July 1996 School Open House

By Fauzi Labidi

On Saturday, June 15^th, the Muslim Community in Central Ohio was invited to attend an open house of the future Islamic School.  The open house was an opportunity for the community to voice its opinion and to make any recommendations it sees fit to improve the proposed plan.  The attendance was good but not impressive.  Attempts were made to notify people and publicize this special event but those attempts were not properly executed.  The attendees were a reflection of the makeover of the Muslim community.  Food and refreshments were provided.  The mood was festive.

A table with school literature such as information on admissions and school curriculum, was set at the entrance for visitors, who were organized into small groups to tour the place.  Brs. Khaled Farag, Hani Sakr, and Abu Omar, members of the ISGC BOT, were the tour guides.  I had the opportunity to attend one of the tours.  

First, visitors were invited to tour the land surrounding the building.  Br. Khaled stated that the building occupies 5% of the total acreage.  The rest of the property will be used for future expansions such as a gymnasium and additional classrooms.  The current parking lot will be resurfaced and striped.  There is a plan to build a fence to buffer the property.  Then we were invited to tour the building from inside and to take a look at the proposed architectural layout.  

The current design calls for 6 classrooms, a computer room, a staff room, a library, a multi-purpose room, an office for the principal, and new restrooms.  Attendees were encouraged to ask questions and to make any amendments they see feasible to improve the current layout.  A four-day public comments window was provided.  

June 1996 Our Youth - Their Needs

by Safwan Halabi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

June 1996 Education Consultant

by Mohammed R. Shareef, M.D.

Since its inception in April, the School Task Force has been very busy working to make the full time school project a reality this coming September. with the success of the fundraising dinner, we are now in full gear to move forward with the nest steps. we are pleased to welcome an Educational Consultant, Br. Towfeak Hosein from Vancouver, British Columbia. Br. Towfeak is well known in the academia of Islamic Schools in North America and comes highly recommended by Br. Abdallah Idris Ali, President of ISNA. He has his B.Ed. and M.Ed. from the University of Toronto. He has more than 30 years teaching experience. He last held the position of principal at Morton Grove School (Chicago Area). He is well qualified and experienced having started several schools in the united States, such as Granada, Morton Grove, Richmond, etc. we are very fortunate to find him. Thanks be to Allah (SWT)

Br. Towfeak Hosein's responsibilities will be: 1) to work with the Task Force in establishing the school. 2) to assist us in establishing qualifications for staff to our school. 3) to set plans, procedures, and policies for the school. 4) to finalize both the Islamic and academic curricula. He will aid in many other ways as well, too numerous to mention, during his stay here. We encourage everybody to welcome him and give him a congenial atmosphere for his work.

So far, there are about 30 children who have been identified as potential pupils. more children are needed to start at full swing. There should not be any hesitation. We have received possession of the building and are preparing for phase 1 of the remodeling. We will be hiring highly qualified teachers and will be competing with other private schools in the vicinity.

Please start registering your children and encourage others to register theirs. Please also donate generously so that we can devote every second for the functioning of the school and not have to spend time in arranging for another fund raising dinner at this crucial juncture. Jazakum Allah Khair. May Allah bless you for your efforts. We need all kinds of support, such as financial, technical, donations of books, furniture, equipment, computers, fax machines, and other electronics, etc. People can also join in sponsorship of a child's tuition, so more of our children can participate. Still there is a lot of work that needs to be done. All work up to now has been accomplished by volunteers, and there is still need for much volunteer work. Please do not hesitate to contact the Task Force members at any time to offer your support.

June 1996 Islamic Attire: A View of Elegance and Comfort

by Bonita McGee

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

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

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

June 1996 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%

June 1996 Mosque Visit

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

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

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

Dear Omar Ibn El Khattab Mosque,

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

Salaam, Daniel Blair

Dear Omar Ibn El Khattab,

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

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

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

Sincerely, Masha Slivnyak

Dear Congregation of Omar Ebn El Khattab Mosque,

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

Thanks, Simone Gabel

Dear Congregation of Omar Ibn El Khattab Mosque,

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

Thanks again, Jenn Jarrell

June 1996 News Fly Around

Islam in the OSU Medical college Curriculum

 

reported by Dr. Malika Haque, M.D.

