Community News (V16-I9)

150 Muslims graduate from emergency response program

MAHWAH,NJ–Trained volunteers play an important role in responding to disasters. The more trained the volunteers the better it is for everyone. Bergen County has been actively seeking volunteers for its Community Emergency Response Team program and the Muslim community was more than willing to offer help.

150 Muslims from around the area enthusiastically completed the program and received their certificates at a ceremony.  They learned about providing effective first aid, CPR, fire suppression techniques and terrorism awareness, among other skills.

According to The Record the students not only learned about these techniques but also were able to remove some of the misconceptions. For example, according to participants the section on terrorism made it appear that Muslim condone it. When the participants pointed out this discrepancy the curriculum was corrected.

Cong. Davis honors ethnic leaders

CHICAGO,IL–Congressman Danny Davis (7th congressional district, Illinois) honored several achievers from the immigrant communities at the annual awards night of his Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force (MEATF).

Among those honored were Amin Ibrahim (Corporate of the Year ), Dr. Mohammed Zahid (Physician of the Year), and  Mashkoor Ali Khan (Entreprenur of the Year).

Sixth grader’s poem included in anthology

Sixth grader Yusuf Khan of Hadley Junior High School in Glen Ellyn is a budding poet and his award winning poem has been included in an anthology.

The Moon, was selected as one of several outstanding contributions to the area of creative writing as offered by the Torrance Legacy Awards and sponsored by several educational groups, including the Center for Gifted. The work was deemed of splendid quality and worthy evidence of writing excellence, according to the judges. His poem reads as follows:

The Moon

The moon shines down so intensely,
Nothing passes by without admiring its beauty,
The moon looks at us joyfully,
While we look at it thoughtfully.

Ohio’s Muslim community gets a new leader

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Shakila Ahmad  has become the first woman to hold the role of president in the 18-year history of the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati. She got involved early at the center, offering to arrange tours that have drawn tens of thousands of visitors over the years.

Nearly two decades later, she says education and promoting inclusiveness remain important because much work needs to be done, as Muslims still face harassment and social isolation.

“It’s been tremendously difficult for me as a Muslim American,” said the Cincinnati native and University of Cincinnati graduate. “As much progress as we’re making, there is two-fold the work that has to be done. There are those who desire to push Muslim Americans to the side.”

She said Muslim children are harassed in school, and she worries about young professionals entering the workforce.

She wants to strengthen ties with other mosques, make the center a supportive and inclusive place, support anti-bullying programs and promote education about Muslims among non-Muslims.

“We’re not the same, but we have far more in common than we have differences,” she said.

The center has a major social services initiative called Rahma, or mercy, to connect families with physical and mental health services, and has a bullying prevention program, leadership training for youth, and interfaith women’s groups.

She said at the end of her two-year term, “I hope that I’ll love the community, the center and the city even more — and that the greater community will love and appreciate their Muslim American neighbors.”

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