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lims, weekly study circles for women, tafsir classes, and the regular prayers. The mosque has a strong outreach group that disseminates Islamic knowledge through the Internet. Da‘wah groups from local mosques, not to mention from Australia, England, and South Africa, are always welcomed. Imam Shaykh Hafiz Fazal Hassan, an ardent scholar from Madrasah Ashrafia (India), also serves as
AZIZ JUNEJO mentaries, and is interviewed by local radio and television shows. One of his articles received second prize in “Pacific NW Excellence in Journalism 2003.” He helped rewrite “Terrorism Today” (Simonsen & Spindlove), a book used widely as an education tool, and receives regular invitations to numerous discussion groups and panels. Siddiqui has been striving to involve Muslims in local politics by convincing them to register and vote. His message is right to the point: “Vote! Or nothing will change.” He believes that those groups with a political profile are less likely to be targeted by politicians and government agencies. In the 2008 elections, he was elected to the Democratic Electoral College, becoming one of the first Muslim Electors ever.
S. Arsalan Bukhari Another highly visible Muslim is S. Arsalan Bukhari (executive director, Council on American-Islamic Relations [CAIR-WA]). The only full-time staff member, he leads some fifteen active volunteers in his effort to secure civil
vice president of the Imam Fatwa Committee. ICOE, which holds open houses and greets visitors, is pursuing plans to double its men’s and women’s prayer areas. The four-level plan includes new classrooms, a children’s activity area, a community hall, and a fourth floor rooftop deck and social area. After renting an apartment for about ten months, the number of Muslims in
S. ARSALAN BUKHARI rights for Muslims and convey the truth about them and their religion. A Seattle-area resident since 1990, he holds a B.A. in business finance from Seattle University (2004). By mid-2010, CAIR-WA had received well over thirty civil rights complaints from Muslims in the Northwest. CAIR-WA meets regularly with local Muslim and secular organizations, among them the ACLU, Puget Sound Sage, and One America. On 18 Jan. 2010, CAIR-WA held what might have been the largest Muslim lobbying day in the nation.
Rizwan Samad Rizwan Samad, president and CEO of International Trade Consulting, an international business consulting firm based in Seattle, came to this country as a young man and has been involved in the mosques and issues. He says that “living in America, I always thought a Muslim should have power and a voice; but the only way they can achieve that is by being united and getting involved in local politics, with one voice. We become American; but we
the Kent area could no longer be accommodated, especially during the Friday prayer. The community purchased a 3,500 sq. ft. house on a half-acre lot in the heart of Kent to set up the Islamic Center of Kent (ickent.com; ICK). A full-fledged mosque by 2000, it now serves over 200 families. According to Present Saraj Khan, “1.5 acres of land was recently purchased and expansion of the current
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never get involved. And then we complain about America.” Instead of complaining, Samad became actively engaged. In 1988 he became a delegate for Jesse Jackson, always introducing himself as a Muslim. In 1996, when his friend Gary Locke announced his gubernatorial run, he got involved in his campaign, and helped elect the first first-generation Chinese immigrant as governor in America. Samad, who attributes his humanitarian activism to the inspiration that he found in his father’s example, has been active in humanitarian causes such as Palestine and Bosnia, and helped raise more than $600,000 for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital being built in Pakistan, named for the mother of the legendary cricketer Imran Khan. Samad helped organize the first united Eid Prayer in 1994 at the Seattle Center which was attended by some 5,000 people. Samad, who is fully supported by his wife Jessy, is also a founding member of the Muslim Family and Children’s Services that has helped several families.
Munir Rizvi Another community dynamo is Munir Rizvi. An engineer at Boeing, humble and unassuming, he is always available and on the front line volunteering for any philanthropic cause. Working for Greater Seattle’s Muslim community for the last 20 years, he was recognized by the Pakistan Association for his meritorious services in arranging programs to create political awareness among Muslim Americans and helping Muslim immigrants at the Tacoma Detention Center. Active in the World Education Foundation, using the network of mosques and he is instrumental in raising funds for establishing schools in Pakistani villages catering to the educational needs of 400 kids from 1st to 10th grade. As a Human Development Foundation team member, he was in Kashmir to help build homes for the 2005 earthquake victims. Hidaya Foundation has found in him an enthusiastic volunteer cum truck driver who collects clothes, medicines and other essential items for victims of the recent floods. ^
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