The Muslim Link, March 18, 2016

Muharram| Safar || Rabi Al-Awaal|Rabi Al-Thani || Jumada Al-Awwal| 99 JUMADA AL-AKHIR 1437 |Rajab|Shaban| Ramadan || Shawwal || Thul-Qedah || Thul-Hijjah Muharram| Safar Rabi Al-Awaal|Rabi Al-Thani Jumada Al-Awwal| Jumada al-akhir 1437 |Rajab|Shaban| Ramadan Shawwal Thul-Qedah Thul-Hijjah Muharram| Safar | Rabi Al-Awaal |7 Rabi al-Thani, 1435| Jumada Al-Awwal|Jumada Al-Akhir|Rajab |Shaban |Ramadan|Shawwal| Thul-Qedah|Thul-Hijjah

Muharram| Safar | 2 Rabi al-awaal, 1435 |Rabi Al-Thani| Jumada Al-Awwal|Jumada Al-Akhir|Rajab |Shaban |Ramadan|Shawwal| Thul-Qedah|Thul-Hijjah

muslim martial arts expo fuses 'chi', islam

8 days left!

RUNNINg FOR THE HILLS Dispatches from muslim homesteaDers

>> PG 8

THE GOOD NEWS

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MD, VA, and DC Metropolitan Area Monthly Newspaper | FREE

February 7th - March 6th 2014

MD, VA, and DC Metropolitan Area Monthly Newspaper | FREE

Build It, Because They’ve Already Come

Baltimore City’s First Masjid Built from the Ground Up to Serve Existing Muslim Neighborhood

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Profile of the Moroccan American Community Organization | pg 5 MD Local Interviews Philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi | pg 7

february 15th 2012 - March 14th 2013

Journeys In Islamic Homeschooling

DC Muslim Is Deputy Campaign Manager for Gray | pg 4

By Hena Zuberi

Head of Moroccan Party Discusses Arab Spring | pg 6

South East DC Experiencing Surge In Teens, Youth Entering Into Islam

participates by volunteering to teach or clean up, essentially ‘pulling their weight.’

They settle down to listen to Elizabeth, a founding member give a talk on classroom management.

a nutritionist teach a class on healthy food choices.

They hold an annual Art Fair and a Science Fair, and even hand out certificates.

There are no charges except minor material fees for supplies.

How much is the Muslim Link worth to you? Each year for the past 17 years, the Muslim Link has been reporting on the activism and growth of our communities to both the region's Muslims as well as the ADAMS broader community. How Medical Clinic Offers CompasHome of the Heart Beats Faster with Yaqeen Boost sion at No Cost much is $1.95M reinforcing our connections, our common goals, Around 1,800 Supports Help Raise at Dec 15 Dinner and our lines of communication throughout the year worth?

By Hena Zuberi

Muslim Link Staff Reporter

He shovels the fresh snow, and sprinkles salt on the driveway. It is the first snow of the season and Mustafa Sharif is getting ready for the Gwynn Oak Islamic Community (GIC) Masjid’s Open house.

Driving past suburban roads, past Liberty Heights Avenue, past the under construction Shoprite and serene Gwynn Oaks Park,

past friendly neighbors helping each other park stalled cars on the icy roads, the cream and teal building is a magnificent sight in the snowfall.

VA Muslims Might Have Helped McAuliffe Win Gov Race | pg 12 Even ADAMS Expansion Sites Need Expanding | pg 14

A welcoming community in Baltimore City; a model community with a model masjid which resonates with the call to prayer. Cen-

trally located near the beltway, there is optimistic talk of growth in the brand new masjid, of the school district making the high school into a magnet school,

of quiet streets, historic homes, open green spaces, and convenient commute to

>> Gwynn Oak Pg 6

Germantown Leaders Hope To Pray In Masjid This Year | pg 15

Egypt Closes Vital Gateways Into and Out of Gaza | pg 29

Call this event the "December 15 miracle". Or call it the "the winter 2013 miracle".

The Muslim Link

Or, just call it "yaqeen".

In one room, Asmaa ElHaggan, mother of a ten year old son, teaches Model U.N Debate class. Seven weeks of classes are taught by mothers divided by age on topics of interest to the group or based on her expertise. By pooling money together, they recently had

Tips are shared: ‘get an educator’s card at the library and you can get six weeks to check out books’, ‘present your portfolio for review in a binder and show

>> schools Pg 10

Coupons PG 38

MakeSpace Fundraiser Attracts Support, New Ideas | pg 12

ARTS: Local Author Filling Gap in Children's Books | pg 26

By Hena Zuberi

Across the street from the post office in Chantilly, VA, right off Route 28 is the ADAMS-Sully Center. It can be spotted by the army of The Cleaning Authority company cars parked in the shared parking lot. Next to

the masjid is the new health clinic for the ADAMS Compassionate Health Network (ACHN). ACHN is a volunteer-based operation dedicated to providing quality healthcare to community members in need,

ISLAM: The “Sunnah” of Divorce and Reconcilliation | pg 31

The Muslim Link

Coupons PG 38

>> comPassion Pg 14

Come out and support your voice!

>> yaqeen Pg 18

Muharram| Safar | Rabi Al-Awaal |Rabi Al-Thani| Jumada Al-Awwal|Jumada Al-Akhir|Rajab |Shaban |Ramadan|Shawwal| 7 Thul-Qedah, 1434|Thul-Hijjah

PResentIng YouR 2013 Ramadan suPeRheRoes! $ Pg 26

local leadeR focus:

IsB ResIdent scholaR Yaseen sheIkh Pg 10

w w w . M u s l i m L i n k P a p e r. c o m

The Muslim Link

md, Va, and dc metropolitan area monthly newspaper | fRee

september 13th - october 10th 2013

The Muslim Marriage Crisis

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Finding What's Missing At An The Muslim Link Asks: How Hard Is It to Find a Life Partner In the DMV Area?

Orphanage In Mexico | pg 5

By Hena Zuberi Muslim Link Staff Reporter A major part of creating a beloved community is the creation of a family. However, the Muslim marriage crisis is at our doorstep.

Many Muslim men and women face hardships in meeting a spouse. The Muslim Link took a closer look at the issue of finding a suitable partner in our community and the resources we have to respond to this crisis.

Meeting venues and forums are few and this seems to be one major deterrent to suitable marriages.

Men and women who really want to get married often face a myriad of issues in finding a good match. The

Adherence to cultural norms and expectations, generational disparity and the neglect of the Islamic standard for the choice of partners are also hurdles single American Muslims face

issues are as diverse as the American Muslim community in the DC Metro area.

American-Muslims are scattered all over the country. >> marriage Pg 16

Five Decades On, American Muslims Still In Search of the ‘Beloved Community’

3Di Athletics Holds First Weekend Basketball Camp | pg 6 Sh.Yusuf Islahi: Be Optimistic About Our Ummah | pg 7 Locals Who Witnessed Egypt Massacres Speak | pg 17 Muslims Organize for VA Attorney General Hopeful | pg 18 ISLAM: Top 8 Excuses Not to Go for Hajj | pg 34

Muslim Link Staff Reporter

Muhammad, Vice President for the 7th District Citizen’s Advisory Council for the Metropolitan Police Department told the Muslim Link.

“There are five Masjids in Southeast

>> surge Pg 22

ing pavilion at the Muslim Community Center Clinic.

A regular United Nations of patients surrounds her; a Hispanic woman coming from a nearby church,

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8 S h a b a n - R a m a d a n 1 4 3 5 A . H . | w w w . M u s l i m L i n k P a p e r. c o m

WPRESS: Project to Name Civilian Victims of US Drones | pg 25

June 6th 2014 - July 10th 2014

By Zainab Arain ICNA.org

Baltimore, MD (May 27, 2013) – The energy in the air was palpable on Saturday morning, as people lined up to register before the event officially began. Thousands from across the country gathered at the Baltimore Convention Center over Memorial Day weekend to attend the 39th annual ICNAMAS convention.

The theme – Faith.

Submission. Service. –

The Muslim Link

By Muslim Link Staff After a detailed study and assessment of Dar-us-Salaam's application to develop an education and community campus in Western Howard County, Maryland, the How-

|

w w w. M u S L i M L i n k Pa P e r . c o M

ALLAHU AKBAR: Finally, Athan Sounds from Masjid In Germantown

october 24th - november 20th 2014

Muslim Link Staff Reporter MCC Aims to Be Model for Senior Supportive Masajid |Yasmin pg 6 Loya, Shahana Khan and Azra Malik are friends living in the

More Special Eids, Special Days Needed for Special Kids | pg 6

By Hena Zuberi

Shopping and Shipping for Syria Winter Relief | pg 8

in their garages and halaqas in their

living rooms. They remember starting to Local Leader Writes On Faithdream of a masjid in their city in 1996.

Based Wealth Building | pg 8

Women's Shelter In VA To Be Managed by ICNA | pg 8

They are a part of an active community,

second home— to pray, mourn, celebrate

CIVILRIGHTS: Inside the NYPD's Muslim Spying Program | pg 32

March march18 18- April - april14 14, 2016 , 2016

By Hena Zuberi

Muslim Link Staff Reporter

Dynamic sessions, packed halls and up and coming speakers marked the 50th Annual Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)

th th

and Muslim Student Association (MSA) Nationals during the long Labor Day weekend, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. The conference came on the shoulders of the 50th

anniversary of the March to Washington and Rev. Martin Luther King’s “I Have Dream” speech.

The theme of the three day convention was based on the beloved community

th th

- Envisioning a More Perfect Union and featured over 100 speakers including Congressman Andre Carson, Dr. Altaf Husain,

The Islamic Society of Germantown opened its doors to politicians, imams, and hundreds of visitors and most importantly to those who had been waiting for the past 13 years when the

society bought the parcel of land — nearly an acre—at 19825 Blunt Road >> masjid Pg 14

>> iSNa Pg 12

The Muslim Link

Coupons PG 43

The approval by Howard County Hearing Examier Michele LeFaivre allows

Woodmont Academy site with 275,300 square feet of building space including a 56,000 square foot masjid, elementary, middle, and high schools, a daycare, two gymnasiums, and two indoor pools.

The decision comes after the >> dar-us-salaam Pg 39

By Muslim Link Staff

FULL COLOR RAMADAN POSTER Like most Muslim youth around the WALL CALENDAR INSIDE | pg 39Alzouman knew the story world, Farouq

historic deed like that and be recognized

by Allah for that deed on the day of judgement.

of the companion Bilal Ibn Rabah (Allah be pleased with him) who was the first

An avid outdoorsman, Alzouman thought that maybe -- if Allah accepts it -- he could be the first Muslim ever to call the athan from the highest point on planet Earth -- Mount Everest -and be raised with Bilal on the Day of Judgement.

to ever call the Athan.

The MuslimMuslim Link

Coupons Alzouman, a young man from Saudi Arabia who studied in the United States, PG 38 wondered how he could perform a

DUS Wins 10th DC MIST Tournament, Full Results | pg 8 Modest Fashion, Fashionistas Take the Runway in DC | pg 10 OPED: Disabled Muslims and Masjid Accommodation | pg 27 Somalis Say NGOs Killing Their Incentive to Farm | pg 31 ISLAM: Revive Your Heart by Worshipping In Secret | pg 32 The Muslim Link

HAMZA TZORTZIS Coupons PG 38

running for the hills

THIRSTY?

By Muslim Link Staff For hundreds of Indonesian-American families and Maryland Muslims, "grand opening" couldn't have more meaning than it did on Friday, September 26, 2014.

After two decades, the dream of establishing a masjid and community center in Maryland finally became a reality, and the presidential benefactor who facilitated a three million dollar donation to purchase a church and convert it to a masjid came with a delegation to witness the opening of the Indonesian Muslim Association in America (IMAAM) in Silver Spring, Maryland.

>> imaam center Pg 1

New Masjid, Islamic Academy Planned for Chantilly | pg 9

Howard County Approves Dar-us-Salaam Campus Plan ISLAM: Fasting BeforeFirst RamadanMuslim to Raise the Qur'an and Call Athan from Dar-us-Salaam to establish a In Sha'ban | pg 34 Everest to Tell Story of Perseverance at DUS Banquet

By Muslim Link Staff campus on the 66-acre former On Tuesday, May 13, 2014, after over a year of engineering studies and public hearings, Howard County approved the Dar-us-Salaam Education and Community Campus plan.

TML Interviews Al-Rahmah School Principal | pg 7

From the time he entered Nepal, it took Alzouman two months, and a mountain of perseverance and willpower, to make the climb. Here his amazing story at Dar-us-Salaam's Annual Banquet on December 14, 2014 at the Bethesda North Marriott. For more information, see the ad on page 2 of this issue.

Muslim Family Day At Six Flag Caps Summer for 6,000 | pg 5

Do Homeless Have Right to Occupy Public Property? | pg 6 Muslim Youth Learn How to Get a Grip with Golf | pg 8 Founding IMAAM member Firdaus Kadir welcomes Indonesian president Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (far right) at the grand opening of the IMAAM Center

You may have seen him selling outside your masjid after Jummah, selling artisan goat cheese, yogurt, goats milk and fresh, free range organic eggs.

phone doesn't ring— it bleats and brays. He drives a truck with an exquisite deer skull strapped to the hood. He shows me the natural engraving on the skull, finding beauty in the bizarre. Down the dirt road with neat wooden signs showcasing the art of manliness

Matt Jose is an urban farmer; his

>> farm Pg 18

Muslim Link Staff Reporter

LIke & FoLLow uS THe MuSLIM LInk

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

MoCo Muslims Distribute Udhiya Meat to Area Needy | pg 5

Urban Farm Raises Goats, Sheep, and Young Men

By Hena Zuberi

>> PG 23

MD, Va, and Dc Metropolitan area Monthly newspaper | FRee

99JUMADA JumadaALal-AKHIR akhir- -RrAaJAB Jab7,7,1437 1437A.H. a.h. || WWW.MUSLIMLINKPAPER.COM www.muslimlinkPaPer.com

A Look at ISNA’s 50th Year Anniversary Convention

NATION: Inside America's First Muslim Frat House | pg 30

residents before deciding on Dar-us-Salaam's application. Her decision is subject to appeal to the five member Howard County Board of Appeals.

IMAAM Center Realizes 20 Year Old Dream

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Big Step for the Safety the Dar AlHijrah Congregation | pg 5

grow. On November 8, 2014 with CIVIL RIGHTS: Hate Adand Sparks US much fanfare this dream was realized.

Free Speech Debate | pg 30

ity, and private school." The report issued on February 27, 2014 was submitted to the Howard County Hearing Examiner for her consideration. This month she will hear testimony from Dar-usSalaam, neighbors, and area

Greening Our Sacred Grounds Seminar Held In MD | pg 6

30 THuL-HIjjaH 1435 a.H. - 27 MuHaRRaM 1436 a.H. | www.MuSLIMLInkPaPeR.coM

Like & foLLow uS THe MuSLiM Link

MD, Va, and Dc Metropolitan area Monthly newspaper | free

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

>> icna Pg 24

ard County Department of Planning and Zoning issued a twelve page report recommending Dar-us-Salaam's application -- called a "request for a conditional use" -- be granted for "a child day care center, a religious facil-

fBi Pays Wife to inform on husBand >> PG 22

Janaza for Richmond Imam Fills Neighborhood Streets | pg 5

of the almost 100,000 Muslims Gay Congress Hopefulainportion IsMontgomery “Great County, which just Friend” of Muslims | needed pg 14a place—a masjid to call their

>> stolen Pg 12

African American Muslims Featured at Newseum | pg 4

Internationally renowned Fundraising dinner da’ee & debater

2 8 M u H a rr a M - 2 S a fa r 1 4 3 6 a . H .

More than 120 international scholars, intellectuals, and community activists,

The Muslim Link

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Muharram| Safar | Rabi Al-Awaal |Rabi Al-Thani| Jumada Al-Awwal| Jumada Al-Akhir|Rajab | Shaban | Ramadan |Shawwal|Thul-Qedah|30 THUL-HIjjAH , 1435

>> PG 21

Germantown area for nearly 30 years.

God and service to mankind.

In addition to those attending several thousands more watched the live broadcast of the sessions.

the Jordan Valley holds 28.3 percent of the West Bank’s land, and is ‘the largest single Palestinian territory under

Dept Staff Report a Positive Step Towards Final Approval in Coming Months

ISLAM: The Sunnah of Love, Tenderness, Romance | pg 28

WhY AAfiA?

They raised Immigrants, Elders Warned of their children here, got them married, cooked Ramadan meals, Scammers Posing asand IRSfor| pg 6 hosted donation drives decades

sought to generate reflection upon the multiple facets of faith and the path on which it directs humanity. It focused the theology of Islam and its manifestation as service to

from Palestinian farmers and allocated to settlements and military camps. According to the Inter Press Agency report,

HoCo Dept of Planning and Zoning Recommends Approval of DUS Campus Plan

CIVILRIGHTS: Did President Obama Kill Al-Awlaki? | pg 26

Coupons PG 35

november 21st - December 18th 2014 MD, VA, and DC Metropolitan Area Monthly Newspaper | FREE

ICNA-Mas Convention 2014: A New Venue, A New Record

After the 1967 Six-Day War when Israel captured the Jordan Valley from Jordan, tracts of land were taken

Shabana Izhar, a new immigrant who lives in The Muslim Link Bowie adjusts her shalwar kameez and settles down MUHArrAM, 1435wait| Safar >> | Rabi Al-Awaal |Rabi Al-Thani| Jumada Al-Awwal| Jumada Al-Akhir|Rajab | Shaban | Ramadan |Shawwal|Thul-Qedah|30 Thul-Hijjah in28 the chairs in the latina Pg 15

>> PG 18

>> PG 26

As halal grocery stores in the region start their planning their Ramadan purchasing, a concern on many Muslims’ minds are the origins of the dates that are carried in the stores. Some come from California or Saudia, but others marketed under the name Jordan Valley are from Israel.

