Subject: Interfaith Climate Action in Boston on Monday, March 26th
Invitation to Interfaith Witness for Climate Action on March 26 in Boston: Please join us at "LET MY PEOPLE GO! Exodus from Fossil Fuels: An Interfaith Witness for Climate Action." At 12 Noon on Monday, March 26, people from all faith traditions will gather at the State House in downtown Boston to witness to climate injustice in our state and to speak truth to Governor Baker. After an interfaith ceremony at the State House, we will then move in procession to the Back Bay, where a new pipeline project is slated to power luxury high rises with fracked gas. Supported by prayer, a smaller group will carry out an act of peaceful civil disobedience to keep fossil fuels in the ground.
March 26th was chosen because it is during Holy Week and right before Passover and Easter celebrations. While this date is significant for those in the Judeo-Christian tradition, the event will speak from the heart of our diverse faiths, demanding that the Governor stop cooperating with fossil fuel interests and do everything in his power to stop the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure in the Commonwealth. We will confront the governor, as Moses confronted Pharaoh, with the realities of climate change and the very real "plagues" that climate change brings and will continue to bring – until we break free from fossil fuels and begin to repair our climate for future generations.
A famous passage of the Qur’an describes the trial of a criminal before God.The following conversation ensues (paraphrased):Criminal: “The Devil made me do it!”The Devil: “This crime is your responsibility! I only made suggestions!”Why would a man rent a truck, use it to run down families on a bike path, then start shooting people? Our law enforcement is trying to answer tha
question now. As the
investigation progresses, we’ll hear bits and pieces
of the story
through the media.
While it appears that this criminal is Muslim, he didn’t get this idea from
traditional Islam.
Traditional Islam teaches Muslims to protect the innocent, to build
relationships with neighbors, to act with love, compassion, and mercy
toward the world.
As one of the greatest American Muslim teachers puts it:
“Use your hearts for what your hearts are for.”
Every person on Earth must strive for this, every day.
This is a private battle. As Saint Paul described it:
“For our struggle is not against human opponents, but against rulers,
authorities, cosmic powers in the darkness around us, and evil
spiritual forces in the heavenly realm.” (International Standard
Version)
Only when we succeed in this private struggle can we truly stand for our civilization.
And our civilization needs us. We live in a great nation, but it has
its problems. We pray and hope that our children, and our neighbors’
children, will find America greater than it has ever been.
We work hard for this, every day.
As I write this, a group of local churches are organizing a charity
auction to help finish construction of our local mosque. Part of me is
still amazed by this — but part of me is not surprised. I know people
from all backgrounds and all walks of life who have good hearts, and a
great number of them are here in Western Mass.
I know that everyone at Hampshire Mosque hopes to repay this favor 1,000 times over, and more.
Civilization isn’t built by chance — we build upon the foundations
laid by our ancestors. The legacy of work is all around us, in the
health of our forests, rivers, and farmland, in the buildings we live
and work in, the roads we travel, the bridges that connect our towns.
We can’t allow this legacy to deteriorate or, God forbid, to be destroyed while in our care.
We work within the context of the present day. The First Nations, the
Pilgrims, the Founding Fathers, Americans of every generation have
faced unique challenges. We must learn from their successes and their
struggles. Some of our challenges are different from theirs, but we also
share far more than we may think.
Every nation also has its criminals. Random, wanton violence harms
everyone it touches — even the murderer is harmed. This murderer in New
York may wish to blame the Devil, but the crime is his. I pray that he
will receive justice in this world, and I believe he is guaranteed to
receive justice from God.
We must all strive to establish justice.
And we must aim much higher than that. Justice is necessary, but love and mercy are greater and more important than justice.
Our nation didn’t become great by chance. Everything that we have is a
trust from our ancestors, which in turn will be delivered to our
children. Let’s work with that knowledge in mind, as we use our hearts
for what our hearts are for.
Patrick Bensen is a past president of Hampshire Mosque in Amherst and
Here's another real life story that should be known more widely...
The Leica camera is the pioneer 35mm camera. It is a German product -
precise, minimalist, and utterly efficient.
Behind its worldwide acceptance as a creative tool was a family-owned,
socially oriented firm that, during the Nazi era, acted with uncommon grace,
generosity and modesty. E. Leitz Inc., designer and manufacturer of Germany's
most famous photographic product, saved its Jews.
And Ernst Leitz II, the steely-eyed Protestant patriarch who headed the closely
held firm as the Holocaust loomed across Europe, acted in such a way as to
earn the title, "the photography industry's Schindler."
As soon as Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany in 1933, Ernst Leitz
II began receiving frantic calls from Jewish associates, asking for his help in
getting them and their families out of the country. As Christians, Leitz and his
family were immune to Nazi Germany's Nuremberg laws, which restricted the
movement of Jews and limited their professional activities.
To help his Jewish workers and colleagues, Leitz quietly established what has
become known among historians of the Holocaust as "the Leica Freedom
Train," a covert means of allowing Jews to leave Germany in the guise of Leitz
employees being assigned overseas.
Employees, retailers, family members, even friends of family members were
"assigned" to Leitz sales offices in France, Britain, Hong Kong and the United
States, Leitz's activities intensified after the Kristallnacht of November 1938,
during which synagogues and Jewish shops were burned across Germany
Before long, German "employees" were disembarking from the ocean liner,
Bremen, at a New York pier and making their way to the Manhattan office of
Leitz Inc., where executives quickly found them jobs in the photographic industry.
Each new arrival had around his/her neck the symbol of freedom - a new Leica
camera.
The refugees were paid a stipend until they could find work. Out of this
migration came designers, repair technicians, salespeople, marketers and
writers for the photographic press.
Keeping the story quiet The "Leica Freedom Train" was at its height in 1938
and early 1939, delivering groups of refugees to New York every few weeks.
Then, with the invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, Germany closed its
borders.
By that time, hundreds of endangered Jews had escaped to America, thanks
to the Leitzes' efforts. How did Ernst Leitz II and his staff get away with it?
Leitz, Inc. was an internationally recognized brand that reflected credit on the
newly resurgent Reich. The company produced cameras, range-finders and
other optical systems for the German military. Also, the Nazi government
desperately needed hard currency from abroad, and Leitz's single biggest
market for optical goods was the United States.
Even so, members of the Leitz family and firm suffered for their good works.
A top executive, Alfred Turk, was jailed for working to help Jews and freed
only after the payment of a large bribe.
Leitz's daughter, Elsie Kuhn-Leitz, was imprisoned by the Gestapo after she
was caught at the border, helping Jewish women cross into Switzerland . She
eventually was freed but endured rough treatment in the course of
questioning. She also fell under suspicion when she attempted to improve the
living conditions of 700 to 800 Ukrainian slave laborers, all of them women,
who had been assigned to work in the plant during the 1940s.
(After the war, Kuhn-Leitz received numerous honors for her humanitarian
efforts, among them the Officier d'honneur des Palms Academic from France
in 1965 and the Aristide Briand Medal from the European Academy in the
1970s.)
Why has no one told this story until now? According to the late Norman Lipton,
a freelance writer and editor, the Leitz family wanted no publicity for its heroic
efforts. Only after the last member of the Leitz family was dead did the
"Leica Freedom Train" finally come to light.
It is now the subject of a book, "The Greatest Invention of the Leitz Family:
The Leica Freedom Train," by Frank Dabba Smith, a California-born Rabbi
currently living in England.
Thank you for reading the above, and if you feel inclined as I did to pass it
along to others, please do so. It only takes a few minutes.
