ICNA-MAS 2015 Convention on May 23-25 in Baltimore, MD
This memorial day weekend, May 23rd to 25th, join us in Baltimore for the 40th annual ICNA-MAS convention. This year’s theme is Islam: Purpose. Compassion. Service. Also featuring, youth conference, parallel sessions, sisters events, children’s programs, live entertainment, huge bazaar, kids jump & fun, matrimonial services, midnight basketball and much more! Register today and get 15% off at ICNA.org or call 718-658-1199. source
DC/Maryland/Virginia Chapter
ICNA DMV would like to announce a great new program! Free Online Tutoring Service Assalamo Alaikum, ICNA DMV area chapters are excited to announce a new free program for our area students. Under the current circumstances, we recognize a need many parents have to offer some additional help to their young students. Alhumdulillah, our community is also full of talented youth and adults who would love to help out by volunteering as tutors. ICNA DMV is providing a platform to bring both sides together under the supervision of our local chapter brothers and sisters. The ICNA program administrators will match the right students with the appropriate tutors and manage the program by providing oversight and guidance, and ensuring that we offer the very best service to our community, Inshallah. Subjects: Math, Science, Physics, Chemistry, English, Spanish, or let us know and we will find a tutor who can teach that subject. Please use two buttons above to sign up as a student or as a volunteer. Here are answers to some common questions that you may have: Q. If I register as a student, am I guaranteed to get a spot in the program? A. Program administrator will do their best to match the needs of students with the available tutors but registration is just your request and the administrators have to be able to find a volunteer tutor for the requested subject and meet other program requirements to offer a program for you. Q. How long it will take for you to make a decision after my registration? A. We commit to getting back to you within one week Inshallah. If we cannot find an exact match for your needs, we will be happy to discuss other options. Q. How long is the Tutoring Program? A. Each program will consist of 8 sessions, 45 minutes each, for eight consecutive weeks. You will sign up for a program by subject. Q. Is this one-to-one tutoring or a group study? A. This will be Inshallah one-to-one tutoring based on agreed upon subjects. Q. Will I be able to get the time and subjects I requested? A. Inshallah, the program administrators will do their best to match the right student with the right tutors who can meet the subject and timing needs. However, registration is not a guarantee of being approved for a program. Q. Can I sign up for more than one program at a time? A. Yes, you can request more than one subject and ICNA team will decide based on availability of tutors if more than one subject can be offered to one student at a time. Q. Can I sign up again after first 8 week program? A. Yes, you can again sign up for future programs. ICNA team will decide based on availability of tutors. Q. What online platforms we can use for this tutoring? A. Most of our local students use Zoom or Google Meet to conduct online studies. Our tutors will also use the same tools as needed Inshallah. Q. How do you select your volunteer Tutors? A. Alhumdulillah, we have a team of local brothers who come from academic backgrounds and they will evaluate the ability of the tutor to tech the subject matter at the required grade level. Also, we will require all tutors to consent for background checks and clearance from the Child Abuse Registry as per local laws. Apart from this, we also require our tutors to provide references that will be checked to ensure only those are allowed to engage with our students who have the best moral character and great academic ability, Inshallah. Have more questions, please reach out to the program administrators at icnadmvchapter@gmail.com
Official USCMO Statement Regarding Emgage
Shahadah means there is no other god…
If a person does not have much money…
Trusting and understanding the words of the Shahadah
Transition home offers solutions for women with no place else to go
Muna had only been in the U.S. for a few years when she and her husband decided to separate. A refugee from Iraq, Muna spoke little English. Other than her children, she had no family in the country and had never lived on her own before. “Where can I go?” she thought. She called the International Rescue Committee and they recommended a women’s transition house. The house, run by ICNA Relief, an Islamic charity organization, had strict rules. But Muna was glad to find a safe place to stay, and one with an Islamic environment. In a quiet neighborhood in East Plano, the ICNA transition house provides a roof — and stability — for women who have no other place to go. It’s open to women of all faiths and does not promote any religious beliefs. But it also addresses the unique needs of Muslim women, which ICNA Relief’s leadership says is not the case in other area shelters. Clients face a wide range of circumstances. Some have experienced chronic homelessness, while others, like Muna, have left their husbands and have no work experience. Former residents say the home helped them become independent and confident. Muna and another client agreed to speak with The Dallas Morning News on the condition that