RECIPES: Sister Heather Returns with a Winter Warmer | pg 34

running for the hills

$

Muslim Link Staff Reporter

Support Group Forming for HIV Positive Muslims | pg 10

With Doors Open for All, MCC Clinic Celebrates Expansion

By Hena Zuberi

By Hena Zuberi

Second Muslim Store Owner Murdered In Richmond | pg 5

Homestead Halal

Running foR the hills Dispatches from muslim homesteaDers

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|

“People are looking for a change.

They’ve seen the results of what their parents and grandparents have tried.

They know about 40-60 years of trying everything else. They don’t want the same things their parents have tried with little success,” Anthony

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Our Masajid Are Unprepared to Assist In Case of Disaster | pg 4

Muharram| Safar | Rabi Al-Awaal |Rabi Al-Thani| Jumada Al-Awwal| Jumada Al-Akhir|Rajab | 8 Shaban, 1435 |Ramadan|Shawwal| Thul-Qedah|Thul-Hijjah

tICKEtS: 25/person | 5 Childcare www.muslimlinkpaper.com | 301-982-1020

7 Thul Qedah - 5 Thul-Hijjah, 1434 A.H.

In the poorest areas of the nation’s capital, Wards Seven and Eight, where unemployment is in double digits nearing 20%, schools are struggling and there’s a church on nearly every corner Islam is growing at a rapid pace, especially among young males.

WPRESS: Guantanamo -- Tell the World the Truth | pg 30

Muslim Link Staff Reporter

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MD, VA, and DC Metropolitan Area Monthly Newspaper | FREE

March 14th - April 3rd 2014

As Ramadan Approaches, Date Buyers Seek to Avoid Israeli Fruits Grown On Stolen Land

Fairfax Talk Opposing Hijab Called Bigoted, Intolerant | pg 5

Muslim Link Contributing Writer

Dar Al-Hijrah Expands Social Services w/ Thrift Shop | pg 7

An Al Ansar Homeschooler showing off her snow globe made in Sr. Andini's art classes held at Dar Al-Taqwa in Maryland. Photo by Muslim Link.

at MONTGOMERY BLAIR HIGHSCHOOL 51 uNIVErSIty BLVd SILVEr SprING, md FEaturING

13 Jumada Al-Awwal - Jumada Al-Akhir 3 1435 A.H. | www.MuslimLinkPaper.com

Md, Va, and dc Metropolitan area Monthly newspaper | free

Nisa Muhammad

Muslim Brutally Murdered in Gaithersburg 7-Eleven | pg 7

VA Muslim Cemetery Might Be Largest In America | pg 20

Should College Applicants Discuss Their Muslim Identity? | pg 28

By Muslim Link Staff

On Monday afternoons, the halls of Dar al Taqwa are filled with voices of excited children, playing tag with siblings and friends, showing off snow globe art projects. A cluster of 20 mothers meet in the multipurpose room, tending toddlers and babies, chatting, and readying lunch.

They form the Al-Ansar Homeschooling Cooperative, based on a consensus model where every member

>> PG 45

>> PG 24

The Muslim Link

5 Rabi Al-Thani - 2 Jumada Al-Awwal, 1434 A.H. | www.MuslimLinkPaper.com

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Muslim Link Staff Reporter

Running foR the hills Dispatches from muslim homesteaDers

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The Muslim Link

7 Rabi Al-Thani - 5 Jumada Al-Awwal 1435 A.H. | www.MuslimLinkPaper.com

Outgrowing Schools: We Need your support!

2 Rabi Al-Awwal - 6 Rabi Al-Thani, 1435 A.H. | www.MuslimLinkPaper.com January, 3rd - February 6th, 2014

but first, Saturday 5:00 pm

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MARCH 26

tracIng roots: afrIcan MuslIM slaVe settled In dc Pg 9

IntroducIng the MuslIM lInk halal Menus sectIon Pg 38

>> PG 36

>> PG 24

NelsoN maNdela aNd south africaN muslims: brothers-iN-arms >> PG 5

Muharram| Safar | Rabi Al-Awaal |Rabi Al-Thani| 13 Jumada al-awwal, 1435|Jumada Al-Akhir|Rajab |Shaban |Ramadan|Shawwal| Thul-Qedah|Thul-Hijjah

Muharram| Safar | Rabi Al-Awaal |5 Rabi al-Thani, 1434| Jumada Al-Awwal|Jumada Al-Akhir|Rajab|Shaban |Ramadan|Shawwal|Thul-Qedah|Thul-Hijjah

MATH CONFERENCE FEATURES MUSLIM CONTRIBUTIONS

Young Researchers Present Findings at MYFIKR | pg 10 Islamic Relief, FAITH Join Hands for Eid Al-Adha Charity | pg 11 Masjid Al-Rahmah Gets $74K Federal Security Grant | pg 12

LIKE US Rise in Abused Children Prompts like&&FOLLOW Follow us New FAITH Program | pg 14 THE LINK TheMUSLIM muslim link As Egypt Rolls Back On Democracy, US Bolsters Sisi | pg 25

MD, | |toFREE Author Reverts IslamFree | pg 26 md,VA, Va,and andDC dcMetropolitan metropolitanArea areaMonthly monthlyNewspaper newspaper

When Muslims Protected the Jews from the Holocaust >> PG 12 First Masjid Built from the Ground Up In Baltimore City Opens >> PG 16 Major Children's Book Publishers Begin Catering to Muslim Kids >> PG 14

ADAMS Breaks Ground on $7M Expansion of Main Center >> PG 20

ALSO alSOIN iNTHIS ThiSISSUE iSSuE

Juma' Khutbah?

App WPRESS: FranceThere's OpensAn Arafat forMurder That | Inquiry pg 8 | pg 12 Muslim Congressmen Meet Crisis with WPRESS: Egypt’s Garbage PGBedevils CountyMorsi Muslims | pg| pg 13 10 Time Is Now,Relaunches But ICM Still CAIR-MD withNeeds Funds In Hand pg 21| pg 4 Ramadan Iftar| Event Attacker Yells "Trump!

Rachel Corrie Family: Trump!"

Ruling as He'Deeply Beats Troubling' Students | |pg pg2711 ISLAM: Being Considerate CAIR-MD Relaunches withof People's Feelings | pg|29 Ramadan Iftar Event pg 4

2|

March 18th - April 14th 2016

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INDEX

Mujtaba Yahya, DDS

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TML ADVERTISERS INDEX ACCOUNTING & FINANCE Ahmed Eid, CPA | 48 Azzad Asset Management | 3 Bangurah Financial Services | 47 KMS Accounting | 54 Mian Tax Services | 54 The Honest Professionals LLC | 54 BARBER SHOP Barber Lounge | 47 PHD Salon Barber Shop | 47 BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS Washington Report of Middle East Affairs | 16 DINING OUT Almadina Kabobs & Karahi | 45 Amina Thai Restaurant | 38 Food Factory | 40,41 Jerusalem Market - Alquds | 39 Mandarin Restaurant | 44 Pizza Kingdom | 42, 43 Pizza Roma | 38 Planet Pizza | 46 EDUCATION Dar-us-Salaam Qur'an Institute | 10 FAZ | 50 Islamic Research and Humanitarian Services Center of America - IRHSCA | 9 Muslim Community Center- MCC | 17 The Alim Foundation Inc | 16 The Muslim Learning Center | 50 EMPLOYMENT Al-Huda School Job Openings | 6 Banneker Ventures | 8

Masjid and Organization Leaders: You can post your events for free on our website at www.muslimlinkpaper.com

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Community News

COMMUNITY NEWS

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Poll: Economy, Civil Rights, and Education Top Concerns for American Muslims

By Hena Zuberi

Muslim Link Staff Reporter The Institute of Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) launched the results of its 2016 poll, American Muslims: Politics, Priorities and Prejudice in 2016, on March 15, 2016, at its headquarters in Washington DC. Coming out at an opportune time as primaries are taking place in several states.

The poll of 515 Muslim respondents and 312 Jews compares the general population of Muslims to American Jews, Protestants, and Catholics with respect to their levels of religiosity, patriotism, activism, the acceptability of both military and non-military attacks on civilians, and general outlook on the state of the country and on their lives.

The poll was conducted in January.

ISPU’s Dalia Mogahed and Fuoad Pervez

created the questionnaire for this study and commissioned two firms to conduct the survey: Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS) for a nationally representative survey of Muslims and Jews, and Triton Polling and Research

for a nationally representative survey of the general American public, read a statement. David Dutwin of SSRS was the chief methodologist, whose expertise is conducting polls in the Jewish and other minority communities.

SSRS pulled sample pre-screened as Muslim households from the last four years of its weekly national omnibus >> CONCERNSPg 25

ISNA Offers Condolences on the Passing of Sh. Taha Jabir Al-Alwani (Plainfield, IN 3/5/16) - The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) today offered heartfelt condolences on the passing of Shaykh Taha Jabir Al-Alwani, a founder and former chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America.

In a statement ISNA President Azhar Azeez said: "Sh. Taha Jabir Al-Alwani's passing is a very sad day for all of us and a huge loss not only for the Muslims living in North America but for Muslims of the world. He was one of the most prominent Islamic scholars of our time. I grew up watching and listening to his spiritual lectures on Shariah & Fiqh issues.

"Sh. Taha Jabir Al-Alwani dedicated his entire life serving Islam especially Muslims living in North America who benefitted tremendously through his vast knowledge and scholarly contributions. May Allah swt grant him a place in Jannah and grant Sabr-E-Jameel to his family members."

Sh. Al-Alwani had a concentration in Islamic legal theory, jurisprudence (usul al -fiqh), Qur'anic sciences and general Islamic thought. He taught in universities in Iraq before leaving for Egypt where he received his PhD in Usul al-fiqh from al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt in 1973. >> CONDOLENCES Pg 19

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COMMUNITY NEWS

March 18th - April 14th 2016

Muslims Find Helping Others Helps Their Own Community

By Hena Zuberi

He accepted Islam in 1996 and it changed his life. At Manna House for 12 years, he serves people who don't have the means to feed themselves everyday -- senior citizens from the drug treatment program across the street.

Muslim Link Staff Reporter Norris Scott feeds about 200 people every day— breakfast, lunch and dinner.

He is the cook at Manna House, Inc. in Baltimore City.

Many live paycheck to paycheck or welfare check to welfare check and often run out of money for food by the end of the month. “The numbers start escalating towards the end of the month,” says Scott. “When you are dealing with urban communities, there are a lot of underlining issues that stigmatize; there are so many negative forces that don’t allow you to [break free].”

Saleem Gauhar, the Executive Director, runs the drop-in shelter where clients can take a shower, get a hygeine kit, take a break from the cold, apply for a Maryland ID and get a hot meal.

“We aim to move people towards independence,” says Gauhar. Many clients served here face poverty, homelessness, mental illness and drug addiction; some clients are afflicted by HIV/AIDS, spousal abuse, and other chronic diseases.

What started as a small soup kitchen run by the Midtown Churches Association on Paul Street in the 1970s moved to a row home on North Avenue in the 1980s, and is now a large facility run by a governing

Howard County, Maryland Muslims Arif Mannan (right) and Shahid Anis help prepare a meal for the needy at Baltimore City's Manna House.

board on 435 E. 25th St..

Scott says Muslims have a special kind of sabr with people. Vulnerable people

need to be treated with compassion. “You have to be mindful of God while treating people and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the best example,” he says.

Today a group of Muslims from Howard County is here to serve a hot breakfast.

“This year a group of Muslim community members discussed the impact of negative

>> HELPING Pg 15

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March 18th - April 14th 2016

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March 18th - April 14th 2016

Juma' Khutbah? There's An App for That

By Hena Zuberi

Muslim Link Staff Reporter “Who is the khateeb at ADAMS Main Center?” “What time is the first Jumu’ah at ADAMS-Ashburn ?” “I think I’ll catch Jumu'ah at Tyson’s Corner today, but wait who is the khateeb?” “Great Khutbah. I wish I could let the khateeb know but I have to run back to work.”

Have you ever had these thoughts on Fridays- well now there is an app for that!

With a Qibla direction and a khateeb rating system for each Jumu’ah in each one of the ADAMS locations, ADAMS Jum’a App is a mobile application focused on the All Dulles Area Muslim Society located in Northern Virginia. This application aims to benefit the ADAMS community members by facilitating communication between members and the center, according to the administration.

Wael Alkheiro is the Executive Director

....

of ADAMS. He is the author of Speaking for Change: A Guide to Making Effective Friday Sermons (Khutbahs). His executive team runs the 4 ADAMS centers and the 7 satellite branches.

“Jumu’ah is the keystone habit. Everything will improve if the Jumu’ah experience improves,” says Elkhairo. The Friday prayers are the most important function of an Islamic Center. Currently, ADAMS manages in Reston, Herndon, Sterling, and other close by Northern Virginia cities. Jumu’ahs.

“The app rates our khateebs and give you information about our khutbah locations. Jumu’ah is really the spine [of] a community,” says Elkhairo. Each khateeb has a page and a thumbs up and thumbs down next to each khutbah given that week. Some question the need for ratings of khateebs, wondering

>> JUMUAH Pg 17

March 18th - April 14th 2016

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10 | COMMUNITY NEWS

March 18th - April 14th 2016

Muslim Congressmen Meet with PG County Muslims, Urge Political Involvement

By Hena Zuberi

inner banquet room of Friendship Hall.

Muslim Link Staff Reporter “As Americans, it is our job to call our people, and that means being involved,” said Jameel Aalim- Johnson of the Prince George’s County Muslim Council (PGCMC).“The Prophet said, ‘O my people’, when he called them to the deen.

He used the words, ‘Oh my people’,” he said. Johnson and the board of the PGCMC had gathered Muslim leaders from Prince George's County to meet the two Muslims congressmen on the hill, Rep Keith Ellison and Rep. Andre Carson, at the Diyanet Center of America on March 2, 2016.

After Maghrib salaah, the Congressman met exclusively with 30 VIP leaders invited for a private session with the politicians. The meet and greet was sponsored by MUSAID in the fountained

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The invitees then moved on to the grand ballroom where a roundtable setting awaited them. Here they were joined by over a 100 members of the Muslim community in Prince George’s county as well as surrounding counties, there to support the work of the Prince George's County Muslim Council and have an intimate discussion with the first two Muslims elected to the United States Congress. Yasar Colak, President of the Diyanet Center, was also in attendance.

Congressman Ellison paid tribute to Jameel Johnson for his mentorship during his first days on the Hill. Johnson served as Chief of Staff/Committee Counsel for Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York. >> CONGRESSMEN Pg 23

Prince George's Muslim Council President Jamil Aalim-Johnson (right) and Congressman Andre Carson at the Diyanet Center in Lanham, Maryland on March 2, 2016. Photo by the Muslim Link.

March 18th - April 14th 2016

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12 | COMMUNITY NEWS

March 18th - April 14th 2016

When Muslims Protected the Jews from the Holocaust 'I AM Your Protector” Event at MCC Features Little Known History Johanna Jutta Neumann, née Gerechter, is a living symbol of the history of the Holocaust and Muslims' roles as protectors. She spoke at the Muslim Community Center (MCC) in Silver Spring, Maryland, at an event to commemorate the Holocaust survivors and their protectors.

Communists sealed off Albania from the outside world for almost 50 years.

Neumann pointed out over and over again the families who hosted her were all practicing, religious Muslims. She recalls Bajram (Eid Al Adha) where large holes were dug in the ground and the meat and skin of sacrificed animals was laid out for anyone in need “People came and took what they needed, nothing less and nothing more.”

Born in 1930 to a Jewish family in Hamburg, Germany, she says her family had been Germans for several centuries.

With the rise of the Nazis, Jewish doctors weren’t allowed to practice on nonJewish patients, judges were stripped of their positions and children were not allowed to play in the playground. Signs declaring ‘No Jews Allowed’ showed up on storefronts and public places.

According to the U.S. Holocaust Museum, in 1933, over 9 million Jews lived in Europe —1.7% of the total population— during a worldwide economic depression.

A propaganda campaign against Jews, Roma, and other targeted groups saturated German airwaves. She describes how the Nazis unleashed a wave of pogroms against Germany’s Jews. On one night in a matter of a few hours, thousands of synagogues and Jewish businesses and homes were damaged or destroyed. This event came to be called Kristallnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”) for the store windowpanes that were shattered on German streets. Then 8-years-old, Johanna remembers the results of unchecked hatred.

After than night, Neumann fled with her parents to Albania where she lived through the Second World War. Her memoir, ‘Escape to Albania’, published on Amazon, chronicles the family’s many protectors. The Nazis occupied Albania.

Albanians have an honor code rooted in their Islamic faith: the Besa. An old Albanian proverb reads “Our home is our guest’s house, then our house, but above all, it is Besa: The Promise.” The Nazis would stage sweeps through Tiranë looking for Jews; if discovered, everyone would have been executed.

The Albanian King Zok allowed every Jew a visa. The government refused to cooperate with the German general in Belgrade who demanded the return

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Photos of “protectors” gathered by Johanna Neumann, Muslim Albanians who protected Jews from capture and likely death by Hitler's forces during World War II. Photo courtesy of Johanna Neumann.

of the escaped. They distributed the Jews among farms and placed them in a hospital, announcing that the hospital was in quarantine under typhoid fever.