Memories of the righteous should live.
image001.jpg Dear Friends of the Valley Syrian Relief Committee,
We are horrified by news of the chemical bombing of civilians at Kahn Sheikhoum in Idlib Province. The images of children gasping for breath, the hosing down of suffering human beings, and the utter barbarity of this atrocity is horrifying beyond words. Yesterday, I heard a disturbing story on Public Radio, in which Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria, said that people in our country are becoming numb to the images of children suffering. The war has gone on too long and people are tired of hearing about it.
We cannot turn our backs on the Assad regime’s unconscionable chemical weapons attack. The symptoms of the victims of this attack suggest that Sarin gas may have been used, which constitutes an outrageous violation of international law, including the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which the government of Syria is party. It further violates the deal brokered in 2013, which came in response to the Assad regime’s Sarin attack in East Ghouta.
This was not the first recent chemical weapons attack. Last week the Assad regime used chemical weapons in other areas of Syria, including on a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders. Two doctors from the Syrian American Medical Society died in these chemical attacks.
The Pioneer Valley has stayed strong in its support of civilians in Syria. Just last month, nearly five hundred people attended our Witness and Action for Syria programs, marking the sixth anniversary of this horrific war. Now we are calling on you to raise your voices to call on our leaders to stop the Assad regime from brutalizing his own citizens. The government of Syria has crossed a line and those who are responsible must be held accountable.
Please take time this week to ask the following people to put pressure on Congress and the Trump administration to protect the civilian population in Syria from chemical weapons attacks, as well as the bombing of hospitals and schools, and the detainment and torture of innocents. Because the international community has expressed its outrage, the US now has an important opportunity to work with our allies to take coordinated action to protect civilians through the use of measures such as safe zones. We must not let our government stand idly by in the face of such heinous acts.
Below is a list of people we hope you will contact:
1. Senator Bob Corker, Chair of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 202-224-3344 2. Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of House Foreign Affairs Committee, 202-225-4111 3. Senator Elizabeth Warren, 202-224-4543 4. Senator Ed Markey, Member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 202-224-2742 5. Congressman Jim McGovern, Co-chair of House Human Rights Commission, 202-225-4111 6. U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, 212-415-4404 7. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, 202-647-4000 (state department) 8. President Donald Trump, 202–456-1111 (comments), 202-456-1414 (switchboard)
We thank you in advance for caring enough about human suffering to take action for those who have no voice. Please share this information widely on social media.
With Gratitude,
Michael Kane Debbie Shriver Sara Weinberger
Muslim activists raise over $70,000 to aid vandalized Jewish cemetery By KARMA ALLEN Feb 22, 2017, 11:23 AM ET Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP WATCHMore than 170 gravestones vandalized at a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis. As of early Wednesday morning, a crowdfunding campaign started by Muslim activists had raised over $70,000 in an effort to help repair a vandalized Jewish cemetery near St. Louis, Missouri.
"Muslim Americans stand in solidarity with the Jewish-American community to condemn this horrific act of desecration against the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery," read the crowdfunding campaign's website, which was spearheaded by Muslim-American activists Linda Sarsour and Tarek El-Messidi. "We also extend our deepest condolences to all those who have been affected and to the Jewish community at large."
The effort comes after more than 170 headstones were damaged late Sunday or early Monday at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, located in the St. Louis suburb of University City, according to a report by the Associated Press on Tuesday.
As of early Wednesday morning, the LaunchGood-hosted campaign had raised more than $58,000, far surpassing the original $20,000 fundraising goal that the organizers said had been met in just three hours.
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens called the cemetery vandalism a "senseless act of desecration" in a tweet on Monday.
Amherst resident Maha Awaisi, in her bedroom. Amanda Herman photo
Please please take a few moments to watch this genuine and powerful video of people meeting people. Trump supporters meeting Muslims, sharing a meal, going into a home, praying in their own ways. I am filled with hope! http://www.masjidma.com/2017/01/01/trump-supporters-spend-a-day-with -a-muslim/
Hello again, Please review these links: The safety pins were an idea I found online which seems to be taking off to represent a stance against hatred towards all minority groups, especially those who have been most targeted by the presidential campaigning this past election. Here is a link to an article that talks more about it. I have seen a few people wearing them around town and it always makes me feel relieved knowing there is someone nearby who is a "safe" person. ( a sister from ISWM)
Naz shared this beautiful powerful video of many faiths, including Muslim leaders, coming together at Standing Rock protecting the water, in the sacred common ground of justice, uniting in prayer for justice, peacefully. To watch the short video:
Building Bridges with Muslim Neighbors Click the above link for a powerful article with photos from the United Church of Christ e-news about standing with our spiritual cousins. Or simply read the article below. ***********************************************************************************
UCC invites churches to lead by "Building Bridges" with Muslim neighbors in communities across America.
July 25, 2016 Written by Connie Larkman-veradalePNC.jpg The Pacific Northwest Conference (PNC) United Church of Christ is joining UCC national leadership in reaching out to the thousands of churches across the denomination with an invitation to join a public campaign of love and acceptance of Muslim Americans.
The 'Building Bridges' initiative is building on a PNC campaign, 'Honoring Sacred Time', a visible witness of welcome throughout the holy month of Ramadan, where more than 20 UCC churches expressed solidarity with their Muslim neighbors by displaying signs and messages of welcome and love and attending Islamic celebrations.
"This is very much in line with the spirit of love and compassion that the gospel invites us to bear witness to," said the Rev. John Dorhauer, UCC general minister and president. "While we celebrate this bold, public witness— we also realize that Muslims in America live in fear all the time. It is going to take a concerted, collaborative effort on our part to shift the dialogue and engender feelings of trust, of love, and of mutual support across interfaith lines."
That's why the denomination is expanding the campaign across the wider church, suggesting four simple but effective actions every person in the UCC can pledge to do.
"I invite all settings of the United Church of Christ to study more about Islam , to visit a mosque in their area, to reach out to a family friend or colleague who is Muslim and engage them in conversation, to show visible signs of support for our Muslims neighbors, and to advocate for a change in how Christians speak about and relate to the Islamic faith," said Dorhauer. "With the world becoming more and more divided — and with those divisions creating a more frightful and fearful place to live in — these simple acts of love will go a long way to change the narrative about how we relate to each other across interfaith lines. These acts of compassion will help reduce the threat of ongoing violence and help build homes, communities, and nations of peace."
"The United Church of Christ is setting an important example of serving God by serving humanity," said Arsalan Bukhari, executive director, Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Washington. "The responses from UCC churches across our state and beyond really speak to the values and the character of UCC leaders. They really are showing the country what it means to 'do to others what you would have them do to you.'"
The UCC partnership with CAIR in the state of Washington went a long way to build trust and relationships in the interfaith community.
A_Blessed_Ramadan.jpg"When the Pacific Northwest UCC congregations created a banner campaign to honor our Muslim neighbors to remind all in our community of our shared humanity, the response was very positive," said the Rev. Stephen Haddan, pastor of Tolt Congregational United Church of Christ, Carnation, Wash., northeast of Seattle. "A couple weeks into Ramadan, a Muslim family, dad and two sons, came by to personally thank us for our hospitality and welcome. It was a very emotional moment. His young sons were actually fearful of entering this 'Christian space' and the father really had to press on them the fact that this was actually a safe place. This was an eye-opener for me as the father literally broke down and cried on my shoulders."
"Since then we were invited to break fast with them one evening," Haddan continued. "About 10 from the congregation went and were showered with gifts. Then after the Orlando shooting, we literally received phone call after phone call from people I do not know thanking us for our inclusion of all faiths and our open and affirming position."
