By Rebecca Abuqaoud Assalam Aleikum, All praise be to Allah SWT. Alhamdulillah! This year of 2009 has been a very blessed one. This year was very active and dynamic because of the participation of a group of revert Latina Muslim sisters in Chicago. A committee of sisters put together a conference to get more sisters involved and to get their ideas on how to continue Islamic classes for sisters. It was an honor to have the support of LADO, the Latino American Dawah Organization, for the conference. The committee of sisters needed a host name in order to extend invitations
Read MoreBy Ghadah Ali Gutierrez Many moons ago, my people lived. We existed peacefully in a beautiful land unmarred by progress. Although occasional inter-tribal conflicts arose, they were quickly dealt with and life continued. We had no highways, no televisions, no computers, and yet we were happy. Food was plentiful, as was clean water and air. We lived by the seasons and moved according to the movement of the buffalo. The entire continent was our home, and we lived in harmony with her. Grandmother earth extended her arms to enfold us, and the people were well. Then they came. Came with
Read MoreBy Khadijah Rivera http://piedad-latinodawah.blogspot.com/2007/07/my-flag-endure-aftershock-of-9-11.html Miami is well known for its Latino population and prominent bilingualism. Similar to most Latino Muslims, I lived in a major U.S. city that had a large population of Hispanics. Although I wore a Muslim veil, for the most part, I blended in. I didn’t go to the beaches, clubs or popular Latino spots which were prohibited to me as a practitioner of Islam. But Miami would not be the place to be in the Aftermath of 9-11. I remember growing up in New Jersey and as a girl I use to salute the American flag
Read MoreBy Suad Abdul Khabeer http://planetgrenada.blogspot.com/2009/06/intimate-look-at-hip-hops-jihad.html June 23, 2009 ‘New Muslim Cool,’ a new PBS documentary, shows how young Muslim Americans in the post-9/11 era are deepening ties between hip-hop and Islam Real hip-hop heads know that Islam and hip-hop have been longtime friends, feeding off each other’s energy. Muslim ideals of self-respect and social change have inspired some of the greatest emcees, and hip-hop is giving voice to the dreams and daily struggles of a generation of Muslims. This cross-pollination between Islam and hip-hop is vividly illustrated in a new documentary, New Muslim Cool, which premieres tonight on PBS. Directed
Read MoreBy Hany Salah IslamOnline.netJune 11, 2009 http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout&cid=1243825288434&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss CAIRO — Though Muslims enjoy a unique atmosphere of tolerance in Brazil, many of their mosques are closed because of the rarity of imams, something that threatens the Islamic identity of many Muslims, particularly the younger generations. “One third of the mosques are closed due to the absence of imams,” Al-Sadiq Al-Othmani, head of the Islamic Affairs Department at the Sao Paulo-based Center of Islamic Da`wah in Latin America, told IslamOnline.net over the phone. There are mosques in all the major capitals of the Brazilian states and some cities in the interior. In
Read MoreThe Beginning Point of an Islamic Methodology. By Dr. Ihsan Bagby http://www.mana-net.org In its mission statement, MANA says that its organization will be based on Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa`ah (the People of Sunnah and the Community). What does this mean? The term Ahl al-Sunnah wa al- Jamaa`ah is actually an old term that was first used in the second century of the Islamic era. Firstly the term means that the foundation of all Islamic thought is Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) as found in authentic hadith. The ultimate arbiter
Read MoreBy Dr. Khalifa Abdul Hakim http://muslim-canada.org/ch9hakim.html What follows is an excerpt from Chapter 9 of “The Prophet and His Message” by Dr. Khalifa Abdul Hakim. We gratefully acknowledge and thank The Institute of Islamic Culture for permission to reproduce this. ISLAM is essentially a religion of love – God’s love for man and man’s love for God and man’s love for man and the entire creation. Love is the ground as well as the goal of all genuinely spiritual religions. The Qur’an begins by calling God Rahman and Rahim (generally translated in English as Beneficent and Merciful), but the word
Read MoreBy Hany Salah IslamOnline.netFebruary 4, 2009 http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout&cid=1233567606891 SAO PAULO – The first-ever institute for training imams and preachers in the entire Latin American continent will soon see the light in Brazil to meet a dire need for homegrown scholars. “The institute will open its doors by March,” Abdelbagi Sidahmed Osman, executive director of the Latin American Institute for Islamic Studies, told IslamOnline.net. “It will be the first of its kind, not only in Brazil but in Latin America.” Headquartered in Maringa city in the northern Parana state, the ground-breaking institute will focus on teaching Islamic studies and training imams. It
Read MoreBy Velma Cook Five times a day I retreat from life, pause and renew my intention for living. It’s not just kids and work, fun and problems. There’s more, much more lying just beneath the surface of our everyday thoughts. If we dare to peer within, we’ll find it, the home of peace, of truth: an acute awareness of what is wrong and right, of what is worthwhile and what is wasted. I stand still and concentrate on the spot on the carpet where my forehead will soon rest, casting aside all worries, fears and hopes, and focusing on the
Read MoreBy Junaid Afeef http://americanmuslimjournal.typepad.com/an_american_muslim_journa/2008/10/muslim-prayers-at-wrigley-didnt-work.html An American Muslim JournalOctober 05, 2008 Ricardo Pena is a Muslim and a Cubs fan. According to Saturday’s Chicago Tribune Pena was organizing a Muslim prayer for the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon in advance of the Cubs do-or-die game against the L.A. Dodgers later that evening. Alas the prayers were not enough to bring the Cubs a win, and now the Cubs are done for the season after being swept by the Dodgers in three straight games. It turns out that one of my friends on Facebook is a friend of Ricardo
