July 2009 Issue | Online: www.myCRESCENT.com | T: 214-306-7920 | E: dallas@myCRESCENT.com Since 2006
A Ground Breaking Event In Irving
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JULY 4th MUBARAK! Anas (ra) said, The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Help thy brother whether he is the doer of wrong or wrong is done to him.” They (his companions) said, “O Messenger of Allah! We can help a man to whom wrong is done, but how could we help him when he is the doer of wrong?” He said: “Take hold of his hands from doing wrong.”
George Galloway visits Dallas for a Caravan To Palestine.. inside
By Hazrat Amin
(IRVING MASJID, TX) Scorching heat and the sun was no match to the enthusiasm and energy at the ground breaking ceremony for Phase 2 expansion. An estimated 100 community members including city council member Mr. Alan Meager attended the program. Speaking briefly during the program Mr. Meager said that he is delighted to be at the ceremony and Irving’s Mayor also sends his best wishes. “I really appreciate everything you have done within the Irving community,” he said. “You bring people in, you have been open, inviting. I love coming here, its just a great community.” Phase 2 expansion will include a multipurpose hall and additional block for Islamic School of Irving. Located in the heart of Dallas / Fort Worth, Islamic Center Of Irving is the largest in the area. Irving Masjid, which aims to be the “Minaret of Islam in the West”, did not start out as a big community complex. “The idea of establishing an Islamic center goes back to the early 80’s when a group of Muslim broth-
ers started praying the five daily and the Jumuah prayers together in one of their own houses. Soon they had to move to a bigger place, from one apartment to another until they were able to rent an apartment and use it as a Mosque where they performed all their prayers,” states Masjid’s website.
“What you are doing right now is for the youth and the development of our children. I love it and I want to thank you for continuing to expand in the city of Irving.” -Alan Meager, City Council
one thing we have in our city is our children,” he said. “Our children are the future for this city. What you are doing right now is for the youth and the development of our children,” he explained. “I love it and I want to thank you for continuing to expand in the city of Irving.” Imam Zia Sheikh said that he is honored to be part of such a vibrant community. “It is a historic event,” he told the audience. “Just like many years ago, the foundation was laid for the Masjid that you see in front of you.. this is the next phase in the growth of our community.” He encouraged and reminded people to support the project. Imam Zia said that many people who laid the foundations of Irving Masjid are not here, but “are reaping the rewards” of their efforts. “Now it is up to us – all of us standing here, to make sure that we become part of the growth of this Masjid so that we continue to reap the rewards in the future.” “Today it’s like I have new baby – a second baby,” a cheerful Mahmoud Egal told The Lone Star Crescent.
The center that started with key efforts of a few people, currently about holds about 2,000 worshippers during the Jumuah prayers. Recently, a second Jumuah prayer was added to accommodate additional congregation. The planned Phase 2 expansion is focused on encouraging activities for families and more room for the school. Alan Meager was impressed with the strategic planning and vision of Irving Masjid. “Number Continues on page 05 >>
A fund raising program for over 3 million internally displaced Pakistanis... inside
INDEPENDENCE DAY: MYTHS & FACTS One of the most enduring myths about Independence Day is that Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The myth had become so firmly established that, decades after the event and nearing the end of their lives, even the elderly Thomas Jefferson & John Adams had come to believe that they and the other delegates had signed the Declaration on the 4th. Most delegates actually signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776. In a remarkable series of coincidences, both John Adams & Thomas Jefferson, two founding fathers of the United States and the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence to become president, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the United States’ 50th anniversary. President James Monroe died exactly five years later, on July 4, 1831, but he was not a signatory to the Declaration of Independence.