"We are now working to make this a conversation by having mosques also post banners that affirm basic Islamic teachings about Christians, Jews and others who are 'People of the book,' and other messages that remind people of all faiths that American Muslims believe in the right and freedom of all Americans to live and worship in their own way," said Bukari. "We hope that this public and vocal affirmation in response to another public campaign by UCC churches will remind fellow Americans that while some may try to divide us, we are and always will be one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
"I simply did not expect this project to have the kind of impact it did but, as I've listened, I've begun to understand why," said the Rev. Mike Denton, conference minister, Pacific Northwest Conference UCC. "For one, having these simple banners up is a public repudiation of the dominant narrative being shared about our interreligious relationship. We are told by our extremists that we are in an existential conflict in which only one 'side' can win. This campaign speaks to the possibility of peaceful, loving coexistence."
Denton and Bukhari said it also sends a very powerful message that is sorely needed.
"All I can think of are the thousands of American Muslim children growing up across our state, and millions across our nation," said Bukhari. "When they pass by a UCC church on the way to school or to soccer practice and see a sign publicly and vocally telling the public that American Muslims are our neighbors, it tells them that American Muslim children have the right to the same aspirations, hopes and dreams as every other young American."
"I didn't really understand the oppressive power of forced isolation," said Denton. "We might obviously be concerned about the threat of building physical walls but social walls can be as damaging. This simple campaign began to poke some holes in those walls."
This article below was sent and endorsed by the Imam at ISWM (Islam Society of Western Massachusetts). Also, the Daughters of the Heart of Mary, are one with you, and support the plea of President Obama to reject hate and embrace our quest for non-violence with love which alone bears the fruit of authentic peace. Let us stubbornly adhere to the power of prayer with faith, hope and trust.
On
behalf of the American Muslim community, we, the undersigned, want to
extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the
victims of the barbaric assault that occurred early yesterday morning at
Pulse, an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, Florida. We unequivocally say
that such an act of hate-fueled violence has no place in any faith,
including Islam. As people of faith, we believe that all human beings
have the right to safety and security and that each and every human life
is inviolable.
We know that, given the tenor of the times, some
will associate this tragedy with the religion of the perpetrator. While
we may never learn conclusively what motivated this misguided
individual, many news sources claim that he was motivated by his faith,
which would be a reprehensible distortion of Islam adding the religion
to the long list of innocent victims in this callous crime. Any such
acts of violence violate every one of our Prophet’s teachings. For
Muslims, that this carnage occurred in the blessed month of Ramadan—a
month of charity, introspection, and self-purification—only adds to the
foulness of this enormity.
Since September 11, 2001, many Muslims
have been victims of collective guilt; yet, numerous Americans of good
conscience have stood by their fellow citizens, despite differences in
faith or lifestyle, including many members of the targeted community.
Difference is no justification for violence. While most American Muslims
adhere to a strict Abrahamic morality, the Quran is clear that its
injunctions apply only to Muslims who choose to follow them: “There is
absolutely no compulsion in religion.” In America, individuals are at
liberty to pursue happiness as each sees fit; it is our cherished
political right. Those of us who live in this country, irrespective of
our beliefs, must respect the equality of all Americans under the laws
of the land.
We feel compelled to state that it is an egregious
offense against the culture and laws of America—as well as Islam’s—to
place collective guilt on an entire community for the sins of
individuals. “No soul bears the sins of another,” says the Quran.
Three
days ago, Americans honored the memory of one of the greatest and most
beloved men in American history: Muhammad Ali, who was a devout Muslim.
The Islam Muhammad Ali followed is one of love, tolerance, and respect
for all. American Muslims everywhere felt that he ended, once and for
all, the vacuous claim that one cannot be both Muslim and American.
We,
as American Muslims, follow the openhearted and inclusive Islam of
Muhammad Ali and completely reject the hatred, provincialism, and
intolerance of those who trample upon the rights of others, besmirching
and defiling the name of Islam. The criminal who took the lives of
dozens of patrons of the Orlando nightclub and injured many others was
an aggressor, plain and simple. The Quran says, “Do not be brutal or
commit aggression, for surely God does not love brutal aggressors.”
There
are extremists in America and abroad who view the world through a
Manichean lens: American Manicheans want Americans to see themselves as
entirely “good” and all Muslims as entirely “evil.” Muslim Manicheans
want Muslims to see themselves as entirely “good” and all Americans as
entirely “evil.” This is a catastrophic recipe for unrelenting violence,
and it must be rejected: We will not allow the extremists to define us,
mold us in their benighted image, or sow the seeds of discord among us.
We are one people, so let us all in good conscience and human
solidarity reject this extremist narrative and assert our shared
humanity and mutual respect for the sanctity of all human life.
Signed,
SHAYKH ABDALLAH BIN BAYYAH - President, Forum for Promoting Peace HAMZA YUSUF - President, Zaytuna College SHERMAN A. JACKSON - King Faisal Chair of Islamic Thought and Culture, USC SIRAJ WAHHAJ - President, Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA) UMAR F. ABD-ALLAH - Resident Scholar, Chicago, IL MUSTAFA CERIC - Grand Mufti Emeritus ZAID SHAKIR - Co-Founder, Zaytuna College YASIR QADHI - Dean, AlMaghrib Institute | Assistant Professor, Rhodes College YUSUF ISLAM - Philanthropist / Singer & Composer MOHAMED MAGID - Executive Religious Director, All Dulles Area Muslim Society(ADAMS) ABDULLAH BIN HAMID ALI - Senior Faculty , Zaytuna College ABDULLAH HAKIM QUICK - Resident Scholar, Islamic Institute of Toronto AISHA AL-ADAWIYA - Founder, Women in Islam Inc. MUHAMMAD AL-NINOWY - Founder & President, Al Madinah Institute TAMARA GRAY - Founder, Rabata Inc. MOHAMED ELSANOUSI - Director of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers NAEEM BAIG - President, ICNA WALEED BASYOUNI - VP, AlMaghrib Institute YASER BIRJAS - Imam, Valley Ranch Islamic Center OMAR SULEIMAN - Resident Scholar, Valley Ranch Islamic Center OUSSAMA JAMAL - Secretary General, US Council of Muslim Organizations