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National News
September 13th - October 10th 2013
WhyIslam, Nouman Ali Khan Join for Mexico Da'wa Trip Written by Wendy Díaz
her upcoming trip to Mexico to deliver Islamic material.
When Nouman Ali Khan, founder and professor at Bayyinah Institute, is not teaching intensive Arabic classes, engaging the youth in various masajid in Texas, touring the country promoting his program, or recording Qur’an Weekly videos and Ramadan reminders, he goes grocery shopping for poor indigenous Muslim families in Mexico. Sound bizarre? Read on.
It was the second time Morales would be traveling to her native land for the same purpose, but this time contributions from sponsors and individuals had more than doubled. She also planned to visit five different Islamic centers in five states within Mexico. All she needed was one more boost to help her reach her $15,000 goal, an amount that her and Imam Isa Rojas from Al Hikmah Islamic Center in Mexico City estimated they would need to cover the cost of renovating a damaged mosque in the indigenous community of San Cristobal de las Casas, in the state of Chiapas.
Muslim Link Staff Reporter
It all began in May at the 38th Annual ICNA-MAS Convention 2013 held in the Hartford Convention Center in Connecticut from the 26th to 28th, where Khan was a guest speaker. While walking through the Marriott Hotel adjacent to the center, he was approached by WhyIslam NJ Administrative Assistant and National Spanish Outreach Coordinator, Nahela Morales, who handed him a flyer about
This motivated her to approach Khan, among other Muslim leaders, and his response was overwhelmingly positive. He asked how much funding Morales needed and after hearing the amount, he told her,
“It’s yours.” Morales’ jaw dropped, but his promise to fulfill the financial needs was not the most shocking. He added, “I want to go, too.” “I was speechless,” Morales recalls, “But I felt that my prayers were being answered. He (Khan) was the best suited to raise awareness about this cause.” His wife, Sofia Sharieff, joined him in his excitement to visit the US’s southern neighbor. When her husband mentioned the plans, she was immediately on board. “I have always wanted to visit Mexico,” the Texas resident says, “It was a different country but not too far. I love to meet new people and see new communities. I have to admit that I have not been "actively" giving dawah and I thought this was a good opportunity to start....and it was.” Weeks later Khan presented Morales with a check for $15,000 and made arrange-
ments to visit the needy Muslims in Chiapas for two days despite his busy schedule and numerous speaking engagements. By the time Morales was ready to leave for Mexico on June 25th, she had raised almost $30,000 in contributions through social networking, local and online fundraising, and with the support of WhyIslam. Funds came from all over the US, as well as Islamic clothing donations, books, prayer rugs, and other necessities from as far as Washington State. Maryland residents from the community of Dar-usSalaam in College Park and the Islamic Community Center of Laurel participated by donating clothing and sponsoring Ramadan iftars for their Mexican brothers and sisters.
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Inside America's First Muslim Frat House With their hard-partying image, college fraternities are a strange place for Muslim men, yet the first all-Muslim frat - Alif Laam Meem - opened at the University of Texas early this year By Jo Barrow
in the 20th century, when fraternities became known for their party culture more than anything else.
The UK Independent, 9/3/13 When someone mentions college fraternities, a group of devout, celibate young men is not the first image that springs to mind. Thanks to endless gross-out Hollywood comedies, people are bombarded by images of privileged men drinking away their degrees at parties with the ubiquitous red and blue Solo cups, but something different is happening. In February this year, America’s first Muslim Fraternity was established at the University of Texas; Ali Mahmoud is the President of Alpha Lambda Mu (or Alif Laam Meem) and its founder. Although fraternities are seen as little more than glorified residential drinking
....
If the idea of a fraternity is so negatively charged, what could have prompted the decision to establish a Muslim fraternity? Apparently, it all started out as a joke.
Alif Laam Meem brothers hang out with Nauman Ali Khan. This photo posted on the fraternity's Facebook account jokingly referred to the popular lecturer as an “honorary member”. clubs, it was not always that way. Ali explains: “The primary purpose of a
fraternity is to unite these men as brothers under a specific cause.” However, the reputation of fraternities changed
“The idea of a Muslim fraternity seemed heretical,” says Ali. However, as they worked on the idea they realised that many Muslim men at university felt that they either had to compromise their social life in order to live by the values of Islam, or compromise the values of Islam in order to have a social life. Ali believed a balance was achievable, and
>> FRAT Pg 41