 

Columbus (May 1996) "Islam and Medicine", by the grace of Allah, has been successfully introduced as a permanent ongoing course in the college of Medicine of the Ohio State University in the mini-module format: 4 weeks, 3 hr./wk, which is an established requirement in the Medical Humanities and Behavioral Sciences area of the College of Medicine. The context was thoughtfully designed for all the medical students who signed up. Definition of Islam, Pillars of Islam, Islamic practices and Law, Moral and Ethical Values, History, and Science were some of the topics presented leading to considerable enlivening discussions. Since Muslims now have a clear presence in the diversity of patient population on the American scene, useful courtesy, manners for communicating, and a basic knowledge of Islam were shown as necessary for improved medical management and doctor-patient rapport, particularly in community ambulatory facilities.

 

Guest speakers were appreciated by the students, with Dr. Asma Mobin Uddin speaking on Islam and Science and Dr. John Kashbeck relating his experiences as a Muslim physician on medical ethics. At the conclusion of the course, more than 90% of the students gave an "excellent" rating and the director of the program at the College of Medicine was excited to request that I make a continual annual presentation.

 

Eid-ul Adha Dinner

 

reported by Shahida Khan

 

The Eid dinner is a tradition in our community. It is a beautiful occasion for our children, ourselves, and our Muslim community. New clothes, gifts, visiting, being together, and feasting make the occation very enjoyable to children and adults alike.

 

Saturday, May 4, 1996 at the Whitehall Community Center, sisters and brothers from the Islamic Center and Omar mosque came together in the spirit of sacrifice and sharing to enjoy Eid Dinner.

 

Alhamdulillah, our community has grown many folds. Some 20 plus years ago Eid dinners took place in a small hall at the Park of Roses and later at the St. Stephen Community Center. Now even Whitehall Community Center has become small. Tables were full of different kinds of tasty, spicy, ethnic foods. for some people, some of the food was so hot that they had to use napkins to wipe their eyes. for children the big excitement was the pizza party, magic show, and goody bags.

 

Together with the remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim's supreme submission to Allah, we should remember other Muslims in our community and in other communities. May Allah increase our community more and more day by day. May Allah bless our community with more unity and more tolerance and love. May Allah reward those people who worked hard selflessly to make this Eid Celebration successful.

 

Dear Editor

 

During Eid Prayers

 

Over the years, Subhannahllah, the Muslim community has grown considerably in Central Ohio. Particularly at Eid prayers, a Jamaa of 3000 to 4000, sisters, and children is quite common. We are a cultured, caring Ummah whose collective organizational efforts are a norm, successful in conducting religious activities in particular.

 

Due to the request of some of the sisters, in as gentle way as possible, it is necessary to bring our attention to a rather disquieting mannerism during the Eid Khutbah (lecture). Immediately after the salat, while the khateeb is lecturing, a small number of people are getting up and walking. Some are talking, some are leaving, and forming conversational groups (particularly in the ladies section.)

 

All of us should clearly realize that salat and khutbah are one entity and we are present to please Allah (SWT). We should all listen to the khutbah, honor the khateeb and rejoice after the salah and khutbah. As an elder of the community, who has been part of organizing Eid prayers for over 15 years, "no offense is meant to anyone". Let us be simply knowledgeable and exemplary in our acts.

 

C. Azeez ul Haq

 

 

Muslim Student Association Officer Elections

 

Recently on the Ohio State University campus, the Muslim Student Association held elections for new officers for the remaining of this 1996 year and for next year. The results were as such:

Br. Safwan Halabi - Amir
Br. Muhammad Abdul Haq - Secretary
Br. Samer Suleiman - Treasurer
Sr. Bonita McGee - Information
Sr. Habeeba Gaiter - Sisters' Affairs

 

 

CAIR Media-Relations Training Workshop Planned

 

What: Ibrahim Hooper, National Communications Director for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), will conduct a workshop to train Muslims in
techniques of effective media and public relations.
When: Saturday, June 8,
1996 10 am-12:30 pm, Inshallah
Where: Islamic Center, 1428 E. Broad St.
Who: All are welcome. Please RSVP XXX-XXXX Admission is free. Donations to
CAIR appreciated. Sponsored by IFCO Public Relations Committee

Women's Get-Together

In response to a request from some sisters, the Board of Trustees invites all women to an open discussion on June 16th at noon in the sister's Meeting Room of the Omar Mosque. 

• Do you want a women's organization under the ISGC?
• How would you visualize this organization?
• What role would you like to play?