DALIA MOGAHED - Co-Author, "Who Speaks for Islam? what a Billion Muslims really think" AZHAR AZEEZ - President, ISNA AFIFI AL-AKITI - KFAS Fellow in Islamic Studies, Oxford University ALTAF HUSSAIN - Vice President (US), ISNA / Associate Professor, Howard University MAZEN MOKHTAR - Executive Director, The Muslim American Society (MAS) MAHA ELGENAIDI - Executive Director, ING KHALID LATIF - Executive Director, The Islamic Center at New York University YASIR FAHMY - Senior Imam, Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center IMAM ZIA - Executive Director, MakeSpace NIHAD AWAD - National Executive Director , The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) NOMAN HUSSAIN - Imam & Resident Scholar, Islamic Society of Milwaukee AFROZ ALI - Founder & Director, Al-Ghazali Centre, Australia ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA (ISNA) EMERGE USA ABDUL NASIR JANGDA - President, Qalam Institute LINDA SARSOUR - Co-founder/Director , MPower Change YASSIR FAZAGA - Religious Director, Orange County Islamic Foundation FAISAL HAMID ABDUR-RAZAK - President, Islamic Forum of Canada TAHIR ANWAR - Faculty, Zaytuna College AISHA SUBHANI - Board Member, Zaytuna College FOUZAN KHAN - Director, Reviving the Islamic Spirit (RIS) MUNIR EL KASSEM - President & Founder, Islamic Institute for Interfaith Dialogue HAMID SLIMI - Chairman & Imam, Canadian Centre For Deen Studies / Sayeda Khadija Centre SHAHED AMANULLAH - Co-Founder, Affinis Lab MUSLEMA PURMUL - Chaplain, Institute of Knowledge (IOK), California HAZEM BATA - Secretary General, ISNA DILSHAD D. ALI - Chair, Board of Directors, Enabled Muslims ABDUL MALIK MUJAHID - President, Sound Vision ALBERT PRESS JR. - President, American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP) YAHYA RHODUS - Founding Director, Al-Maqasid AFGHAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION ZESHAN ZAFAR - Executive Director, Forum for Promoting Peace | UAE AFTAB MALIK - Senior Advisor, Forum for Promoting Peace | UK MIKAEEL AHMED SMITH - Islamic Soicety of Baltimore ABDUR RAHMAN BASHIR - Imam, Jefferson Muslim Association, Louisiana QASIM KHAN - Imam, Masjid At-Tawhid SYEDUR RAHMAN CHOWDHURY - National President , MUNA KENAN BASHA - Board Chair, MSA National FATIMA SALMAN - Central Zone Representative, ISNA ABDELMAJID JONDY - President, Flint Islamic Center PAUL GALLOWAY - Executive Director , The American Muslim Advisory Council (AMAC) SARAH COCHRAN - President & Co-Founder, Oneblue.org ASHFAQ TAUFIQUE - President , Birmingham (AL) Islamic Society KHAULA HADEED - Executive Director, CAIR AL LATEEF UR RAHMAN - Imam , Islamic Society Of Tracy ILYAS ANWAR - Imam , South Valley Islamic Community KHAULA HADEED - Executive Director, CAIR AL SYED MOKTADIR - President, All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS Center) HUSSAIN KAMANI - Mufti, Instructor, Qalam Institute | Resident Scholar, Islamic Association of Carrollton EDWARD AHMED MITCHELL - Attorney & Executive Director, CAIR-Georgia AAMIR NAZIR - Imam, Muslim Community of Folsom (CA) HAMZAH WALD MAQBŪL - Instructor, Rayyān Institute MUZAMMIL AHMED - Chairperson, Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) TAREK EL-MESSIDI - Founding Director, CelebrateMercy MOHAMED ALMASMARI - Executive Director - Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) HATEM BAZIAN - Co-Founder, Zaytuna College FERAIDOON MOJADEDI - Director, Sacred Caravan ASAD TARSIN - Board Member, Deen Intensive Foundation RAMI NASHASHIBI - Executive Director, IMAN | Visiting Professor, Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) COALITION OF SOUTH FLORIDA MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS (COSMOS) AMJAD QUADRI - Education, Muslim Community Center Chicago, IL ABDULLAH T. ANTEPLI - Imam, Duke University KHALIL ABDUR-RASHID - President and Founder of Yaqeen Seminary for Advanced Studies of Islam in America MUHAMMED AL AHARI - Editor in Chief, Magribine Press NIAZ HANNAN - Religious Director, Islamic Center of South Jersey, Muslim Chaplain, Drexel University IRFAN SHUTTARI - Board Member, Michigan Muslim Community Council YAMA ZACHARIAH AZAR - Representative, Southern California Afghan Community CHRIS BLAUVELT - Founder & CEO, Launchgood.com AAMIR NAZIR - Imam, Muslim Community of Folsom, CA LATEEF UR RAHMAN - Imam, Islamic Society of Tracy, CA VASEEM FARIA ANSARI - Director, Houston Islamic Speakers Bureau KARIM KHAYATI - Co-Founder , American Muslim Institute AZRA HUSSAIN - President, Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona ZEHRA WAMIQ - Founder/Director, Delaware Valley Speakers Bureau NUHA ALFAHHAM - Co-director , ILEARN, ING affiliate KHALIL MEEK - National Executive Director , Muslim Legal Fund of America SHABANA SHAKIR AHMED - Tours & Talks Chair, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati AIDA MANSOOR - President, Muslim Coalition of Connecticut REZA MANSOOR - President, Islamic Association of Greater Hartford M. RAJAULLAH QURAISHI - Past President, MCC Chicago SHAKILA T AHMAD - Board President, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati ISMAEEL CHARTIER - Imam, Islamic Association of Cincinnati TEHSEEN LAZZOUNI - Director, Islamic Speakers Bureau of San Diego ADNAAN A WASEEM - Teacher, Muslim Society Institution AHSEN WASEEM - Imam/instructor , Furqaan Foundation/Academy MINHAJUDDIN AHMED - Imam and Resident Scholar, DarusSalam Foundation AZFAR UDDIN - Imam, Islamic Foundation North YASIR NADEEM - Director , Darul Uloom Online SAAD H. BAIG - Imam , Islamic Center of Quad Cities BILAL ALI ANSARI - Lecturer, Darul Qasim AFZAL SHEIKH - Khateeb, The Islamic center Of deer park ny ABDUSSAMAD AWAL - Mufti, Darul Quran Wassunah YASIR KHAN - President , Al-Misbaah AHMAD JAFAR - Mufti, Darul Arqum Institute ABDURRAHMAN AHMAD - Imam, ICNE OSSAMA BAHLOUL - Resident Scholar of the Islamic Center of Nashville RASHAD SHARIF - Imam, President, Masjid Al-Mu'minun, Memphis MOHAMMED ABDULLAH AL MAMUN - Baitul Mukarram Center, Danbury Connecticut IBRAHIM H AHMAD - Imam, Masjid Noor Inc YASSER ARAFAT - President/CEO, Peace Ambassadors USA ABDUL-LATIF SACKOR - Imam/President , Islamic Center of Rhode Island SALEH M. SBENATY - Chair, Outreach Committee, Islamic Center of Murfreesboro USMAN AKHTAR - Imam, Islamic Society of Western Connecticut | Danbury Masjid ABDUL AZIZ BHUIYAN - Chairman , Hillside Islamic Center MOHAMMED WASIM KHAN - Mufti, Madrasah Islamiah/ ISRA Foundation ZAID KHAN - Instructor , DUA Institute ASIF UDDIN - Instructor, Darul Qasim ABDUL HAKIM HAMID - Imam , Muslim Community of Florida MOHIBULLAH N. DURRANI - Professor, Muslim Astronomers KHALID YOUSUF - MD, Orthopedic surgeon HASANUDDIN KHAJA - Ex- executive member , Islamic center of Harrison ZYSHAN YASEEN PALWALA - Instructor/Imam, Masjid Uthman MUSLIHUDDIN KAWTHAR - President, Rihlatul ILM Foundation ASIM GAFFAR - Teacher, College Preparatory School of America AYMAN SADER - Member of Board of Trustee , Islamic Center of Nashville ABDELRHMAN HUSSEIN - Assistant, Peace Ambassadors USA KIFAH MUSTAPHA - Imam, The Prayer Center of Orland Park IKHLAS ANSARI - Hafiz, MCC Chicago AZEEMUDDIN JAWAD MOHAMMED - Lead Qur'an Instructor, MAS- MAS Qur'an Institute -(MQI) ABDELHAFID