ICLI News May 2005

A Birds Eye View of ICLI Outreach Initiatives:

Dear Fellow Muslims, As-Salaamualaikum.

In this month’s message I will summarize some of the initiatives ICLI has been involved in association and or collaboration with organizations and institutions in Nassau County.

In an evolving and complex institution such as ICLI, sometimes we loose sight of the many programs which are ongoing, which reminds me of the parable of the blind man and the elephant. When the blind man felt the tail of the elephant, he thought it was a rope, when he felt the leg he thought it was the trunk of a tree, when he felt the ivory he thought it was a spear, and when he felt the trunk of the elephant he thought it was some large round rolling object. Without seeing the whole picture of the elephant the blind man was unable to comprehend the size, shape and the total make up of the elephant. So in this brief note I will try to give you, the reader, a brief glimpse of some of the outreach activities ICLI is engaged in, these are in addition to the regular activities at the center itself which involve the five daily

congregational prayers, Sunday school, Qur'anic classes, women’s and men’s study groups, youth activities etc.

Health Related:

Nassau Partnership for Healthy Communities : (NPHC) ICLI successfully applied for a grant which led to the designation of ICLI as one of the primary sites for NPHC- a federally funded grant which seeks out individuals in Nassau County who have no or poor access to health care and attempts to provide necessary information and contact so as to improve their access to health care. I am also privileged to serve on the steering committee of NPHC which has representatives from all the major institutions that provide health services in Nassau County.

A spin off from this initiative has been the plan to have staff from St Francis Hospital provide free cardiac screening on ICLI premises starting in May - see below.

Social Services:

Health Welfare Council : This is an umbrella organization where representatives from well over 50 social and health agencies of ICLI are represented. ICLI is represented on the HWC board.

Educational Initiatives :

a) State University of New York at Old Westbury. This public university provides education to a large number of minority and underprivileged students from tristate area. Its Foundation provides much needed scholarships and support to deserving students and I represent you on the Foundation board. Several ICLI member’s have contributed to this Foundation by participating in the Foundations fund raising events. The President of SUNY at Old Westbury was our key note speaker at the 2003 ICLI annual

ner. Those who attended that dinner remember fondly the dynamic presentation by President Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts 111.

b) Elderhostel Initiative: In the summer of 2004 ICLI was picked as a site for the Elderhostel program “ Building Bridges to Islam.” The program was very well received, close to 400 participants from the tristate area attended and we have been asked to host an expanded version of this event in the summer of 2005. Insha Allah.

c) Public Schools : Various programs and presentations with sessions provided to students and teachers at a variety of public school districts in Long Island.

Media:

a) Telecare : Thanks to Msgn Tom Hartman and Rabbi Marc Gellman, a.k.a “God Squad” the popular TV program, “Our Muslim Neighbors” will complete its second year in summer 2005. Members of ICLI have been instrumental in providing the content for this program and the staff support. Over 800,000 homes on Long Island have access to this Cable TV Channel.

b) WLIW Channel 21: This TV channel is the 4th largest public TV channel in the United States. I am a member of the advisory board, many of our members volunteer during the fund raising events and I am often invited to participate in it’s programs -21 Forum , Face Off etc.

Faith Based Initiatives.

a) MultiFaith Forum: This Long Island based forum of 11 faith based groups provides valuable information, by invitation, to various schools, hospitals, universities etc. ICLI was a founding member of MFF and several of our members are on the speaking bureau of MFF.

b) AMJID: American Muslims and Jews in Dialogue. This award winning initiative has been in place for over 10 years. In 2004 it was recognized with the Faith Fellowship Award given by Gathering of Light organization. I get regular requests from other parts of the United States where similar initiatives are beginning to take hold. On Long Island, another AMJID group was started between a synagogue in Roslyn and the Ismaili community of Long Island.

c) Universalist Unitarian Fellowship: In 2004 thanks to the initiative of James Rupert, current bureau chief for Newsday in Pakistan, ICLI and UUF jointly worked on the Iraq school kit project which was subsequently profiled as a centerfold in Newsday and on a program of Channel 21 forum.

