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
Friday, April 30, 2010
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.
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.
May 1995 Islam's Stand on Terrorism!
by Fauzi Labidi
A picture of a firefighter rescuing a one year old baby from the rubble of the Oklahoma City bombing was published in a British tabloid under the title "In the Name of Islam". Muslim communities all over the U.S. were outraged by these accusations and were quick to condemn this violent, cruel, and cowardly act. [the Oklahoma City bombing] When the villain turned out to be a white male, it was impossible for many to imagine that such a terrorist act would come from within and be committed by White Americans. Ignorance, unfortunately, tends to lead to wrong conclusions.
What is the Islamic viewpoint regarding killing children and innocent civilians? In Islam, a great deal of discipline and care are taken at time of war. The life of the Prophet (PBUH) and the life of his companions provided the Muslims with clear commandments to be obeyed during conflicts. it is forbidden for Muslims to commit the following acts during wars:
- Killing women, children, elderly people, sick people, and hermits.
- Killing animals, destroying plants, demolishing homes, and destroying water supplies.
- Killing or mutilating, the wounded; stealing, looting, and torturing.
- Killing those who are not taking part in the war.
This proves that Islam values all life even at times of war, let alone at peaceful times. Equating Islam with terrorism is the most outrageous, ignorant, and unfair statement ever uttered. As one brother from Oklahoma City said in the aftermath of the blast: "A person committing terrorist acts has no religion but one - terrorism."
We hope that this tragedy will open the eyes of America and make it think twice before they rush to premature conclusions and accuse innocent people.
May 1995 Oklahoma City
May 1995 Spillover of a Disaster
by staff
Form the first moment Muslim Americans watched the horror of the Oklahoma City bombing, they knew they were struck twice. First, by the sheer size of the calamity that his innocent citizens and children, and second, by the suspicion that they would probably have another hate wave to deal with. Here is how their fears were proven right.
The earliest victim was Abrahim Ahmad; an American Jordanian who was hauled back to the U.S. to be questioned by FBI. "I was treated like dirt, like a dog. I was pronounced guilty by the media," said Ahmad, who just happened to be flying to Europe less than two hours after the explosion." They have spat on my wife, they have put trash on the lawn, filthy things..." he added.
Perhaps the most devastating spillover was what happened to Sahar Al-Saidi in Oklahoma City. Haidar Al-Saidi's 6 months-pregnant wife was alone at home, when angry assailants banged the doors and smashed windows, responding to TV rumors that Middle Easter people were responsible for the deadly bombing of the federal building. Fearing for her life, she locked herself in the bathroom and in the tension and anxiety, went into labor to give birth to the only Oklahoma bombing victim who did not die of the bomb's blast, but of the blast of Tabloid Media and people's ignorance.
The rush to judgment led to bomb threats, harassing phone calls and vandalism against Muslim groups, mosques, and Arab-Americans across the United States. A Muslim couple in Norman, OK received a threatening personal response. Norman Police Lt. Leonard Judy said the Islamic Society of Norman reported an onslaught of threatening calls and death threat calls after the bombing. Ninety miles up the road, in Stillwater, the window of the Islamic Society was shot at with a pellet gun sometime after 2 p.m. Wednesday, said Stillwater Police Chief Norman McNickle.
Similar incidents happened across the country, even here in Columbus, where local media coverage was responsible. Community leaders reported to IQRA! of at least two threats on the answering machine and one community member spoke of her colleague at work who called her 'murderer' the day after the bombing. the local MSA president had police check the place for Friday prayer for fear of bombs.
If the media condemnation was - to put it mildly - explainable given the anxiety associated with the blast, the attitude that followed was certainly not. Grieving Muslims, who (according to AP) have contributed to the relief efforts, and collected donations, were not acknowledge.
In Oklahoma City, Muslims were excluded from Sunday's prayer service led by President Clinton and the Rev. Billy Graham. "We have the same grief and sorrow, and we were told we could not be accommodated," said Rehab Robyn Assaf, a Muslim-American teacher at an Oklahoma City mosque.
