IN THIS ISSUE
Muslim Alliance of Indiana organized a meeting of Professors from various Universities to discuss Endowed Chair in American Islamic Studies on Saturday, March 3, 2007 at Holiday Inn Express, Martinsville. It was attended by Indiana University Professors Faiz Rahman, AbdulKader Sinno, IUPUI Professor M. Razi Nalim, Indiana State University Professor M. Affan Badar and MAI President Dr. Ibad Ansari. The group appreciated the hospitality of Mr. Syed M. Ali. Every one agreed in principle that Endowed Chair to study American Muslim phenomenon is need of our time.
Muslim Alliance of Indiana will establish a Foundation dedicated specifically for this purpose. A million dollars is needed to develop an Endowed Chair at a University. The University can be approached when $500,000 is at hand. The University allows 8 years to collect the required one million dollar funds. Substantial amount has been pledged by several community members already, once the logistics and paper work has been carried out.
The Ad Hoc Committee includes:
Indiana University Professor Fair Rahman, Chair
Indiana University Professor AbdulKader Sinno
Indiana State University Professor M. Affan Badar
IUPUI Professor M Razi Nalim
IUPUI Professor Sohel Anwar
MAI President Dr. Ibad Ansari
MAI Executive Director Shariq Siddiqui
THE NEED
Islam's lasting and noble legacy on global civilization has largely been overlooked in the Western societies, and especially in America. In recent years Islam and Muslims have rather been demonized in media and politics. One important way of combating this negative stereotype is to educate our students about Islam in the context of Western civilization
Traditionally in American Universities Islam/Muslims have been studied as an external phenomenon, not as an American issue. That focus, especially in the post-9/11 world, can easily shift towards portraying Islam as the enemy. A similitude would be the 'Soviet Studies' programs during the cold war era that were geared towards understanding the 'enemy' in order to counter or contain it.
Muslims are an integral part of the American fabric. Beginning from the Muslim explorers and Muslim slaves to today's vibrant Muslim communities all across America are glaring examples of that reality. Our students are the next generation of leaders. They should have the opportunity to study and learn about historical, cultural and religious aspects of Islam as an American issue, not something foreign.
We can facilitate that goal by creating Endowed Chair positions in American Islamic Studies in our universities. This will be an invaluable contribution to the education and cultural life of America.
THE CHAIR
This position will be a tremendously important addition to the Faculty at Indiana University and will stand at the center of its efforts to examine and increase the knowledge of rich traditions and cultures of Islam and Muslims in the West, and especially in America.
An established and distinguished scholar, who will engage in interdisciplinary research and teaching, will occupy this position. The chair-holder will build a critical mass of teaching, research and outreach, and will have an opportunity to provide the future leaders of our society with a better understanding of Islamic cultures and communities.
An investment of $1,000,000 is required to establish an endowed academic chair position in Indiana University.
DONOR RECOGNITION
Indiana University appreciates and recognizes its supporters. The best reward of your contribution to this project is of course the knowledge and satisfaction that you have made a difference in the future of our students and that you have been instrumental in shaping the future of American Islamic studies in one of the top-ranked public universities in America. Nevertheless, the University publicly thanks its major donors through different programs, such as 'The Presidents Circle,' 'The Arbutus Society,' 'The Well House Society' and other programs.
WASHINGTON, March 6 (UPI) -- U.S. religious leaders from the world's largest faith traditions Tuesday sounded a clarion call to cover uninsured children.
Making sure the 9 million children in the United States without health insurance have access to healthcare is a moral obligation, according to a meeting of hundreds of religious leaders gathered in Washington this week by the PICO National Network, a non-partisan network of faith-based community organizations.
"Surely in a nation as rich as ours, we can find ways to make certain that all our nation's children receive the healthcare they need," said the Rev. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
Coverage for children has been a topic of extensive congressional debate this year because of the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, a joint federal and state program that covers low-income children who do not qualify for Medicaid.