Looking ahead, in the coming months you will be receiving information regarding ICLI’s joint initiative’s with:

Family Services of Long Island: Tsunami relief. Jointly we are developing a program for long term assistance in some hard hit tsunami areas in Indonesia.

Interfaith Nutrition Network: ICLI is exploring the options of joining hands with the highly respected organizations of INN which provides lunch in various soup kitch-

ens on Long Island and also provides shelter to the needy. St Francis Hospital Health/ Cardiac Screening St. Francis Hospital Free Heart Screening at ICLI: On Wednesday mornings from 10a.m.-1p.m on May 4th, 18th ,June 1 st 15th, 29th , July 13th, 27th, August 10th and 24th a team from St. Francis Hospital will provide physical assessment, EKG (electrocardiogram tracing ) and a blood test (cholesterol) for persons over 18 years, who qualify. For an appointment or further information call 516-562-6025.

I have only listed the initiatives in which ICLI has or plans to develop institutional linkages. Many of our members get invited to give presentations to individual groups, organizations and to include all of these would require a lot more space which the editor of our newsletter - Br. Sohail Nabi would not allow.

My intention in giving you this information was to give you the “ big picture” and the amazing fact in that all of these initiatives have developed and are sustained by volunteers. There is a famous saying in Urdu—“Charag Tale Andhera’—loosely translated—the darkest spot is usually right under the lit lamp. ICLI has developed a national reputation which crosses regional, ethnic and cultural boundaries—Alhamdu Lillah-We thank Allah and thank all the volunteers and staff who put in an enormous effort in carrying out the myriad programs, you can celebrate this center of excellence, it’s not perfect however we are continuing to strive for further improvement, the Charag (light) of ICLI shines brightly!!!.

We would welcome your participation in any of the above outlined initiatives and I look forward to your comments and constructive critique.

With my best wishes Dr. Faroque A. Khan E-mail: Faroquekhan@yahoo.com.

Al-Malik

- The Absolute Ruler

And thus have We bestowed from on high this divine writ as a discourse in the Arabic tongue, and have given therein many facets to all manner of warnings, so that men might remain conscious of Us, or that it give rise to a new awareness in them. Know, then that God is sublimely exalted, the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth: and knowing this, do not approach the Qur'an in haste, ere it has been revealed unto thee in full, but always say: "O my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!"

Ta Ha 20:113-114, tr. Asad

Annual Strategic Retreat Report

In April 2004 a very productive three day strategic meeting was held at ICLI. Dr Rafik Beekun, Professor of Management at University of Nevada conducted this meeting. The details of those deliberations were reported in the May 2004 Vol 1, 9 issue of this Newsletter. To recapitulate the vision and mission of ICLI and report on the progress of the eight goals established, following is a brief summary based on the reports presented on April 10 2005.

ICLI VISION : To be a center of excellence for developing and sustaining a progressive, vibrant Islamic community and a nurturing environment for the society at large.

ICLI MISSION: Te serve and engage Muslims by promoting the values and teaching of Islam and to advocate inter-faith harmony in a multicultural environment in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah.

1)Strengthen Islamic Educational Programs—Sr Laura Maksood et al.

a) Establish a staff of qualified teachers for Sunday school who would follow the curriculum. Status---Task completed.

b) Streamline and strengthen the ICLI education committee. Status—Task completed with regular updates and upgrades.

2)Focus on Young Adults—Sr Honda Spidery et al

a) Provide pre-school services—Status—Space renovation in progress, NYS application pending, plan a start up date early summer 2005.

b) Young adult gatherings---Status—Organized two matrimonial dinner’s over New Years weekend and Easter weekend. Next one planned for Sept 2005. Mechanism and methodology in place and being refined.

c) Mentoring programs---No activity so far.