DJEMIL - President, Majlis Ashura (Islamic Leadership Council) of New York MUHAMMAD A HUSSAIN - President, Long Island Muslim Society SAIFUL NABI - Imam, Muslim Federation of J.C.N.J HASIB NOOR - Founder, The Legacy Foundation MUBEEN KAMANI - Sheikh, MCC Academy MOHAMMED AMJED ALI - Imam, Rahmat e Alam Foundation NUMAAN NASIR CHEEMA - Imam/Molana, 4EveryMuslim.com MOHAMMED SAMIR WAHID - Mufti/founder, Islamic institute of Atlanta EHZAZ AJMERI - Scholar & Instructor , DarusSalam Foundation RAHAT HUSAIN - Director, Universal Muslim Association of America VASEEM ANSARI - Director, ING Houston Islamic Speakers Bureau KHALID MIRZA - Co-Founder , The Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations (COSMOS) MUHAMMAD CHOWDHURY - Instructor , Darul Hidayah EMAN HASSABALLA ALY - Co-Founder, Collaboryst & RRT KHAMIS ABU-HASABALLAH - President, Farmington Valley American Muslim Center SAJID ALI - Imam, Islamic Association of Forth Worth NAYEF ABBAS - Imam/Juris Consult, Islamic Association of Michigan MOHAMMED A HAQUE - Ex President, Islamic society of Nortgwest suburbs of Chicago TALIB SHAREEF - President , The Nation's Mosque Masjid Muhammad IKRAM UL HAQ - Imam, Fatwa Center of America NAEEM KHALID - President , Islamic Center of Connecticut, Inc (Madina Masjid) AYESHA KHAN - ICNF MOHAMMED KAISERUDDIN - Chairman, Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago A RAHMAN - Board member, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati NAAZISH YARKHAN - Founder, Writers Studio KAREN DANIELSON - Outreach Director, MAS Chicago JAWAD KHAN - President, Chicago Chapter, Indian American Muslim Council TALAT M. OTHMAN - Co- Founder, Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago MAJEED SHARIF - President, United Muslim mosque MAJEED SHARIF - President, United Muslim mosque ZAHER SAHLOUL - Senior Advisor and past president , Syrian American Medical Society KARIM MOZAWALLA - Vice President/Trustee, Muslim Community of Nassau County/Masjid Hamza BAHER S FOAD - Board member, Islamic center of greater Cincinnati MOHAMMED MISBAHUDDIN - Ex President , Muslim Society GULAME ASIF - Board Member, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati KAMEELAH RASHAD - Founder & President, Muslim Wellness Foundation ILTEFAT HAMZAVI - Board member , Michigan Muslim Community Council OMER BAJWA - Muslim Chaplain, Yale University SAMEER AFSAR - Secretary, Downtown Islamic Center Chicago SEHAM ABDALA - Director, NJ Islamic Networks Group ASHRAF TRABOULSI - Board Vice Chair, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati INAYAT MALIK - Past President and Board Chair, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati HEBA MACKSOUD - Board of Trustees Member, Islamic Society of Central Jersey USAMA CANON - Founding Director, Ta'leef Collective SAMIA HUSSEIN - Vice President/President-Elect, Muslim Coalition of Connecticut MAZEN ASBAHI - Partner, Law Firm of Roetzel & Andress, LPA BASSAM ISSA - President, Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga LENA F. MASRI ESQ. - Legal Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Michigan FERYAL SALEM - Professor , Hartford Seminary MOHAMMAD FAZILI - Predident, Islamic Center of Williamson County ZAYNAB SALMAN - Board Member, Deen Intensive Foundation MOHAMMAD MOTIUR RAHMAN - Ustaaz, Baitul Hamd (Ideal Mother Organization) IRFAN AHMAD KHAN - Director, Association for Qur'anic Understanding NEMAT MOUSSAVIAN - Board member, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati AYESHA SULTANA ALI - Member Board of Directirs, Muslim Community Center MUHAMMAD ILYAS - Sh, Darul Quran was Sunnah WALEAD MOSAAD - Resident Scholar, Sakina Collective DAWUD WALID - Executive Director , CAIR-MI NAWZAD HAWRAMI - Secretary, Board of Trustees, Salahadeen Center of Nashville OSAMA ABUIRSHAID - National Policy Director , American Muslims for Palestine NEMAT MOUSSAVIAN - Board member , Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati SAAD KHAN - Instructor, Darus Suffah KHALID NASR - Imam, Islamic center of new England, Quincy SYED ALI - Director, Islamic Speakers Bureau-Dallas/Fort Worth EID FARHA - President, Islamic Center of Ann Arbor RIZWAN ALI - Shaykh, Islamic Center of Naperville FAHD SYED - Administrative, United Muslim Masjid EAMAAN RABBAT - Board member and Director of Ribaat Academic Institute, Rabata ISMAIL ELSHIKH - Imam, Muslim association of Hawaii IBRAHIM SULTAN-ALI - President, Board of governors of Pleasant View School IBAD WALI - Instructor, Darul Uloom New York MOHAMED SALEM - Muslim US citizen, Muslim SAADIA MIAN - Board Member , Rabata NOOR RAHEEMULLAH HASAN - Executive Director , Muslim Women's Alliance NADIAH MOHAJIR - Co-Founder & Executive Director, HEART Women & Girls AZRA BAIG - Vice President, American Muslim Council PAC ALICIA STRONG - President , Wesleyan Muslim Student Association AKBER KHAN - Quran Instructor, Cordoba House MAJED SABKE - Imam, MIA NAJAH BAZZY - CEO, Diversity Specialists NADEEM SIDDIQI - Chairman, Muslim American Society HUMAIRA SALEHI - Mr., Farmington valley American Muslim Center MOHAMMAD ALI CHAUDRY, PH.D.- President, Islamic Soc of Basking Ridge FATINA ABDRABBOH, ESQ - Executive Director , Arab American Anti Discrimination Committee HAFIZ MUHAMMAD MUSTAFA - Imam, Jamia Masjid Boonton RIZWAN JAKA - Chair, Board, All Dulles Area Muslim Society(ADAMS) & Board Member, ISNA JAVED ALI - Founder ILLUME / Urban Halal ISLAMIC INSTITUTE OF ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MARGARI HILL - Programming Director Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC) JOHARI ABDUL-MALIK - Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Falls Church, Virginia TANEEM AZIZ - President, Muslim Community of Northeast Tennessee ASIF UMAR - Imam/Director of Religious Affairs, Islamic Foundation of GREATER ST. LOUIS YAMA NIAZI - Imam, Islamic Society of Santa Barbara ISLAMIC CENTER OF BOISE ADNAN DURRANI - CEO American Halal Co, Inc ERAM UDDIN - Board Member, Beacon Foundation HAMDULLAH SAYEDI - Imam, Sacramento Afghan Community and Religious Center DEBBIE ALMONTASER - Board President, Muslim Community Network NY FARAZ RABBANI - Executive Director, SeekersHub Global OMAR MOHAMMEDI - Adjunct Professor, Fordham Law School MEHNAZ M. AFRIDI - Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Manhattan College FASAHAT HAMZAVI- President, Islamic Association of Greater Detroit OMER RANGOONWALA - Director, Islamic Education Center (IEC) FAHAD TASLEEM - Director, Islamic Education & Research Academy US (iERA US) ASHRAF LATIF, R.PH - Amir / Predident, NIA Masjid & Community Center SANYA BARI - Professional Counselor , Mental Health Counselor to Muslims JAMAAL DIWAN - Chaplain serving UCLA, USC, and UCI , Institute of Knowledge SAYED ABOUABDALLA - Imam, AIC KAISER ASLAM - Muslim Chaplain , Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University HAKIM OUANSAFI - Chairman of the Board, Muslim Association of Hawaii MAJEED SHARIF - President, United Muslim Mosque IRHABI MOHAMAD - Director, Senior Consultant Religious Department , IANT Quranic Academy MAHER YAHYA - Secretary, Salahadeen Center IHSAN ABDUS-SHAHID - Treasurer, Al-Minhal Academy SAMAR MALIK - Donor Relations- CelebrateMercy BARRY DANIELIAN - Servant of God, Human Being SUHAIL MULLA - Director of Mental Health, Access California Services NOORGUL DADA - Chairman, Noor Islamic Cultural Center (NICC) NOOR AHMED MD - Member of Majls, Islamic Foundation of Greater St Louis AHMED A. QADEER - Co- Founder, Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago KASHIF AHMED - Religious and Social Director, SALAM Islamic Center ZIAUN FAJHRUDDIN - Member, ICN, Islamic Center of Nashville SIRAJ AHMED DESAI - Imam Religious Director, Islamic Society of East Bay ASAD BA-YUNUS - Board Member, National Assoc. of Muslim Lawyers FURHAN ZUBAIRI - Dean of Seminary/Extension, Institute of Knowledge (IOK) FARYAL M KHATRI - Board Member, Muslim Alliance of Indiana MONA KAFEEL - COO, Texas Muslim Women's Foundation MOWLID ALI - Imam , JIAR MUZZAMMIL ZAKIR - Imam, North Penn Mosque NOMAAN BAIG - Founding Director, Institute of Knowledge (IOK) TALAL ALSHAMI - Member , ISCJ SALEH M ALDABASHI - President, Muslim Society Memphis RUSHA LATIF - Founder, Rock the Muslim Vote ZAHID BUKHARI - Executive Director, ICNA Council for Social Justice AMMAR AMRO - Board Member, Al Minhal Academy of Turnersville ALTAF S KAPADIA - Imam/ Islamic teacher, Darul Arqam Of Michigan IFTEKHAR HUSSAIN - Chairman, Board of Directors, CAIR-PA NADIA AFZAL - Board Member, Sakina Collective MUNIR GANDEVIA - Founder and President, Islamic Center of Burlington, MA MUHAMMAD AUZAIR KHAN - Teacher of Islamic Studies, Madrasah Noorul Islam UK SHOAIB KHADRI - President, Islamic Center of Naperville IBRAHIM HANNOUN - Board of Trustees- Ex-officio , Islamic Center of Wheaton (ICW) IMAM KAMIL MUFTI - Resident Scholar, Islamic Foundation of Peoria MOHAMMED H ABDULLAH - Imam , Masjid Noor Huntington Long Island New York MUHAMMAD ABDUL JABBAR - Imam , Masjid Darul Quran, Bayshore, NY RAED ABUSUWWA - President , Muslim American Society-Chicago Chapter HISHAM MAHMOUD - Professor , Harvard University SHAHNAZ NAEEM - Muslima , American Muslim SHAHZAD SADOZAI - Director of Development , Boston Islamic Seminary SALAM AL-MARAYATI - President, MPAC RAAFI T. ISLAM - Ustadh, Darul Uloom Detroit/Instructor AASIM RASHID - Founder, Principal, Al-Ihsan Educational Foundation SHAIKH SIDDIQ - Shaikh, Houston Muslim Group IDRIS ABDUS SALAM - Resident Scholar, Darul Islah ASRA ALI - Board member, Mecca Center ASIF UMAR - Mufti/Imam, Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis MUHAMMAD QUADIR - CEO, Discover Islam HUSSEIN ATA - MAS-ICNA Convention Chair, Board Member MAS AISHA YAQOOB - Executive Director, Georgia Muslim Voter Project NAJIYAH MAXFIELD - Board Member, Rabata ALAM CHOWDHURY - President, Trustees, Darus Salam Masjid YUSUFI VALI - Executive Director, Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center ARMAN CHOWDHURY - Assistant Executive Director, MUNA ADIL - BROTHER, ICNVA NUREN HAIDER, ESQ. - Candidate, Candidate for Orange County Commission District 1 ASRA HAMZAVI - Psychiatrist , Hamzavi Psychiatry & Wellness Center MOHAMMAD FARHAN - Mufti, Co-founder/Director, Children of Adam Inc. | Director, Muslims on Long Island Inc. IMRAAN SIDDIQI - Executive Director, Council on American Islamic Relations - Arizona MOHAMMED MOHIUDDIN - Administrator , Baytul-Iman Academy MOHAMMAD ISLAM - Imam/President , Masjid Attaqwa ABDULLAH FAARUUQ - Imam, Mosque for Praising of Allah OMER RANGOONWALA, ESQ. - Director, Islamic Education Center (IEC) SAYEED SIDDIQUI - President, Muslim Youth of North America FAISAL MOHAMED SIDDIQI - Member, Masjid Mustafa SULAIMAN SALEEM - Resident scholar , Institute of Islamic Education SABA MAROOF - Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist , Institute of Muslim Mental Health FASAHAT HAMZAVI - President, Board of Directors , Islamic Association of Greater Detroit MAHEEN KHAN - Member, ICNE Sharon KRISTIN SZREMSKI - Director of media and communications, American Muslims for Palestine ABDULLAH JABER - Imam, Masjid Al Farooq & Masjid Omar ABDELGHADER OULD SIYAM - Imam, Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, Ohio AFAF TURJOMAN - Director, Islamic Speakers Bureau, Santa Barbara ATIF FAREED - Chairman , American Muslim Community Centers ARWA DIAB - Physician, AUC MUHAMMAD HAMADEH - President, The Mecca Center MOHAMMED AWAD - Orthopedic Surgeon, OSF SIRAJ MOWJOOD - Board Member, Impact So Cal QUTAIBAH J. ABBASI - Imam, Duncanville Islamic Center MUAAZ HASSAN - Research & Special Projects , CAIR Florida AZHAR SUBEDAR - Spiritual Director , Purposefullife.us GLORY ALI - Quran Teacher, weekend school, Islamic Society of Central Jersey SHAIKH SHAFAYAT - Ameer and Principal, Darul Uloom Institute / Florida USA SHAKEEL
MEHDI - Board Member (Director of Outreach, Civic Engagement) , Board
Member, Islamic Association of Carrollton, Greater Dallas Asian American
Chamber of Commerce HAFSA KHAN - Principal, Islamic School of Trenton OMAR PATEL - Community Leader / Activist, Al-Bir Mosque - Central Florida JOHARI ABDUL-MALIK - Imam, Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center QUTAIBA ALBLUWI - Imam of Muslim Community Center of Kingston FARHAN SYED - Member, All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NIGERIAN MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS, USA QAZI - Principal , Nawal Academy CATHY MORROW - Revert Muslim , Al-Bir Mosque - Central Florida JOOHI TAHIR - Executive Director, MUHSEN FATIMA SADAF SAIED - President, Muslim Women's Organization FAHAD MIRZA - TV Program Director, AL-Hikmat TV EMAN RASHID - Education Admin., MRI Institute SHEIKH AZHAR NASSER - Imam , Islamic Education Center INAYAT WALLI - President, Husseini Islamic Center of Florida BASSEM CHAABAN - Executive Director, American Islam TIMOTHY
J GIANOTTI - Associate Professor, Renison University College,
University of Waterloo, and the Islamic Institute for Spiritual
Formation, Toronto ANAS SHAIKH - Imam & Resident Scholar, Islamic Organization of the Southern Tier HASSAN SHIBLY - Chief Executive Director, CAIR Florida ALAA YOUSSEF - President, Upper Westchester Muslim Society MUSLIM CENTER OF SOMERSET COUNTY SUSAN DOUGLASS - K-14 Education Outreach Coordinator, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University HUSSAM AYLOUSH - Executive Director, CAIR-LA HALIL ATAS - CEO North East Islamic Community Center ZAHRA BILLOO - Executive Director, CAIR San Francisco Bay Area SHAMUDEEN - Imam, ICNEF VOLKAN YILDIRIM - Religion Instructor, Lehigh dialogue center FATIMA SULTAN - Executive Director, Zanbeel Art Inc. AHMED GOMAA - President of the Board, Scranton Chapter, Islamic Association of North Eastern PA SEDIN AGIC - Imam, Islamic Center of Bowling Green KY SULEYMAN ERIS - President, Respect Graduate School HESHAM A. HASSABALLA - Writer, "God, Faith, and a Pen" OSAMA MULKI - Director, Islamic Center of Lawrence, Kansas BAHA SAFADI - Chairman, Citizens Advisory Board for Fair and Impartial Policing ASTHMA ZAIDI - Professor, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences A K TAYIEM - President of Islamic center of Leavenworth KAMIL MUFTI - Resident Scholar/Imam, Islamic Foundation of Peoria AMERICAN CENTER FOR OUTREACH KAREN DABDOUB - Executive Director, CAIR-Cincinnati ISLAMIC CENTER OF BOSTON BASIM ELKARRA - Executive Director, CAIR