At the conference, religious leaders called on policymakers to make children's healthcare a priority.
"Our children are the most precious trust from God Almighty," said Sayyid M. Syeed, national director of the Islamic Society of North America. "It is our collective religious obligation to make sure that they are provided appropriate healthcare, and possibilities of spiritual and intellectual growth. If we fail in taking care of some of them it is like failing to take care of all of them."
ATLANTA (Reuters) - Islam is growing fast among African Americans, who are undeterred by increased scrutiny of Muslims in the United States since the September 11 attacks, according to imams and experts.
Converts within the black community say they are attracted to the disciplines of prayer, the emphasis within Islam on submission to God and the religion's affinity with people who are oppressed.
Some blacks are also suspicious of U.S. government warnings about the emergence of new enemies since the 2001 attacks because of memories of how the establishment demonized civil rights leaders Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.
As a result, they are willing to view Islam as a legitimate alternative to Christianity, the majority religion among U.S. blacks.
"It is one of the fastest-growing religions in America," said Lawrence Mamiya, professor of religion at Vassar College, speaking of Islam among black Americans.
He said there were up to 2 million black U.S. Muslims but acknowledged there are no precise figures.
"It's not viewed (by authorities) as a threat because the numbers are small and once we get past the war on terror and all the negative images then it will continue to spread."
Black Americans typically attend mosques separate from Muslims from immigrant backgrounds despite sharing common beliefs, according to Aminah McCloud, religious studies professor at DePaul University in Chicago.
But imams in Atlanta, a U.S. center for black Muslims, said they were subjected to less scrutiny than Muslims from the Middle East and Indian sub-continent.
RAP BROWN'S MOSQUE
Many blacks converted during the civil rights era, when Malcolm X helped popularize the Nation of Islam, attracting boxer Muhammad Ali among others. Islam still attracts prominent blacks such as rapper Scarface, a recent convert.
But the Nation of Islam has declined as a force at the expense of an association of mosques led by Warith Deen Muhammad, the son of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad, who died in 1975.
At a street-corner mosque in one of Atlanta's oldest and poorest neighborhoods, a recent Friday sermon illustrated the power of the history of Islam in the United States for blacks.
Men and women sat separately on the mosque floor, heads covered, as cleric Nadim Ali recounted stories from history of Muslim slaves brought from Africa who struggled to uphold their faith in the face of slaveholders' opposition.
If Muslims could remain true to Islam under slavery, the audience should follow their example, Ali said at the Community Masjid of Atlanta in the city's West End district.
"You are talking about a people who were cut off from their roots .... Islam reconnects you with Africa and with other parts of the world so your peoplehood transcends race," Ali said later in an interview.
The mosque has a direct link to a slice of black history. It was founded by H. Rap Brown, a one-time member of the 1960s Black Panthers group. Brown became a Muslim in prison in the 1970s and changed his name to Jamil al-Amin.
He was convicted for killing a sheriff's deputy in Georgia in March 2000 and is serving a sentence of life without parole, but in his absence the mosque has continued what Ali said was the low-profile work of building a local Muslim community.
CONVERSION
The mosque teaches there was no distinction between Sunni and Shi'ite within Islam, according to people who attend regularly. Sermons urged Muslims to find work, stay free from crime and drugs and maintain stable family lives.
Ali said he assumed the mosque was bugged and infiltrated by informers, in part because its leaders remained skeptical about U.S. policies since September 11.
"They (the government) unplug black people and plug in Arabs or Muslims. They unplug Arabs and plug in communists. America needs war to maintain its economic status," he said.
The larger Masjid of al-Islam mosque in another mainly black neighborhood of Atlanta is part of Warith Deen Muhammad's group. Its imam, Plemon el-Amin, said he was involved with local interfaith work as well as with a local Islamic school.
