VOGU

  VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

Volume 234, June 30, 2013

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficient and the Most Merciful

(www.xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com)

EDITORIAL:

In this E-Zine, we have first highlighted the positives in terms of “Masjid building Booming in the United States”. This is followed by highlights on news pertaining to our future generation of Muslims (our youth). Further we have  highlighted the positive Islamic news on the other end of the globe “Australian Muslims to launch TV ads to Promote Prophet Mohamed”. We have also touched on our favorite topic of INTERFAITH RELATIONS.

PART I a:

Mosque Building Booming in the US

www.latimes.com

June 23, 2013

by Angel Jennings and Teresa Watanabe

(Source: LA Times)

 

The opening this weekend of a new mosque in Rowland Heights is powerful evidence of a building boom of such facilities in Southern California and around the nation.

Over the last several years, new mosques have risen in Mission Viejo, Irvine, Anaheim, Reseda, Rancho Cucamonga, Rosemead, Diamond Bar and Tustin. Additional mosques are slated for Temecula, Ontario, Lomita and Corona.

Strikingly, the new mosques have been funded entirely by local Muslims, who began settling in the region in the 1960s. Before 2001, new mosques were often funded by foreigners; the Saudis financed the King Fahad Mosque in Culver City, and Libyans helped build Masjid Omar near USC.

Stricter government scrutiny of foreign investments from Islamic countries after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, along with reluctance by local Muslims about accepting foreign money, helped change the practices, according to Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California.

“Post 9/11, the dynamic completely changed,” Syed said. “The Muslim community at large in North America realized it is better if we develop our own funding, however long it takes.”

Syed said many Muslims have built successful businesses over the last few decades and are now positioned to give back. Some did relatively well during the recession, as they were able to buy undervalued properties while not taking on risky investments or interest-incurring debt, which is barred in Islam, he said.

The majority of mosques in the United States are still existing buildings converted to an Islamic prayer space. But the number of newly built structures — such as the new Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley — has doubled in the last decade, to 632 in 2011 from 314 in 2000, according to the American Mosque 2011 study. Among metropolitan areas, Southern California is home to 120 mosques, second only to the New York area, the study found. (Estimates of the Muslim American population vary, but a 2011 Pew Research Center study placed it at about 2.7 million nationwide and growing.)

At the new Masjid Qubaa in Rowland Heights, several members donated $100,000, and a few gave $500,000. The women held a fashion show, which raised $100,000. Dozens of skilled craftsmen contributed services and construction materials, which significantly reduced the structure’s cost.

Syed Rizvi, the center’s president, reflects the arc of success experienced by some of the community’s more affluent members. He arrived in the United States from Pakistan in 1975 with a single suitcase and $7,500. But he had a medical degree and eventually opened several kidney dialysis centers. He donated a six-figure sum to the project, said Yasmeen Khan, a mosque leader.

“We were professionals, but we were not rich,” Rizvi said. “America gave that opportunity for us all.”

The mosque construction attracted no local opposition — unlike projects in Temecula, Lomita and Ontario. There, neighbors raised concerns about potential problems with noise, traffic and parking — objections Muslims have successfully addressed, according to Ameena Mirza Qazi of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Some of those debates were marked by anti-Islam comments and fears about terrorism expressed by some opponents.

PART I b:

CAIR-CA (California) Begins 9^th Muslim Youth Leadership Conference at State Capital

June 27, 2013

(SACRAMENTO, 6/27/13) -- Beginning today, the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) will hold its 9th annual Muslim Youth Leadership Program (MYLP) in Sacramento.

WHEN: Thursday, June 27 - Sunday, June 30

WHERE: State Capitol, Sacramento, California

CONTACT: CAIR-Sacramento Valley, Basim Elkarra, (916) 441-6269, ext. 103# 

The conference will feature workshops on community organizing, leadership development and public speaking. A highlight of the conference will be a "mock legislature" session, during which participants will serve as legislators as they debate public policy issues and prepare bills to be presented on the floor of the State Senate.

"The vision behind MYLP when it was first created in 2005 was to provide a training ground for our community’s youth," said MYLP Chair Basim Elkarra. "It is our goal for our participants to return home and empower their peers and community members."

In the past eight years, more than 350 California students have participated in the Muslim youth leadership program and have moved on to become contributing members of society. The program’s graduates have gone on to prestigious universities, created their own non-profit organizations, and taken on groundbreaking leadership roles.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

PART I c:

CAIR-St. Louis to Host Leadership Program for Muslim Youth

28 June 2013

www.cair.com

  (SAINT LOUIS, MO, 6/28/13) – On Saturday, June 29, dozens of young St. Louis Muslims will take part in the first-ever Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium (MYLS) hosted by the St. Louis chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-St. Louis).

