Council News & Views

Tsunami Relief Fund

The Council has established a Tsunami Relief Fund and is accepting financial donations in support of the worldwide relief efforts responsive to this international tragedy. This fund is aimed at pooling tax-deductible, charitable donations to support humanitarian agencies putting together the largest aid effort in history. Mosques and Islamic centers across Chicago will focus on the situation in Asia and its victims during Friday sermons and other congregational events, and raise charitable funds for this cause. The Council expresses deep sadness upon the tens of thousands killed and immense devastation left in the wake of the Tsunami disaster in Asia. We offer our condolences to the victims of this terrible event and encourage American Muslims and people of other faiths and conscience to contribute toward relief efforts.

HOW TO HELP:

Tax-deductible Donations for the CIOGC Tsunami Relief Fund can be sent to: CIOGC - 330 E. Roosevelt Road, Suite G5; Lombard, Illinois 60148. Please make checks payable to “CIOGC” and indicate ‘Tsunami Relief’ in the memo portion. Secure on-line donations may be made conveniently at our website: www.ciogc.org.

Donations may also be sent directly to any of the following organizations:

ISLAMIC RELIEF WORLDWIDE: [Focus: medical supplies, tents & sanitation facilities] Send checks to Islamic Relief, 1919 W Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91506 (Ph. 888. 479-4968; www.irw.org)

ISLAMIC CIRCLE OF NORTH AMERICA (ICNA) [Focus: Indonesia, India & Sri Lanka Relief Fund for food, medicine, clothes, tents & other urgently needed supplies] Send checks to 166-26 89th Ave Jamaica, NY 11432 (Ph. 718-68-7028) or visit www.ReliefOnLine.org.

THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT societies in south Asia have mobilized emergency efforts in affected areas. (Ph. 800-435-7669). Contributions to the International Response Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org. 

We've Been Busy

CIOGC 12th Annual Dinner

- What You Missed

Faiths Come Together to Offer Thanks

On November 17th, Council Outreach & Office Affairs Manager, Muneer Aliuddin joined leaders from 17 other faiths to offer prayers of thanks at the 18th Annual NCCJ Thanksgiving Observance, “Vision of One…Reflections of Many,” held at Chicago Temple. Other faith represented included the Baha’i, Orthodox Christian, Sikhism, Protestant, Buddhism, Anglican Christian, Jainism, Judaism, Hinduism, American Indian and more. Ms. Aliuddin played Yusuf Islam’s, “God is the Light” which captivated the audience followed by an offering of thanks for “the fruits of this earth … for His mercy and blessing upon us.” She reminded the gathering to “not take for granted His blessings” and to “Share them with others, with thanks.” Ms. Aliuddin concluded the Islamic prayer by reciting the first Surah from the Qur’an, Surah Faitha. The Observance ended with the entire gathering joining in singing, “America the Beautiful.”

New American’s Initiative to Benefit Muslims in becoming Citizens

On November 29th, The Council and the Muslim Civil Rights Center were notified that they would be receiving a grant, the New American’s Initiative, from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. The central purpose of the New American’s Initiative is to coordinate a campaign for citizenship where legal permanent residents are directly linked to the information and services they need to successfully pursue citizenship. The grants were awarded in four areas; outreach, civics, legal and capacity building. 

The Council and MCRC were awarded Outreach and Capacity Building. The Outreach would provide the community with extensive outreach to spread the word about the importance and advantages of becoming a citizen and encourage people to start the naturalization process while the capacity building would allow both organizations to build the organizations to further the goals of the Initiative. The programs will take place sometime early next year.

Human Rights Coalition Urges Midwest Senators to Avoid Rush to Confirm Gonzales as Attorney General

In response to the confirmation hearings that began the week of Jan 3rd in the Senate Judiciary Committee, seventeen human rights experts and organizations in the Midwest Region including the Council, expressed their strong reservations regarding the nomination of Judge Alberto Gonzales to the post of Attorney General.

In their message, the human rights groups said, “We are exceptionally troubled by Mr. Gonzales’ actions and statements over the past several years. These include an effort to undermine U.S. obligations under the Geneva Conventions and a disregard for the international laws on the prohibition of torture.”