3)Provide Spiritual guidance and consultation— Dr Kasha Ahmed et al

a) Identify and train counselors

b) Identify professionals who can train volunteers

c) Advertise services via newsletter, Web, Friday and Sunday programs.

Under the auspices of the Domestic Harmony Comm., over the past decade a huge experience has been gained by DHC. The group has appropriate expertise, however in view of the extensive needs in the community DHC need many more volunteers..

4)Involve Youth---Br Hamza Byas/Reema Siddiqui etc

The plan to link with various MSA’s has not evolved as expected and anticipated.

This initiative needs a total overhaul..

5)Project Islam in a positive manner with outreach—Sr Cathy Khalifa et al

a) Prepare appropriate material regarding IslamMuslims—Status—Reference list of books been compiled. An outline of organized outreach was shared with the group.

b) Website—The revised updated website will be ready for launch by June 2005.

c) ICLI brochure—A draft of ICLI brochure, prepared by Sr Cathy was shared with the group with request for suggestions etc.

6)Formalize Infrastructure and Governance process—Dr Fakhiuddin Ahmad et al

This group recommendations have been presented to the ICLI board which has approved most, but not all of the recommendations.

A Governance and Grievance committee has been established with the goal of addressing any concerns/conflicts of members of ICLI community.

7)Build a social support program----Dr Kushal Ahmed et al—see under item 3 .

8)Develop a sound financial base for ICLI—Br Nasir Farooqi.

There was no report provided from this group. Some dates and items to keep in mind:

Next meeting of this group scheduled for Sunday May 15th 2005 from 10 am to 1pm. On that day we will continue with the discussion and insha Allah finalize the objectives for the coming year. Based on the presentation’s, the lively feedback, excellent attendance, clearly the community has bought into this agenda. All are welcome to the next meeting scheduled for May 15th.

We are very pleased to welcome the following new members who volunteered to work on implementation of the goals of the strategic group:

Br Naveed Siddiqui, Sr’s Saira Qureshi, Uzma Iqbal, Henna Qureshi, Amina Shah, Fiza Iqbal, Humma Qureshi and Br Rafiq.

In conclusion my special thanks to the team leaders Srs Laura Maksood, Hoda Spiteri, Kaushal Ah-

med,Cathy Khalifa, and Br Fakhi Ahmed for outstanding presentations, and to the members of their teams and to Br Hamza Byas for the technical support..

GOOD NEWS: Dr Rafik Beekun is so delighted with the progress made at ICLI that he plans to use ICLI as a case study in his forthcoming book which focuses on Strategic Planning for Masjids and Islamic Centers in USA.

Insha Allah see you all on Sunday May 15 th for a continuation of this dialogue and come prepared with constructive ideas, suggestions Best wishes.

SPRING CLEANING

The weather has finally taken a turn for the better. The trees are beginning to show glimpses of their future glory and blossoms are gently unfurling their petals. Waking up in the morning is something to look forward to without dreading an overnight snow fall.

This is the time when the sounds of leaf blowers is heard once again heralding the cleanups of hundreds of lawns. We start calling in window washers and feverishly start cleaning our homes and closets.

Spring is the best time of the year. As the clocks are set an hour ahead we are reminded by the fire departments to change the batteries in our smoke detectors.

I wish we had reminders like this to stop for a moment and change the batteries in our minds and hearts. Perhaps we should use this time of the year to take an inventory of our selves and do some spring cleaning as well.

It is time to adopt a positive attitude in life and to learn to perceive things in a positive manner. To let go of anger and hatred which are very negative emotions. To learn to forgive friends for real or imagined hurts and insults. It is time to give others the benefit of doubt. It is time to join in each others happiness and achievements without jealousy and envy.