Neumann found an old Nazi government memo stating ‘the Albanian government will not cooperate with us; we cannot do this as you wish without the Albanians knowing’—referring to the extermination of the Jews.

my mother that the Nazis were coming to search because they have learned of the presence of Jews. I could understand they were in great danger,” said Edip Pilku, showcased in the documentary filmed on the subject. Edip’s father took Mr. Gerechter to a small village in the mountains for safety. The Nazis came twice to search the Pilku home and Edip’s mother stared them down. “My

Albanians have an honor code rooted in their Islamic faith: the Besa. An old Albanian proverb reads “Our home is our guest’s house, then our house, but above all, it is Besa: The Promise.”

The Pilkus family hosted Neumann’s family before they left Albania in 1944.

They had a son named Edip the same age as Neumann and they played together making the best sand balls, says Neumann.

mother said, ‘Are you that suspicious to not believe a German woman? I don’t know any Jews, so you are wasting your time here and if you come here again I’ll complain.’ They saluted her and left.”

“I remember hearing my father saying to

Few know these stories, because

A Muslim police officer came and spent two days at Passover, observing the Seder, learning about Jewish customs from her parents. Neumann related the story of her parents who were picked up by Albanian soldiers while speaking German in public; the police thought they were German spies. The same police officer was the commanding officer and let them go with a friendly warning.

Orhan Frasherif, also featured in a documentary about the role of Muslim Albanians in saving 2000 Jews, explained how his father helped the Jews. “Father took them in, accommodated them on the second floor, giving them beds, mattresses, blankets, dishes, everything.

They offered to pay for them, but my father did not accept that. They also had some jewelry, and since father did not accept money, they tried to convince him to take that. But he told them we would take care of everything.”

Myzafer and Luleta Kazazi are from a large Albanian family. Luleta was the youngest, born in Tiranë during the war.

“I was two when the Jewish immigrants came. According to my mother, they named me Luleta.” “The Marvelous Allah wants people to love each other,” Myazafer says.

At MCC, President Lubna Ijaz welcomed the audience. Samir Jafri, Chairperson of the MCC interfaith committee, Imam Johari Abdul Malik of Dar Al-Hijrah, and other interfaith leaders also spoke.

The founder of the local chapter of ‘I Am

>> PROTECTOR Pg 24

March 18th - April 14th 2016

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March 18th - April 14th 2016

Major Children's Book Publishers Begin Catering to Muslim Kids

By Muslim Link Staff

This is why Muslim parents and children were delighted to see a recently released board book, featuring famous literary chimp and childhood friend Curious George celebrating Ramadan with a Muslim friend.

Muslim parents and children were delighted to see a recently released board book, featuring famous literary chimp and childhood friend Curious George celebrating Ramadan with a Muslim friend. mainstream publishing companies which have a Muslim specific imprint. Book releases in this category include Khadijah

Self-publishing is a venue that some authors have taken due to the dearth of

>> GEORGE Pg 24

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Muslims authors have made some booklists: Local Marylander Hena Khan’s Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, published by Chronicle Books, has been on the Amazon Best sellers list in the Children Islam category. Rukhsana Khan, a Canadian writer’s book Big Red Lollipop was chosen as 100 Great Children’s Books by the New York Public Library.

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When Muslim children pick up a book at the local library, they more than likely don’t see themselves or anyone they know in the pages of the book.

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March 18th - April 14th 2016

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HELPING

>> continued from pg 6

media and portrayal of Muslims at large and what steps may be taken at the community level to address the issues,” stated Shahid M. Anis. He was at the Manna House serving breakfast. It was an eye opening experience for him and the rest of the volunteers who had come to serve their Baltimorean neighbors. He was especially moved by the goodwill that people have in the community. “It [gives] you insight into [the lives] of people who may not be as [privileged] as you,” says Anis. “We have not been exposed to this segment of society,” says Anis referencing Muslims who lives in the suburbs of the Baltimore-Washington DC region. “The need for further engagement was clear to all present, whether social or economical, workforce programs or health care.”

The Jamils, husband and wife from Ellicott City, come in to thank Scott for giving them an opportunity to serve.

“When you don’t face it, you don’t realize how blessed you are,” said Zahida Jamil.

“Truly humbling,” says Shahid Jamil.

They heard about the place from Khaled Balajem who regularly volunteers at the Manna House. “You will be seeing a lot more of us,” say the couple to Scott, after a discussion on the tradition of feeding others in Islam.

“It would be wonderful to have a Muslim shelter in Baltimore City, serving halal meals and offering a place to pray,” says Scott.

Dr. Arif Mannan is part of the community engagement initiative in Howard County.

This is our first time in the Baltimore location, says Mannan. “We don’t want to just come here and feed people and then disappear for 6 months ... there is a definite need for regular engagement,” he says.

Under the “Your Muslim Neighbors” banner, these good samaritans have also sponsored a luncheon at Bain Center in Columbia, MD on Feb. 21, 2016 benefiting the National Alliance for Mental Health. An anti-bullying event was coordinated by the group and next month, on April 9, 2016, they plan on holding a “Combating Islamophobia” workshop at Dar-Al-Taqwa, presented by Corey Saylor, Director of the Department

to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia at the Council of American Islamic Relations.

To volunteer at Manna House call 410-889-3001 or visit http://www. mannahouseinc.org. To join Muslim Neighbors in Howard County, contact Shahid M. Anis at shahidmanis@gmail. com.

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16 | COMMUNITY NEWS

March 18th - April 14th 2016

First Masjid Built from the Ground Up In Baltimore City Opens

By Minhaj Hasan

Baltimore City mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was scheduled to attend but due to a personal situation she canceled and sent a certificate of recognition with a representative instead.

Muslim Link Staff Reporter “There are two reasons we are here today – to get the blessings of jannah, and we are here celebrating this opportunity for a strong future.”

These words began the ribbon cutting ceremony opening Masjid Al-Ihsan in Gwynn Oak -- Baltimore City's first masjid “built from the ground up” -- on a cloudy Saturday afternoon on March 5, 2016. Master of ceremonies Mujahid Muhammed, who is also the public relations representative for the Gwynn Oak Islamic Community (GIC), spoke these words to remind the approximately 200 guests of the reason Muslims established a community in this neighborhood near the western border of Baltimore City.

A community building effort started by Baltimore Muslim activist John “Yahya” Cason, several dozen Muslim families moved into the Howard Park - Gwynn Oak neighborhood over the last fifteen years, renovating and remodeling some of the old, large single family homes, mostly within a one mile radius. Wikipedia describes the neighborhood as a “Muslim enclave.” The official GIC website gicoak.org says that about Muslim 60 families make up the community.

“When the Muslims left [different] parts of Baltimore to find Gwynn Oak, it came with hardships … like in Madinah, it developed slowly and it took work, they

....

Citations and certificates of recognition also came from Governor Larry Hogan, presented by the head of the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives Jennifer Gray, the Baltimore City Council, the Office of State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, the office of United States Senator Ben Cardin. Delegate Hasan Jalisi, the only Muslim in the State Legislature, offered words of congratulations, saying he is confident “[GIC] will do great work for the community and for Maryland.”

lived with one another and they created a strong society … these are the values of Islam,” said Muhammed. “Young people have such a strong group of people [here in Gwynn Oak] to support them, both Muslim and non-Muslim,” he added.

And so, speaker after speaker, elected official after elected official, came to the podium and praised and thanked the Muslims of Gwynn Oak for their presence in the neighborhood, for their positive impact on the environment, and for their partnership in making the city's 5th district a better place to raise a family.

Chaplain Mikail Abdul-Mateen asked Allah to make the day “a day pleasing to [Him]” and that “this masjid and neighborhood be a beacon of guidance

and light” for everyone in the region.

Current GIC president Presley Cason, Jr thanked all the attendees for coming out, and vice-president Presley Cason, III talked about some of the challenges faced over the six year effort to build the three-story masjid.

“When you come across something that looks too good to be true, it is,” said Cason III to laughs. The first builder GIC hired was a Muslim firm that offered the lowest bid. Midway through the construction, GIC fired the builder, prompting a lawsuit.

Cason praised Baltimore City zoning officials, some who were present at the ceremony, and thanked them for guiding GIC through the process.

A ribbon cutting ceremony followed the presentations. Members of the Cason family, GIC board members, donors, and elected officials stood behind the ribbon as it was cut. After refreshments, Muslim community members assembled in the masjid on the second floor for prayer and some Islamic words of advice.

“I want to remind [everyone] of the work done by the Prophet [Sallallahu 'alyhi wa sallam] and the Muslims who established the community, from the [areas] of business, religious, sciences, and health, everyone came together to build the community. Now the work starts to build from within. Let's not drop the ball,” said Mujahid Muhammed.

March 18th - April 14th 2016

COMMUNITY NEWS | 17

JUMUAH

>> continued from pg 8

if khateebs will push the audience to rate khutbahs. Elkhairo dismisses the thought.

“Ratings will help our khateebs to work on themselves and to stick to allotted times,” he said, adding that he hopes the ratings will make higher quality khateebs, increase the pool of preachers and improve the quality of ADAMS khutbahs.

ADAMS trains its khateebs and has regular monthly meetings with 25-30 regular khateebs. “Well trained khateebs [improve] education,” says Elkhairo. The khateebs are trained on timing and on giving an impactful khutbahs. The Friday sermon is an opportunity to educate, enlighten and update the community, says Elkhairo.

A badly done khutbah often drives away people from the masjid. This is a topic that many Muslim bloggers have written about. “[The] purpose of the Friday khutbah is to remind, exhort, inspire, and engage the community on the spiritual, social, moral, ethical, philosophical, cultural, and political issues which affect it – and draw it all back to loving, serving, and glorifying God and improving the human condition. When the khutbah at any given masjid absolutely fails to do this on a long-term basis, we must bring it up to the management of the masjid in a polite, gentle, and eager manner,” writes Abdul Sattar Ahmed, a student of knowledge. He further advises that if someone is stuck in a ‘bad khutbah’, they should remember that “no matter how bad a khutbah is, it is not a speech competition or a show. It is not meant to be picked apart by our critical – sometimes arrogant – minds for intellectual deconstruction over lunch... the khutbah is meant to advise you and remind you. No matter how bad it might be, the point remains, we are not as good as we could be in pleasing Allah and perfecting ourselves as His slaves.”

Members can use this application to view Jumu’ah prayer timings, track ongoing and future ADAMS events, and receive daily prayer and emergency notifications.

Apple didn’t allow donations on the app, but Android users can donate to the center right from their phones. There is a section on frequently asked questions about the guidelines and selections of khateebs.

“Fantastic [a]pp. Very happy ADAMS has created this. Will be very useful, Insha’Allah,” says Shaun Ahmed, in a Google Play review.

The app was outsourced to an outside developer. The app took close to a year to develop, going through several rounds of testing.

“We are experimenting,” says Elkhairo.

He says there has been a lot of interest

in the app. However there are some issues that need improvement. The administration and khateebs decided that the ratings should not be public as the aim is to improve the khutbah and have a positive flow of ideas. The second version of the app will have a feedback section— beyond the thumbs up and thumbs down— with comments or a survey. This will limit trolls and keep the dignity of the khateebs. Other changes are based on feedback from the community.

Uploading the day’s khutbahs as videos

or audio is one of the additions requested.

The ADAMS website get 1500 hits a day; the app will amplify that information for mobile users and engage masjid-goers from their pockets and purses.

Considering the fact that two-thirds of Americans own smartphones, allowing the congregation to access masjid information via a mobile app is a huge benefit. An app can be a one-stop hub for masjid news and information.

....

18 | COMMUNITY NEWS

March 18th - April 14th 2016

MD Activists Seek to Amend “Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights”

By Muslim Link Staff

and police misconduct,” said Larry Stafford Jr., executive director of the advocacy group Progressive Maryland.

“We have an opportunity to lead the nation in taking on police misconduct and abuse.”

For a mother carrying the burden of injustice since 1999, Marion Hopkins is surprisingly cheerful. She had just testified at the State Senate Judicial Hearing. Her testimony and of others was heard by a full house and was organized by the Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Reform (MCJPR).

In January, the Public Safety and Policing Work Group approved 22 recommendations aimed at restoring trust in law enforcement.

After the death of Freddie Gray last year Maryland leaders, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. and House of Delegates Speaker Michael E. Busch promised changes in policing policy.

Maryland has the most extreme “Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights” known by its acronym, LEOBR, in the country, according to activists.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland found in a recent report that of those killed in police encounters last year in Maryland, 81 percent were black and nearly half of them were unarmed.

As stated by the MCJPR, training, mental health evaluation, adoption of community policing, and whistleblower protections are all important and addressed by the leadership reform package (HB1016 and its SB1026). But amendments are needed, including to allow anonymous

“I’m really hoping this is a start for changing the culture of law enforcement in Maryland and ending police brutality

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The Aafia Foundation, a Muslim led human rights organization, joined in support of the coalition in Annapolis on February 23, 2016.

>> OFFICER Pg 25

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CONTINUED| 19

CONDOLENCES

>> continued from pg 5

After his PhD graduation, he taught for 10 years at the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sh. Al-Alwani then decided to immigrate to the United States in 1983 where he settled down in Northern Virginia. There he served as the President and as the Imam Al-Shafi'i Chair in the Islamic Legal Theory at The Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences at Cordoba University. Sh. Al-Alwani's openness to gaining knowledge from any source strengthened his benefit to the Islamic community in the United States.

During his time in the United States and in the Middle East, he worked extensively on interfaith projects. He had a vast network of scholars from different religions with whom he still kept up with as friends until today.

Al-Alwani held the first chair for an Islamic scholar in the Washington Theological Consortium.

Al-Alwani has written and published over 30 books on a wide variety of Islamic issues including the "Ethics of Disagreement". He pioneered many revolutionary original thoughts and ideas that subsequently lead to the establishment of new fields in Islamic Studies. Al-Alwani has compared America to al-Andalus (Spain) where the Muslims risk deportation from America if they fail to become partners with other groups of society. They can achieve this by serving America and showing American society that Islam and Muslims in America are an asset to society rather than a liability.

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The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is the largest and oldest Islamic umbrella organization in North America. Its mission is to foster the development of the Muslim community, interfaith relations, civic engagement, and better understanding of Islam.

Source: ISNA Communications Department

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20 | COMMUNITY NEWS

March 18th - April 14th 2016

ADAMS Breaks Ground on $6M Expansion of Main Center

By Hena Zuberi

Muslim Link Staff Reporter About 30 years ago, Mrs. Rubina Bari and her friends gathered their children on weekends to learn about their faith and dreamt of a masjid. Today, a bull dozer cast a shadow over the large group gathered in the cold February morning for the groundbreaking of new extension of the ADAMS center which will include a 4057 sq ft masjid framed by large picture windows —a new phase in its history.

ADAMS has grown into one of the largest Muslim communities in the D.C. Metro Area. It took 10 years of planning and fundraising for the construction of Phase III.

In the 1990s she stood in the same spot laying the foundation for the Islamic Center in Sterling, Virginia. “It was so emotional,” she says, pulling her black shawl close. She urges old friend Souzan Barzinji to pick up a shovel and dig— a dream is coming true. In 1983, a small group of families in Herndon and Reston established the center, including the families of the late Dr Jamal Barzinji, Yaqoub Mirza, Hisham Al Talib, and Abdul Rashid.

Construction for the masjid starts on March 1 and is schedule to complete in Dec 2016 by Whiting-Turner, the company who constructed the original structure.

Syed Moktadir, President and CEO of ADAMS, congratulated his community on the project coming to fruition. He paid tribute to American Muslim history as the community continues to grow. “We must honor and remember our forefathers, our [enslaved] brothers and sisters, who originally sacrificed their lives,” he states to full house at the ADAMS gymnasium, on February 26, 2016.

Rizwan Jaka, Chair of Board, introduces civic and government leaders who gathered to break ground with the community. “I look forward to the construction process taking place as I go for my morning runs,” he says. Leaders from the National Association of Colored People (NAACP) urge the crowd to vote in the Virginia Primary and note the Anti Muslim rhetoric raising in national political platforms.

After Friday prayers, the community held a janaza bil ghaib (funeral in absentia), led by former South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, for the Muslims who

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passed away while enslaved in the Americas. “This is the story of African Americans [who] created Muslim heritage in America – so we do our fardh kifayah (communal obligatory act) for our ancestors,” says Moktadir.

ADAMS plans to dedicate the last Friday of February to this ongoing effort. “There is interest around the country and we want to promote the idea that collectively every [American] mosque [perform] Janazah al Ghaib for African Americans.

Imam Magid will lead the effort,” shares Moktadir.

ADAMS has grown into one of the largest Muslim communities in the D.C. Metro Area. It took 10 years of planning and fundraising for the construction of Phase III. Phase II was the expansion of parking lot. When Syed Moktadir was running for election for the president position, completion of Phase III was a part of his platform. He says real traction for the extension started in 2015, when ADAMS started its fundraising campaign.

The new extension will accommodate a permanent prayer space for 900 worshipers and a gallery for observers overlooking the jamaat.

The new extension will accommodate a permanent prayer space for 900 worshipers and a gallery for observers overlooking the jamaat. “We often have elected officials and diplomats come to observe and speak,” he remarks. A second floor staircase will bring these speakers closer to the mimbar. ADAMS serves as a center for diplomat training for the U.S. Government as well as hundreds of exchange students.

A banquet hall for community gathering, meeting rooms and new imam’s office are part of the expansion.