The second event IQRA! know about happened in Tempe, Arizona's State Press, the student newspaper of the Arizona State University. It featured a cartoon showing a picture of the Prophet which is unacceptable in Islam - among three other pictures. On top of the pictures a sign that reads "Dead Religious Leaders. "The first picture has a name tag of "J. Smith" showing probably a man resembling the Mormon leader carrying a Bible and smiling. The second picture shows a grim-faced fiercely looking bearded man holding a large dagger/sword dripping with blood. The name tag reads "Muhammad". the third picture is showing a Buddhist monk with the name tag"'Buda". The last picture frame is empty, but has a name tag reads "Jesus". One police officer points to the empty frame and asks another officer: "What happened to this one?" the other officer answers: "It's empty."
The MSA of ASU at Tempe along with the Islamic Cultural Center of Tempe met twice with the "State Press" editorial board and the cartoonist Bryce Morgan, and demanded that an official apology be published in the paper. They wanted a statement from them that this cartoon is inaccurate, inappropriate depiction of our Prophet (PBUH). The demands were denied.
In spite of some serious inaccuracies and false hints from major TV Channels and newspapers (including unfortunately CNN) there were no acknowledgement of wrong or apologies from ABC or NBC that hosted numerous self-proclaimed terrorist experts throwing hate and conspiracy theories here and there (except for the responsible coverage of the Columbus Dispatch and Lantern on the local level). As far as we know, no channel apologized for the 'mistake' (e.g. the broadcast of two "white male" suspects. Channel 6 by Charlene Brown still associated them with Middle Eastern descent!)
The Local Reaction - How the ISGC reacted in a few hours
by Ayman Ismail
As soon as the Islamic Society of Greater Columbus (ISGC) and the MSA members heard the news of the Oklahoma City bombing, they knew it meant trouble. The pessimism was based on previous experience for the Gulf War, the World Trade Center bombing and the PBS documentary "Jihad in America."
Since the media was already speculating on the involvement of some Islamic groups, the BOT of the ISGC found that it is important to meet and discuss some action plans. The meeting was arranged within an hour. 7:30 pm at room 11 at the OSU Fawcett Center for the second day was the place, all TV channels were contacted - in person - in addition to the Columbus Dispatch. The idea was to involve as many people from the different Islamic organizations in the city. However, it was difficult to reach everyone within this short period of time.
With the grace of Allah, those able to attend represented most of the organizations of the Columbus Islamic community. Many options were on the table, including the press release and media coverage. The controversy was that it might be early to have a statement to the media which might further expose the community. The discussions finally resulted in a draft statement for the media, a spokesperson and a list of what to say and what not to say. At 9:30 p.m., the taping for TV news began with a question and answer session following it. What finally aired were two minutes of 35 minutes in tape that did not include the press statement! The following day Channels 10 and 4 asked for representative to talk on TV. the ISGC selected Sr. Hiba Nasser and Br. Brian Clouse. By April 27th, the Dawaa Committee had arranged for an Open Forum on Islam with Dr. Shaker El-Sayed from ISNA at the Ohio Union.
MSA vice president Abdullah Al-Amiri advises the community to be cautious and act responsibly. "We always emphasize to everyone including the media that painting everyone with the same brush will do nothing but increase the number of hate crimes."
He asks that all Muslims who receive any form of threat to immediately contact the police and report it to the BOT. It is important to keep track of such acts to make a case to the officials and to the media about the seriousness of this issue should legal action be deemed necessary, then this information will be useful. This also should be reported to the hotline established by ICNA [Islamic Circle of North America] at *******.
by staff
Form the first moment Muslim Americans watched the horror of the Oklahoma City bombing, they knew they were struck twice. First, by the sheer size of the calamity that his innocent citizens and children, and second, by the suspicion that they would probably have another hate wave to deal with. Here is how their fears were proven right.
