Sept 1996 School Starts… We’re Open!

Sunrise Academy officially opened its doors on September 3^rd.  Well, opened its doors, yes, but temporarily across the street, in rented space in the Mount Carmel Health Center, because remodeling is not yet finished on our building.  So.. What have we got in the way of a school?

Details of the school are growing as this article was written, so updates are coming daily as last minute plans and decisions are occurring.  The most important part of a school is its teachers, and at article deadline, two great ones have already signed on, with more to come in the days ahead as all the paperwork gets slowly through.

Our school is small at present, with only 14 pupils by August 20^th, so we have hired one teacher for kindergarten and 1^st grade, a joint class, and another for a joint 2^nd and 3^rd grade.  More parents are inquiring each day and the number of children is rising, so we expect to separate these classes before October, inshallah, when we move into the completed building. 

Amal Ibrahim is our new kindergarten/first grade teacher.  Originally from Cincinnati, Sr. Amal graduated from OSU with a degree in Arabic which she speaks fluently.  She is well known in our community for the volunteer work she has done teaching English to many of the sisters and their children.  Flexibility and patience are among her many strong points.

Sr. Sonya Hamed is a newcomer to our community.  From Tallmadge, Ohio, she has a BS degree from Kent State in education, with social studies as her specialty.  A certified teacher, she spent last year working as a substitute for three school districts in the Columbus area.

Both of these teachers are full of enthusiasm and energy for the challenging task ahead.  An administrator and Arabic teacher will join them before the first day of classes, to form the core staff upon which we will build our school. 

A parents meeting was held August 23^rd at the school and all the parents of registered children were invited to attend.  Not only did the expected parents come, but others came too, and informed themselves on the details of the new school, to enroll their children and get the lists of school supplies.  Another meeting is expected before school starts to meet the teachers.

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