here and is happy her daughters are safely established with help around them here. They thank Dr. Mouhammed Al-Minshawi for his aid. May Allah reward him.
By the end of November we win, insha'allah have three families of Bosnians living near the Omar Mosque. Murad, whose son was paralyzed and received treatment in the hospital, is expecting his wife Yassminah and daughter Sanada to join him very soon. The boy's medical situation has improved a lot, Alhamdulillah.
Sisters Ameena and Adela Dilberovic have found work at Riverside Hospital, thanks to the efforts of Sr. Leah Mohiuddin and others. They will move to Riverview Dr. on November 19th. Their mother, Elvira has gone to Croatia to try to meet her husband, still in Sarajevo. She wants to bring him here and is happy her daughters are safely established with help around them here. They thank Dr. Mouhammed Al-Minshawi for his aid. May Allah reward him.
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.
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.
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