Read MoreFrom Dr1.com http://dr1.com/articles/islam.shtml Although it has become one of the most controversial religions of the 21st century, there is much intrigue and misinformation surrounding Islam. The political realities associated with the religion have forced many who have had limited contact with Islam to form, at times, disingenuous and misguided opinions about it. It has become an unfortunate reality that when conversations about Islam are initiated, many wary eyes raise eyebrows in concern, fearing that television images will soon become a reality in a restaurant near you. But nestled away from the grim images we see on the daily news, in
Read MoreBy Abul-Hussein http://khalilpr.blogspot.com/2008/04/from-one-muslim-to-another-to-khalil-pr.html Introduction: “Here is an interesting discussion by Shaukani, a brother studying at Al-Azhar. It discusses Islam amongst Latinos. I just found this today on the internet. Apparently, he was addressing me in that post on his blog.” – Abu Isma’il Khalil Al-Puerto Rikani, April 19, 2008. Addressing Deficiencies in The Islamic Da’wah to Latinos November 25, 2007 Aslaamu Alaikum, KhalilPr.Blogspot made some interesting points about the failures of Allianza that I wanted to address. First my heart goes out to all the Muslim Latinos and I am concerned about the struggles you face so this is a
Read MoreEscuche el programa “Elementos de Fe’ Cada domingo 10:10 – 10:30 AMRadio KCHN 1050 AM, Houston Con Alejandro Hamed O escuche la transmisión en vivo en www.kchnRadio.com. (Click en “Listen’) Cada domingo nos reunimos a hablar sobre el Islam y de temas que afectan a la comunidad latina y, en particular, a la comunidad latina musulmana de Houston y otros lugares. Hoy en día, los medios de comunicación constantement presentan un imagen distorcionada de lo que realmente es el Islam, concentrándose el los actos y declaraciones de una pequeña minoría que no representa al Islam o a la vasta mayoría
Read More18 ways new Muslims and immigrants can make this Eid special By Abdul Malik Mujahid http://www.soundvision.com/info/eid/ For those who have Muslim families celebrating Eid with them, it’s easy to enjoy this blessed day. For others though, Eid can be a lonely affair. For instance, if you’re a new Muslim, while other Muslims happily hug their parents, spouses or kids and wish them “Eid Mubarak”, you may be left standing in the prayer hall, alone. Also, if you’re a recent immigrant or student here with family back home, Eid day can be depressing, since you’ll be missing your family and feeling
Read MoreBy Marta Galedary I visited two Muslims communities in Austria: Vienna and Vorarlberg, in April 2008. A small group of four American Muslims including myself met with a variety of Muslims and non-Muslim leaders, professors and activists. The main objective of the visit was to dialogue with the Austrian Muslim community and exchange information about the way of living as Muslims in the USA. The group was shocked to find out the poor conditions of the Muslim Turkish community living in Vorarlberg. Statistics Muslims in Austria There are approximately 340,000 Muslims in Austria, with 7.8 % living in Vienna. The
Read MoreBy Michael H. Hart Source: Hart, Michael H. “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, Revised and Updated for the Nineties.” New York: Citadel Press Book. Revised edition. November 1992. Copyrighted. My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels. Of humble origins, Muhammad founded and promulgated one of the world’s great religions, and became an immensely effective political leader. Today, thirteen
Read MoreBy Muhammad AlShareef http://english.islamway.com/bindex.php?section=article&id=103 1. Dress up for your wife, look clean and smell good.When was the last time us men went shopping for designer pajamas? Just like the husband wants his wife to look nice for him, she also wants her husband to dress up for her too. Remember that Rasul Allah – sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam – would always start with Miswak when returning home and always loved the sweetest smells. 2. Use the cutest names for your wife. Rasul Allah – sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam – had nicknames for his wives, ones that they loved.
Read MoreBy Shahid Athar, MD http://www.themodernreligion.com/family/family_muslimamericans.htm The purpose of this article is to evaluate the factors influencing the behavior of children and how to modify them so that they grow as model citizens practicing Islam in their community, become a source of joy and comfort to their parents, and maintain family harmony. The behavior of growing children is influenced by many factors that include their parents and other close relatives, teachers, peers at school, community and the media. Lack of discipline and civilized behavior at school is a major problem in the U.S., the fallout of which is also seen at
Read MoreBy Shabir Ally http://islam-voice.net/questions-and-answers/questions-and-answers-about-islam.html Based on the booklet “Common Questions People Ask About Islam”. 1. What does Jihad mean?The word Jihad represents a concept which is much misunderstood in the West. The concept is explained nicely by the Christian scholar Ira 6. Zepp, Jr. in his book entitled A Muslim Primer on pages 133-135. We adapt from his answer the following: The essential meaning of Jihad is the spiritual, psychological, and physical effort we exert to be close to God and thus achieve a just and harmonious society. Jihad literally means “striving” or “struggle” and is shorthand for Jihad fi
Read MoreOn Friday March 7th, 2008 IslamInSpanish sponsored a dinner at Andalucia Restaurant attended by 200 Spanish Muslims and Non-Muslims along with their families. The purpose of the dinner was to announce the launch of a new IslamInSpanish.org Website, IslamInSpanish OnlineRadio, as well as an IslamInSpanish TV Series airing on April 08’ – October 08’ on Houston Public Access Channel 17. The event gained media coverage from major television stations like “Univision†Channel 45 as well as from various well-known local Spanish Newspapers. Mujahid Fletcher, founder of IslamInSpanish, says, “the closest way to my way of life in Colombia in relation
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