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EDITORIAL PUBLISHER
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
Building on Numbers
PRESIDENT
Dr. Ingrid Mattson SECRETARY GENERAL
Safaa Zarzour
______________________
EDITOR
Omer Bin Abdullah ______________________
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Susan Douglass (Chair); Dr. Jimmy Jones; Dr. Sulayman Nyang; Dr. Ingrid Mattson. ______________________
ISLAMIC HORIZONS
is a bimonthly publication of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) P.O. Box 38 • Plainfield IN 46168-0038 Copyright ©2010 All rights reserved Reproduction, in whole or in part, of this material in mechanical or electronic form without written permission is strictly prohibited. Islamic Horizons magazine is available electronically on ProQuest’s Ethnic NewsWatch and LexisNexis, and is indexed by Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature. Please see your librarian for access. The name “Islamic Horizons” is protected through trademark registration ISSN 8756-2367 ______________________
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Send address changes to Islamic Horizons, P.O. Box 38 Plainfield, IN 46168-0038 ______________________
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CORRESPONDENCE
Send all correspondence and/or Letters to the Editor at: Islamic Horizons P.O. Box 38 • Plainfield, IN 46168-0038 E-main: horizons@isna.net
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ISLAMIC HORIZONS JULY/AUGUST 2010
W
Welcome to the 47th annual ISNA Convention, where an estimated 30,000 Muslims will gather to discuss “Nurturing Compassionate Communities.” We love coming to Chicago to see what our fellow Muslims are up to. They always inspire us with their beyond-the-mosque activities. For example, in Apr. 2010, more than 1,000 of them rallied in the state capital, Springfield, for fresh food for inner cities, prevention of foreclosures, and teaching English to immigrants at mosques. Muslim ACTION! Day, coordinated by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (www.ciogc.org), drew nearly 1,000 (mostly young) participants. Their readiness to dedicate themselves to advocating for mainstream issues created a synergy that led to doubling the number of last year’s participants. And considering the pattern, these numbers should only continue to increase. Would that this were the case with all of our communities!
But there is even more. Chicago’s Muslims are showing North American Muslims that there is life beyond creating infrastructures. Civic activism and welfare activities have not adversely affected the improvements of mosques and schools; indeed, new projects continue to prosper. The Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), IQRA, Sound Vision and Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) call Chicago home, as does America’s first green mosque and the first liaison to the Governor for Muslim Affairs. IMAN has partnered with ISNA to create a home for formerly incarcerated
Muslims. There, they will find both shelter and training that can help them reenter the mainstream. Chicago’s estimated 400,000 Muslims are making their presence recognized as a positive force. Samreen Khan, the governor’s liaison to the Muslim and Asian community, remarks: “When the governor saw the 12,000 Muslims convene in Toyota Park for Eid prayer, the strength and diversity of the community really made an impact.” This simple statement points out just how important it is for Muslims to stop their internal bickering and overcome their own apathy so that they can unite and get things done for the benefit of everyone. A most fortunate trend is that many Muslim organizations are moving beyond the idea that their civic engagement consists of voting once a year. In March, for example, several busloads of Chicagoan Muslims marched in Washington, DC, to support immigration reform. Kiran Ansari notes in her article in this issue of “Islamic Horizons”: “Whether it is circulating petitions for a fair district map in the state or to end racial profiling or to support a petition, there is a lot of political buzz in the community as compared to the last decade. At the rate at which it is going, in the next 10 years, Muslims will be more prominent in the political landscape in Illinois and beyond.” Today, Muslim intra-community organizations are thriving all over America. This is a welcome development, for our communities have for far too long been isolating themselves in their own cultural, linguistic, and sectarian ghettoes. And where has such a policy gotten us? Nowhere! We have been divided against ourselves for so long that we are now far behind other religious communities. It is vital that these organizations share their experiences with others so that this trend can spread even further afield. How else can we make our presence felt?