It’s also time to let go of preconceived notions about the people in our lives. We are all human and thus have the foibles and fallibility of humans. If there are people in our social circle whom we cannot get along with, for what ever reason, it is time to reevaluate the friendship than to let resentments fester. Clean up the relationships and by doing so eliminate hypocrisy and falsehoods. Friends are an important part of life. Friendships are based on trust and love. Gossip acts like termites eating away at the house of friendship and yet we all indulge in it incessantly . We have to respect everyone’s privacy. Whether it’s good or bad news, people have the right to share it with whom and when they want to. Especially bad is gossip based on lies. There are several mentions to this effect in the Quran. Surah Ahzab is devoted to this topic.

Cheating and lying are vices we all fall prey to, many times in small insignificant ways. Whether it is to return an unwanted purchase or to get out of a sticky social situation.

After a few times we don’t think twice before doing it. It’s time to focus on the truth.

It is time to be charitable and help people in need. Not just material but also in need of love and moral support.

The Planet Earth is a very chaotic and ugly place at present. It is time to start cleaning up our World. It’s time to start spreading love and peace by living honest, gentle lives and being kind to everyone. The ripples will reach out to distant shores. By cleaning up our own lives and our own little corners of the world we can make a start.

Spring will lead to many summers of spiritual growth and hopefully peace in the world.

Mercy, Pity, Peace Is the World’s release. (Anonymous )

AsmaA.Ejaz,MD

Chairperson Domestic Harmony Committee

Al-Quddus - The Holy

And We vouchsafed unto Jesus, the son of Mary, all evidence of the truth, and strengthened him with holy inspiration.

Al-Baqarah 2:252, tr. Asad

As-Salam - The Source of Peace

And know that God invites man unto the abode of peace, and guides him that wills to be guided onto a straight way.

Yunus 10:25, tr. Asad

Chaplain James (Yusuf) Yee’s Weekend with ICLI

Background

Chaplain James Yee was born in Illinois but was raised in New Jersey where he currently lives with his wife and daughter. He was later commissioned in 1990 for the US Army and served in various countries. After the 9/11 tragedies he was recruited by the US government to promote the image of tolerance for Muslims in the U.S. army and the public. In November 2002, he was assigned to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to minister the Muslim personnel and the 660 “enemy combatants.”

shared with the ICLI community at the Sunday April 17 th Adult Session with the theme question “Who is Being Extreme?”

Chaplain Yee pointed out that the media is always portraying Muslims as the extremists. But he used several case studies to prove how he feels that the government is being extremist:

Case Study One: Sami Omar Al- Hussayen. This brother was a college student from Saudi Arabia who came to the U.S. under a student visa to seek a degree in computer information systems. He was a leader of his campus Muslim Student Association Chapter and helped Muslim organizations set up their websites. The U.S. government accused him of violating his visa oath stating that the sole purpose of his student visa was for studying not for setting up web sites. 128 FBI agents were sent to his campus questioning other students of his whereabouts. The FBI tried to convince the judicial system to arrest him with charges of “conspiring to provide material support to terrorism by providing expert advice and assistance. The judicial courts ruled that he was not threat at all to the general community, thus the government went against the double jeopardy law and again tried him for the same crime in immigration court. He was arrested and then was released with conditions that he gave up pursuing his degree and go back to his country. Chaplain Yee used this as an example of a threat to the Freedom of Speech Act and misuse of the immigration laws.

On September 10, 2003 Chaplain Yee was secretly arrested for allegations of belonging to a spy network which helped terrorists. He was later charged with espionage, sedition, spying and failing to obey a general order. In addition he was also charged with mishandling confidential information by taking it to his home and transporting material without proper security containers or cover. On November 25, 2003 he was charged with adultery and two counts of downloading pornography. In March 22, 2004 he appealed the decision which was later granted on April 14, 2004 in which he returned to Fort Lewis as a chaplain.