The earliest victim was Abrahim Ahmad; an American Jordanian who was hauled back to the U.S. to be questioned by FBI. "I was treated like dirt, like a dog. I was pronounced guilty by the media," said Ahmad, who just happened to be flying to Europe less than two hours after the explosion." They have spat on my wife, they have put trash on the lawn, filthy things..." he added.
Perhaps the most devastating spillover was what happened to Sahar Al-Saidi in Oklahoma City. Haidar Al-Saidi's 6 months-pregnant wife was alone at home, when angry assailants banged the doors and smashed windows, responding to TV rumors that Middle Easter people were responsible for the deadly bombing of the federal building. Fearing for her life, she locked herself in the bathroom and in the tension and anxiety, went into labor to give birth to the only Oklahoma bombing victim who did not die of the bomb's blast, but of the blast of Tabloid Media and people's ignorance.
The rush to judgment led to bomb threats, harassing phone calls and vandalism against Muslim groups, mosques, and Arab-Americans across the United States. A Muslim couple in Norman, OK received a threatening personal response. Norman Police Lt. Leonard Judy said the Islamic Society of Norman reported an onslaught of threatening calls and death threat calls after the bombing. Ninety miles up the road, in Stillwater, the window of the Islamic Society was shot at with a pellet gun sometime after 2 p.m. Wednesday, said Stillwater Police Chief Norman McNickle.
Similar incidents happened across the country, even here in Columbus, where local media coverage was responsible. Community leaders reported to IQRA! of at least two threats on the answering machine and one community member spoke of her colleague at work who called her 'murderer' the day after the bombing. the local MSA president had police check the place for Friday prayer for fear of bombs.
If the media condemnation was - to put it mildly - explainable given the anxiety associated with the blast, the attitude that followed was certainly not. Grieving Muslims, who (according to AP) have contributed to the relief efforts, and collected donations, were not acknowledge.
In Oklahoma City, Muslims were excluded from Sunday's prayer service led by President Clinton and the Rev. Billy Graham. "We have the same grief and sorrow, and we were told we could not be accommodated," said Rehab Robyn Assaf, a Muslim-American teacher at an Oklahoma City mosque.
The second event IQRA! know about happened in Tempe, Arizona's State Press, the student newspaper of the Arizona State University. It featured a cartoon showing a picture of the Prophet which is unacceptable in Islam - among three other pictures. On top of the pictures a sign that reads "Dead Religious Leaders. "The first picture has a name tag of "J. Smith" showing probably a man resembling the Mormon leader carrying a Bible and smiling. The second picture shows a grim-faced fiercely looking bearded man holding a large dagger/sword dripping with blood. The name tag reads "Muhammad". the third picture is showing a Buddhist monk with the name tag"'Buda". The last picture frame is empty, but has a name tag reads "Jesus". One police officer points to the empty frame and asks another officer: "What happened to this one?" the other officer answers: "It's empty."
The MSA of ASU at Tempe along with the Islamic Cultural Center of Tempe met twice with the "State Press" editorial board and the cartoonist Bryce Morgan, and demanded that an official apology be published in the paper. They wanted a statement from them that this cartoon is inaccurate, inappropriate depiction of our Prophet (PBUH). The demands were denied.
In spite of some serious inaccuracies and false hints from major TV Channels and newspapers (including unfortunately CNN) there were no acknowledgement of wrong or apologies from ABC or NBC that hosted numerous self-proclaimed terrorist experts throwing hate and conspiracy theories here and there (except for the responsible coverage of the Columbus Dispatch and Lantern on the local level). As far as we know, no channel apologized for the 'mistake' (e.g. the broadcast of two "white male" suspects. Channel 6 by Charlene Brown still associated them with Middle Eastern descent!)
The Local Reaction - How the ISGC reacted in a few hours
by Ayman Ismail
As soon as the Islamic Society of Greater Columbus (ISGC) and the MSA members heard the news of the Oklahoma City bombing, they knew it meant trouble. The pessimism was based on previous experience for the Gulf War, the World Trade Center bombing and the PBS documentary "Jihad in America."
