15th Annual Southern Islamic Convention: A Success!

The Southeast Region of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA SE) successfully held its 15th Annual Southern Islamic Convention in Atlanta, GA from December 25-27, 2009.

 

Over 1700 attendees came from all over the southeast region, including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, and also from other states such as Missouri, Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky and Virginia. Guests were accommodated at the 4-star Hilton Atlanta Airport Hotel.

 

 

Numerous scholars from across America, both seasoned and young, were invited to quench the thirst for Islamic knowledge, addressing faith, Fiqh and social issues.  Lecturers covered various aspects of the theme of the convention, which this year was “Save Family, Save Society.” Speakers included:

 

Sheikh Iqbal Nadvi
Sheikh Yusuf Estes
Sheikh Monzer Taleb
Imam Majed Al-Sabkee
Dr. Altaf Hussain
Imam Abdul Malik
Br. Khalid Griggs
Br. Joshua Evans
Dr. Muhammad Yunus
Sr. Huma Farooqi
Sr. Abida Umar
Sr. Rana Tabassum

 

There were numerous programs for the youth and children including Quiz, Qira’t, Speech, Essay Writing, Poetry and Poster competitions, designed to bring out their natural talents and teach them Islamic values at the same time.  Special awards & recognitions in academics & sports were also a vital part of the convention, encouraging youth and children to perform well in the future. Many special interest sessions for adults, youth, children and sisters in English, Urdu, Arabic and Bengali were also held parallel to the main sessions.

 

What really made the convention of benefit was its ability to provide a wide range of options for all attendees. While on the one hand Sheikh Nadvi’s & Monzer’s spiritual lectures cleansed the hearts of convention-goers, on the other hand Dr. Altaf Hussain inspired the youth. If children enjoyed themselves through Imam Abdul Malik’s pizza party, they also learned Islamic values through contests and competitions. While sisters attended sessions with Sisters Huma, Abida and Jamila Wahhaj, they also perused through the sizzling Bazaar, a major attraction for all age groups because of the variety of merchandise and vendors. The bazaar consisted of 39 vendors, including non-profit organizations– a number that surpassed previous years.

 

Physical arrangements of the event, timely congregational prayers, smooth registration, nearly 82K in raised funds and well organized Halal food arrangements are some of the salient features that highlight the success of the southeast region’s largest Islamic event of the year. ICNA’s Southern Islamic Convention 2009 managed to keep to the well-established tradition of combining an Islamic environment, education, hospitality and fun under one roof, and next year’s conference can only be more promising as a result of this year’s success.