Sacramento Valley MUSLIM FORUM OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST (MFPNW) SUMAIYA AHMED - Co-Founder, Greater Detroit Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Council M. ASHRAF SHAIKH - Chairman BOT ISLAMIC CENTER OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA NIHAT YESIL - President/Imam, The Blue Mosque [Houston] FOZIA SALEEM-RASHEED - Neonatologists, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan FOUAD KHATIB - President, Muslim Community Association, Santa Clara, CA M. J. KHAN - President, Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) JOOHI TAHER - Executive Director, MUHSEN SUMAIYA AHMED - Co-Founder, Greater Detroit Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Council BILAL ELSAKKA - Director of Tarbiya and Religious Services, MAS Community and Youth Center - Elk Grove TAHIR U. ABDULLAH - Assistant Director of Spiritual Life & Advisor for Muslim Affairs, The University of Chicago DANIELLE LODUCA - Writer and founder, YourAmericanMuslimNeighbor.com TABISH HASAN - Founder, Muslim Ad Network MUHAMMAD MUSRI - President, Islamic Society of Central Florida JACOB BENDER - Executive Director , CAIR – Philadelphia Chapter SARWAT HUSAIN - President, CAIR-TX BILAL ANKAYA - Imam/Director of Interfaith Dialogue, The Institute of Islamic and Turkish Studies and Ezher (bloom) Mosque AAMER AHMED - President, MA'RUF MUSTAFAA CARROLL - Executive Director, CAIR-TX, Houston Chapter HAMID KHAN - Deputy Director, The Rule of Law Collaborative and Adjunct Professor, University of South Carolina MICHAEL WOLFE - President, Unity Productions Foundation ALEX KRONEMER - CEO, Unity Productions Foundation FAISAL QAZI - Vice President, The Whitestone Foundation MUSTAPHA ELTURK - Ameer, Islamic Organization of North America IONA DALIA F FAHMY - Assistant Professor of Political Science , LIU MANZOOR GHORI - Majlis Member, ISNA SHAMIRA CHOTHIA AHMED - Co-Founder, The Rahmah Foundation JAWAAD A. RAHMAN - UPF, Director of Development KHURRUM WAHID - National Chairperson, Emerge USA UBAYDULLAH EVANS - Executive Director, American Learning Institute for Muslims PATRICIA ANTON - Executive Director, Alanur MOHAMMAD IQBAL AL-NADVI - President | Executive Director , Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Canada | Al-Nadwa Institute DANIELLE LODUCA - Director, TheHatebusters.org MASUMA VIRJI - Co-Founder, United Muslim Foundation AHMED NIAZY - Co-Founder, Message For Mankind JAMAL HASSOUNEH - Board of Directors, Aisha Cultural Center TARIQ RASHEED - Imam, Islamic Center of Orlando ROOHE AHMED - Board Member , The Rahmah Foundation KHIZR MOHAMED - Director, Al-Haya - Muslim Youths ABDULREHMAN CHAUDARY - President, Muslim Center of Somerset County HAJIRA SHUJAAT - Outreach Chair , Muslim Women's Organization HASAN KHAN - Executive Director, Straight Path Capital Inc ABDUL RAHMAN WAHEED - Co-Founder, Principal , Michigan Islamic Institute NAIYERAH KOLKAILAH - President, Islamic Society of SLO County UMER AHMAD - Board Member, SouthWest InterFaith Team (SWIFT) Illinois ROOFI AHMED - Board Member, Noor Islamic Cultural Center SHABBIR MOTORWALA - Co Founder, Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations SHAMSHAD AHMAD - President, Masjid As-Salam, Albany, NY MAHMOUD SHALASH - Imam, ISLAMIC center of Lexington KHALID J. QAZI - Founding President, Muslim Public Affairs Council of WNY FAISAL AHMAD - Director, The Fiqh Institute MICHELE OUANSAFI - Principal, Nooran Islamic School PEMBE YASARLAR - Director of Education , Crescent Academy International MOHAMMED MOHIUDDIN - Chairman, Board of Trustees, Islamic Society of Frederick AASIM RASHID - Founder, Principal, Al-Ihsan Educational Foundation AIDA AMINZAI - Co-founder , Blessed Tree Foundation YAMA NIAZI - Imam, Islamic Society of Santa Barbara ABRAR MALIK - Imam/Mufti, Masjid AlFalah QURAT MIR - Board, Founding Member , Rabata LEILA DURIC - Women's Affairs Coordinator, Bosnian-American Islamic Cultural Center KASHIF ABDUL-KARIM - Imam, Muhammad Islamic Center of Greater Hartford SUZAN EL-RAYESS - Director of Development, Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center MOHAMMAD JAFARI - Mufti, Resident Scholar and Lecturer MASUMA VIRJI - Co-Founder, United Muslim Foundation MUHAMMAD SATTAUR - Executive Director, Imam Ghazali Institute SHAKIEL HUMAYUN - President, NYC Muslim Center YAHYA MOMLA - Imam, BCMA, Masjid Al-Salaam and Education Centre SHABINA AHMED - M.D., Johns Hopkins Community Physicians SAHAR SHAIKH - President, Muslim Women's Organization of FL MOHAMED ABUTALEB - Imam, Islamic Association of Raleigh TUFAIL AHMED - Scholar, Al-Bilal Academy | Senior Teacher, Hollings Youth Association Co Founder SALMAAN PARKAR - Sheikh, Australian Islamic College MALIHA SHEIKH - Learning Coach/Programs Coordinator, Sanad Trust Foundation SALMAN MALIK - President, Association of Pakistani Physicians of New England AZHAR DALAL - Board Member, Islamic Center of Greater Miami OLIVER MUHAMMAD - Senior Imam, As Salaam Islamic Center of Raleigh HAMAD ALI RASHID - Imam , California Islamic Center HAFEZ EL ASSALI - Board Member, Islamic Center of N.E. Florida HAJIRA SHUJAAT - Outreach Chair , Muslim Women's Organization
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Check out the solidarity shown in the Catskills! Go to this link!
Anti-Islamberg motorcycle rally fizzles as hundreds turn out to support Catskills Muslims
By Julia Reischel 5/15/16 - 6:59 pm
Above: Thirteen "American Bikers United Against Jihad" vehicles
drive by hundreds of Islamberg supporters in the Delaware County town of
Tompkins on Sunday, May 15. Video and photos by Julia Reischel.
A planned motorcycle protest against Islamberg, an African-American
Sufi Muslim community in the Catskills, backfired on its organizers on
Sunday, May 15, when they were vastly outnumbered by hundreds of
cheering Islamberg supporters who gathered to defend the community from
charges that it is an “Islamic jihad training camp.”
The purpose of the ride, according to ABUAJ’s website and Facebook event,
was to call for the U.S. State Department to designate Islamberg and
its parent organization, The Muslims of America, “an international
terrorist organization.”
Above: Pro-Islamberg demonstrators line Roods Creek Road.
ABUAJ organizers had told the New York State Police to expect 70
riders, but at the appointed time, amid unseasonable snow flurries, only
five motorcyclists and eight other vehicles participated in the ride.
As they drove past the entrance to Islamberg, the ABUAJ bikers passed
through a gauntlet of Islamberg supporters waving American flags and
chanting, “Freedom, Justice for Islamberg.”
The ABUAJ bikers, as planned, did not stop. The entire ride took less than two minutes.
Still, preparations for the event used up considerable resources.
Islamberg officials sent out a fundraising plea right before the event
to help cover the costs. More than 20 police officers from the New York
State Police participated in the event, according to Major James Barnes,
the commander of the New York State Police’s Troop C.
Barnes, who was personally present at the demonstration, said that
other officers from other law enforcement agencies were also on standby
for the day.