The existing building will be used for youth activities. The ADAMS youth are planning and creating a business plan for the café. They were integral in planning for a permanent youth center in the existing building. Remembering all the bake sales, volunteering and presentations, the young Muslims look forward to having their own space. ”We love to be appreciated. Our proposals are looked as if we are their most important clients... we have a voice in Phase III,” says Rabea Baig, the youth representative >> ADAMS Pg 24

March 18th - April 14th 2016

COMMUNITY NEWS | 21

Time Has Come, But ICM Still Needs Funds In Hand Islamic Center of Maryland needs $1.1M more to start building youth center this summer

By Minhaj Hasan

Muslim Link Staff Reporter

About 500 community members packed the Gaithersburg Hilton on March 13, 2016 to make sure the Islamic Center of Maryland can finally begin construction on a much awaited two-story, 45,000 square foot Islamic School and Youth and Community Center building.

The youth center – phase one of a two phase master plan – features a large gymnasium, daycare, commercial kitchen, and classrooms. A large masjid is planned for phase 2.

With about $2 million in the bank, ICM needs to raise an additional $1.1 million dollars to complete the outer structure of the building, a construction project estimated to take 8-12 months according

About 500 community members attended ICM's "The Time Has Come" fundraising dinner for the new youth center.

The community has $2M in the bank but needs an additional $1.1M to being construction. Photo by Muslim Link. to Board of Trustees member Sayed Naved. ICM received the Montgomery County building permit last month and aims to award the construction contract before the end of March 2016.

Naved told the gathering that the youth center building will be occupied in sections, with complete occupancy and operation by 2019 when ICM hopes to start Al-Noor, a full-time Islamic elementary school.

Board of Trustees Chairman Wael Elkoshairi said the theme of the dinner “the time has come” didn't only apply

>> ICM Pg 22

Anti­Bullying Seminar Held at ICM

MCC Youth Discuss Racism, History

Gaithersburg, MD: Zainab Chaudry of CAIR­MD presenting to an audience of over 100 people at the Islamic Center of Maryland library on Islamophobia and anti­bullying on February 26, 2016. She had the youth and parents both engaged in asking questions. Photo courtesy of ICM.

Silver Spring, MD: On February 16, 2016, poet, essayist and activist Tariq Touré addressed the youth at the Muslim Community Center last month on unity and healing from racism during African American history month in February. "There is no social justice without healing," stated Touré to full house of youth. He urged youth to reach out to those suffering with empathy and understanding their history. The event was arranged by the Muslim Youth Organization. TML Photo

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March 18th - April 14th 2016

22 | CONTINUED ICM

>> continued from pg 21

to completing the expansion project, but it also meant “the time has come to repudiate the vile racism” being spread by politicians and also the time has come “to put our small differences aside and look at our large similarities ... those things that we agree on.” Elkoshairi was the master of ceremonies for the evening.

The evening's first guest speaker was Imam Javid Bhaiyat, the Religious Director of the Islamic Community Center of Laurel. Emphasizing the role parenting and society have on the spiritual health of children, and on either preserving or corrupting their natural inclination to worship Allah called the “fitrah”, Imam Javid told the audience it was the job of the Muslim community to “keep the pure smiles” on the faces of the children.

Guest speaker Nihad Awad, the Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations, said ICM's expansion project fits into the national trend with the number of masajid almost doubling over the last 11 years to about 2,300 masajid nationwide.

He also emphasized the dangers and

challenges facing the American Muslim community with the rapid rise and acceptance of anti-Muslim sentiment.

“We have to be vigilant, methodical, and [we must] be aware of the challenges around us … Islamophobia is becoming mainstream, politicians are pushing hatred and intolerance against Muslims in this country,” said Awad. “[This Islamophobia] is not coming from the margins, it's coming from elite politicians, [and this] is a new phenomenon.”

Whereas extremists like ISIS are rejected by the overwhelming majority of the world's Muslims, these “elite politician” extremists are being accepted by a significant percentage of the American public, said Awad. Asking the audience to raise their hands if they intend to vote in the upcoming presidential elections, Awad looked out into a sea of hands.

“Alhumdulillah, this is the answer, we have to prove them wrong [that Muslims don't vote],” he said.

The CAIR Executive Director also called on American Muslims to become more visible in society, and to “organize, build coalitions, and conduct community service” to give back to America. To loud applause, he also asked Muslim relief organizations to “shift priorities” and spend the $250 million raised annually

on social welfare and relief projects in the United States. “We are a minority, let our good work and generosity define who we are,” said Awad.

Sayed Naved delivered a short PowerPoint presentation, asking the audience to take out their smart-phones so they can visit URLs and get involved with ICM's online services on the spot. He urged attendees to become paid members of ICM, relating how an elected official Naved visited asked “how many members” ICM has.

While several thousand Muslims attend ICM's eid services, and despite the dinner hall having at least 500 guests, only about 150 names are listed on the official ICM membership list, said Naved.

The final guest speaker was Imam Mikaeel Smith of the Makkah Leaning Center in Anne Arundel County.

“When we say the time has come, because of 'Muslim Standard Time' that might not resonate with Muslims too well. It's way passed time, we are way behind schedule … the whole country is talking about you,” Imam Mikaeel told the gathering. He commended ICM leaders for having the vision to “build for tomorrow yet focusing on today.”

He urged the community to sacrifice whatever is needed to leave a legacy

Al Fatih Academy Students Survey Voters Al Fatih Academy 8th graders from Northern Virginia went to the nearby polling station and asked voters about their reasons for choosing candidates, issues they care about, how many times they've voted, and what are some changes they'd like to see in this country.

Some voted every election for the past 50, others this was their first. One told them about his own civics teacher who marched with Dr. King, another about how she's voting because she's worried about rebuilding tolerance in this country. The ones they were most keen on talking to - Trump supporters turned out to be "just normal people."

And as these 14 year olds heard them out, they calculated that they would be the voters in 4 years who will tell others how much they love their country by participating rather than complaining or being paralyzed in fear. [Source: Al Fatih Academy]

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for the coming generations of Muslims, likening successive generations to a track team running a relay race.

“You depend on the [runner] before you to put everything on the track, we are all going to be tired, we are in a rely race, and what we have to pass onto the next generation is Islam ... give everything you have and run your heart out … you have to have fear that if I don't run as fast as I can, my team will lose. [In my] next generation, Islam might leave my family. We need to have hope, because the next generation – when they see you did everything you could, that you ran your heart out – then when they take the baton from you, they will run their heart out,” explained Imam Mikaeel. “I'm not a market analyst, but right now is the time to invest in Islam,” he said.

During the fundraising portion of the evening, volunteers walked around with mobile credit card scanners, swiping donor cards and providing receipts on the spot. One donor sponsored the main door of the youth center for $25,000, while at least two donors sponsored entrance doors for $11,000 each. The final amount raised was not available as of this report.

March 18th - April 14th 2016

CONTINUED | 23

CONGRESSMEN

Community in this region to strengthen our political and economic influence.

Panels will include Islamic scholars, elected officials, professional educators, government agencies representatives, Muslim youth and men and women entrepreneurs, according to PGCMC. He urged the attendees to engage with their council and to help register people to vote.

>> continued from pg 10

Ellison supports Bernie Sanders and Carson has endorsed Hillary Clinton. Ahmed Bedier of Muslims for Bernie Sanderson also spoke at the event.

Congressman Ellison represents the Fifth Congressional District of Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives since taking office on January 4, 2007.

“As much as we hear the Trumps and [Ben] Carsons, the narrative of the Muslim community is positive,” Ellison said, optimistically. “Not a day goes by that we don’t hear that a Muslim is celebrating their son or daughter graduated college, how they opened a business or won a contract.” Bad news tends to get more attention, but there is a lot of good things going on, he stressed.

Ellison urged local leaders to run for public office in their city and county.

“Politics is always local,” he said.

He praised the Muslims in Detroit to raised 100,000 to pay water bills for unprivileged neighbors. He mentioned the campaign to raise money for San Bernardino families by Dr Faisal Qazi in California as examples of Muslim blessing the country every single day.

He recalled the Muslim run Salam Clinic inside an African American church in Ferguson that had been operating well before the tragedy in Missouri. “If you do good for the sake of Allah, good things will happen,” he said.

He asked the audience to praise the three Muslim police officers who were on duty at the dinner.

A succulent Turkish dinner of kofteh, yogurt, sauteed vegetables and Baklava was laid buffet-style.

Serving his 4th full term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Carson was selected for membership on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) which oversees the intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the US Intelligence Community. With a background in law enforcement, Carson worked at the Indiana Intelligence

Fusion Center, and served in the 113th Congress on the Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

“Having one person in there can change the conversation. People may not say something that they would if you weren’t there,” said Johnson.

council. “I meet communities who raise $50,000 for their members of Congress who will go on the Congress floor and cast a vote against your and my interests.

We are happy that they just show up at our events; that is unacceptable,” he said.

Support Muslim candidates was his clear message.

Both Carson and Ellison are running for office again. They mentioned the

He also brought up until people in power see Muslims being concerned

A local leader asked how Muslims can get the true number of the Muslim population in the United States, as he has been hearing the same number of Muslims for the past 40 years.

“Donald Trump could be a blessing for the Muslims; he can push us to do what Muslims could not do under President Obama, forcing us to unite,” Carson replied. candidate that they have endorsed for President. Ellison supports Bernie Sanders and Carson has endorsed Hillary Clinton. Ahmed Bedier of Muslims for Bernie Sanderson also spoke at the event.

Carson was more pragmatic about the current political climate. He acknowledged the rhetoric in this election year. “This should concern you and motivate you to get more engaged in the political process,” There are more than 8 million Muslims in the country and only two Muslims in Congress; we need more. He noted that the American Muslim community raises millions of dollars for Islamic Center structures but have trouble supporting the brother running for city

Attendee Nadia Hasan had questions for Congressman Carson on investment in the Muslim community and developing an economic engine for the community.

“Real change will not happen until we start pooling our money together,” she added. “Cultural and racial mistrust [in the stead] of a sound business plan,” Carson answered. He suggested starting basic business classes in masajid where Business 101 is taught would be a great start.

about domestic issues ie. the broken infrastructure and education system in America and are worried about making America a better place, Muslims will never get the respect that they deserve as community.

Carson also urged the involvement of Muslim women in policy making and political landscape.

Johnson announced the first biennial conference entitled, "Faith, Economics, and Politics: The Elements of Community Empowerment" to be held on April 23, 2016 at the Diyanet Center in Lanham, Maryland. The focus of the conference will be on unifying the Muslim

The topics of Eid as a national holiday, the injustice in the case of Aafia Siddiqui and concern over the Department of Homeland Security controversial Countering Violent Extremism program was brought up. White, the treasurer of PGCMC, asked about the Democratic game plan, in case Donald Trump wins the election. “Donald Trump could be a blessing for the Muslims; he can push us to do what Muslims could not do under President Obama, forcing us to unite,” Carson replied.

PGCMC President Johnson let the audience know that the council is working on passing the Eid holiday in PG County.

Eid is acknowledged onthe PG County School District calendar for several years.

The night ended in photo ops and one on one time with Congressman Carson for the attendees.

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March 18th - April 14th 2016

24 | CONTINUED PROTECTOR

>> continued from pg 12

Your Protector’ (IAYP), Nazli Chaudry, an interfaith activist and former chaplain of Hofstra University arranged the event.

She said the international campaign was launched in Manhattan, celebrating those who stand up for each other across religious, racial and gender lines in order to highlight a message of unity.

“Fear is a powerful emotion which can drive people to commit atrocities…

[Empathy] transcends… ideological bonds,” said Chaudry. She noted that

GEORGE

>> continued from pg 14

and Ahmed, a story of a set of Muslim brother and sister, written by Razeena Gutta, an Australian Muslim mom who published independently. Another favorite is Ilyas and Duck by Omar Khawaja who published through his own publishing company.

The lack of diversity in children’s’ books spurned a movement. “We Need Diverse Books” is a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature

ADAMS

>> continued from pg 20

speaking at the ceremony.

Board policy mandates that any project can only be started with 50 percent of funds in hand. While fundraising, the team simultaneously worked on the bidding process and permit process.

The community connected and made special duas from November to May and collectively recited Qur'an for the completion of the project, shared Moktadir.

There are two full-service ADAMS Center campuses in Ashburn and Chantilly, Virginia as well as seven satellite campuses, which are located along

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Albania was the only country in which the Jewish population increased during World War II. There are chapters of IAYP in Geneva, Tirane and in Lahore, where Pakistani families saved several Holocaust survivors, according to Chaudry.

Also invited to speak was Rabbi Batya Steinlauf. She spoke of the oneness of humanity and our responsibility to the vulnerable. “Each and everyone is responsible for the lives of others,” she said. We are responsible for one another was the message she brought to the masjid.

Steinlauf is the Director of Social Justice Initiatives & Inter-Group Relations at the

Jewish Community Relations Council, an Israel advocacy group.

Reverand Dr. Carol Flett from the Episcopal diocese of Washington, focused on anti-racism development and how it helps facilitate interfaith dialogue. She gave the example of Prophet Isa's (may Peace be on him) love and support of the marginalized. Relaying his words according to Christian tradition which says “whoever does the will of God is my brother and mother.” She reminded Christians in the audience that these promises are made during their baptism.

Imam Johari Abdul Malik reminded the

that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. It is a direct result of this movement.

Schuster Children’s Publishing, said in the company’s press release.

Simon and Schuster, a major book publisher based in New York has recently launched Salaam Reads, a first of its kind imprint that aims to introduce readers of all faiths and backgrounds to a wide variety of Muslim children and families, and offer Muslim kids an opportunity to see themselves reflected positively in published works.

"Our aim with the Salaam Reads imprint is in part to provide fun and compelling books for Muslim children, but we also intend for these books to be entertaining and enriching for a larger non-Muslim audience," executive editor Zareen Jaffery said in the company's statement. Jaffery served for two years as a member of the Children's Book Council (CBC) Diversity Committee, and is currently a co-chair of the Diversity within Association of Library Service to Children Task Force.

Jaffery joined S & S Books for Young Readers in February 2011 after working

“There are 3.3 million Muslims in the United States, 1.6 billion in the world, and they are an underserved literary market,” Jon Anderson, president of Simon &

the Route 267 and Route 28 corridors.

These satellite sites specifically run Friday prayers. A full-service ADAMS Center campus in Gainesville, Virginia is currently in development.

Geographically, present and future ADAMS center 50 miles radius from the main Sterling center. Each one of the centers has a unique story. As a part of ADAMS, a new Islamic Center doesn’t have to go through organizational challenges; there is an executive team ready for them. They also have access to a network of mature khateebs, adds Moktadir. A professional staff of 25 members manages the ADAMS Center and an elected Executive Committee provides oversight on the organization.

The executive team manages the budgets of all the centers.

A separate entrance and section for the social services offices is in the plans; confidentiality of recipient is extremely important. “When recipients come for aid, everyone observes them and there is no privacy. The new arrangement will be away from public,” shares Moktadir.

The Main Center’s Sunday school has 550 students and is at capacity. The extension means more classrooms and makes space for the executive staff offices.

ADAMS will also be adding to their executive staff. The center is looking for an imam focused on the youth, as well as 5 youth coordinators for all four branches, a female chaplain, a Deputy Executive Director with project management skills.

All these positions are budgeted for the year 2016.

audience of the reality of coexistence.

“What ever effects one, affects all of us indirectly. The reality is that we live in a world- the ability to stand in the face of tyranny is a form of Jihad. We have a religious obligation to give [refuge] even if they are non-believers in God….

[The] world is caught in the cycle of intolerance [so we must] stand for justice and establish peace,” said Abdul-Malik.

If more governments had acted like Albania, more people may have survived.

“What the Albanians did there … not enough [is] done to praise them,” said Neumann.

for Harper Collins Children’s Books. At S & S, she focuses on commercial and literary young adult and middle grade fiction, as well as teen nonfiction.

Salaam Reads will publish books by Awakening Media recording artist Harris J, poet and TEDx speaker Mark Gonzales, as well as debut authors Karuna Riazi and H.A. Raz. Harris J’s song Salam alaykum will be now be published into a book.

Gonzales will publish a book called Yo Soy Muslim. This will be a picture book with lyrics, about a parent letting a child know that he is loved and the value of a multicultural heritage.

Virtually connected classrooms are planned for the Sully and Ashburn locations— Imam Mohammad Magid’s classes will be broadcast to all the branches.

This year 25,000 people prayed 30 Eid prayers at the four permanent branches and seven satellite locations. Currently, ADAMS also has the largest network of girl and boy scouts in the DC Metro—300 Muslim scouts. “We have the demand for 500 more scouts,” says Moktadir, due to a lack of space ADAMS has turn down many troops.

With an estimated cost of $6-$7 million, the expansion plan is underway on the main campus to match the needs of the rapidly growing community.

March 18th - April 14th 2016 CONCERN

>> continued from pg 5

survey of 1,000 randomly selected respondents to recontact for this study, and also employed a web panel and completed the final 106 Muslim interviews using an online survey.

The poll asked questions about civic engagement and the role faith plays in their lives, such as “In the past 12 months, have you worked with other people from your neighborhood to fix a problem or improve a condition in your community or elsewhere? And Aside from weddings and funerals how often do you attend religious services?”

The main takeaways were that American Muslims lean Democratic but 40 percent are independent voters. American

OFFICER

>> continued from pg 18

complaints and to allow civilians on trial boards that review brutality complaints.

The coalition says that Maryland must take this historic opportunity to enact a system that achieves just outcomes.

The Aafia Foundation, a Muslim led human rights organization, joined in support of the coalition in Annapolis on February 23, 2016.

The powerful testimony of the Mothers for Justice was heard—all three of whom had their sons stolen from them by police brutality, part of a sorority to which they did not pledge.

Marion Gray Hopkins lost her son Gary Hopkins in 1999. He was 19, unarmed and shot in the chest in the parking lot of a fire station. She demanded whistle blower protection so systemic issues can be addressed. "If you know the truth and say nothing then you are a bad officer."

