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Update From Murfreesboro
Mosque: ISNA Facilitates Meeting With Assistant Attorney General,
Assists in Outreach to Faith Communities
On September
7, following the DC interfaith summit, ISNA President
(outgoing) Dr. Ingrid Mattson and Vice President Imam Mohamed Magid
met with US Attorney General Eric Holder, the Department of Justice
(DOJ) and a delegation of Muslim leaders. At the meeting, they
discussed the growing tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence
used by communities across the US from Tennessee to New York. In
the meeting, the DOJ made a commitment to enforce laws against
anyone carrying out crimes against Muslims and violating their
first amendment rights.
As a part of its continued effort to directly support local
communities and respond to their needs, ISNA Director of Community
Outreach Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi visited Murfreesboro and Nashville,
TN on September
27-28. Dr. Elsanousi also met with the board of the
proposed Murfreesboro mosque to develop strategies for the
community to overcome the challenges they currently face while
building their mosque.
"It is imperative for ISNA to
assist the community in Murfreesboro and Nashville to build strong
interfaith relations and reach out to the community to foster
better understanding about Muslims," said Elsanousi.
ISNA has already connected the
mosque with the United Church of Christ and continues to use their
national interfaith relationships to connect the mosque to local
denominations. Additionally, ISNA agreed to assist the community
to raise funds for their mosque and develop relationships with
other Muslim organizations across the country.
ISNA also arranged a meeting on
behalf of the Nashville Muslim community to meet with Assistant
Attorney General Tom Perez and his staff at the U.S. Attorney's
offices in Nashville to discuss the challenges that are faced by
their Muslim community. Muslim community members discussed their
challenges with the Federal Authority, such as the widespread
bullying of Muslim children in schools, the construction of the
Murfreesboro mosque, and others; the DOJ officials promised to
follow up on these issues.
On Monday October 18,
the DOJ released an official statement in which the Department
clearly rebuked Islamaphobes across the nation who claim Islam is
not a religion. The DOJ release stated that Islam is a valid
religion and cautioned that denial of permits for places of worship
to Muslims based on their religion can easily be seen as violations
of the first amendment.
In an amicus brief filed by the DOJ in a lawsuit challenging the
mosque, the DOJ stated, "To suggest that Islam is not a religion is
quite simply ridiculous. Each branch of the federal government has
independently recognized Islam as one of the major religions of the
world. As pointed out in our brief filed with the court, had the
Rutherford County Government adopted the position the plaintiffs
set forth, it would likely be in violation of the Religious Land
Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, enacted by the U.S. Congress
in 2000."
Click here to read the full
report.
Zarzour states, "By visiting the
local communities in Tennessee, ISNA is carrying out its mission to
support local communities and fostering positive relationships
between local Muslim communities and their local, state, and
federal governments as well as their interfaith
communities."
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Reminder, Free Event Next Monday
Sponsored by ISNA
"Judaism
and Islam in America Today - Assimilation and
Authenticity"
In partnership
with the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and Hartford Seminary,
will host an innovative roundtable discussion, "Judaism and Islam
in America Today: Assimilation and Authenticity." This free event
is open to the public and will take place on Monday, October 25,
2010 at 7:30 PM (JTS 3080 Broadway, at 122nd Street, in New York
City).
Dr. Ingrid Mattson, previous ISNA President and current Director of
the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim
Relations at Hartford Seminary, will moderate the roundtable
discussion, with participants including Sherman Jackson, professor
of Islam at the University of Michigan; Arnold M. Eisen, chancellor
of JTS; and Serene Jones, president of Union Theological
Seminary.
"In this discussion, we aim to foster constructive dialogue among
Jews and Muslims about their experiences as members of minority
religions in America," said Dr. Mattson, who joins Chancellor Eisen
as organizer of the roundtable discussion.
This free event is part of a larger two day conference where
interfaith leaders from across the nation will meet to discuss the
current situation in America for Muslims and Jews as well as how
they can collaborate to strengthen both communities. Dr. Mattson
will co-lead a session highlighting the modern interpretation of
scriptures while ISNA Secretary General Safaa Zarzour will co-lead
a session about looking forward, training Imams and Rabbis for
American constituencies.
Admission to Monday night's roundtable discussion is free, but
reservation is required. To RSVP please email publicevents@jtsa.eduor
call (212) 280-0093. The two day conference is by invitation
only.
For more information on ISNA and other sponsoring organizations,
please visit them on the following websites: Islamic Society of
North America at www.isna.net, Jewish
Theological Seminary at www.jtsa.edu, and the Macdonald
Center at Hartford Seminary at www.macdonald.hartsem.edu.
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Upcoming
ISNA Events
Don't
forget, ISNA South Central Zone Conference is just a couple of
weeks away. Learn more about this event, and others in the
California and Texas region for youth and the community at large,
by reading below.
Speakers:
Imam Mohamed Magid, Dr. Altaf Husain, Sh. Mohammad Ninowy, Asma
Mirza, Imam Mohammad Tahir, Imam Alauddin El-Bakri, Monem Salam,
Safaa Zarzour, and more
(Registration
Coming Soon)
What: ISNA West Zone Seerah
Conference
Theme: In the Footsteps of the
Prophet (SAW) - Nurturing Compassionate
Communities
When: December 24 - 25,
2010
Where: MCA Santa
Clara,
3003 Scott
Blvd.