The MYLS program is designed to develop the next generation of American Muslim leaders through guidance, training and inspiration. It will include workshops that promoted social justice, coalition building, grassroots organizing, public speaking, and debating.

WHAT: 1st Annual Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium (MYLS)

WHEN: Saturday, June 29, All Day

WHERE: Eric P. Newman Educational Center (EPNEC), 320 S Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110

CONTACT: Faizan Syed, Executive Director CAIR-St. Louis, 636-207-8882, fsyed@cair.com

MYLS aims to empower St. Louis Muslim youth to reclaim the image of Islam in the mainstream through positive social activism.

The symposium will consist of several presentations, workshops, and team-building exercises. Guest speakers will include County Executive Charlie Dooley and State Senator Jamilah Nasheed, along with other civil rights activists, community leaders, religious figures, and interfaith partners.

"Developing the next generation of Muslim leaders is vital in dealing with modern challenges," said CAIR-St. Louis Executive Director Faizan Syed. "Our vision is to inspire future leaders to work together to make Missouri and Southern Illinois a better place for individuals from all walks of life."

The 20 MYLS participants have been selected through an application process from across the city of St. Louis to participate in this year's program.

CONTACT: CAIR-St. Louis Executive Director Faizan Syed, office 636-207-8882, cell 314-330-2946, fsyed@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com

PART I d:

Berkeley Social Welfare Major Sadia Saifuddin Nominated as Next UC Student Regent
June 5, 2013
www.socialwelfare.berkeley.edu

 Sadia Saifuddin, at UC Berkeley, has been nominated as student regent for the UC system. (Justin Sayarath)

Berkeley Social Welfare undergraduate Sadia Saifuddin (BA '14) is set to become the 40th student regent to sit on the University of California Board of Regents.

Pending confirmation of her nomination by the board at its upcoming meeting in July, Saifuddin -- who currently serves as an ASUC senator in UC Berkeley -- will assume the UC student regent position in July 2014 following a one-year term as student-regent designate.

"I come from a legacy of people who care about education and community," said Saifuddin. "I want the people who come after to have the same opportunities I had."

As a voting member of the UC board, the student regent represents the perspective of the entire student body of the University of California system. Should Saifuddin's nomination be approved, she would be just one of two undergraduates to hold the position over the last decade.

PART I e:

Australian Muslims to Launch TV ads to Promote Prophet Muhammad

by Bruce McDougall

Source: The Telegraph (AUS)

( Bruce McDougall
The Telegraph)

Muslim activists will launch the first TV commercial in Australia about the Prophet Mohammed in a bid to improve the religion’s battered image.

The Islamic community has raised a war chest of “tens of thousands” of dollars to fund a series of 30-second commercials, due to air on the main television networks from July 9.

They are the brainchild of the Mypeace organisation, based at Bankstown, which is attempting to build bridges between the Muslim community and other Australians.

The prime-time ads, set to appear on Channels 7, 9, and 10, and SBS over several months, feature major figures of history including Mahatma Gandhi and George Bernard Shaw extolling the virtues of the Prophet Mohammed.

Mypeace founder Diaa Mohamed yesterday said negotiations with the TV networks were being finalised for the commercials to run in breakfast, afternoon and evening time slots.

“This is a response to misinformation – not many (Australians) are aware of who the Prophet is and why we regard him so highly and so emotionally,” Mr Mohamed said.

“The commercials will be animated with voice-overs and will have quotes on the screen.

“Mohammed is the most influential man in history and the commercials will show what scholars and historians have said about him.”

Gandhi said the prophet “holds undisputed sway over the hearts of millions” and George Bernard Shaw described him as the “saviour of humanity”.

The image of Sydney’s Islamic community was damaged when members rioted in the central business district in September last year over a YouTube video that denigrated the religion.

The TV commercials, described as a “defining moment in Australian Islamic history”, will be unveiled at a function in Bankstown on July 6 and begin running on TV from July 9, Mr Mohamed said.

Mypeace is dedicated to addressing “misconceptions about Islam”, educating Australians about the religion and inviting questions from outsiders.

“Every dollar goes to our call centre, education classes and media campaigns that include billboards, television commercials and social media,” it said.

Sydney has one of the most diverse Muslim communities in the world, with 70 different national and ethnic backgrounds, among them Lebanese, Turkish, Afghan, Egyptian, Indian, Pakistani, Bosnian, South African and Fijian.

Muslim numbers in Australia have soared by 40 per cent to 476,291 in just five years, paving the way for an Islamic building program of schools, mosques and prayer rooms in Sydney and Melbourne.

PART- I f:

Dubai sets sights on Qur’an-themed park

www.iinanews.com

21 June 2013 

 

Dubai, Friday, 12 Shaaban 1434/ 21 June 2013 (IINA) – Dubai has added a new item to its top ambitions such as building the world’s largest Ferris wheel and bidding for an Angry Birds theme park - a site honoring the Qur’an.

