Credits: Muslim Coalition of Connecticut
MCCT Executive Board accepts the award from Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers.
The Connecticut state Supreme Court honored the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut for educating the public on Islam and Muslims at a time when there has been an increase in hate crimes and discrimination directed toward Muslims. Through the coalition’s leadership and many initiatives, it successfully embodies this year’s Law Day theme, “Realizing the Dream: Equality for All.” State Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers presided. A ceremony, held at the Supreme Court in Hartford May 1, the annual Law Day, heard from the coalition’s vice president Refai Arefin and Chief Justice Rogers. Law Day was established in 1958 by President Dwight Eisenhower to mark the country’s commitment to the rule of law. The Newington based group was founded in 2004 by local mosque leaders to educate the public on Islam and Muslims and living Islam through social activism, including volunteering for charitable causes.
The Washington Post has ranked the Toledo Islamic Academy (TIA) among the nation’s top 5 percent of private high schools; 13th among the 40 listed for this honor.
This ranking is based on their last year’s Advanced Placement program. Last year, the newspaper, which ranks schools annually, started including private schools. The College Board confirmed the data submitted by TIA. Principal Aalaa M. Eldeib said, “Insha Allah this will continue the drive for rigor and excellence — balanced by sound character, leadership and the desire to give back to the world around us — that we all aspire to achieve amongst our Islamic schools.”
The Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims (SALAM) on May 4 honored veteran Sacramento activist Rashid Ahmad, who, for decades, has built bridges among Muslims, Jews, Christians, Sikhs and Buddhists with its Distinguished Award for Community Service. Metwalli Amer, founder of SALAM, said Ahmad played an instrumental role in establishing University of California-Davis Medical School’s Shifa Community Clinic to serve the poor. Ahmad served on the board of directors of the Capital Unity Council, now known as the Institute for Advancing Unity. Amer added that Ahmad helped create the Muslim Youth Leadership Program and the Greater Sacramento Muslim Cemetery. Ahmad also co-founded the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, a civil rights organization. A retired engineer with the State Department of Water Resources, Ahmad created the nonprofit Resources for Education and Community Health to serve underprivileged people worldwide by building schools and health facilities. The Shura Council of Southern California has welcomed two new members, the Islamic Center of Yorba Linda and the Iqra Academy of Palos Verdes. The Shura Council’s membership covers five counties of Southern California in Los Angeles,
Islamic Horizons July/August 2013
Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura. SCSC is governed by a ten member Shura Council Board.
Hamidah Mahmud and Ferial Ghori were part of the nine-member Granada Hills Charter High School team that won its third consecutive U.S. Academic Decathlon competition Apr. 27, earning the Los Angeles Unified School District its 14th national title. Granada Hills — which has three national and three state titles — beat some 450 students from other high school academic decathlon teams nationwide. Students competed in 10 areas including art, economics, essay, interview, language and literature, mathematics, music, science, social science and speech. This year’s theme was Russia. Top-scoring students were honored with individual medals and trophies at the awards ceremony. Dawood R. Zwink has become the first Executive Director of the Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC). He has a long history of community service such as, having worked with ISNA and being one of the founders of the Muslim Youth of North America. More recently he worked with the Boy Scouts of Canada, the Somali Relief Fund and the Muslim Observer. MMCC, which has served the community for over 25 years, adopted a new name in 2012 after the merging of the Council of the Islamic Organizations of Michigan (CIOM) and the Islamic Shura Council of Michigan (ISCOM). The shift reflects a new focus on community building and an expanded governing board. The Islamic Society of Corona/Norco (ISCN), founded 1988, is celebrating 25 years of service to the Muslim community. In 2005, ISCN started the phased construction of its masjid, school and community center. 25