One recent Friday, Mark King, a new convert, and hundreds of others at the mosque listened to a preacher urge Muslims to seek God through the Koran. Followers of other faiths should seek God through their own holy books, the preacher said.
King, who wears his hair in dreadlocks, converted after visiting Africa for the first time and in Gambia read the Koran and realized its teaching chimed with his own beliefs, not least in fighting injustice.
"For young African Americans, there is some attraction to learning about traditions that have been associated with resistance to European imperialism," said King, who has adopted the name Bilal Mansa since his conversion.
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: TSA Public Affairs, (571) 227-2829
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (UPI)--The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today the launch of the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP). Travelers can now seek redress and resolve possible watch list misidentification issues with any of the department's component agencies at an easy to use and easy to access online location at https://dhs.gov/trip.
"We're making travel more efficient and secure by offering a convenient redress process," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "This is a win-win program. Eliminating false-positives makes the travel experience more pleasant for legitimate visitors, and it frees up our front-line personnel to apply even greater scrutiny of those individuals who truly present safety and security risks."
DHS TRIP provides a way for legitimate travelers to address situations where individuals believe they have been incorrectly delayed, denied boarding, identified for additional screening, or have otherwise experienced difficulties when seeking entry into the country. The program also facilitates redress information sharing among the department's component agencies and creates internal performance measures to monitor progress.
DHS TRIP enables travelers to outline their concerns in a single request via a secure Web site. The information received will be shared with applicable DHS component agencies, such as the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as with the Department of State and when appropriate with airport and airline operators. Information will be shared in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. ?§ 552a), and as established in the Privacy Impact Assessment published for DHS TRIP.
In addition to offering DHS TRIP, the department has taken a number of other steps to make the screening process more efficient and secure, to include the recent completion of a name-by-name review of the No-Fly list to ensure that only individuals currently posing a threat are included.
What's new: A majority of people around the world say they don't think the world is locked in a "clash of civilizations" that will lead to violent conflict between Islam and the West, findings of a poll published today show.
The British Broadcasting Corp. World Service poll of more than 28,000 people found that 56 percent of respondents think "common ground can be found" between Muslims and Westerners, while only 28 percent said violence was inevitable.
Key results: Fifty-two percent think that tensions between Muslims and Westerners are caused by political power and interests, compared with 29 percent who said religion and culture are to blame.
- 58 percent blamed tensions on intolerant minorities, not cultural groups as a whole. But 26 percent identified fundamental differences between the cultures as the root cause.
- In the United States, 64 percent believed in common ground, but 31 percent saw conflict as inevitable.
- Overall, 52 percent of the 5,000 Muslims surveyed said common ground was possible, including majorities in Lebanon (68 percent) and Egypt (54 percent).
- Only in Indonesia did a majority -- 51 percent -- think that violence was inevitable.
Behind the poll: The poll was conducted from November to mid-January by the polling firm GlobeScan and the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland. Pollsters questioned about 1,000 people in each of 27 countries. The margin of sampling error is 2.5 to 4 percentage points, plus or minus.
Read more online at: www.globescan.com/news_archives/bbciswest/
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (AP) - Those wondrously intricate tile mosaics that adorn medieval Islamic architecture may cloak a mastery of geometry not matched in the West for hundreds of years.
Historians have long assumed that sheer hard work with the equivalent of a ruler and compass allowed medieval craftsmen to create the ornate star-and-polygon tile patterns that cover mosques, shrines and other buildings that stretch from Turkey through Iran and on to India.
Now a Harvard University researcher argues that more than 500 years ago, math whizzes met up with the artists and began creating far more complex tile patterns that culminated in what mathematicians today call "quasi-crystalline designs."
Quasicrystal patterns weren't demonstrated in the West until the 1970s.
"It shows us a culture that we often don't credit enough was far more advanced than we ever thought," contends Harvard graduate student Peter J. Lu, who studied the question after a vacation in Uzbekistan left him marveling at the tilework.