In the letter, the coalition requested that Judiciary Committee members specifically address in the confirmation hearings with Mr. Gonzales:

• His claim that the U.S. need not be bound by its obligation under the Geneva Convention in the conflict in Afghanistan;
• His role in preparing legal memos justifying the use of torture during interrogations of suspected terrorists; and
• His support of the Bush Administration’s policy of detaining “enemy combatants” without access to counsel or the opportunity to contest the allegations against them.

Held at the Marriott Hotel in Burr Ridge, the dinner was emceed by Mazen Asbahi, president of the Muslim Bar Association. Keynote speaker John Esposito, a scholar of Islam at Georgetown University, was unable to attend due to fierce winds at O’Hare Airport, which cancelled his flight from Washington. Esposito delivered his address via speakerphone, commending the Council for its high-profile advocacy on behalf of Chicago-area Muslims.

“The 21st century may well be the century of Islam and of Muslims in America,” Esposito said. He characterized this as a challenging, threatening yet promising time for the U.S. Muslim community. “Solidarity is key”, he said, as is a recognition that “theologies of hate” must be fought within and outside of Islam. He emphasized the Muslims’ concerns about secularism, materialism, and individualism is not out of step with American culture, and said American Muslim youth are a critical factor.

Outgoing Council president, Kareem Irfan, whose four-year term concludes in January, delivered an urgent plea for support, citing the many ways the Council has raised the profile of the Muslim community in the media, locally and abroad, and worked on behalf of interfaith outreach, civil rights and social causes in the Chicago area. He asked for prayer, financial support, and most importantly, personal involvement. “The need of the hour is solidarity,”

Irfan said, “We know that there is no clash of civilizations. We believe that. The key is what are we prepared to do?”

A centerpiece of the evening was an awards ceremony, the first of its kind for the 12-year-old Council. Dr. Hesham Hassaballa hosted the awards ceremony, which honored individuals in the area of Islam, law enforcement outreach, media and interfaith relations. The law enforcement award went to Thomas Kneir, retired FBI agent. Kneir said his relationship with Irfan and the Council “helped pave the way” for better relations and procedures between law enforcement and Muslims throughout the United States.

Geneive Abdo, former Chicago Tribune religion reporter and now Middle East correspondent for USA Today, was honored for her coverage of the Muslim community. Abdo urged Muslims to organize and speak up against what she believes is a strong anti-Muslim bias in the mainstream media. 

Iman W. D. Mohammad was honored for his work on behalf of Muslims in Chicago. 

The Rev. Paul Rutgers, executive director of the Council of Religious Leaders of Chicago, was honored for his interfaith work with the Muslim community. He said people frequently ask him where the voices of moderate Muslims are. People frequently ask him why they are not hearing the voices of moderate Muslims. He responded, “I hear them all around. Why aren’t you hearing them?” 

Rami Nashashibi, director and a founder of IMAN, the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, gave the closing address. He praised the work of the Muslim Journal newspaper and urged greater cooperation between immigrant Muslims and their descendants and the largely urban African American Muslim community. A doctoral student in sociology at the University of Chicago, Nashashibi said the Chicago Muslim community stands at a unique place in history. Unlike Muslims in Europe, he said, in the United States we have an unquestionable historical connection to a legacy. He said the U.S. Muslim community may be one of the most important minorities in history.

Community Highlights

IMAN Annual Fundraiser Brings Surprising Turnout

On Saturday, November 27, 2004, IMAN held their annual fundraiser at Aqsa School in Bridgeview. The turn-out exceeded all expectations and the hall was filled to capacity. The keynote speakers of the night included Dr. Aminah McCloud and Imam Zaid Shakir. Many businesses and individuals graciously donated to the successful and beautifully decorated silent auction. While equally grateful to all entities, they recognized Hilal Tours and Travel who donated a full Hajj package to this year's event. When adding ticket sales, donations and auction sale purchases with long term pledge commitments IMAN generated close to $60,000 from this event.