On August 2, 2004 he submitted his resignation from the U. S. Army stating that he was “unfairly accused of all charges and his career as a chaplain was destroyed. He also stated that no apology was offered for this persecution. In January 2005 he received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army.

Sunday Adult Session April 17th 2005

Today Chaplain Yee established an organization entitled “Justice for James Yee Ad Hoc Committee”. He is currently pursuing a degree in International Relations. Throughout his studies he encountered several case studies in instances where other Muslims were falsely accused and punished for terrorist acts. These case studies he

Other Case Studies: Chaplain Yee later showed examples of Extraordinary Rendition by using examples of Ahmed Abu Ali, Maher Arar, and Mamdouh Habib. These are cases where the U.S. government exiled Muslims to foreign countries that are known for torturing prisoners. The example of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen, who was secretly arrested by the U.S. government then exiled to Syria. The U.S. government never informed Canada that they were going to arrest one of their citizens. He was tortured in Syria by usage of electrical cables connected to various parts of his body including his private areas. He was released but under the torture was pressured to admit to crimes he never committed. The Canadian government today is still wondering why the U.S. government will arrest one of their citizens without informing them.

Another case is that of Ahmed Abu Ali, and American who was arrested by the Saudi Arabian government while pursuing his studies. His family went to the American government begging them to please assist him by putting pressure on the Saudi government to release him. The U.S. government claimed that since the arrest happened in Saudi and though he is an American citizen they have no jurisdiction and cannot assist him. Through an investigation it was later discovered that the American government told the Saudi government to arrest Ahmed Ali.

Chaplain Yusuf Yee discussing one of his Case Studies

Other cases such as Tariq Ramadan who was offered a teaching job, but then was banned from the U.S. Yusuf Islam a famous singer who promotes Islamic songs of peace, was also denied entry and deported from the U.S. are other examples in which Chaplain Yee uses to show examples of government extremism. Tariq Ramadan wrote the book “Western Muslims and the Future of Islam”, in which he uses examples from a sociological scientific perspective how Western Muslims should embrace the culture of the west while using Islamic principals to change their society. These in addition to the recent case of the detention of the two 16-year old Muslim girls in New York are all examples of profiling. Chaplain Yee ended his session stating that “We as Muslims are living in historically dangerous times and it is up to us to fight for justice.”

Personal Interview:

When asked on a personal interview with Chaplain Yee’s, his advice to Muslims who wish to pursue a career in the armed forces is to “Think about your decision carefully as you would any major decision.” “I urge individuals that when they enter the armed forces to seek the nearest Muslim Chaplain to ensure that your rights will be protected and respected.” He also stated that it is up to us as individuals to ensure to educate the American government that Muslims in the armed forces are there to defend their nation and not to engage in terrorist activities.

Haji Noor and Arabic Calligraphy

On Sunday April 17th, ICLI was delighted to welcome, Haji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang, a world-renowned Muslim calligraphist, from of China.

During his visit, Haji Noor Deen, spoke about the history of Islam in China and gave demonstrations of his artwork.

Born in 1963 in eastern China's Shandong Province bordering the Yellow Sea, Haji Noor Deen lectures on the art of Arabic calligraphy at the Islamic College in Zhen Zhou.

In 1997, Haji Noor Deen was the first Chinese Muslim to be awarded the Egyptian Certificate of Arabic Calligraphy and to be admitted as a member of the Association of Egyptian Calligraphy.

He said that what is amazing about the Arabic alphabet is that there are only 28 letters, but there are 100 different ways to portray those letters.

Chaplain Yee hesitated to make any other comments as he is considering writing a book on more in depth accounts of his experience. He said, if published, this book should be out in the fall.