This isn't run-of-the-mill geometry. Quasi-crystals are made by fitting together a set of shapes, including five- and 10-sided shapes, into patterns that, unlike typical tile floors, don't repeat.
In Friday's edition of the journal Science, Lu and Princeton physicist Paul Steinhardt report finding a set of polygon-shaped tiles - a decagon, pentagon, diamond, bowtie and hexagon - that were arranged into distinctive patterns found on major Islamic buildings from the 12th through 15th centuries.
Examining architectural scrolls that were essentially training manuals for the time period, he found hand-drawn outlines of the five shapes. And when he combed through thousands of photos of medieval Islamic buildings, he found that same set of shapes increasingly used over the years to make ever-more complex patterns, including a seemingly true quasicrystal by 1453.
Seerah Spring 2007
Life of the Prophet - The Madinah Period
An analytical study of the life of the Prophet (saw)--Post Hijrah Period
Including the establishment of an Islamic Civil Society in Medinah, and its application to our lives today
Topics of discussion include:
- Society in Medinah
- Jurisprudence
- Constitution & Treaties
- Expeditions (Badr, Uhd etc.)
- The Role of Consultation (Shura)
- Contemporary issues and much more
Instructor: Shaykh Tewfik Choukri
Every Friday 7-9 PM
Starting February 16, 2007
Tuition Fee $60
Legacy Institute
9721 Kincaid Dr
Fishers, IN 46037
info@legacyin.org
317-842-7300
www.legacyin.org
Reminder:
This Saturday March 3rd at 1:00pm, there will be an information and placement session for students interested in taking the new Introduction to Arabic class.
The purpose of this session is to conduct a placement test to see where everyone's levels is with respect to proficiency in Arabic and help determine the pace of this
class.
The 1st class will begin the following Saturday and additional details will be given during the information session.
This session is mandatory for prospective students. If you cannot make it, please inform.
A cooperative learning endeavor of St. Luke's UMC, Christian Theological Seminary, and other local churches, synagogues, and mosques
- All classes are held at the Christian Theological Seminary
- Registration fee per course: $45 (Students/Senior Citizen: $40).
- To register, contact Office of Lifelong Theological Education at 931-4224 or LifeEd@cts.edu.
Introduction to Islam
Leader: Imam Michael Saahir, Nur-Allah Islamic Center, Indianapolis
Meets: Mondays, April 30-May 21, 6-8PM, St. Luke's UMC, E107-109
Do you wonder what Islam is really all about? Would you like to meet a native Hoosier and 27-year veteran of the Indianapolis Fire Department who also happens to be a Muslim teacher renowned for his gentleness and spiritual authenticity? In this course, Michael Saahir will answer your questions and provide an introduction to the basics of Islam covering its beliefs and practices, the Qur'an and hadith (collection of sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad). Religious and cultural similarities and differences will be distinguished in addition to the growth and development of Islam in the United States.
Dear Friend,
I am hosting what I hope will be the First Annual Democratic Women's Day at the Statehouse on Thursday, March 29, 2007, and I need your help.
I would appreciate it very much if you would identify a few up-and-coming Democratic women who have shown an interest in running for office or who already hold a local office and might be interested in running for the General Assembly some day.
We have a full day planned, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, including
- speakers on hot topics of the day
- meetings with Democrat House and Senate members
- visits to legislative sessions and/or committee hearings
- information on campaign training and networking
We will also provide lunch during which the participants can network with women from across Indiana
During my travels around the state, it has become apparent to me that very few people have seen their General Assembly in action. And I know that interacting with legislators and learning about the issues that are before us might wash away any fears these women have about running themselves one day.
It has been a longtime goal of mine to encourage and support women in their efforts to run for office. There are currently only nine Democratic women in the Indiana House of Representatives and only seven Democratic women in the Senate, a paltry 10.6% of the total General Assembly. As Democrats, I know we can do better, and I hope you will help.