Since the media was already speculating on the involvement of some Islamic groups, the BOT of the ISGC found that it is important to meet and discuss some action plans. The meeting was arranged within an hour. 7:30 pm at room 11 at the OSU Fawcett Center for the second day was the place, all TV channels were contacted - in person - in addition to the Columbus Dispatch. The idea was to involve as many people from the different Islamic organizations in the city. However, it was difficult to reach everyone within this short period of time.
With the grace of Allah, those able to attend represented most of the organizations of the Columbus Islamic community. Many options were on the table, including the press release and media coverage. The controversy was that it might be early to have a statement to the media which might further expose the community. The discussions finally resulted in a draft statement for the media, a spokesperson and a list of what to say and what not to say. At 9:30 p.m., the taping for TV news began with a question and answer session following it. What finally aired were two minutes of 35 minutes in tape that did not include the press statement! The following day Channels 10 and 4 asked for representative to talk on TV. the ISGC selected Sr. Hiba Nasser and Br. Brian Clouse. By April 27th, the Dawaa Committee had arranged for an Open Forum on Islam with Dr. Shaker El-Sayed from ISNA at the Ohio Union.
MSA vice president Abdullah Al-Amiri advises the community to be cautious and act responsibly. "We always emphasize to everyone including the media that painting everyone with the same brush will do nothing but increase the number of hate crimes."
He asks that all Muslims who receive any form of threat to immediately contact the police and report it to the BOT. It is important to keep track of such acts to make a case to the officials and to the media about the seriousness of this issue should legal action be deemed necessary, then this information will be useful. This also should be reported to the hotline established by ICNA [Islamic Circle of North America] at *******.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
April 1995 Eid, What Does It Take?
by Rached Zantout
On the morning of Friday 3/3/1995, exit 115 of I-71 got very busy. What was happening? Lots of bearded men, women with scarves on their heads, and everybody had good looking clothes.
Going into the parking lot of the sports complex at that exit, you could feel you were going into another world. Suddenly, this area was transformed into a Muslims gathering area, a place to pray, enjoy and celebrate the end of our month of fasting, Ramadan.
The speakers were set at strategic places, the microphones were ready, one where the Imam would give his Khutbah and a wireless one with the brothers chanting the Eid chants. Lines were set on the floor for the first few rows so that brothers and sisters could make straight rows while praying. Donation boxes were set up at the entrance for different causes, Zakat-ul-Fir, as well as an Eid Hall fund.
Outside, tables filled with donut boxes and refreshments were setup. Two sites were designated, one for men and the other for women. Even IQRA! had its own table to collect donations, subscriptions, and distribute the Eid issue.
The announcements, the prayer and the Khutbah all went smoothly. Then the brothers and sisters went outside to take their issues of IQRA! and eat and drink, for on this day we were allowed, again, to eat and drink whenever we felt like it. Even children had fun outside with the balloons and the candy. Later on, the children and their mothers would celebrate in a party at Haggerty Hall [at OSU].
Every year we do this kind of activity twice, once at Fitr and once at Adha. Just how do the brothers and sisters prepare for Eid? Is it easy? How many brothers and sisters does it take and how long before Eid do they begin preparing for it?
According to Brother Khalid, [Farag], the president of the MSA, preparation for Eid starts with preparation for Ramadan. This year the MSA, Islamic Center and Masjid Al-Islam decided to use a facility similar to the one in which the MSA is holding its Jumma prayers. The facility was larger than the Whitehall Community Center (the place where we used to pray Eids previously). Also, the parking lot of the facility is much larger than any other facility they looked at.
After the middle of Ramadan, the brothers and sisters geared up for Eid preparation. according to Br. Fauzi Labidi, there were 8 brothers who helped set up the infrastructure for such a smooth Eid. Two brothers transported the tables, boxes, microphones, and speakers. Buying and bringing donuts, coffee, and tea also required 2 brothers. Setting up the line guides, the speakers, and microphones was done by one brother. It took 7 brothers to set up the tables outside, clean up the place after we left, and return everything to its original place.