The estimated $7.3 million project will include a garden with plants mentioned in the Islamic holy book and an air-conditioned tunnel depicting events from the Qur’an. Dubai media quoted the city’s director of projects, Mohammed Noor Mashroom, as saying

Thursday the park should be ready in September 2014. It’s a departure from Dubai’s emphasis on Western-style tourism, which draws millions of visitors from around the Muslim world but has its detractors. HA/IINA

PART II a:

INTERFAITH RELATIONS:

(ED NOTE:

The Arab-Jewish conflict in Israel that has been going on for past several decades is the last place on earth that we need to look towards when we talk about inter-faith relations specifically MUSLIM-JEWISH relations. There have been a growing number of positive events specially in the United States where Muslims and Jews have worked together to help each other in various ways. Below two articles are excellent examples. Despite increasing the potential of receiving death threats from extremist elements, we have no hesitation whatsoever to strongly express our wish to advocate and reach out to not only our Jewish brothers and sisters, but also brothers and sisters from all other faiths of humanity to join us to promote and enhance INTERFAITH BONDING. Almighty Allah rightly stated in the Holy Quran: “MANKIND IS BUT ONE COMMUNITY”.)

UK Jewish patrol protects mosques from hate attacks

by Jessica Elgot

www. huffingtonpost.co.uk

June 28, 2013

A Jewish ”police force” has offered protection to mosques in Hackney, following a spate of violent attacks on mosques.

Shomrim, a uniformed Jewish patrol in Stamford Hill who are trained by the Met, patrol the area regularly looking for anti-Semitic hate crimes, and general disorder in the neighbourhood.

The volunteer group, similar to a Neighbourhood Watch, are trained to safely track and detain suspects until police arrive, and run a 24-hour hotline for those in the area to report attacks.

The group was started by Jewish New Yorkers angry at lengthy police response times after crimes were reported.

Mosque elders met this weekend with Shomrim in the Cazenove Road Mosque and Community Centre to discuss cooperation between the two communities.

The offer of security help was the brainchild of local Lib Dem councillor and strictly Orthodox Jew Ian Sharer, who was one of the founders of the Muslim-Jewish forum.

“In our ward, the three councillors are two Charedi Jews, and one religious Muslim. We have been friends for many years, and we get on every well.

“This seemed like a natural thing to do. This is a very serious situation, and so I thought, why not call my friends from Shomrim? We wanted to see if we could offer them protection and also security lessons.

“When we met, everyone got on like a house on fire, we all got on so well. So now when Shomrim go out on patrol, they go past a number of different mosques to check they are OK. And we have given out our number so that Muslim people can call us if they need.”

Chaim Hochauser, one of the two community leaders of Shomrim, told HuffPost UK the co-operation was “unprecedented” and hoped it was “just the beginning of a long term partnership between the two communities.”

Violent attacks on mosques and Muslim buildings have been on the rise since the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, including an arson attack on a community centre in Muswell Hill and a homemade explosive device found at a mosque in Walsall.

PART II b:

CAIR Thanks NY Jewish Community for Helping to Foil Anti-Muslim Terror Plot

www.cair.com

June 24th, 2013

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/24/13) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today thanked the Albany, N.Y., Jewish community for helping to prevent a terror plot to kill Muslims, who the alleged plotters referred to as "medical waste." 
 

Glendon Scott Crawford, a reputed member of the Ku Klux Klan, took undercover FBI agents along last week as he scouted out an Albany mosque and an Islamic center in Schenectady as "viable target" locations. Crawford, one of two alleged plotters who were arrested, then reportedly took the agents to a garage in which he assembled what he believed to be a lethal device capable of silently killing the intended victims with radiation.

Court documents show that Crawford approached an Albany-area synagogue and another Jewish organization in 2012 hoping to "speak with a person who might be willing to help him with a type of technology that could be used by Israel to defeat its enemies, specifically, by killing Israel's enemies while they slept." Instead, the groups called law enforcement authorities.

In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:

"We thank the New York Jewish community and its leaders for helping to foil this potentially deadly terror plot targeting American Muslims. It is this type of cooperation with law enforcement authorities by religious communities that will ensure our nation’s safety and security."

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding. 
 

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Manager Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, arubin@cair.com

PART-II c

Doha to host international conference on Qur’an contemplation

www.iinanews.com

25 June 2013

(IINA)

Doha, 16 Shaaban 1434/25 June 2013 (IINA) – The first international Conference on Contemplating the Qur’an will be held in the Qatari capital of Doha on July 2.