Interviewed by Sis. Tahira Muhammad

Chaplain Yee with Sis. Tahira Muhammad

Haji Noor with Chaplain Yee at ICLI’s Adult Session on April 17th

Haji Noor demonstrating his skills with Brs. Sajjad and Habeeb watching enthusiastically

Women’s Presence in the Masjid Where have we gone wrong and how can we move Forward

“O people! be careful of (your duty to) your Lord, Who created you from a single being and created its mate of the same (kind) and spread from these two, many men and women; and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, by Whom you demand one of another (your rights), and (to) the ties of relationship; surely Allah ever watches over you.” Quran [4.1]

The Prophet (saws) stated that “The best of the men are those at the front. And the worst of them are those at the back. And the best ranks of the women are those at the back. And the worst of them at the front.”

The issue of women’s equal access to the Masjid has been a recurrent issue due to the recent events such as the woman-led Jummah prayer and other concerns on women’s equal access to the Masjid.. The Quran states the overall respect that Allah has for the duties he has ordained on both sexes. But how do we interpret those in relationship to cultural norms then incorporate these ideologies into Western society without deviating from the main principles of the Quran and Sunnah. These and other related topics were covered in a highly energized conference sponsored by ICLI in conjunction with the Women In Islam Organization.

Sister Aisha al Adawiya’s opened the conference with an overview of 5 main areas that were addressed. They were: History of ICLI

Acts of inclusion of Women in the Masjid

How women feel (the communities input)

Examples of women’s ideas, and what are the necessary steps that should be taken.

Future alternatives and solutions.

Dr. Faroque Khan introduced the conference stating that he encourages people to read and learn more about the religion. He said that he remembered reading in a Hadith that there were times when the Prophet Muhammad felt that the women were too far to hear him in the Masjid, that he would come up to them personally and give them a Khutbah. He later addressed other historical facts when Prophet Muhammad would shorten the prayers when he heard an infant crying. When it was time for the congregational prayer to be over he allowed the women to exit the Masjid first and encouraged the men to be patient and leave after all the women left. Dr. Khan used these as an example of how merciful and patient Prophet Muhammad was toward the women of the Ummah. These examples should also be applied to our modern day masjids. A famous saying of the Prophet was “Of worldly things women and fragrance are made dear to me and the comfort of my eyes is made in prayer.”

Sister Peggy Iammuno expanded on this by eloquently expounding on the rights that Islam gave to women 1400 years ago prior to Western civilization. She stated that “Women’s and overall gender rights were well defined in the Islamic religion long before women in the West earned

their rights. Women were given the right to work, divorce, own property and their own business during the Islamic revolution.” She explained how the “nature of women” is celebrated in the Quran and how the Quran gives women their equal rights with respect to their diversity. She feels that women by nature are activists because it is the woman’s maternal instinct that works for the betterment of her immediate family thus her overall community. She expresses pride in the women of the ICLI community and the hard work that the different committees that are predominately women ran. “There is always a need for improvement however. The Domestic Harmony Committee deserves more attention than what it is getting.” Her interpretation of the problem is that women overall in the Ummah are feeling undervalued.

Attorney Arshad Majid evaluated the problem from a legal and practical standpoint from the Masjid as a public space. He explained the importance of handling these issues internally so that outside forces do not come in and take away the non-profit status of the Masjid that we worked so hard to obtain. “It is important that we handle these issues internally, so the external forces do not view us as discriminatory towards the women. This Masjid like other Masjids are under the 501C 3 non profit status. Non profit Islamic organizations are allowed to discriminate and are not obligated to have non Muslims serve in positions that effect the major decision factors of the Masjid. However to be eligible for this type of exemption and to keep its non profit status Masjids cannot be organized for its private interests.” He later explained how the physical structures of the Masjid also make it a challenge for

Sisters from Women In Islam Organization

women to have equal access to the Imam. Masjids have to face the Khiblah which is east so from the physical aspect we would have to see how we can meet the needs of the women. His solution to the problem was for women to become more active in their individual communities so that they do not feel left out of the decision making process.