She has being asking for justice for 17 years. "Don't let the blood of our children be on you."

"We don't trust the police," stated Greta Willis, who lost her son Kevin Al Cooper in 2006, a 14-year-old football player.

"Mothers are tired of losing their sons to police who are their to protect and serve."

She asked for the 5-day window that

CONTINUED | 25 Muslims are engaged in the community but aren't as politically engaged. Muslims don't vote because they think that their vote doesn't matter and do vote because of civic duty or because they want to make a difference. 85 percent say they intend to vote but 60 percent actually voted. If the presidential elections were held today 40 percent would vote for Hilary Clinton, 27 percent would choose Bernie Sanders.

The poll found that Muslims are as likely as Jews to vote for Sanders. Younger Muslims prefer Bernie Sanders, and 1829 year olds overwhelmingly preferred Sanders. That Clinton finds the highest support among Muslims challenges the idea that Muslims would not be want to be led by a woman, said Mogahed.

“There are Muslims who would gravitate towards the Republicans if the rhetoric was different,” said Mogahed.

police officers get to be eliminated. "Our children may be gone but the mothers are here, we are the voices of our children."

Darlene Cain was wearing her son's face right above her heart on a T-shirt; she is the founder of Mothers on the Move, a support group for mothers who have lost children to police brutality. She travels across the country attending funerals of lost children. "That is all we have left photos on T-shirts of our kids."

Sen. Catherine E. Pugh said that, “there’s always room for improvement" and suggested eliminating a section in the legislation that would have given police unions broad sway over certain disciplinary hearings.

"The more we read this bill, the more we realized just how bad it is," Sen. James S. McAuliffe Jr., of Montgomery County, said. "This bill is a disaster."

Frank Boston III, a lobbyist for the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police, said that no changes are necessary to the “10-day rule” or any other aspect of the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights. Looking at the beginnings of this controversial bill introduced in 1974, we find that it was the first of its kind in the country and came in response to a city police commissioner known for firing or suspending officers.

Baltimore delegates on behalf of officers

“When you're denied entrance into your society, you'll work to prove them wrong thru civic engagement,” said Imam Talib Shareef, imam of the First Mosque in Washington D.C., speaking at the event.

No correlation was found between Muslim attitudes toward violence and their frequency of mosque attendance.

The survey found most Muslims are pious and patriotic, with strong religious and American identities, a lesser number are neither pious nor patriotic and those polled who are less pious identify as less American too; strong attendance at the masjid linked with higher civic engagement. A stronger American identity was associated with a stronger religious identity and vice versa.

81 percent say attacks on civilians are never justified, which was roughly the same as the other faith groups polled: in Baltimore, who feared the reach of then-Commissioner Donald Pomerlau, specifically pushed the bill. In fact, the state police and departments in Montgomery, Howard, Carroll and Frederick counties all asked to be exempted, the Baltimore Sun reported at the time.

Rev. Jamila Woods Jones (pastor the of Jabez Christian Community Church) testifying at the State Senate, demanded change. “This is not a new issue, we’ve been coming here for years, with the same issues, the same concerns. And while we’re happy that we’re moving forward, we want to acknowledge that there are some fatal flaws that must be addressed if we’re going to make this a truly transparent effort that is beneficial to everyone. … Now we’re calling on our legislators, we’re demanding that our legislators hear the cry of the people.

That’s all I have to say,” said Jones.

Reforms asked for by activists include providing local civilian review boards with subpoena power to question officers accused of misconduct and allowing civilians on trial boards investigating complaints and elimination of the 5-day window ‘that officers under investigation can use to manufacture their story’.

They want to make sure officers can be immediately questioned about an incident, as long as they are not forced to answer and eliminate all the restrictions on who, how, and when a complaint of brutality can be filed. Anonymous complaints should always be allowed.

Jews, Catholics, and Protestants. Muslims are also the most likely to reject military attacks on civilians. American Muslims are the most optimistic even after suffering the most discrimination out of every faith group polled.

American Muslims top concerns are economy, civil rights, and education according to this poll.

Rep Keith Ellison speaking at the launch said that the number one thing he hears while door knocking in Muslim neighborhoods is concern about jobs and wage theft.

"The more the US can reflect its actual reality in terms of leadership rhetoric, the stronger our society will be," said Mogahed, head of the Research at ISPU.

“The agency would choose one member of the trial board, the police officer would choose one member of the trial board and then the police officer, this is the accused, would have to agree with the agency on the third,” said Garland Nixon, an ACLU of Maryland board member. To reduce the unfair advantage given to officers accused of brutality, activists also ask that officers being investigated should not choose who reviews their own brutality cases.

The Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Accountability includes: 32BJ SEIU, 1199 SEIU, African American Democratic Club of Montgomery County, American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, NAACP, Amnesty International USA, Hollaback! Baltimore, Beats, Rhymes, and Relief, Black Church Center for Justice and Equality, CASA, City Bloc, Color of Change, Communities United, Council on American Islamic Relations, Empowerment Temple, Freddie Gray Project, Jews United for Justice, Justice League, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, Making Change, Maryland State Conference of NAACP Branches, Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition, Montgomery County Young Democrats, Power Inside, Prince George’s People’s Coalition, Progressive Maryland, Showing Up for Racial Justice, Universal Zulu Nation, UUs for Liberation from Racism, and more.

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March 18th - April 14th 2016

26 | HEALTH & FAMILY

Running for the Hills

Running for the Hills Kids-in-Garden

By Jann McClary

Muslim Link Contributing Writer In May of 2011, Sister Jann McClary and her husband Tariq moved from the Washington DC metropolitan area to establish a new home in the mountains of Colorado, building it from the ground up as part of their plan to become free of the spiritual and physical stress of modern urban life. Sister Jann is documenting her experiences for the Muslim Link.

See her earlier installments at www. muslimlinkpaper.com by searching for “Running for the Hills”. Make sure you select “Exact Phrase” in the search options. --TML -------------------------------------------------

My daughter, Atiyya, is 16 and she spent last summer in a kindergarten. No, wait.

That didn't come out right. She wasn't a student in kindergarten, but spent time in a garden of children, which in the German language, is a place where children grow and learn. See? That's what I meant.

The food co-op in the town near where we live was given a 3-acre farm by a local farmer so the co-op can grow organic veggies. It's called the Good Food Project. The produce is sold both at the co-op and to the community members through a CSA, or “community supported agriculture” program. Each CSA member puts up a specific amount of money to cover the costs of seeds, fertilizers, tools irrigation, and so forth for the growing season. Then they each get an equal share every week of what gets harvested

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during that season. Assorted fresh, nongmo, organic veggies in your box, the day they're picked!

So what about the kids in the garden?

Well, they basically run the CSA, with adult supervision, of course. In early spring the adult volunteers come out to the farm, cultivate the ground, spread manure, and clear out the irrigation ditches. Then the kids come and, with the help of their supervisor, decide what will be planted and plan where it will all go. Last summer there were enough funds for a paid internship program, so the kids, ages 14-19, would actually earn some faloose. I signed Atiyya up faster than a thistle weed grows after the rain!

Now, as you may recall from an earlier post, my daughter was not enamored with digging in our garden on a hot summer day. But when she leaned she could meet some new kids around her age, and have some cool green cash in her hands at the end of a hot, sweaty week, her interest kicked up a few notches. Sure, she told me, she'd try it. Well. Wonders never cease.

We arrived at the farm on a bright, steamy day, the buzz of mosquitoes and teen chatter clogging the air. The farm's coordinator came over to fill me and Atiyya in on particulars like hours, tasks, garden layout, and where the first aid and bug bite kits were.

Atiyya nonchalantly moved away from my totally uncool motherly presence and directed herself to a work table where two teen girls were sorting and washing soil from newly picked

Left, the author's daughter and an unidentified kid­in­the­garden sorting organic vegetables. Photo courtesy of the author. vegetables. In less than a minute the girls were simultaneously talking, giggling, handling and cleaning the produce like a bunch of seasoned farm hands. I gave her salaams as I prepared to leave, and in the best tradition of a teenager temporarily liberated from the ever-watchful gaze of ummi, she briefly turned her head in my direction and breezily replied her salaam.

Four hours later I went to pick up my only child and found her swathed in what looked like a green, fishnet hoodie, somebody's idea of horticulture chic, the sort of thing you'd expect to see in a 350-page-slick-photo Italian fashion magazine. Except it was on my daughter, who, although beautiful, is not Italian and not a model. She saw me and impetuously blurted out a happy “Mommy!” before regaining her teen cool veneer. Then, as she munched enthusiastically on an organic carrot, explained what she'd been doing all day: pulling weeds, cultivating the tomato and corn beds, sorting onions and potatoes, weighing produce, checking the CSA memberships. And having fun. And getting to know the other kids.

And learning about organic food. And helping to run a business. And being a Muslimah! Some of the kids had asked her about what was on her head. And why she dressed “like that.” My child, excuse me, my young lady-daughter was able to succinctly and easily explain a bit about Muslims to kids who had never seen one in the flesh before. And everyone was cool. Kids can be like that.

That summer, at our cabin and at the Good Food Project garden, I actually saw my daughter grow. Up. She helped me in important ways she will probably never realize meant more to me than any material gift she could ever give. And she helped me realize how mature she was becoming, and how being involved in a community project gave that maturity a chance to express itself. Children are such a miraculous gift from Allah subhanah wa ta'ala, and they need to be nurtured and cultivated, just like a life-giving plant, so they will grow in the best ways that please Allah: A little pruning here, some extra nutrients there and bi' idhnillah they'll get to the Garden, too.

March 18th - April 14th 2016

Civil Rights

CIVIL RIGHTS

| 27

‘Trump! Trump! Trump!’ attacker allegedly yelled as he beat Hispanic man, Muslim student

By Justin Wm. Moyer Washington Post, March 14, 2016 It was just another late Friday night at Wichita State University — so late that it might have been early Saturday.

Khondoker Usama, student body vice president, took a break from partying to go to a local Kwik Shop to get a snack and some gas. And it was there that he said he ran into a Donald Trump supporter with a chip on his shoulder.

Usama first noticed the man — white, in his 20s or 30s, motorcycle in tow — because the motorcyclist was berating a black man who Usama thought had asked for some gas money.

“The man was yelling at the African American guy, calling him a lazy ass, saying, ‘You guys don’t work,'” Usama told The Washington Post in a telephone interview. “He was using racial slurs.”

Then, the man turned his attention to Usama, a 23-year-old Muslim senior from Bangladesh, and his friend, a Hispanic male. He pulled his bike in front of Usama’s green Acura.

“We both have brown skin color,” Usama said. “… He said, ‘Hey you brown trash, you better go home.'”

Usama said his friend replied: “It’s my country. Who the hell are you to tell me, ‘Go home?'” The man pushed Usama’s friend and said, according to Usama: “Say that again.” Usama’s friend pushed back.

Then, Usama said the beating began.

“He seemed to be looking for a fight,” Usama said. “… The man started punching my friend. My friend dodged the first punch. I got in the middle of them — I told my friend to get back in the car. [The man] pushed me and he hit me over.” Then, he

turned back to Usama’s friend, “kicking him in the stomach, indiscriminately punching him,” Usama said. He called 911. And, while the student was waiting for police to arrive and as the alleged beating continued, the motorcyclist took a moment to weigh in on the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

“He was shouting, ‘Trump!'” Usama said. “‘Trump will take our country from you guys!'”

The man eventually got back on his bike and, before police arrived, circled Usama and his now prostrate friend. (The alleged beating was reported by the Wichita Eagle early Monday morning.)

“He was chanting, ‘Trump! Trump!

Trump!'” Usama said. “‘Make America great again! You guys are the losers! You guys, we’ll throw you over the wall!'”

Usama added: “You know, the usual things you see at a Trump rally.”

Usama and his friend, who did not wish to speak to the media, escaped without serious injury and reported the incident as a hate crime, Usama said. But after outbreaks of violence at Trump rallies and elsewhere — and unheeded calls for the candidate to try to stop them — the alleged attack in Kansas again suggests how violence is becoming associated with Trump’s White House bid.

(In a separate incident in Evanston, Ill., two Northwestern University students were accused of vandalizing a nondenominational chapel on campus, spray-painting racist and homophobic messages, including a swastika, according to the Chicago Tribune. The two wrote Trump’s name inside the chapel, the Tribune reported. A Cook County judge ordered Anthony Morales, 19, and Matthew Kafker, 18, held in lieu of

$50,000 bail on charges of vandalism and hate-crimes.)

At the March 11 debate in Miami, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was asked about fights at his events. Here are some examples of the physical altercations that have occurred at rallies for Trump in recent months.

(Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post) After Trump-supporting brothers were accused of assaulting and urinating on a Hispanic man in August in Boston, Trump said his fans were “very passionate.”

After a fight erupted between protesters and police last year in Birmingham, Ala., Trump said: “Maybe he should have been roughed up.” Of a protester in Nevada last month, Trump said: “I’d like to punch him in the face.” In Kentucky not long ago, where police are investigating two alleged assaults of protesters, Trump said: “Get him out. Try not to hurt him. If you do I’ll defend you in court. … Are Trump rallies the most fun? We’re having a good time.”

There was the “cowboy action” reenactor

charged with assault Thursday after he appeared to sucker punch a protester — and Trump said he’s “looking into” paying the 78-year-old man’s legal fees.

There were the security concerns created by thousands of protesters that led Trump to cancel a Chicago rally Friday night and the skirmishes at the venue that resulted.

And there was the man who rushed the podium at a Trump rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday.

“I was ready for him, but it’s much easier if the cops do it, don’t we agree?” Trump said after the man was taken away. “And to think I had such an easy life! What do I need this for, right?”

On Sunday, the candidate declined to cool his rhetoric.

“The reason there’s tension at my rallies is that these people are sick and tired of this country being run by incompetent people >> TRUMP Pg 30

....

28 | WORLD PRESS

World Press

March 18th - April 14th 2016

The Truth about Syria Undercover Behind Rebel Lines

By Clarissa Ward with Salma Abdelaziz CNN, March 15, 2016 CNN Senior International Correspondent Clarissa Ward and Producer Salma Abdelaziz went undercover in rebel-held Syria, where few Western journalists have gone for more than a year. They worked with Syria-based filmmaker Bilal Abdul Kareem on a series of exclusive reports.

Rebel-held Syria (CNN)There's a sickening moment between hearing the planes and waiting for them to drop their payload. A pit forms in your stomach.

You know you could die, but you also know there's no way to divine where the strike will hit.

On a hill overlooking Ariha, our guard Abu Youssef seems to have located the jet in the sky and is following it with his eyes. "Russian planes," he says.

Suddenly he ducks. The sound of the explosion rings out with a "thwoomp."

Where the strike hit, there are other sounds. Sirens. People screaming for help. Rescue workers shouting for an ambulance. A woman wailing. Metal scraping against rubble as volunteers furiously try to dig people out of the debris. Survivors in this battered Syrian town cursing President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian supporters.

At the nearest hospital, some 10 miles away, still more sounds. Men arguing as they try to delicately move a gravely injured boy from the back of a car.

Doctors shouting at people to get back.

A family member weeping softly.

To a visitor, there is something dizzyingly surreal about it. The sounds stay with you as long as the sights. But these are the sounds of everyday life in northern Syria.

We had been on the ground for less than

....

24 hours when the airstrikes hit. Now, five years into this war, the attacks against areas controlled by rebels are relentless, particularly from the air.

It began with crudely made barrel bombs pushed, seemingly haphazardly, out of the back of Syrian Air Force helicopters.

Then, last September, Russia joined the fight and the airstrikes -- thousands of them -- became even more powerful and punishing.

Rescue workers pull victims from an Idlib hospital hit by an airstrike in February.

Photos from CNN.

Russia says it is only targeting "terrorists" -- fighters with ISIS and the al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra. But the strike we saw hit a fruit market.

Ordinary people out buying fruit. One minute they were arguing about the price of oranges. The next minute they were dead.

Monitoring groups say nearly 2,000 civilians have been killed since the Russian intervention began.

"Every day, I struggle with whether to send my daughter to school," the young woman tells me.

We're sitting on cushions on the floor of a house in Maarat al-Numan, a town ravaged by airstrikes in the past few months. Her 6-year-old daughter stands next to her, shyly eyeing these foreign visitors as she chews her hair.

"Of course I want her to have an education, but every time she leaves the house there's always a chance ..." Her voice trails off.

I don't finish the sentence for her. There's always a chance she won't come back.

There's always a chance she will be killed. There's always a chance she will get maimed in a strike.

Several Syrians have told me that you don't hear the planes if you get hit, you only hear them if you're not the target. It

Men treat a child after an airstrike on a residential area of Aleppo in February. seems to provide some comfort -- at least you don't know you are going to die in the moments before it happens. I don't share this thought with the young woman. I nod silently.

In Syria now, there are lots of silences.

Much remains unsaid. Questions are generally greeted with suspicion. A culture of fear permeates the place.

niqab, a black veil that covers the entire face, except for a small slit at the eyes.

It doesn't take long for people to work out that I'm a foreigner, yet very few ask where I am from or what I am doing here. They know better than to ask such questions. Instead they tell their stories.

They want the world to know.

David and Goliath

Almost no Western journalists have visited this part of the country in over a year. Turkey has all but sealed the border into rebel-held areas -- and inside, the threat of indiscriminate air strikes and kidnapping looms.