Above: Demonstrators support Islamberg with "Stand for Justice" and "Stop Harassing Muslims" signs.
Barnes said that the ABUAJ riders had the right to assemble peaceably
and express their beliefs, and that the group had cooperated with law
enforcement throughout the day.
“Fizzled out”
While the ABUAJ protest “fizzled out,” according to Faruq Baqi, an
Islamberg spokesman, the hundreds of people who arrived to support
Islamberg were making history for the small, once isolated community.
“This is history,” said Ismail Shahid, who was raised in Islamberg,
as he surveyed the crowd of supporters at the community’s front gate.
Shahid said that the rally and crowd were unprecedented for Islamberg.
“We never had the opportunity to reach out to our neighbors like
this,” he said. “There have never been this many guests in Islamberg.”
The gathering, a boisterous, racially diverse affair, was unusual for
Delaware County, a largely white, rural region that isn’t prone to
public protests.
Above: A demonstrator holds a "Biker Bigots Begone" sign.
Two busloads of Islamberg supporters had come from Oneonta, according to the Daily Star, and others drove from as far away as Albany and as close as the neighboring communities of Hancock and Deposit.
Members of a neighboring but unaffiliated Sufi community in Sidney, the Osmanlı Nakş-ı'bendi Hakkani Dergahı, attended. So did a group organized by a local Unitarian church and reporters from most local and regional newspapers.
Multiple documentary filmmakers were in attendance, including Oscar-winner Roger Ross Williams and David Felix Sutcliffe, who directed “Terror,” a new documentary about FBI informants.
“When we heard about this, we said that we wanted to be a part of it,” Manley said.
Above: Kathy Manley, right, holds a "We Are All Muslim Today" sign.
Above: Demonstrators line Islamberg's driveway.
“This is the most life-affirming thing I’ve ever been involved in,”
said Nancy Furdock, who lives just over the mountain from Islamberg.
Last month, Furdock organized a community forum in the village of Hancock to introduce Hancock residents to Islamberg residents.
Furdock said that although she has lived nearby for 16 years, she
didn’t really know Islamberg's residents, “aside from seeing them in the
laundromat and the store.”
In February, she decided to change that.
“I kept hearing lies, rumors and vicious attacks against my
neighbors,” she said. “I heard all this terrible stuff about them, so I
reached out to them. That’s what you do to find out the truth.”
Furdock invited a group of women from Islamberg over to her house,
where they had tea. That conversation led to an ongoing friendship.
Furdock had a seat of honor at the press conference that followed the
demonstrations on Sunday.
Above: State Police deputies line Roods Creek Road after the demonstration.
“I think it’s ignorance”
After the ABUAJ convoy passed Islamberg, the mood of the crowd turned
festive. The hundreds of demonstrators walked down Islamberg’s long,
rocky dirt driveway to a large white tent that had been erected in a
field on the property, where food was served and speeches were made.
Major Barnes of the State Police remained to mingle with the crowd.
As he has in the past, he said that rumors that Islamberg is a jihadist
training camp are false.
“We have no concerns,” he said, adding that he has personally visited Islamberg many times.
Asked why he thinks that the rumor persists, Barnes said, “I think
it’s ignorance. People are uneducated about the community here.”
Above: Demonstrators begin to disperse after ABUAJ riders pass Islamberg.
Advent is expectant and full of hope. There's also a solemn quality to the waiting - not dour or dreary - something grounded and okay with a close stillness, a quality that honors the waiting itself as sacred.
It is a patient season. It asks us to be patient, too. Advent asks us to make peace with the lingering and reminds us that we can. It gently shows us again that there can be deep joy in that in-between place, that one-foot-in-front-of-the-other pace.
Read more . . . _______________________________________________________
Siri Liv Myhrom writes about the four weeks of Advent
Advent is expectant and full of hope. There's also a solemn quality to the waiting - not dour or dreary - something grounded and okay with a close stillness, a quality that honors the waiting itself as sacred.
It is a patient season. It asks us to be patient, too. Advent asks us to make peace with the lingering, and reminds us that we can. It gently shows us again that there can be deep joy in that in-between place, that one-foot-in-front-of-the-other pace.
More . . . _______________________________________________________
In the U.S. Pope Francis called attention to the hungry and the homeless
A man sleeps on a sculpture of a figure called "Homeless Jesus" in front of the Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Charities offices in Washington D.C. on Sept. 16, 2015. Photo courtesy of REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Because of its proximity to the U.K., the port city of Calais, France, now has an unofficial refugee camp called "The Jungle." From this location many refugees attempt to stowaway on vehicles entering the channel tunnel, or attempt to walk the length of the tunnel.
An estimated 3,000 people live in the camp which covers 40 acres of sand dunes once used for landfill. Nationalities represented include Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Afghanistan, and Syria.
In the Eritrean quarter, a wooden church has sprung from the sand.
Two wooden crosses perch on each end of the sloping roof. Worshipers remove their shoes at the door. One young woman kisses the plywood wall before entering. A group of women kneel in front of icons.
The pastor - a migrant himself - says he holds sermons here every day for around 100 people and everyone is welcome.
Seeing "The Jungle," a backdrop of desperation, fears of a migrant "invasion" had grown within the U.K. As all of Europe wrestles with the question of how to respond to the huge wave of immigration, thousands more continue to flee the wars ravaging their countries - and the United States searches for answers to how, and how quickly, our country can also respond to the overwhelming number of refugee families in today's world.
Photos of the nine people slain in Emanuel A.M.E. Church
were shown during a service at another church in Charleston
"You attack the center, whatever you think is going to hit at the heart," said the Rev. Henry A. Belin, pastor of the Bethel First A.M.E. Church in Harlem. "The black church has been the heart." --Rachel L. Swarns and Campbell Robertson NY Times
Parker Palmer reflects on "sharing our loves and doubts" as a way into more generous conversations - all this, through the lens of a poem by Yehuda Amichai, one of Israel's greatest modern poets.
The Place Where We Are Right by Yehuda Amichai
From the place where we are right flowers will never grow in the Spring.
The place where we are right is hard and trampled like a yard.
But doubts and loves dig up the world like a mole, a plough. And a whisper will be heard in the place where the ruined house once stood.
The persecution of Christians reached historic levels in 2014, according to Open Doors USA, which estimated that 100 million Christians around the world face dire consequences for practicing their faith. North Korea topped the list of offending nations, with Iraq third and Syria forth. Other regimes among the worst for Christians were Somalia, Iran, Pakistan, and Nigeria. . . .
Christians are not the only ones being persecuted by radical islamists. Last summer ISIS set out to decimate members of the Yazidi sect, an ancient religious minority in Iraq. Hundreds of Yazidi men were killed, women were taken as slaves, and thousands more were forced to flee. And ISIS's primary targets for persecution remain moderate Muslims viewed as having betrayed the faith. Many more Muslims than Christians have been killed by ISIS.
In many Muslim cultures, when you want to ask [people] how they're doing, you ask: in Arabic, Kayf haul-ik? or, in Persian, Haal-e shomaa chetoreh? How is your haal?
What is this haal that you inquire about?
It is the transient state of one's heart. In reality, we ask, "How is your heart doing at this very moment, at this breath?
When I ask, "How are you?", that is really what I want to know. . . .
Let us insist on a type of human-to-human connection where when one of us responds by saying, "I am just so busy," we can follow up by saying, "I know, love. We all are. But I want to know how your heart is doing."
Today, less than 1% of the world's Christians live in the place where Christianity began - the Middle East-North Africa region. With only about 4% of its residents identifying as Christian, the region's share of Christians is the smallest in the world, says a Pew Research report.
How much do you know about the world's Christian population? How many Christians are there? Which country has the largest Catholic population, and which has the largest number of Protestants?
Test your own knowledge of the global Christian population.
