By Zainab Arain
HOUSTON, Texas (July 2nd, 2010) – The fifth annual ICNA-MAS US South Central Region Conference was held at the University of Houston with much success. The theme, Save Family – Save Society, attracted large crowds.
According to Maqsood Ahmed, President of ICNA South Central Region, “Usually 800 people register for our conference and 300 additional people arrive the day of. But this year, the fifth for the conference, more than 1000 people pre-registered and approximately 500 more showed up.”
For a token fee of $35-$40 an entire family could attend the conference and benefit from the incredible knowledge brought to the event by the leading national scholars and orators of Islam. People such as Sheikh Nouman Ali Khan, Sheikh Omar Suleiman, Imam Khalid Griggs, Dr. Zahida Bukhari, Imam Abdul Nasir Jangda, and Samid Al-Khatib were in attendance.
They presented their topics in an interactive setting to engage the audience. There was a talk show with Imam Khalid Griggs about the “Generation Gap in Muslim Families”; Sheikh Nouman captivated the audience with his presentation on “Peer Pressure: Good or Bad; and Imam Jangda spoke about “Parents and Our Responsibility”.
A parallel Youth Conference also took place with the theme, “Strangers: Questions of Muslim Youth”. Some of the topics included: “No Holds Barred – Any Questions”, “Contributions of The Muslim Youth”, and “Being Muslim around My Friends”.
To lighten things up, the comedian Azeem Muhammad from “Allah made Me Funny” provided humorous entertainment. There was also an extensive bazaar with booths stocked by numerous vendors. Other attractions this year included the exhibition “Window to Islam”.