The journey to get into Aleppo is now extremely difficult and dangerous. Assad's ground troops have used Russian air cover to encircle the rebels who control the eastern part of the city, where up to

We traveled undercover, wearing the

>> TRUTH Pg 31

March 18th - April 14th 2016

ISLAM | 29

Being Considerate of People's Feelings Etiquettes Between the Guest and the Host 1. Being considerate of the host’s feelings when you cannot attend: The food prepared for a guest is a form of generosity to the person invited and a means of welcoming them and showing kindness to them. This kindness must be returned with goodness as Allaah Says: {Is the reward for good [anything] but good?} [Qur'an: 55: 60].

This is the proper thing to do unless there is something to prevent it. For instance when there is something that goes against the Sharee’ah, or for health reasons... etc.

In these cases the person must “take into consideration the Sharee’ah and put it before people and desire.”

However, the person must apologize kindly and courteously. Sa’b ibn Juthaamah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that he gifted the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, a wild donkey when he was in Al-Abwaa’ or Waddaan. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, turned it down. The narrator says, When the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, saw my face (in another narration: saw how I disliked it from my face) He, sallallaahu‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “We only turned it down because we are in the state of Ihraam.”

Ibn Hajar, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: “This proves that a person can reject a gift due to a (valid) reason. Al-Bukhaari, may Allaah have mercy on him, has a chapter on this topic [Rejecting a gift due to a reason.] It also shows that one must apologize when rejecting a gift so as not to upset the person who offered you the gift. It also proves that a gift does not become your possession until you accept it and that your ability to possess it does not make you possess the gift. Also the person in a state of Ihraam must get rid of any kind of prey that was hunted if it is forbidden to be hunted.”

...one should not enter another person’s house without their permission. When permitted to enter the person must not overstay after the period permitted is over so as not to disturb the people of the house and to not prevent them from going about their lives.

2. Being considerate of the feelings of the host when he does not have the means to be hospitable to his guest: Sometimes the Muslim may unexpectedly have a guest arrive when he is in a difficult situation. He may be busy, ill, living in a small house or have financial troubles.

In this case the guest must try to ease the

house at lunchtime or dinnertime.

Thawbaan, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: "A Bedouin guest came to us and the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sat in front of his wives’ houses and started asking the Bedouin if his people were happy with Islaam and about their situation with prayer. The

“Whoever believes in Allaah and the Last Day should show hospitality to his guest according to his right; which is for a day and a night, and hospitality extends for three days. What is beyond that is charity and it is not permissible for (the guest) to remain until it disturbs him (the host).”

situation with kind speech that will relieve the host and the difficulty of the situation.

In fact, a person must consider these factors before causing trouble, and so he should not disturb his poor relative and not arrive unexpectedly at somebody’s

Bedouin continued to inform the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, until he was joyful and his face lighted up. Then it reached midday and it was time to eat and the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, called me out of view and told me to tell

‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, has a guest. She said: 'By the one who sent you with the truth! I have woken up with nothing that people can eat.' He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sent me to the rest of his wives and they all apologized as ‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, did. I saw the color in the Prophet’s face change. The Bedouin said: 'We are not from the city and we endure more than (the people of the city).

A handful of dates and some water will suffice. That is considered abundance (to us).' At that time a she-goat passed by and she had been milked. We used to call her Thamar Thamar. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, called her by her name: 'Thamar Thamar.' She approached the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, whinnying and he took hold of her leg and said Bismillaah (In the name of Allaah). He then restrained her saying Bismillaah (In the name of Allaah). Then he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, wiped her teat saying Bismillaah (In the name of Allaah). She became full of milk and he called me to bring a pail and I brought it to him. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, milked her saying Bismillaah (In the name of Allaah). He filled the pail and pushed it to the guest and he drank a lot and wanted to put it down, so the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: 'Drink more.' He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, repeated this to him until the guest was full and had drank what he desired. He then milked the goat again saying Bismillaah (In the name of Allaah) and he filled (the pail). He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said: 'Take this to ‘Aa’ishah.' So she drank what she desired, then I returned to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and he milked the goat again saying Bismillaah (In the name of Allaah). He then sent me with it to his wives, and every time one

>> FEELINGS Pg 32

....

March 18th - April 14th 2016

30 |

Salaah times for March 18th - April 14th 2016

If a person had a stream outside his door and he bathed in it five times a day, do you think he would have any filth left on him?” The people said, “No filth would remain on him whatsoever.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, “That is like the fi ve daily prayers: Allah wipes away the sins by them.”

---Hadith in Sahih al Bukhari and Muslim

Prayer times generated from www.islamicfinder.com for the WASHINGTON, DC area.

Day

Date

Hijri

Fajr

Sunrise

Dhuhr

Fri Sat

March 18

9/6

6:00

7:13

1:16

19

10/6

5:58

7:12

1:16

Sun

20

11/6

5:57

7:10

1:16

Asr

Maghrib

Isha

4:42

7:19

8:33

4:42

7:20

8:34

4:43

7:21

8:35

Mon

21

12/6

5:55

7:09

1:16

4:43

7:22

8:36

Tue

22

13/6

5:53

7:07

1:15

4:44

7:23

8:37

Wed

23

14/6

5:52

7:06

1:15

4:44

7:24

8:38

Thu

24

15/6

5:50

7:04

1:15

4:44

7:25

8:39

Fri

25

16/6

5:48

7:02

1:14

4:45

7:26

8:40

Sat

26

17/6

5:47

7:01

1:14

4:45

7:27

8:41

Sun

27

18/6

5:45

6:59

1:14

4:46

7:28

8:42

Mon

28

19/6

5:43

6:58

1:13

4:46

7:29

8:44

Tue

29

20/6

5:42

6:56

1:13

4:46

7:30

8:45

Wed

30

21/6

5:40

6:55

1:13

4:47

7:31

8:46

Thu

31

22/6

5:38

6:53

1:13

4:47

7:32

8:47

Fri

April 1

23/6

5:37

6:51

1:12

4:47

7:33

8:48

Sat

2

24/6

5:35

6:50

1:12

4:48

7:34

8:49

Sun

3

25/6

5:33

6:48

1:12

4:48

7:35

8:50

Mon

4

26/6

5:31

6:47

1:11

4:48

7:36

8:51

Tue

5

27/6

5:30

6:45

1:11

4:49

7:37

8:53

Wed

6

28/6

5:28

6:44

1:11

4:49

7:38

8:54

Thu

7

29/6

5:26

6:42

1:11

4:49

7:38

8:55

Fri

8

1/7

5:25

6:41

1:10

4:50

7:39

8:56

Sat

9

2/7

5:23

6:39

1:10

4:50

7:40

8:57

Sun

10

3/7

5:21

6:38

1:10

4:50

7:41

8:58

Mon

11

4/7

5:19

6:36

1:09

4:50

7:42

9:00

Tue

12

5/7

5:18

6:35

1:09

4:51

7:43

9:01

Wed

13

6/7

5:16

6:33

1:09

4:51

7:44

9:02

Thu

14

7/7

5:14

6:32

1:09

4:51

7:45

9:03

Source: Islamicfinder.org

TRUMP

>> continued from pg 27 that don’t know what they’re doing on trade deals, where our jobs are being ripped out of our country,” he said on “Meet the Press.” “… Our military’s not being taken care of; we can’t even beat ISIS. On our vets, who are being treated horribly.

Frankly, they’re being treated worse than illegal immigrants. The people are angry at that. They’re not angry about something I’m saying. I’m just a messenger.” He also blamed supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, the senator from Vermont vying for the Democratic presidential nomination — and offered a threat of his own.

“Bernie Sanders is lying when he says his disrupters aren’t told to go to my events,” he tweeted. “Be careful Bernie, or my supporters will go to yours!”

Back in Kansas, Usama expressed surprise at the attack.

....

Though in a mostly white, conservative community, Wichita State, with 15,000 students, “is the most diverse public institution in the state of Kansas,” Usama said, and the campus, with about 1,200 Muslims, “is more accepting” than other parts of the state. (The president of the school’s Muslim Student Association was recently profiled in The Washington Post.)

Still: Out of nowhere, for no reason, Usama and his friend were targeted, he said.

“We didn’t know that guy,” he said. “I do not recall any prior acquaintance with this suspect. He didn’t show any sign of knowing me. I don’t know how come a person who doesn’t know another person, just based on skin color, can attack and verbally abuse like that.”

As the police investigation continued, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) came to Usama’s defense — and blamed Trump.

“I think it’s clear that, with this kind of incendiary, inflammatory rhetoric, this kind of thing is almost inevitable,” Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR’s national communications director, said in a telephone interview with The Post. “People out there who support him take it upon themselves to commit these kinds of acts. While the vast majority of Trump supporters obviously wouldn’t engage in this kind of violence, there’s a tiny minority who will. He should make a clear public statement that violence in his name is unacceptable and that he repudiates any supporter who would commit an act of violence in his name.”

“We urge law enforcement authorities to treat this alleged assault as a hate crime and for local, state and federal elected officials and candidates to repudiate the apparent political and racial motive for the attack,” CAIR-Kansas board chairman Moussa Elbayoumy said in an emailed statement. “Donald Trump should himself repudiate this alleged hate crime, apparently committed by one of his

supporters.”

Trump-related tension isn’t new to Usama.

He said that, over Thanksgiving, he was at a party when he met a man who asked for his “Muslim ID.” He thought the man was kidding, but the man tried to explain: How could he know Usama was a “good Muslim”? The man, Usama said, was a Trump supporter.

“Mr. Trump has a lot of responsibility to this escalated, tense atmosphere that we are facing today,” he said. “If he could have been a bit more responsible in what he is saying in the media and in public, I believe people wouldn’t have gone this crazy, as we saw today. Things are getting crazy.”

Justin Wm. Moyer is a reporter for The Washington Post's Morning Mix. Follow him on Twitter: @justinwmmoyer.

March 18th - April 14th 2016 TRUTH

>> continued from pg 28

320,000 people may be trapped.

There is now only one road that rebels can use to get in and out of the city -once Syria's largest, a bustling economic and cultural hub -- and it is flanked on either side by enemy forces. Snipers are everywhere. They call it the road of death.

We hurtle down the road at top speed, hearts in our throats. I look at the berms of earth built up on either side to conceal cars from enemy view. They seemed pathetically vulnerable.

I am reminded of a visit to Syria four years ago when one rebel leader proudly showed me a weapon they had been working on for months. It was a homemade catapult. A catapult to fight against artillery shells. "David and Goliath," I whispered to myself. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Closing in from all sides "The first was my grandson. And after him his cousin, my son, my daughter's son, my middle son, and one of his children, then my third son, and his son.

All died on the frontlines, and I thank God for that."

In a dark and cramped apartment in eastern Aleppo, 70-year-old Souad is listing family members who have been killed fighting in this war. Her milky eyes gaze blankly into the air as she counts them all on her bony fingers.

There are nine in total. My brain struggles to process the scale of the loss. There are no tears. Sadness and loss long ago hardened into grim acceptance, made possible by an unwavering faith in God. "I thank God for any situation. I hear the news and I say thank God for anything," Souad says, adjusting her black headscarf. "We come from Allah and to him we return."

Her grandson sits next to her as she speaks, listening attentively as he sips thick black Arabic coffee. He looks 40 but is probably in his late 20s. His beard is long and he wears camouflage pants.

He is a fighter with Ahrar al Sham, an

CONTINUED| 31 Islamist rebel group that is fighting on three fronts. On one is Assad's army. On another is ISIS. On the third, Kurdish forces lie in wait.

When I address him, he looks down shyly to avoid meeting my eyes. To some, it might appear as sexism or disdain. But I understand it as it is intended, as a gesture of respect.

I wonder what will happen if he is killed -- if Souad will continue to stay here in Sukkari, a neighborhood shattered by Russian and regime bombs.

Yes, she tells me. She will stay here until she dies.

The war on normalcy

"This is our country, we can't desert it. If we leave then we have sold our morals.

Who would treat the people?" He stops and sobs. I dig my fingernails into my palms to stop my own tears.

"I can very easily leave, but we will remain steadfast," he pushes on, growing stronger as he continues. "I am prepared to die rather than to leave. And I will carry on no matter what."

It's the kind of bravery that leaves you baffled. The day before, we interviewed a lawyer who survived a strike on a courthouse. It was one of two we visited that have been leveled. "This is the tax we pay for living in a liberated area," he said matter-of-factly as we stood in the rubble.

Doctor Firas al Jundi doesn't have long to sit down with us. He is one of a handful of surgeons in the only hospital still standing in Maarat alNuman. Last month, the largest hospital, supported by Doctors Without Borders, was destroyed by airstrikes. Twenty-five people were killed. The group said it believed Russian or regime missiles were responsible. Russia has categorically denied involvement.

Assad and his Russian allies say that theirs is a war against terrorism. But on the ground, people believe that everyday life is the target. It's a war on normalcy.

Jundi tells us he now sees up to a hundred people in a day. His face is gray and dark circles line his eyes. It's the face of someone who doesn't know what to think or feel anymore, of someone who is just going through the motions. When he talks, he presses his hands down on the desk, as if it is somehow the only thing holding him up.

I look out the car window through the slit in my niqab. "Democracy is the religion of the West," a sign reads in black and white. There are lots of signs like this in these parts now. Billboards urge men to join the jihad against Assad and encourage women to cover themselves completely. We drive through checkpoint after checkpoint manned by Jabhat alNusra, the al Qaeda affiliate here.

He tells us that they don't have enough medicine, that the water is too dirty to use for surgeries. He says that, despite their denials, the regime and Russia are targeting hospitals deliberately and cynically. That four hospitals were hit in one day last month. That they want to destroy all medical services so that people will be forced to flee.

I ask him why he doesn't leave Syria.

With a medical degree it would be relatively easy for him to go somewhere safer. He pauses before answering. I can hear him swallow.

"If I did that I would abandon my conscience," Jundi says. His face cracks and he whimpers softly. He is breaking down.

Going to settle a dispute at the courthouse?

We'll hit you. Going to the hospital to get your heart checked out? We'll hit you.

Going to buy some fruit? We'll hit you.

People will tell you that they hate extremism. Yet Jabhat al-Nusra enjoys a huge amount of support on the ground.

It is a conflicted and complicated relationship. One young media activist told me in one breath that he hated Nusra -- and in the next, added that his cousin was a fighter with them.

Years ago, a Syrian-American doctor explained it to me like this: Imagine you're drowning, that you're about to die and you're desperately looking for anyone to help you, but there's nobody there.

But then you see someone holding out their hand. And maybe you don't like the look of that person, but it's your only chance to survive. So you take their hand.

Hell and paradise It's our last day in Syria and we are in a sun-drenched olive grove near the Turkish border. It is spectacularly beautiful, serene even -- a world away from the devastation we witnessed hours earlier at the site of an apparent airstrike in the town of Daraat Izza.

'Imagine that you're drowning'

The radicalism that has taken hold in rebel-held Syria is more pronounced each time I visit, but the writing has been on the wall for years.

In 2012, I asked then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton if she was concerned that Islamist and jihadist groups would exploit the vacuum created by the chaos and violence in Syria if the international community didn't somehow fill the void. She deftly avoided answering the question.

The contrasts and contradictions of this country leave me feeling light-headed.

Syria is hell. But standing in the warm sun, watching the silver green olive leaves shiver in the breeze, it is also paradise. A ceasefire has been in place for a couple of days, though based on what we saw and heard, it's difficult to have much faith that it will hold.

We are preparing to leave, saying our goodbyes. We hand over a bag full of British chocolates to our security guards.

Abu Youssef thanks us and quietly hands each of us a folded piece of white paper with our initials on it.

"Promise me you won't read these until you get back home to London," he says.

Two flights and 72 hours later, we open the letters.

"I hope you have a good idea of us," they read. "Please tell the world the truth about Syria."

Almost everyone you meet here will tell you that they want to live freely and fairly. But most will also tell you that they want to live under some type of Islamic governance.

....

March 18th - April 14th 2016

32 | CONTINUED FEELINGS

>> continued from pg 29

drank I returned to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and he milked the goat saying Bismillaah (In the name of Allaah) filling the pail. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said: 'Give it to the guest.' I then gave it to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and he said Bismillaah (In the name of Allaah) and he drank what Allaah Wills and then he gave it to me. I tried to place my lips where the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, drank and I drank a drink that was sweeter than honey and more perfumed than musk. Then the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alyhi wa sallam, said: 'O Allaah! Make this she-goat blessed for her owners.'"

From this Hadeeth we see how the Bedouin guest was tactful and how he was considerate of the Prophet’s condition when he didn’t have the means to be hospitable to his guest.

3. Being considerate of the guest’s feelings by not making him feel that the host has selflessly given him his food: One of the etiquettes of hospitality that Islaam has encouraged is for the host to be considerate of the guest’s feelings while eating. He should not make the guest feel uncomfortable or awkward, such as making the guest feel that he has disturbed them, or by watching him eat, or remaining silent when the guest is present. All these can make the guest feel uncomfortable and awkward and make him hasten to leave. The guest should see the host happy and welcoming on his arrival, and they must favor him with food if needed.

Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: "A man came to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and said: 'I am hard pressed by hunger.'

He, sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam, sent a word to one of his wives who replied: 'By Him Who has sent you with the Truth, I have nothing except water.' Then he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sent the same message to another (wife) and received the same reply. He sent this message to all of them (i.e., his wives) and received the same reply. Then he, sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam, said: 'Who will entertain this (man) as guest?'

One of the Ansaar said: 'O Messenger of Allaah, I will.' The Ansaari asked

....

his wife: 'Have you got anything?' She answered: 'Nothing, except a little food for the children.' He said: 'Keep them busy with something, and when they ask for food put them to sleep. When the guest enters, extinguish the light and give him the impression that we are also eating.'

So they sat down and the guest ate and they passed the night hungry. When he came to the Prophet, sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam, in the morning, he said to him: 'Allaah admired what you did with your guest last night.'"