Br. Fauzi estimates that a total of 50 hours went into preparing for Eid prayer. This number of hours was spent planning, laying out, and dismantling Eid prayer.
The organizers of Eid prayer also hired 2 policemen for traffic and security purposes.
According to Sr. Aalia [last name??], there were 10 sisters involved in the preparation for Eid. Two purchased balloons, rented the helium containers, and sold the balloons outside the Eid prayer hall. All 10 took part in organizing, acting, and singing during the Eid party at Haggerty Hall. It also took 3 sisters to buy the gifts for the large number of children that attended the party. Approximately the same number of hours spent by the brothers preparing for Eid was spent by the sisters preparing for the Children's Eid Party.
A simple mathematical calculation would tell us that on the average a brother or sister worked between 6 and 7 hours for us to have that smooth of an Eid. They all did that in addition to running a life with all its responsibilities of taking care of their families, working or studying. If you think this number of hours is too much for a single brother or sister, you can help. Volunteer to take a portion of thouse hours by contacting Sr. Aalia or Br. Fauzi before the next Eid.
One important task that was left out of the above jobs for Eid is the advice. This task is an obligation on all the Muslim community towards the brothers and sisters responsible for Eid prayers. What is your impression about the Eid prayer? Go to the brothers and sisters and congratulate them on the good things you saw or felt!
More important, go to the brothers and sisters and tell them about what you think went wrong. Do you have a better solution? Volunteer it. You will feel good if you get to implement it next Eid!
On the morning of Friday 3/3/1995, exit 115 of I-71 got very busy. What was happening? Lots of bearded men, women with scarves on their heads, and everybody had good looking clothes.
Going into the parking lot of the sports complex at that exit, you could feel you were going into another world. Suddenly, this area was transformed into a Muslims gathering area, a place to pray, enjoy and celebrate the end of our month of fasting, Ramadan.
The speakers were set at strategic places, the microphones were ready, one where the Imam would give his Khutbah and a wireless one with the brothers chanting the Eid chants. Lines were set on the floor for the first few rows so that brothers and sisters could make straight rows while praying. Donation boxes were set up at the entrance for different causes, Zakat-ul-Fir, as well as an Eid Hall fund.
Outside, tables filled with donut boxes and refreshments were setup. Two sites were designated, one for men and the other for women. Even IQRA! had its own table to collect donations, subscriptions, and distribute the Eid issue.
The announcements, the prayer and the Khutbah all went smoothly. Then the brothers and sisters went outside to take their issues of IQRA! and eat and drink, for on this day we were allowed, again, to eat and drink whenever we felt like it. Even children had fun outside with the balloons and the candy. Later on, the children and their mothers would celebrate in a party at Haggerty Hall [at OSU].
Every year we do this kind of activity twice, once at Fitr and once at Adha. Just how do the brothers and sisters prepare for Eid? Is it easy? How many brothers and sisters does it take and how long before Eid do they begin preparing for it?
According to Brother Khalid, [Farag], the president of the MSA, preparation for Eid starts with preparation for Ramadan. This year the MSA, Islamic Center and Masjid Al-Islam decided to use a facility similar to the one in which the MSA is holding its Jumma prayers. The facility was larger than the Whitehall Community Center (the place where we used to pray Eids previously). Also, the parking lot of the facility is much larger than any other facility they looked at.
After the middle of Ramadan, the brothers and sisters geared up for Eid preparation. according to Br. Fauzi Labidi, there were 8 brothers who helped set up the infrastructure for such a smooth Eid. Two brothers transported the tables, boxes, microphones, and speakers. Buying and bringing donuts, coffee, and tea also required 2 brothers. Setting up the line guides, the speakers, and microphones was done by one brother. It took 7 brothers to set up the tables outside, clean up the place after we left, and return everything to its original place.
Br. Fauzi estimates that a total of 50 hours went into preparing for Eid prayer. This number of hours was spent planning, laying out, and dismantling Eid prayer.