Sister Sarah Sayyed from the Women in Islam organization then introduced the dialogue session for the community to have a chance to make their input. She opened the dialogue expressing the importance of placing the Quran and Allah in our hearts by having respect for each other throughout the exchange and agree to disagree with each others ideas and opinions. Dr. Asma Ejaz gave a historical aspect in why women were kept in the back of the masjid for protective purposes. There was a time were masjids were open and anyone could walk in the front entrances. She stated that it is ideal for the women to be in the back and she does not feel that it lowers the spiritual status of the women to be kept in the back. If a bad person was to enter the masjid they would have to pass through the men’s side thus the men could get rid of the person before they had a chance to attack the women and children.

Various members of the community were allowed to speak and release the tension that was building inside of them in relationship to this issue. The forum became electrifying throughout the exchange between all members of the community. Towards the end of the conference Sister Aisha Alawayi from called for the communities input for solutions to the problem. Some of the main solutions were:

To learn Arabic to get a proper interpretation of the Quran as to not rely on anyone’s cultural interpretation.

Establish a Muslim Women’s empowerment group to enable Muslimah from all walks of life to interact with each other from a non-judgmental standpoint.

Conduct a survey to find out what roles women play in various Masjids and which roles women’s participation needed to be increased.

Encourage women to formalize meetings with the Board on issues in which they want to express grievances.

Not to take our outside issues to the Media as the media will corrupt and increase our internal problems that we should solve as a community.

And lastly have a various community dialogues so that women and men establish a respect and appreciation for each other in accordance to the guidelines of the Quran and Sunnah.

I felt that this conference served as a beautiful beginning to establish a unity between us as Muslim brothers and sisters.

Quran 3:195 states: “ So their Lord accepted their prayer: That I will not waste the work of a worker among you, whether male or female, the one of you

being from the other; they, therefore, who fled and were turned out of their homes and persecuted in My way and who fought and were slain, I will most certainly cover their evil deeds, and I will most certainly make them enter gardens beneath which rivers flow; a reward from Allah, and with Allah is yet better reward.”

This verse states that Allah values both the work of a believing woman and man and does not value the good deeds of one gender over another. My solution of the problem is to incorporate Prophet Muhammad and his example into our daily lives and let that be our Golden Mean. The famous Greek philosopher Aristotle had a philosophy of having a Golden Mean in between the extremes. We should adopt the philosophy of What Did Prophet Muhammad Do? Unlike the Christians philosophy of What Would Jesus Do we fortunately have accurate historical references of how Prophet Muhammad treated women in the Ummah. If we adopt the divine principles of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah and incorporate them into our Masjids then we will never go wrong.

Lastly we as an Ummah must also prorogate Islam into Western society. At the same time we must not allow Western society and its ideologies taint us with their definition of equality. The definition of equality in the west has become very confrontational and has caused such gender hatred and disunity amongst the sexes which in my opinion is the direct link to the increase and promotion of homosexuality.

Al-Qur'an 49:13 O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other).

This beautiful verse speaks to us as an example of how Allah loves his mankind if we honor and respect each other Allah will continue to bless us and make unity an easy path for us for now and for generations to come. Ameen.

By Sis. Tahira Muhammad Adult Session

Sunday May 8th 2005 at 11:00AM

Watch and discuss the documentary film

"Whose Children Are They?"

The documentary gives an in-depth and gripping view into the post 9/11 world of 3 youngsters impacted by the federal program of Special Registration and prejudice.

Book Review

Our Pick

Our pick for this month is not a book but a writer David Grossman. He is an Israeli novelist who has written numerous books, including the much acclaimed novels See under Love, and the Smile of the Lamb. His non-fictional work includes two books of reportage and a book of essays published in 2003.

