Community News (V9-I46)

Little Mosque on the Prairie now available in DVD

Canadian hit show, “Little Mosque on the Prairie” is now available on DVD. The inaugural season of Little Mosque on the Prairie, Canada’s breakthrough series produced by WestWind Pictures in association with the CBC, will be released on DVD in Canada on November 13, 2007 by Morningstar Entertainment, a leading distributor of home entertainment products.

Little Mosque on the Prairie debuted in January, 2006 with stellar reviews and huge national and international attention. The series focuses on a small Muslim community in the fictional prairie town of Mercy, Saskatchewan many of whose residents are wary of their new, more exotic neighbours. The sit-com reveals that, although different, we are surprisingly similar when it comes to family, love, the generation gap and our attempts to balance our secular and religious lives. The new season of Little Mosque on the Prairie airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on the CBC.

“Morningstar is proud to present the complete first season of CBC’s popular and innovative series,” says Jason Moring, VP Sales & Marketing for Morningstar Entertainment. “Little Mosque has made a major impact on the cultural landscape of Canada and the world. Consumers will not only love watching the hilarious episodes, they’ll learn more about the making of the production and will hear and see unique perspectives on its success from producers, cast and crew.”

“We are very excited to make the series available on Home Video, says Mary Darling, Executive Producer of the series, “the requests for DVD began pouring in with the airing of our very first episode. This DVD gives us another way to satisfy the appetites of our valued viewers.”

Produced in collaboration with WestWind Pictures, Morningstar Entertainment and CBC Home Video, the 200-minute, two-disc set features 5.1 surround audio, described video for the visually impaired and closed captioned for hearing impaired viewers. Bonus content includes:

– Extended interviews with cast members;

– Behind The Mosque: behind-the-scenes featurette of season 1;

– Under the Veil: Sitara Hewitt’s guide to the wardrobe department;

– Double Audio Commentary for Episode 1 with show creator Zarqa Nawaz and Executive Producer Mary Darling (version 1) and various cast members (version 2).

Little Mosque on the Prairie – The Complete First Season (2 Disc DVD) can be found at retailers across Canada and online at www.cbcshop.ca; available November 13, 2007. The DVD features all eight of the Season One episodes.

Imam preaches at church

WOODBURY, CT—Imam Abdullah Antepli, assistant director of the Hartford Seminary Chaplaincy Program, was invited last month to preach during Sunday service at First Congregational Church of Woodbury. First Congregational Church’s Inter-religious Committee has been developing inter-religious dialogue forums for three years. The church has developed Faith Summits, offered lectures on the Religious Right, Congregationalism and Social Mission and continues to develop a “Justice and Peace” lecture series.

Imam Antepli preached about common values between Islam, Judaism and Chritianity and how to coexist.

The church’s pastor Rev.Mark Heilshorn had visited Turkey and Morocco as part of a inter-religious delgation along with Imam Antepli. The two are also enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program at Hartford Seminary.

Agha Afzal seeks top Jersey City spot

JERSEY CITY, NJ–Agha Afzal is contesting for the post of Jersey City county executive on a Republican ticket.

The elections will take place next week, the Daily Times reported.

Afzal, former executive director of the Hudson County Republican Party, is currently with the Development Agency of Jersey City commissioner.

Afzal, who hails from Sahiwal, Pakistan has also served as honorary deputy mayor of Jersey City in year 2004-2005 and has helped construct shelter homes for battered and needy women in Jersey City.

A county executive heads the executive branch of the government in a county, which is a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction.

Mosque in Monticello runs into trouble

MONTICELLO, NY–A mosque in the Village of Monticello has run into rough weather after village officials alleged that it was constructed without the necessary permits.

The Argo & Alaudin Corp., owner of the mosque property at 33 Cottage St., was granted a building permit on July 21, 2006, to renovate the one-family house located there. A second permit, to convert the house into a mosque, was denied three days later by then Village Manager Richard Sush because only the Planning Board could approve a place of worship in a residential zone.

Despite the denial the owners gutted the house and built the mosque despite non-compliance warnings from the village, officials said. The mosque was finished this September.

Mosque owners are trying to remedy the situation by going to the Planning Board in hindsight. Their next appearance will be Oct. 27.

Albany mosque has new Imam

ALBANY, NY–The Masjid As-Salam in Albany now has new Imam: Imam Abdul Elmi. The mosque was without an Imam for two years after the then Imam Yassin Aref was arrested for allegedly supporting a fictitious terror plot.

The new Imam currently serves as a senior chaplin in the state prison systemand will serve part time at As-Salam mosque. He handles services and counseling at two prisons in that job, among other duties.

The soft-spoken 55-year-old imam is originally from Somalia and lives in Clifton Park with his wife and five children. He is a familiar face both in Masjid As-Salam and beyond it in the region’s small but growing Muslim community.

Many local Muslims know Elmi from the leadership posts he has held within the region’s Islamic community. He chaired the board of trustees at the An-Nur Islamic School in Colonie. He was president of Troy’s Masjid al-Hidaya. He remains a trustee and is involved in the Troy community’s plan to build a mosque in Latham. And he had already been filling in at the Albany mosque before his appointment as imam.

Imam Elmi has an interestin career path. He studied Islam in high school and later on his own. He is the author of a book in the Somali language about Islamic jurisprudence.

His university education was in a much different subject: agriculture.

Elmi earned a master’s degree from Montana State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas before teaching and doing research at Virginia State University. The professor taught Islam — unpaid — at area mosques because they didn’t have enough teachers.

When he was told New York was looking for prison chaplains, he applied and got the job.

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