The organizers of Eid prayer also hired 2 policemen for traffic and security purposes.
According to Sr. Aalia [last name??], there were 10 sisters involved in the preparation for Eid. Two purchased balloons, rented the helium containers, and sold the balloons outside the Eid prayer hall. All 10 took part in organizing, acting, and singing during the Eid party at Haggerty Hall. It also took 3 sisters to buy the gifts for the large number of children that attended the party. Approximately the same number of hours spent by the brothers preparing for Eid was spent by the sisters preparing for the Children's Eid Party.
A simple mathematical calculation would tell us that on the average a brother or sister worked between 6 and 7 hours for us to have that smooth of an Eid. They all did that in addition to running a life with all its responsibilities of taking care of their families, working or studying. If you think this number of hours is too much for a single brother or sister, you can help. Volunteer to take a portion of thouse hours by contacting Sr. Aalia or Br. Fauzi before the next Eid.
One important task that was left out of the above jobs for Eid is the advice. This task is an obligation on all the Muslim community towards the brothers and sisters responsible for Eid prayers. What is your impression about the Eid prayer? Go to the brothers and sisters and congratulate them on the good things you saw or felt!
More important, go to the brothers and sisters and tell them about what you think went wrong. Do you have a better solution? Volunteer it. You will feel good if you get to implement it next Eid!
April 1995 Muslim Networking
By Tabassum Rehman
In today's fast paced computer age, communication seems to be the key for survival and growth. Communication between the chapters of the Islamic Council of Ohio is what Br. Souhail Khan and other delegates had in mind when they established the Ohio Muslim Network on Saturday, March 18th, 1995.
The aim of this network is to connect all of Ohio's Muslim organizations. Right now, this includes organizations in Springfield, Akron, Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and others. It can include the MSA in the future, but, as Br. Souhail explained, the Network is starting out in a simple manner. They will see how it works and evaluate it after 3 months. In the future, they may also add a bulletin board.
Why create an Ohio Muslim Network when we already have the MSA and Sisters' Nets? Br. Souhail explained that he and his colleagues wanted to be "proactive" to react to situations. "So we can take action before things happen." The example he gave of this proactive approach was monitoring bills in Congress and finding out how they are going to affect our Muslim communities. the network will also be used for da'wah work. All in all, it will provide a means for faster communication between Ohio Muslim organizations, and Insha'allah, if everything goes well, for all the Muslims in Ohio as well.
The current agenda is to publish a book with E-mail addresses of Muslims in Ohio. If anyone would like to include their E-mail address in the publication, please E-mail Br. Souhail Khan at *******.
May Allah (SWT) help their efforts.
In today's fast paced computer age, communication seems to be the key for survival and growth. Communication between the chapters of the Islamic Council of Ohio is what Br. Souhail Khan and other delegates had in mind when they established the Ohio Muslim Network on Saturday, March 18th, 1995.
The aim of this network is to connect all of Ohio's Muslim organizations. Right now, this includes organizations in Springfield, Akron, Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and others. It can include the MSA in the future, but, as Br. Souhail explained, the Network is starting out in a simple manner. They will see how it works and evaluate it after 3 months. In the future, they may also add a bulletin board.
Why create an Ohio Muslim Network when we already have the MSA and Sisters' Nets? Br. Souhail explained that he and his colleagues wanted to be "proactive" to react to situations. "So we can take action before things happen." The example he gave of this proactive approach was monitoring bills in Congress and finding out how they are going to affect our Muslim communities. the network will also be used for da'wah work. All in all, it will provide a means for faster communication between Ohio Muslim organizations, and Insha'allah, if everything goes well, for all the Muslims in Ohio as well.
The current agenda is to publish a book with E-mail addresses of Muslims in Ohio. If anyone would like to include their E-mail address in the publication, please E-mail Br. Souhail Khan at *******.
May Allah (SWT) help their efforts.
Monday, April 19, 2010
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 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]
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