Santa Clara, California
95054
Conference Highlights: Sessions
on the Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Spiritual
Development, Leadership, Youth, Community Development, Family,
Interfaith and Intra-Faith relations, Saturday evening banquet with
keynote address, Childcare, and more
Contact: Registration Inquiries
at (317) 838 8129 or email convention@isna.net,
Sponsorships & Bazaar Booths at (317) 838 8131 or email akhan@isna.net
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CONFIRMED
SPEAKERS: Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Dr. Jamal
Badawi, Dr. Altaf Husain, Asma Mirza, Dr. Yusuf Ziya Kavakci, Dr.
Mokhtar Maghraoui, Sh. Nouman Ali Khan, Safaa Zarzour, Azhar
Azeez and many more
What: ISNA South Central Zone Conference
Theme: Journey of Life with
Islam
When: November 6, 2010
Where: Crown Plaza near the Galleria
14315 Midway Road, Addison, TX 75001
CONFERENCE
HIGHLIGHTS: Spiritual Development, Youth, Family,
Community Development, Civic Engagement, Bazaar, Networking
Opportunities, Saturday evening banquet with Keynote address,
Childcare and more
To download the post card
click here
To download the poster click here
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What: MYNA Winter Leadership
Retreat
Theme: Planting Our Feet Firmly-Strengthening Our
Roots, Extending Our Branches
When: December 19-25, 2010
Where: Hunt, TX
Who: Youth ages 12-18
Registration ends on
November 21, 2010 and there are only 100 spots available this
year. All MYNA events have sold out weeks before the registration
deadline this year. Click here to learn more and
register today.
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Taking
Back the Muslim Narrative: ISNA
Secretary General
to Speak at CIOGC-MPAC
Conference This
Sunday
"There is a debate that has
ignited in the American community about us, about American Muslims.
"Americans have heard the voice
of extremists for too long and are now asking if they should fear
Islam, if they should welcome Muslims, if they should allow us to
share the same rights as all other Americans.
"It is critical at this point in
history that the moderate voice of Muslims, which so many of us
share, drowns out the few voices of the extremists.
"We must take back our story;
America is asking to hear our voices, and it is time for all of us
to speak." (ISNA Secretary General Safaa Zarzour)
To hear more from Safaa Zarzour
and other leading community and political leaders, about how you
can take back the Muslim narrative in America, join them at the
CIOGC-MPAC conference in Chicago this Sunday, October 24. Below
you will see when and whre you can hear more from ISNA Secretary
General during this conference.
Intro Session - Civic Engagement: Our Duty, Our
Opportunity
When: 10am-10:45am
Where:
Room 5
Who:
Speakers: Dr. Zaher Sahloul,
Salam Al-Marayati, Abedelkareem Ayoub, Safaa Zarzour, Ahmed Rehab
Dr. Hatem Bazian; Moderator: Mohamad Nasir
Roundtable
-
Addressing Islamophobia from a Local and National
Perspective
Where:
Room 6
Who: Speakers: Abid Malik, Prof. Cherif
Bassiouni, Ahmed Rehab, Salam Al-Marayati, Dr. Hatem Bazian,
Safaa Zarzour; Moderator: Dr. Zaher Sahloul
What:
National and local leaders will
discuss their experience in proactively addressing Islamophobia.
Session:
Making
the Case for an "American" Mosque
When:
2-3 PM
Who:
Speakers: Edmund Arroyo, Humaira
Basith; Moderator: Safaa Zarzour
What:
This session is targeted at
community leaders focusing on the necessity of creating an
environment that is culturally relevant to native born Americans
(both Muslim and non).
For more information on this conference or to register, please
click here.
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Full
Tuition Scholarships Available for
New Muslim Leadership Masters
Degree
The Claremont School of Theology
in California has launched two new concentrations for its Master of
Arts program, along with opportunities for full scholarship to
students who choose to focus their studies in the two new areas,
Leadership in Muslim Contexts and Interreligious
Studies.
"These new concentrations are
the first curricular steps in the development of the new
interreligious university in Claremont. They align well with the
needs and desires of a new generation of theological students. Our
faculty is working hard to make them relevant, challenging, and
oriented to the needs of our world," said Interim Dean J. Philip
Wogaman.
All students who complete their
applications for either of these concentrations by January 10 will
be considered for the full-tuition scholarships. For more
information, contact admissions@cst.edu or visit them on the
web.
Assistant Professor Najeeba
Syeed-Miller welcomes the addition of more students, stating, "We
are delighted to offer these new concentrations that combine the
areas of religious literacy and skills based learning. Students
will learn faith based conflict resolution, counseling and dialogue
design methodologies. In this current time we need leaders who are
welll prepared in these areas and look forward to welcoming
students from the Muslim community."
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Employment Opportunities With ISNA:
Find ISNA Jobs and Advertise Openings For Your Own Org
Jobs
With ISNA
ISNA Services For
Employers
Are you an employer looking for someone to hire? ISNA now offers a
service to employers that allows you to post your job openings on
the ISNA website with minimal cost. For more information click here.
For benefits, pricing information and guidelines click here.
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Islamic
Horizons Magazine - September/October
Islamic
Horizons, the flagship publication of ISNA, and the largest
distribution of any Muslim American English language magazine -
read by a quarter million people - is now available online.
Islamic Horizons focuses on Islam and Muslim life in the U.S. and
Canada, offering articles on topics of community interest such as
Islamic schools, family issues, organizational management, and
interfaith issues. Horizons also highlights stories about the
growth and development of various Muslim communities.
To view the past issues click here.
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Sponsor of this
Newsletter
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