Posted on 12/10/2002 8:39:37 PM PST by akash
In four weeks, there will be, Insha' Allah, a large gathering of Muslims in Chicago, from December 26 to December 29th. This will be the second MAS/ICNA convention, following our successful first joint convention that took place in Baltimore in July, and was attended by more than 15,000.
The convention theme is "Muslim Americans for a Better World." The convention, in other words, will discuss how Muslim Americans can, through a proper understanding and implementation of Islam and through their unique position, contribute towards a better world. There will a comprehensive assessment of the state of our community, our society and the whole world in the light of the recent developments. And the convention will provide a sense of direction on how best to deal with this new reality, and how to strike a balance between the need to continue building our community, contribute to the betterment of the society, and serve Muslim just causes.
The program is packed with main sessions, parallel sessions, and workshops that cover a wide range of issues facing the Muslim community: family counseling, youth, parenting, outreach, civil rights, Muslim causes, finance, the role of Muslim women, domestic and foreign policy, etc.
But a unique feature of this convention is that it offers several specialized mini-conferences on issues like Islamic schools, youth, leadership, media, political activism, and Shariaa'. These specialized mini-conferences are designed to train community activists and equip them with necessary skills. Also, this convention features a film festival, two special exhibits ("A History of American Muslims," and "The Struggle in Palestine,") and a number of free services (fiqh sessions, counseling, parenting, legal advice), where people will have chance to meet with--and get help from--experts in those fields. A long list of nationally and internationally renowned speakers and experts will deliver these lectures, workshops, and counseling.
The convention will be a pleasant and beneficial experience for all members of the family, who will spend the long holiday vacation in a nurturing environment. It will be a boost to the identity and sense of belonging, especially for our children.
The success of the July convention proved that unity among Muslims is possible. The success of this upcoming convention, Insha' Allah, will consolidate the move towards unity of Muslims across ethnic and organizational lines, make it irreversible, and may form the nucleus for a unified Muslim convention.
Finally, this convention comes in the midst of a relentless campaign against Islam and Muslims, and even attacks on the foundations of Islam, like the Qur'an and the Prophet, peace be upon him. Attending such a convention in large or even record numbers will boost the morale of Muslims, make them feel more united and stronger in the face of the challenges and attacks, and send a very strong message about the failure of such intimidation tactics. Muslims have done just that by attending in large numbers the July MAS/ICNA convention, the ISNA convention, and the October 26 rally against the war on Iraq. And we need to continue this trend of successful, jam-packed activities, so that it becomes clear to the world that attempts to intimidate our community are fruitless. On the other hand, any sign of weakness will be interpreted as a success of the anti-Muslim campaign and will only fuel it.
Attend the MAS/ICNA convention from December 26th to the 29th. Learn, acquire skills, socialize, provide a pleasant experience for your family, contribute towards the unity of Muslims, and help discouraging the anti-Muslim campaign
Wonderful.
Gee, and all this time I thought he was a self-made uneducated man who merely enslaved his enemies, had casual sex with he women and children of his slaves, and like to spend quality time with little boys. Gosh, whatever was I thinking?
Personally, I think that would be counter-productive. This is a war. Keep your powder dry.
We'd be better off learning what kind of literature they passed out, how many were in fundamentalist dress, etc. Right now, we need intel rather than activism.
Let's hope the feds get lots of pictures. And this might be a good place for the face recognition technology, too.
This should be cancelled by Homeland Security for National Security reasons.
The scourge is killing us from within.
President Bush, cut the PC BS and ACT!
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