only their first names be used for privacy reasons. Unlike a traditional shelter, transitional housing is intended to be a long-term solution to help those experiencing homelessness gain self-sufficiency. This transition home is one of the few in North Texas that serves women experiencing homelessness. Community leaders endorse the house’s mission. Imam Omar Suleiman, founder and president of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, says the house’s staff members make their clients feel welcome. “They work from such a deep sense of purpose and faith, that they’re really vested in the real success of the victims…” he said. Strict requirements The transition house is one of 23 houses nationwide operated by ICNA Relief. Since resources are limited, all have strict eligibility requirements, only accepting women who are able-bodied, have no serious mental health issues and have not been involved in a partner-abuse situation. The Dallas home, which at any given time can house up to 10 people, was built in October 2018. Since then, it has served 22 women and 18 children. Only three women have backslid into homelessness, all struggling with their mental health, said Hala Halabi, who oversees refugee programs for ICNA Relief and is the transition home’s site director. Halabi helps manage multiple programs for ICNA Relief in North Texas but spends a lot of time on this one. “We don’t call it a shelter, because it’s not a shelter,” she said. “It is a program that helps sisters to stand on their feet again.” Halabi said that women would call her, crying. They felt out of place at shelters in the area. Some were forced to eat pork since there were few other food options at shelters, she said. Others might get bullied for wearing the hijab or for praying. Suleiman says discrimination against Muslim women in shelters is a common experience. Shelters are overwhelmed, he said, and sometimes don’t have the time or willingness to understand the unique needs of Muslims. That doesn’t happen at the transition home, where ICNA Relief provides halal meat, and women can practice their religion free of judgment in private rooms. A messy separation Muna’s separation from her husband was messy, and their kids got caught in the middle. He ended up calling Child Protective Services, but the mother retained custody. A few months later, a teacher noticed a mark on one of the kids’ faces and reported it to child protective services, and the children were taken from Muna, said Halabi. ICNA Relief helped place the kids in a foster home run by a Muslim family. “Everything was new. I didn’t know anything,” Muna said in Arabic. “With my husband, with the house, with the new living space and the situation with my children.” After leaving the transition house, Muna reconciled with her husband to regain custody of her kids. CPS recently visited her new apartment and deemed it a safe living space for the kids, Halabi said. ICNA Relief helps clients with food, jobs and transportation. Through donations, the organization provided Muna with a car and helped her find an overnight shift at a warehouse in Farmers Branch. The East Plano Islamic Center has typically supported the transition house with $1,000 each month, said Riyad Chowdhury, who handles finances for the mosque. The center has also provided financial assistance for some of the women after they leave the home. Chowdhury says ICNA Relief needs a second transition house in North Texas, given the current economic crisis. “Sister Hala is doing a very good job,” he said. “But she’s a one-person show in this area.” Improving their skills Sumbal, a Pakistani immigrant, stayed at the Dallas transition home for a year. Her husband cheated on her, then kicked her out of their home, leading a friend to recommend the transition house. At first, Sumbal said she had a difficult time adjusting to the house’s strict rules. Residents are not allowed in the house from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. During these working hours, they must be out, either working, looking for a job or improving their skills. This includes their children, who in a normal life would have to be dropped off at a babysitter or daycare. These rules did not apply during the stay-at-home orders. “We don’t give them a chance to be lazy,” Halabi said. Still, ICNA Relief helps them find jobs and people to look after their kids. Sumbal said the home’s rules taught her how to manage everyday life and become independent. At weekly meetings, she discussed her goals with Halabi and other case managers. She learned how to multitask, manage her time and think critically. “When I first got there, I didn’t have a lot of confidence,” Sumbal said in Urdu. She was concerned that she would not be able
ICNA's Statement: American Muslims Demand Changes
—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE— NEW YORK, NY (June 9, 2020) – We at the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) are deeply saddened by the state of structural racism and police brutality in our country.
Eid Mubarak from ICNA President Javaid Siddiqi
—-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—- NEW YORK, NY (May 23, 2020) – Eid-ul-fitr greetings to all by ICNA President Javaid Siddiqi.
Ramadan Mubarak from ICNA President
On behalf of Islamic Circle of North America, I would like to extend congratulations to the entire Muslim community on the arrival of the blessed month of Ramadan.