The first book, Yellow Wind (Delta), was written prior to Intifada in 1987. The book written with a great deal of personal honesty and courage, chronicles the utterly humiliating conditions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. According to Grossman the Israeli occupation was not benign as perceived by most Israelis. It was as oppressive and corrupting as any in the history of mankind. He said if things did not change, “One day we will wake up to a bitter surprise.” He was not too far off the mark and the territories did explode into violence few months later, as the first Intifada broke out in December of 1987. Yellow Wind is an important book by an Israeli writer on the Middle East conflict between Jews and Arabs.

In his second book of reportage Sleeping On a Wire (The Noonday Press, 1993), Grossman visits the Arab villages and communities which are part of the State of Israel. The book is based on conversations he had with ordinary Palestinians, who are Israeli citizens. The situation of Palestinians in Israel was not much better than the conditions in the territories few years ago. The author recounts the hardships faced by Israeli Arabs as a minority in the Jewish State. According to Grossman, the status of second class citizens of Israeli Arabs, who can not be trusted by the majority, raises issues of enormous complexity and gravity for a democratic society like Israel. This book is the second piece of the puzzle in Israeli Palestinian conflict and is written with same passion and honesty as the Yellow Wind.

David Grossman’s latest non-fiction book is a collection of essays, Death as a Way of Life (Picador) published in 2003. This book speaks of the failure of Oslo Peace Process and the resulting human calamity unfolding in Israel and Palestine. Grossman writes with a deep understanding for human suffering, his moral clarity is unambiguous and untainted by the short term interests of the State. His positions are not constrained by the faith or the myopic view of the history. His voice is a call for sanity in a mad house. His courage is inspiring, speaking up for a minority who threatens the very existence of the only state he lives in. If there were more Grossmans on both sides a fair and lasting peace might have been achieved without so much death and destruction.

By Sajjad Syed Ahmed

A Page From History

Imam Abu Hanifa was born in 80 H (692 AD), into a family of Persian Muslims in Kufah, Iraq. Imam Abu Hanifah’s name at birth was Nuaman. He later acquired the Kunyah, Abu Hanifah, ( hanif, i.e. right in his belief ).

Imam’s father Thabit used to call upon Hazrat Ali in Kufah, who often graciously prayed for him and his family.

Imam Abu Hanifah was one of the four founding jurists in Islam. Millions of people who follow his interpretation of Shar´iah are known as the followers of Hanafi Maslak. He was an outstanding scholar of Quran, Hadith and Fiqh (jurisprudence) and is responsible for establishing the judicial foundations of Islamic law, also referred as Sha´riah.

His brilliance wasn’t restricted to his intellect. He was also known for his wit, following are some of his sayings: “Who can be a greater wastrel than a man whom even learning has not been able to keep away from sin and depravity?”

“A person who discourses on religion without remembering that he will be questioned by God on what he says knows the value of neither religion nor his own mind.”

“Knowledge never sinks into the mind of a person who acquires it for worldly purposes.”

“A man who learns Hadith but does not deduce from it answers to religious questions is like a chemist who has medicines in his shop but does not know which to prescribe for what disease.”

The governor of Kufah asked the Imam once why he kept away from him. The Imam Abu Hanifah replied: “A loaf of bread and a few yards of ordinary cloth acquired peacefully are better than luxury bought with self-humiliation.”

Imam Abu Hanifah by Allamah Shibli Numani

Poet’s Corner

When I am with you our loving won’t let me sleep. Away from you the tears won’t let me sleep. God, it’s amazing to be awake both nights, But how different these awakenings are!

I have no companion but Love, No beginning, no end, no dawn. The Soul calls from within me: “You, ignorant of the way of Love, Set Me free.”

Rumi; edited by Kabir Helminski

NYUCD Dr. Michael Alfano, Mr. John Saxton President of NYU, Dr. Safdar Chadda and Dr. Bob Dante out going president of the advisory council

835 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury, NY 11590 Tel: 516-333-3495 - Fax: 516-333-7321 - Email: icli.icli@verizon.net Website: http://www.1icli.com January 1, 2005 - December 31, 2005 January 1, 2006 - December 31, 2006

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