Prominent scholars and thinkers in Qur’anic topics will take part in the conference to discuss how to coordinate efforts to revive Qur’anic teachings in society, alQuran.ma website reported. The event is organized by the World Society for Quran Contemplation in cooperation with Qatar’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Tadabbur (contemplation) Studies Center, Imam Shtaebi Quranic Studies Foundation and Ajadeh Qur’anic Center. Titled “Contemplating the Qur’an and its role in the life of Islamic Ummah”, the conference also aims to discuss ways to use contemplating the Qur’an in promotion of peace and spreading awareness about the issues of contemporary Muslim world. “Contemplating the Qur’an, meaning, objective, and method”, “role of Qur’an contemplation in progress of Muslim Ummah” and “contemplating the Qur’an, and means for investigating contemporary issues” will be the main themes of the gathering. There will also be sideline forums on “role of media in promoting the concept of contemplating the Qur’an”, and “plans and methods for promotion of the culture of contemplating the Qur’an”. Those interested can refer to www.tadabbor.com website to get further information about the conference. HA/IINA

PART II-d

(ED NOTE:

As we had stated in our previous E-Zines, interfaith work is critical in the process of us working together for world peace. What better way then to start interfaith work if feasible from the grass root level at our own local community if possible OR involve in interfaith work through our profession. In below article, Suzanne Morgan is an excellent role-model for the entire global interfaith community in terms of applying one's profession to promote interfaith work. Being an architect by profession, Suzanne has successfully used her profession of architecture to promote interfaith communication. Let us for a moment, think about our own work or profession and explore possible ways if it is feasible for us to promote interfaith work through our profession. Just some food for thought. Ours hats off to Suzanne Morgan for her exemplary efforts towards interfaith work).

Museum Exhibit Tells the Stories of Five Faith Communities

By Colette M. Jenkins

Beacon Journal religion writer

June 25, 2013

(condensed version)

PhotoOne:The interior of a model of Chicago's KAM Isaiah Israel Synagogue currently on display in the Sacred Spaces model exhibit at the University of Akron's Center for the History of Psychology Tuesday in Akron, Ohio. (Karen Schiely/Akron Beacon Journal)

Suzanne Morgan, a lifelong Christian, keeps an Islamic prayer rug in her Chicago office “just in case a visiting Muslim might need to pray midday.”

The rug is also a symbol of her commitment to building bridges of understanding among faith groups.

“Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and so many other religious followers have been attacked and maligned because of misinformation,” Morgan said. “This sad truth is a great danger to the entire world and I hope I can, in a small way, afford people a path to tolerance. There is no room for hatred.”

Morgan, who spent her high school years in Hudson, is now a Chicago architect on a quest to use architecture to promote interfaith communication. She has created a museum exhibit called Sacred Spaces, which features five architectural models of places of worship in the Chicago area, with the goal of helping people gain an appreciation of the people behind their construction and design.

The exhibit is currently on display, through Aug. 24, at the University of Akron’s Center for the History of Psychology, located at 73 S. College St. The local showing marks the first time that the exhibit has been shown outside of Chicago.

“The Sacred Spaces exhibit is an exciting development in the Center for the History of Psychology’s newly created Institute for Human Science and Culture.

Keeping with our mission, exhibits like this highlight the diversity of human experience and helps tell the story of what it means to be human,” said David B. Baker, executive director of the center. “Faith traditions have always played a central role in the course of human affairs and examining faith traditions through architecture offers fresh opportunities for new learning and understanding.”

How it started:

Morgan’s work to introduce people to faith groups that are different from their own began after 9/11.

“Clearly, life changed after that. Sadly, all Muslims became terrorists,” Morgan said. “I could see something needed to be done. I decided what I could do was through architecture and I started Sacred Space International (www.sacredspaceinternational.org) with the idea to help introduce people to other religions and, hopefully, help them gain a better understanding of each other.”

Morgan, a retired architect with expertise in liturgical design, also founded the Upper Room, an interfaith prayer space in Chicago’s financial district. She studied architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and earned a certificate in liturgical design from Chicago’s Catholic Theological Union and is currently sacred space ambassador with the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religion (www.parliamentofreligions.org).

“My goal is to provide a safe, nonthreatening environment for interfaith dialogue,” Morgan said. “These three-dimensional models are a great way to show how different congregations articulate their beliefs and practices. My hope is to expand the collection to include more faith groups and models of houses of worship outside the Chicago area.”

The Sacred Spaces exhibit can be viewed at the Center for the History of Psychology from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

For more information on the center, the exhibit and updated programming, go to http://www.uakron.edu/chp or call 330-972-7285.

Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com. She can be followed at www.twitter.com/ColetteMJenkins.

For the entire article, please check out: http://www.ohio.com/news/museum-exhibit-tells-the-stories-of-five-faith-communities-1.408696?ot=akron.PhotoGalleryLayout.ot&s=1.408695

THE END