This is not the kind of overburdening that is forbidden, as this man was pressed by hunger and he was the guest of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and the Ansaari did an act of selflessness because he had but little. As for burdening yourself more than your capacity and getting into large debts or its like then this is forbidden, as the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Do not burden yourself beyond your scope when (receiving) a guest.”

Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: "The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with them were brought out by hunger.

They went to visit a man of the Ansaar, but he was not at home. When his wife saw the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, she said: 'Welcome! Welcome!'

The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to her: 'Where is so-and-so?' She said: 'He has gone to get water for us.' Then the Ansaari came and saw the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and his two companions and said: 'Praise be to Allaah. Today no one has more honored guests than I!' He went and brought them a branch with unripe and ripe fresh dates on it and said: 'Eat.' He took a knife and the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to him: 'Don't slaughter one which yields milk.' So he slaughtered for them and they ate from the sheep and from that branch and drank. When they were full and their thirst quenched, the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to Abu Bakr and 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with them: “By the One who has my soul in His hand, you will be asked about this blessing on the Day of Rising. Hunger brought you out of your houses and you did not return until you had received this blessing.'”

An-Nawawi, may Allaah have mercy on

him, said: “A number of the Salaf disliked for someone to burden themselves when receiving a guest. The meaning of burden is the evident trouble it causes for the host and how it prevents him from sincerity and true joy for having his guest and it may also be apparent to the guest which will harm the guest too. The guest may also realize that he has been offered something that has troubled the host and that he is overburdening himself. This may make the guest feel bad because of his sympathy for the host. This all goes against the Prophet’s saying, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam: 'He who believes in Allaah and the Last Day, let him be hospitable to his guest.'” The most perfect hospitality is making the guest feel at ease and displaying joy at his As for the act of the Ansaari and the sheep he slaughtered, this was not troublesome for him. Even if he had slaughtered a number of sheep and spent money in order to be hospitable to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and his two companions, the man would be happy to do so and was lucky to do so.

Allaah knows best.”

4. Being considerate of the guest’s feelings by making sure he doesn’t feel that he is a burden upon his host: A guest may feel that he has burdened the host and so the host must strive to eliminate this kind of feeling in his guest.

Laqeet ibn Sabirah , the leader of the delegation of Banu Al-Muntafiq, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: "My companion and I went out to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, but we did not find him in his house. We found there 'Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, the Mother of the Believers. She offered us dates and ‘Aseedah (gruel).

Then the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, came walking quickly.

He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, asked: 'Has anything been served to you?' We replied: 'Yes, O Messenger of Allaah.'

While we were sitting in the company of the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, we suddenly saw that a shepherd was driving a herd of sheep to their fold. He had with him a newly-born lamb that was crying. He (the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) asked him: 'Has she given birth?' He replied: 'Yes.' He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said: 'Slaughter for us a sheep.' He then turned to us and said: 'Do not think that we are slaughtering it for you. We have one hundred sheep and we do not want their number to increase. Whenever a ewe

is born, we slaughter a sheep in its place.'

Al-Mubaarakfoori, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: " The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, meant when saying: 'We are slaughtering it' we are not burdening ourselves (with slaughtering the ewe) for you so they would not reject the hospitality and to avoid showing off to the guest. 'We slaughter a sheep in its place' Meaning, do not think that I am burdening myself for you. It is apparent from this phrase that when they heard that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had ordered the shepherd to slaughter they said: do not overburden yourselves for us. So the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, replied by saying: 'Do not think' This is what is understood from the context of the event.

5. Being considerate of the host’s feelings by reserving his authority and Imaamah (leading in prayer) over his guests: It was narrated that Abu Mas’ood AlAnsaari, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: The Messenger of Allaah , sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “The people should be led in prayer by the one among them who has the most knowledge of the Book of Allaah; if they are equal in knowledge of the Qur’aan, then by the one who has most knowledge of the Sunnah; if they are equal in knowledge of the Sunnah, then by the one who migrated first; if they are equal in terms of Hijrah, then by the one who became Muslim first.” However the host is the leader in his house and nobody can overtake this leadership. The Imaam (one who leads in prayer) has authority over the people praying behind him and they must be led only by the owner of the house unless he permits otherwise. This is why the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said at the end of the previous Hadeeth in another narration: “No man should lead another in prayer in his domain of authority, or sit in his place in his house, except with his permission.” 1 Abu ‘Atiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, reported: "Maalik ibn Al-Huwayrith used to come to us in our prayer place and talk to us. The time for prayer came one day and we said to him: 'Go forward (to lead the prayer).' He said: 'Let one of you go forward, until I tell you why I will not. I heard the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu

>> FEELINGS II Pg 33

March 18th - April 14th 2016 FEELINGS II

>> continued from pg 32

‘alayhi wa sallam, say: 'Whoever visits a people should not lead them in prayer.

Let a man from among them lead them in prayer.'”

Something similar to this is that the owner of a beast/animal has more right to ride the front of it. Buraydah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: "I was walking with the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, when a man came to him with a donkey, so he said: 'O Messenger of Allaah! Ride' and the man moved toward the back. The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: 'No, you have more right to the front of your beast, unless you allot it for me.'

He said: 'I have allotted it for you.' He said: 'So he rode.’"

6. Being considerate of the feelings of the host by not disturbing him and overstaying: Anas ibn Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: When the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, married Zaynab bint Jahsh, he invited the people to a meal. They took the meal and remained sitting and talking. Then the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, (showed them) as if he is ready to get up, yet they did not get up. When he noticed that (there was no response to his movement), he got up, and the others too, got up except three persons who remained sitting. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi

CONTINUED | 33 wa sallam, came back in order to enter his house, but he went away again. Then they left, whereupon I set out and went to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to tell him that they had departed, so he came and entered his house. I wanted to enter along with him, but he put a screen between me and him. Then Allaah revealed: {O you who have believed, do not enter the houses of the Prophet except when you are permitted for a meal, without awaiting its readiness. But when you are invited, then enter; and when you have eaten, disperse without seeking to remain for conversation. Indeed, that [behavior] was troubling the Prophet, and he is shy of [dismissing] you. But Allaah is not shy of the truth. And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts. And it is not [conceivable or lawful] for you to harm the Messenger of Allaah or to marry his wives after him, ever. Indeed, that would be in the sight of Allaah an enormity.} [Qur'an : 33: 53].

There is another narration by Al-Bukhaari: Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “Another group remained chatting and I was upset (because of this).”

Ibn Hajar, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: “He was upset because he understood that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was shy to tell them to leave and their inattention by chatting and not leaving.” Ibn Hajar, may Allaah be pleased with him, also said: “Ibn Battaal, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: ‘From this we understand that one should not enter another person’s house

without their permission. When permitted to enter the person must not overstay after the period permitted is over so as not to disturb the people of the house and to not prevent them from going about their lives. We also understand that when a person does this until the people of the house are harmed, the owner of the house can show his irritation and dislike and he may get up without excusing himself for them to understand. Also, if the owner of the house leaves his house the guest that was permitted to enter should not remain without renewing the permission. Allaah knows best.’”

Ibn Hajar, may Allaah have mercy on him, also said: “Ibn Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: 'A man entered upon the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and remained sitting for a long time. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, left three times so the person would leave but he did not.

Then ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, entered and saw the Prophet’s face and his dislike, and said to the man: 'Maybe you are disturbing the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.' The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: 'I got up three times for him to follow me but he did not do so.' ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: 'O Messenger of Allaah, why not put a screen (in front of your wives) as your wives are not like other women and it is more pure for their hearts.' So the verse of Hijaab (the veil) was revealed.'”

Shurayh Al-Ka’bi, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet,

sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Whoever believes in Allaah and the Last Day should show hospitality to his guest according to his right; which is for a day and a night, and hospitality extends for three days. What is beyond that is charity and it is not permissible for (the guest) to remain until it disturbs him (the host).”

Ibn Hajar, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: “His saying 'until it disturbs him' refers to discomfort and disturbance.

An- Nawawi, may Allaah have mercy on him, said about a narration by Muslim: 'until it causes him to sin.' Meaning until he falls into committing a sin (because of the guest) as the host may backbite about the guest due to his prolonged stay or may harm him or think badly of him. However it is permissible if the guest remains after the host requests from him to prolong his stay or when he most likely does not mind it. This is concluded from his saying: 'until it disturbs him' because if there is no disturbance or harm then it is permissible.

Abu Shurayh, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: 'It was said: 'O Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, what will make him sin?' He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: 'He resides at the person’s house until they do not have anything to offer him.'” Ibn Battaal, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: 'It is disliked for a guest to reside for longer than three days, so as not to harm the host and cause him to sin after the reward that he had gained (for his hospitality).'

Source: https://islamqa.info/en [see the website for all citations and references]

This letter? It’s Real.

The Need? Really Large.

How You Can Help?

Really Easy.

The Muslim Link newspaper is a free, non-profit publication dedicated to Muslims living in the DMV region. Sometimes we forget about the tens of thousands of Muslims living in the concrete and steel communities hidden from our eyes. They are also part of our community. It costs us $60 per year per inmate to deliver the Muslim Link and give them assurance that “the Muslims are nothing but brothers.” Send your checks to: The Muslim Link, PO Box 596, College Park MD 20741. Make sure to put “inmate subscription” in the memo. You can also donate over the phone by calling our office at 301-982-1020.

....

March 18th - April 14th 2016

34 |

Request For Duaa

To Allah We Belong, and to Him is Our Return “Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and good, and to Us you will be returned.” (Surah Al-Anbiya:35)” 02-18-2016 We inform you of the passing of our community member Sister Sardaro Ibrahimi. Janazah was on February 19, 2016 in Ellicott City, Maryland. (Source: Dar Al Taqwa) 02-19-2016 Father of Brother Br Abid has passed away. Salatul Janaza was on February 20, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Source: Masjid Al-Falaah) 03-01-2016 Umme Habiba Begum has passed away. Janazah for Sister Umme was on March 2, 2016 in Manassas, Virginia. (Source: Dar Alnoor) 03-01-2016 We announce the passing of Sr. Hafeeza Begum, mother of Br. Muhammad Jameel. (Source: ISB) 03-01-2016 Sister Azra Kidwai, wife of Br. Arif Kidwai and mother of Br. Asif Kidwai, Sr. Shahla Anjum, Sr. Farhana Kidwai and mother-in-law of Br. Mubashir Farooqi, has returned to Allah. Salaat ul Janazah was on March 2, 2016 in Falls Church, Virginia. (Source: ICM) 03-02-2016 We announce that Br. Hamid Barish, husband of Shila Barish and a loving father of Br. Sorosh and Br. Rameen Barish has passed away. Janazah prayer was on March 3, 2016 in Sterling, Virginia. (Source: E. Baig) 03-02-2016 Sister Sarah Bacha, mother of Br. Reyaz Ahmed Kango and mother in Law of Sr. Nasreen Kango, has passed away. Salaat ul Janazah was on March 3, 2016 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. (Source: ICM) 03-03-2016 Sr. Abida Sheikh has passed away today. She was a widow of Rukhuddin Shamim and a loving mother of Br. Mohammad Saleem, Sr. Qamar Sheikh, Sr. Shaista Sheikh, Sr. Shgufta Butt, Sr. Laiba Sheikh and Sr. Asiya Shamim. Janazah prayer was on March 4, 2016 in Sterling, VA (Source: E. Baig) 03-05-2016 The janazah prayer for our beloved Shaykh, Taha Jabir Al-Alwani, was on March 6, 2016 in Sterling, Virginia. (Source: O. Altalib) 03-05-2016 Rafeequnnisa Begum Firdous, wife of Mohammed Misbahuddn Ahmed Kaukab and mother of Meraj Khurram Mujahid, has passed away. Salaat ul Janazah was on March 5, 2016 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. (Source: ICM) 03-07-2016 Azal Ahmadi, daughter of Homayoon Dezfuli and Nahid Ahmadi, has passed away. Salaat ul Janazah was on March 8, 2016 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. (Source: ICM) 03-10-2016 It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of our longtime member and beloved friend, Dr. Mohammad Arozullah. The community has lost a loyal friend.

May Allah give his soul peace, ameen. (Source: MCC) 03-11-2016 Brother Ibrahim Al Mazyed has passed away. Salaat al-Janazah was on March 12, 2016 in Lanham, Maryland. (Source: PGMA) 03-12-2016 Mrs. Ayesha Farooqi, mother of Tariq Farooqi, Trustee AAA, left us for her heavenly abode after a long, loving and affectionate life as a daughter, wife, mother grandmother and great grandmother. Her Namaaz-e-Janazah was on March 13, 2016 in Falls Church, Virginia. (Source: Aligarh Alumni Association) 03-12-2016 Sr. Shafiqa Sherzad, Mother of Br. Mushtaq Sherzad, has passed away. Janazah prayer was on March 12, 2016 in Sterling, Virginia. (Source: E. Baig) 03-12-2016 Sr. Hind Ali, mother of Br. Dahfir Alrawi, has passed away. Janazah prayer was on March 11, 2016 in Sterling, VA (Source: E. Baig) 03-13-2016 ATM Golam Hossain, father of Shariful Islam, Shaiful Islam, Rehana Parvin, Ayesha Begum, Ashia Begum, Anis Khan and brother in law of Mohammad S. Khan, has passed away. Salaat ul Janazah was on March 14, 2016 in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

(Source: ICM) 03-16-2016 Our dear brother Abdul Khaliq Kynard has passed away while praying fajr.

His Janazah was on March 16, 2016 in Richmond, Virginia. (Source: O. Smith)

....

Upcoming Events In Your Area Conference-- Israel's Influence: Good or Bad for America?

Friday, March 18, 2016 08:00am - 05:00pm “Israel’s Influence: Good or Bad for America?” is the theme of the daylong conference. “Israel’s Influence” is co-sponsored by the American Educational Trust, publisher of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, and the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep). Expert panelists and keynote speakers will analyze the enormous impact Israel’s influence has on Congress, establishment media, academia and other major institutions. Follow us on Twitter @IsraelInfluence or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ events/914716598565894/ Location : The National Press Club, 13 Floor Ballroom, 529 14th St. NW, Washington DC, 20045 ======================================================== National March on Washington DC to Support Palestine Sunday, March 20, 2016 12:00pm - 05:00pm The National March and Rally to Support Palestine is timed to coincide with the opening of the convention of AIPAC, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee. We will gather in front of the White House for a rally at 12:00 Noon and at 1:00 p.m. we will march to the site of the conference.

Location : White House, then Washington DC Convention Center Contact : For more information, go to: http://www.answercoalition.org ======================================================== Women's Committee of Masjid As-Saffaat 33rd Annual Conference Friday, March 25, 2016 - Sunday, March 27, 2016 "The Beauty of Islam: Keeping it 100!! March 25-27, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore Maryland. Registration is $100. Workshops, Dining, Shopping, Networking. To register, visit our website at wcmas.org, or call Rasheita at 301-915-4514. ======================================================== The Muslim Link Fundraising Dinner Saturday, March 26, 2016 05:00pm - 09:00pm Muslim Link Fundraising Dinner - but first, The Good News. Featuring Hamza Tzortzis, internationally renowned da'ee and debater. Tickets: $25/person, $5 Childcare. Location : Montgomery Blair Highschool, 51 University Blvd, Silver Spring, MD Contact : www.muslimlinkpaper.com, 301-982-1020 ======================================================== Workshop: The Eternal Challenge Sunday, March 27, 2016 10:00am - 6:00pm Instructor: Hamza Tzortzis. $20 per person, $15 Student with Id. Register at: V1.Bookwhen.com/eternal Location: Diyanet Center of America, 9704 Good Luck Road, Lanham, MD 20706 Contact: 240-595-1705 ======================================================== Faith, Economics and Politics Conference Saturday, April 23, 2016 08:30am - 4:30pm Prince George's County Muslim Council Host Faith, Economics and Politics Conference, The Keys to Empowering our Community. Tickets: Individual Adult: $15, Couple: $25, High School or College Student: $5, Free Childcare Available. Breakfast and Lunch included. Purchase your tickets at, www. pgcmc.org Location: The Diyanet Center of America, 9704 Good Luck Road, Lanham, MD 20716 Contact: For more information, contact us at info@ pgcmc.org

March 18th - April 14th 2016

| 35

MASJID LISTING

Do you have additions, changes, or corrections to the event listings in the Muslim Link? Email us at events@muslimlinkpaper.com, or call us at 301-982-1020. Listing is organized by name of city.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------All Muslim Brothers Association 3900 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22302 Tel: 703-647-0515 Jumma Prayer Only - 1:15 P.m --------------------------------------------------------------------------ICNA VA Center: 2913 Woodlawn Trail, Alexandria, VA 22306.