Please send an email to vsimpson@bluemarble.net or leave Ambre a message at (765) 532-1502 with the names and email addresses of 2 to 3 women from your area. We will send them an official invitation with the details.
Thank you for your friendship and for your commitment to electing Democrats.
Sincerely,
Vi Simpson
State Senator, District 40
4965 West Woodland Drive
Bloomington , Indiana 47404
Muslim community in Bloomington and specifically the Indiana Muslim Political Action Committee Task Force (IMPACT) was heavily involved with Congressman Baron Hill's recent election. He defeated the Republican incumbent to regain the seat. The Muslim community is engaging with him to put forth our concerns. He has been open and receptive.
IMPACT is organizing a small fundraising event at a Bloomington restaurant to meet with Congressman Baron Hill on Saturday, April 7, 2007 from 1 - 3 pm at the Casablanca Restaurant on 4th street in Bloominton. There are contributions at three levels: $75, $150 and $250. This would be an opportunity to meet with this Congressman and express our concerns over foreign policy and other issues that we find troublesome. The meeting will be quite intimate and we expect less than 100 people to attend giving ample time for all to express their concerns in a constructive way.
This is a constructive way in which we can engage with a lawmaker while also showing that we are a political force. If you cannot make it please mail a check to IMPACT. Please note that only Green Card Holders and US Citizens are permitted by law to donate to this campaign.
May Allah (swt) bless all of you and our community.
Jazakulahu khayran,
Professor Abdulkader Sinno
President of IMPACT
For any specific questions, contact asinno@indiana.edu
Legacy International, in partnership with the American Language Center of Marrakesh is offering a 6-week intensive Arabic Language program in Morocco for 10 students in June and July of 2007! This project is being sponsored by the US State Department. The program will provide formal language instruction by native speakers in Modern Standard Arabic and will allow young people to be immersed in the Arabic speaking world through home stays, site visits, student roundtables and lectures.
We are recruiting young people who are interested in studying Arabic language, culture and Islamic thought. Applicants can be beginning or intermediate language learners. Beginners must demonstrate at least basic understanding of the alphabet and some grammar. Applicants must also demonstrate a sincere willingness and commitment to increasing their knowledge in Islamic thought and Arabic language and culture. Spaces for heritage speakers (coming from families where Arabic is parent's first language) are available but quite limited.
For more information and an application, please click on the following link:
http://www.legacyintl.org/programs/ALI.htm
Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you might have.
Good Luck & Best wishes,
Innocentia
Innocentia A. Carr
iacarr@legacyintl.org
Outreach Coordinator
Global Youth Village
Phone: 540-297-9081
Fax: 540-297-1860
Please join us for a Christian- Muslim dialogue at
The Zionsville Presbyterian Church
4775 West 116th Street, Zionsville, IN 46077
(Corner of 116th Street and North Michigan Rd)
On
Wednesday, March 14th at 6:30 PM
Topic: Understanding Islam & Muslims In the light of 9/11
Speaker: Dr. Shahid Athar--American Muslim physician
Author of Healing the Wounds of Sept.11, 2001 www.Islam-USA.com
Contact: Rev. Glenn McDonald, Senior Pastor, ZPC
317-873-6503/1005
MUSLIM ALLIANCE OF INDIANA is dedicated to empower Muslims through social engagement and developing awareness of public issues among Muslims and connecting 280,000 Muslim Hoosiers with the leadership.
To learn more about past activities and accomplishments, please visit at www.muslimalliancein.com
To be involved with MAI mission, please contact muslimalliancein@yahoo.com
To strengthen and disseminate the vision, please forward this message to others in Indiana or send email list to muslimalliancein@yahoo.com
This is intended for Muslim Hoosiers and friends promoting peace and harmony, mutual respect and making Indiana strong. If you want to be off this list, please advise.
Thank you.