ISNS Fundraiser Receives Rave Reviews

The fundraising dinner of Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs (ISNS), Rolling Meadows, was a great success.  Rave reviews were received regarding the quality of the event including the food, the arrangements and, of course, the guest speaker Br. Rami Nashashibi from IMAN. He was an instant success because of his deep conviction, knowledge and a wonderful delivery that touched all attendees. Around 500 people attended the dinner and an amount in excess of $220,000.00 in donations, pledges and ticket sales were collected.

Islamic Foundation Raises Funds for New School

Islamic Foundation’s 30th Annual Dinner took place on December 4, 2004 in Villa Park at the Islamic Foundation’ s banquet hall. Tanweer Mallick welcomed all the guests on behalf of the Islamic Foundation and Dr. Zia Hassan, Chairman of the Foundation, spoke about the State of the Foundation in his address. Key note speaker included Dr. Teepu Siddique, Abbott Professor of neurology at Northwestern University Medical School, and Neurologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Pakistan. 

He spoke of a need to open our mosques to the true culture of Islam, a heart of Islam that is open to all Muslims of all ethnicities, races and origins. He emphasized that American Muslim’s have a truly unique opportunity to build a multiethnic society with justice for all. He pointed out the need for American Muslims to get involved in serving the humanity and looking after the oppressed, he emphasized the need to connect to those we can serve rather than buying into the culture of the power elite. Dr. Siddique also emphasized the need for intermarriage between different ethnic groups of Muslim Umah as a way of building relations and kinship.
A special appeal was made to all for the fund raising and building of the new school building for the Islamic Foundation School. The new high school building is estimated to cost three million dollars and all members of the community are encouraged to take part in fund raising for this noble cause. 

MSI Raises Funds for Expansion

MSI had a fund raising dinner on Saturday, December 04, 2004 at Albanian Islamic Center. This dinner was conducted to raise funds for the reconstruction of the existing parking lot, third phase of our Expansion Project. Shk. Hussain Sattar, key note speaker, emphasized on the need and importance of supporting Masajid's & Islamic Centers. Alhamdulillah, the dinner was heavily attended and MSI was able to raise about $30,000.

MCC Holds General Elections

MCC held their general elections on Sunday, December 19, 2004 to elect five General Directors and one Youth Director to the MCC Board. There were ten candidates for the General category and two candidates for the Youth category. The following members were elected and begin their term in February 2005.

GENERAL DIRECTOR for a three-year term

Yasir Aleemuddin
Afsar Ali 
Javed Bhatti 
Umar Carter 
Tariq Malhance

YOUTH DIRECTOR for a three-year term

Tahera Ahmed

MAS-ICNA Annual Convention

Thousands braved the cold, snow, lost luggage, and airline delays to attend the annual Muslim American Society - Islamic Circle of North America (MAS-ICNA) convention at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago from Dec. 24 – 26th.

This year's theme was American Muslims Working for the Greater Good, stressing the need for spiritual balance and increased societal involvement in America in one's daily life. Programs were designed to give practical, real-life examples on how to achieve the balance, integrating objectives on both individual and community levels.

Discussions and activities were directed with the American context in mind, dealing with real-life issues rather than indulging in hypothetical or theoretical discussions.

Sessions for the convention covered such topics as human and civil rights, parent and child relations, legal rights, interfaith volunteerism, labor justice and workers' rights, youth and American popular culture, fiqh of Muslim minority and how to be civically proactive in the U.S.

Mosque Foundation Raises $90,000 During Friday Prayer for Tsunami Victims

On December 31, 2004 Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview raised $90,000 during the first Friday prayer after the Tsunami disaster, to aide victims, and special prayer were held to ask God for Mercy to the dead and their families.

As he always did in times of natural or human-made disasters, Imam Jamal Said, the Imam of the Mosque Foundation, encouraged American Muslim worshippers during Friday prayer to donate generously to help the victims of the largest Tsunami disaster in history. Imam Jamal said "It is not an option for you, it is your religious duty to donate as much as you can to help your fellow human in the time they need your help". "The world is like one body, a pain in any part should be felt throughout the whole body."