Tel: 703-660-1255 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Idara Dawat-o-irshad: 4803 VAlley St, Alexandria, VA 22312 Tel: 703-256-8622 | ww.irshad.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Mustafa Center: 6844 Braddock Rd., Annandale, VA 22003 Tel: 703-658-7134 www.mustafacenter.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Baitul Mukarram: 2116 S Nelson St., Arlington, VA, 22204, Tel: 703-778-1550 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Zakaria Masjid 26243 Gum Spring Road, Chantilly, VA 20152, USA

Tel: 571-969-2123|www.ziacademy.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Badr Community Center Of Dumfries: 17794 Main Street, Dumfries, VA 22026 Tel: 703-554-7983 www.bccd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Dar Ul-ghuraba (Masjid Ur Rahmah): 155 Baker St., Emporia, VA 23487 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Dar Al Hijrah: 3159 Rowe St., Falls Church, VA 22044, Tel: 703-536-1030 | www.hijrah.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Moroccan American community Organization Center 5697 Columbia pike , #200 Falls Church , VA 22041 Info@macous.org | www.macous.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Center Of Northern VA Trust (Icnvt): 4420 Shirley Gate Road, Fairfax, VA, 22030 Tel: 703-591-0999 www.icnvt.org | E-mail: Info@icnvt.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Dar Al-noor (Muslim Assoc. Of VA): 5404 Hoadly Rd., Manassas, VA 20112, Tel: 703-580-0808 Fax: 703-221-8513 www.daralnoor.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Manassas Mosque: 12950 Center Entrance Ct, Manassas, VA Tel: 703-257-5537 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Center Of Virginia: 1241 Buford Rd., Richmond, VA 23235 Tel: 804-320-7333 www.icva1.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Greater Richmond 6324 Rigsby Road, Richamond, VA 23226

Tel: 804-673-4177 | www.isgr.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al Rahman: 1305 Hull St., Richmond, VA 23224 Tel: 804-232-7640 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjidullah Of Richmond: 211 North Ave., Richmond, VA 23222 Tel: 804-321-8864/804-647-4297 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Dar-ul Huda: 6666 Commerce St., Springfield, VA 22150, Tel: 703-922-0111 www.darulhuda.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Foundation of America: 6606 Electronic Drive, Springfield, VA 22151 Tel: 703-914-4982 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Noor: 8608 Pohick Rd, Springfield, VA 22153 Tel: 703-451-7615 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Adams Center: 46903 Sugarland Rd, Sterling,VA 20164, Tel: 703-433-1325 www.adamscenter.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Ummah of Fredericksburg Masjid Ar Raja 10127 Piney Branch Rd, Spotsylvania, VA 22553 sheikh.ummah@gmail.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Heritage Center (IHC): 262 A-3 Cedar Ln., Vienna, VA 22180 Tel: 703-206-9056 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-Falah 14918 Jefferson Davis Hwy Woodbridge, VA 22191 Tel: 703-490-2220|masjidal-falah.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON D.C.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Ivy City Masjid: 2001 Galludet St. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002 Tel: 202-904-9668 E-mail: masjidivycity@yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Muhammad: 1519 4th St. NW, Washington D.C. 20001 Tel: 202-483-8832 www.masjidmuhammad.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------The Islamic Center: 2551 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington D.C. 20008 Tel: 202-332-8343 www.theislamiccenter.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------First Hijra Muslim Comm. Center: 4324 Georgia Ave, NW Washington, D.C. 20011 www.firsthijrah.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-islam: 4603 Benning Rd., SE, Washington, D.C. 20019 E-mail: Imammusa@hotmail.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------New Africa Islamic Community Center of Washington. DC.

1628 Good Hope Road, SE Washington, DC. 20020 202.678-1881 | www.naiccdc.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Darr ul Tawheed 3765 First St SE Washington DC 20032 202-520-9997 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Muslim Society Of Washington, D.C.: Howard Center, Room 805 (Above Hu Bookstore) Tel: 202-328-3236 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

MARYLAND

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Annapolis (ISA): 2635 Riva Rd. Suite 110, Annapolis, MD 21401 Tel: 410-266-6660 | www.isamd.org Email: Info@islamannapolis.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Bait-Allah Masjid of Baltimore Inc 200 S. Calhoun Street Baltimore, MD 21223 email: baitallahmasjid@yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Bilal Dawah Center, Inc: 1910 Frederick Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21223 Tel: 410-945-1515 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Bilal Ibn Rabah Hall 4903 Liberty Heights Ave, Baltimore, MD 21207 www.islamicleadership.org/bilal --------------------------------------------------------------------------Dar ul Uloom: 6334 Dogwoood Rd, Baltimore, MD 21207, Tel: 410-493-0785 Email: Darululoommd@aol.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Ul-haq: 514 Islamic Way (Wilson St. ), Baltimore, MD 21217 Tel: 410-728-1363 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-mumineen: 2642 Harford Rd., Baltimore, MD 21218 Tel: 410-467-8798 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Jamaat Al-Muslimeen: 4624 York Rd., Baltimore, MD 21212 Tel: 443-804-5620 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-rahmah/ISB: 6631 Johnnycake Rd., Baltimore, MD 21244 Tel: 410-747-4869 | www.isb.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid As Saffat: 1335 W. North Ave., Baltimore, MD 21217 Tel: 410-669-0655 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Fatima 1928 Powers Lane Catonsville MD, 21228 Tel: 410 800 4880 Email: info@masjidfatima.com www.masjidfatima.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------IRHSCA (Islamic Research And Hum. Services Center Of America): 1 Chambers Ave, Capitol Heights, MD Tel: 301-324-5040 | www.irhsca.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dar-us-Salaam: 5301 Edgewood Rd., College Park, MD 20740, Tel: 301-982-9848 www.duscommunity.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Easton 126 Port Street Unit # 1 Easton, MD 21601 Tel: 410-829 7924 islamicsocietyofeastonmd.yolasite.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Zamzam 1510 Lynch Road, Dundalk, MD 21222 Tel: 410-284-2840 www.masjidzamzam.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Dar al-Taqwa: 10740 Rte. 108, Ellicott City, MD 21042, Tel: 410-997-5711 | www.taqwa.net --------------------------------------------------------------------------Maryum Islamic Center (MIC) 3280 Pine Orchard Lane, Suite A Ellicott City, MD 21042 Tel: 443-574-5188 www.maryumcenter.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-Hikmah: 11064 Livingston Road Unit L (101) Ft. Washington, MD 20744, Tel: 301 292-9009 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Frederick (ISF): 1250 Key Parkway, Frederick, MD 21702 Tel: 301-682-6090 | www.isfmd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Center Of Maryland (ICM): 19411 Woodfield Rd. Gaithersburg, MD 20879 Tel:301-840-9440 www.icomd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Makkah Learning Center (MLC): 814 Brandy Farms Ln., Gambrills, MD 21054 Tel: 410-721-5880 | www.isamd.org Email: Info@mlcmd.org--------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Germantown (ISG): 19825 Blunt Rd., Germantown, MD 20874 Tel: 240-277-7758 | www.isgtown.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Ibn Taymiyyah: 8000 Mlk Highway, Glenarden MD Tel: 301-322-8105 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society of Western Maryland: 2036 Day Rd., Hagerstown, MD 21740 Tel: 301-797-0922 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Southern Maryland Islamic Center (SMIC): 1046 Solomons Island Rd, Huntingtown, MD, 20639 Tel: 410-535-0000 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Avondale Islamic Center: 4637 Eastern Ave., Hyattsville, MD, 20782 Tel: 301-779-9292 -------------------------------------------------------------------------Prince Georges Muslim Assoc.(PGMA): 9150 Lanham Severn Rd., Lanham, MD, 20706,

Tel: 301-459-4942 www.pgmamd.org E-mail: Imam@pgmamd.org.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Turkish American Community Center 9704 Good Luck Rd, Lanham, MD 20706

Tel: 301-459-9589 | www.taccenter.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------La Plata Masjid: 111 Howard Street, La Plata, MD 20646 Tel: 301-609-8769 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Com. Center Of Laurel (ICCL): 7306 Contee Rd., Laurel, MD 20707 Tel: 301-317-4584 | www.icclmd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-Ghurabaa: 8220 Washington St., South Laurel, MD 20724.

Tel: 301-604-3295 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Center Of Lexington Park 22583 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park, MD 20619 Tel: 240-538-7839 or 561-414-0994 www.iclpmd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Southern Pg County P O Box 99, Clinton, MD 20735 5410 Indian Head Hwy, Oxon Hill, MD 20745 Tel: 240 603 4618 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Community Center of Potomac 10601River Road, Potomac MD 20854 www.iccpmd.com | 301-983-0383 E-mail: info@iccpmd.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of The Washington Area (ISWA): 2701 Briggs Chaney Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20904 Tel: 301-879-0930 | www.iswamd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Education Society of Maryland 11504 Veirs Mills Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20902 Tel: 301- 933-3838 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Muslim Community Center (MCC): 15200 New Hampshire Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20905 Tel: 301-384-3454 | www.mccmd.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------IMAAM Center (Indonesian Muslim Association of America): 9100 Georgia Ave Silver Spring, MD 20910 Tel: 301-588-0693 | www.imaam.org Email: infoimaam@gmail.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid An-nur: 5418 Ebenezer Road, White Marsh, MD 21162 Tel: 410-663-9637 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-inshirah: 7832 Fairbrook Road, Windsor Mill, MD 21244 Tel: 410-298-2977 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Randallstown Islamic Center 3117 Rices Lane Windsor Mill, MD 21244 Tel: 443-845-3504 www.ricbaltimore.org E-mail: Info@ricbaltimore.org

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March 18th - April 14th 2016

36 | CONTINUED

Editor-in-Chief: Minhaj Hasan Office Manager: Stephanie Benmoha Layout: Fadlullah Firman Staff Writers: Urooj Fatima Yaman Shalabi Fatimah Waseem Hena Zuberi Sharia Advisors: Sheikh Salah as-Sawi Imam Safi Khan The Muslim Link (TML) is published once a month on Fridays and distributed throughout the Washington, Baltimore, and Northern Virginia Metropolitan Areas. TML is a non-profit publication and is based at Dar-us-Salaam in College Park, Maryland, USA. Staff and contributors are not necessarily affiliated with Dar-us-Salaam.

The views expressed in The Muslim Link do not necessarily reflect those of Dar-us-Salaam or TML management or their underwriters. Dar-us-Salaam and TML are not responsible for the accuracy of information presented by advertisers, or for the religious compliance of events, products, or services published in TML. This publication contains the names of ALLAH (Subhanahu wa ta’ala). Please keep, recycle, or share it with others The Muslim Link PO Box 596 College Park, MD 20741 Phone : (301) 982-1020 Fax: (240) 209-0702 editor@muslimlinkpaper.com Advertising: 301-982-1020 or email us at office@muslimlinkpaper.com The Muslim Link.

All Rights Reserved 2016

301-982-1020 Call

To d ay

To

Advertise

or Email us at

in

The

Muslim

office@muslimlinkpaper.com ....

Link

marketplace TML ADVERTISERS INDEX

ACCOUNTING & FINANCE Ahmed Eid, CPA | 48 Azzad Asset Management | 3 Bangurah Financial Services | 47 KMS Accounting | 54 Mian Tax Services | 54 The Honest Professionals LLC | 54 BARBER SHOP Barber Lounge | 47 PHD Salon Barber Shop | 47 BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS Washington Report of Middle East Affairs | 16 DINING OUT Almadina Kabobs & Karahi | 45 Amina Thai Restaurant | 38 Food Factory | 40,41 Jerusalem Market - Alquds | 39 Mandarin Restaurant | 44 Pizza Kingdom | 42, 43 Pizza Roma | 38 Planet Pizza | 46 EDUCATION Dar-us-Salaam Qur'an Institute | 10 FAZ | 50 Islamic Research and Humanitarian Services Center of America - IRHSCA | 9 Muslim Community Center- MCC | 17 The Alim Foundation Inc | 16 The Muslim Learning Center | 50 EMPLOYMENT Al-Huda School Job Openings | 6 Banneker Ventures | 8 EVENTS & ACTIVITIES 41st Annual ICNA-MAS Convention | 60 ADAMS Fundraising Dinner | 13

CONTINUED SALAAH TIMES | |

Your Guide to Products and Services for Your Muslim Lifestyle

To Advertise Call 301.982.1020 Al-Huda School Open House | 14 Al-Huda School Summer Camp | 18 Faith, Economics, and Politics Conference | 11 Helping Hand Benefit Dinner | 61 Workshop: The Eternal Challenge | 15 HEALTH CARE Access Dental | 3 Ansari Pediatrics | 51 Dr Kanwal Khan | 49 Grove Dental Clinic | 64 Willoughby Beach Pediatrics | 50 HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING Nejib Youssef | 50 HOME & REAL ESTATE Samson Properties | 53 Townhouse for Rent | 38 LEGAL SERVICES Kemet & Hunt PLLC | 47 Law Office of Khalid Mahmood | 55 Melvin Bilal | 47 Wani & Associates | 3 Waseem Law Group PLLC | 54 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Sunbelt Business Brokers of Fairfax | 56 Sure Shot Pest Control Inc | 52 RELIEF AND AID Burma Task Force | 63 Islamic Relief USA | 62 Mercy-USA for Aid and Development | 2 Zakat Foundation | 19 TRAVEL Almultazam Hajj and Umrah Services | 58 Rendezvous Travel | 57 Zohery Tours | 59

38 | MP - ADVERTISEMENTS

Restaurant Section

March 18th - April 14th 2016

ROOM FOR RENT

Bedroom and 1 Bathroom available in 3BR TH, Columbia, MD, no pets, no smoking. Call 240-731-7585.

SEEKING FUTURE SOULMATE African-American Muslim, 53yo, presently separated but looking for a future wife, prefers Palestinian-American or Pakistani-American, slim to medium, ages 29-42yo, must have no children, no sponsors, 301-412-7089.

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March 18th - April 14th 2016

Restaurant Section

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Restaurant Section

March 18th - April 14th 2016

Restaurant Section

March 18th - April 14th 2016

Appetizers 1. Samosa 2. Samosa chat 3. Shami kabob

$1.25 $2.49 $2.49

Kabob House All Kabobs are cooked on charcoal and served with rice,tandoori naan (bread), salad, chutney (yogurt sauce) andone side of your choice (chickpeas, vegetables or lentils). l. Chicken Kabob (Bone1css) $7.99 2. Lamb Kabob $9.99 3. Beef kabob* $8.49 4. Lamb Chops $12.99 5. Seekh Kabob $7.99 6. Chicken Kabob (Bone-In) $7.49 7. Reshmi Kabob $8.49

Weekend Special 1. Nihari 2. Haleem

$7.99 $7.99

Sweets 1. Rice Pudding 2. Sweets(2pieces) Sweets(Mix)

$2.99 $1.99 $5.99/Lbs

MP - ADVERTISEMENT | 41

Salads Served with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and yogurt sauce on the side...

1. Chicken Salad $6.49 2. Beef Salad $7.49 3. Lamb Salad $8.49 4. Gyro/Falafel Salad $5.49 Drinks Buffet Menu MON-FRI (11AM-4PM) $7.99 MON-FRI (4PM-10PM) $8.99 Weekends $9.99

8. Chapli Kabob* 9. Combination Kabob 10. Bihari Kabob* ll. Fish Kabob Side Orders 1. Naan(Bread) 2. Rice 3. Salad 4. Chutney (Yogurt Sauce) 5. Vegetable Curry 6. Meat Curry 7. Grilled Tomatoes

$8.99 $14.99 $8.99 $9.99

$1.00 & $1.25 $1.99 $2.49 8oz. $1.491 12oz. $1.99 8oz. $2.49 / 12oz. $3.49 8oz. $2.99! 12oz. $3.99 $2.99

By Special Order 1. Biryani(Chicken or Vegetable) $5.99 2. Chicken Karahi (For Two) $17.99 3- Lamb/Beef Karahi (For Two)$19-99 Wraps Served on freshly baked bread with cucumber sauce, lettuce,tomatoes, onions and cheese and yogurt sauce on the side...

1. Gyro Wrap (Lamb and becf mix) $5.99 2. Falafel Wrap $5.49 3. Chicken Wrap $6.49 4. Ground Chicken Wrap $6.99 5. Beef Wrap $6.99 6. Ground Beef Wrap $7.49 7. Lamb Wrap $7.99

1. Can Soda 2. Bottle Soda 3. Chai 4. Yogurt Drinks and Mango Laasi $2.49 5. Bottle Water....

6. Bottle Juice......

$ .99 $1.49 $l.50

$1.25 $1.75

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March 18th - April 14th 2016

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1 Za 00% Habih lal a

t

M

0%ha 10abi lal Z Ha

in Restaur r a d an an

W ande deli cat ver er

March 18th - April 14th 2016

Chinese Halal Cuisine

6366 Commerce Street Springfield, VA 22150 Phone: 703-912-3118, 703-912-5855

Hours

Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm (Last Dine In: 9:30pm) Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm (Last Dine In: 10:30pm)

Lunch Buffet (except holiday) 11am-3:30pm Monday-Friday 7.95 plus tax

Website: www.mandarinchinesehalal.com Email: mandarinhalal@hotmail.com

FOOD TRUCK COMING SOON!

CHEF’S SPECIALS Served with White Rice Hakka Crispy Chicken Hakka Crispy Beef Spicy Crispy Shrimp Sweet & Sour Combo (Chicken & Shrimp) Sesame Chicken General Tao’s Chicken General Tao’s Beef General Tao’s Combo (Chicken & Beef ) Orange Chicken Orange Beef Orange Combo (Chicken & Beef ) Sweet & Sour Fish Chili Fish Spicy Crispy Fish Manchurian Fish Hunan Fish Triple Delight (Chicken, Beef & Shrimp) Chicken in Chef’s Special Sauce

15.50 16.95 13.95 14.95 12.50 12.50 13.95 14.95 12.50 13.95 14.95 17.95 17.95 17.95 17.95 17.95 14.50 11.95 7.50 8.00 9.00 9.00 3.95 9.00 6.50 5.25

SIZZLING PLATTERS Shrimp on Sizzling Platter Steak on Sizzling Platter Scallops on Sizzling Platter Sizzling Chicken Sizzling Fish

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5.50 6.25 6.25 4.00

DAILY SOUP Egg Drop Soup Wonton Soup Chicken Corn Soup Hot & Sour Soup Chicken Tom Yum Soup Shrimp Tom Yum Soup

6.00 6.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 8.50

FRIED RICE Reg.

Vegetable Fried Rice 9.00 Chicken Fried Rice 9.50 Beef Fried Rice 9.50 Shrimp Fried Rice 9.50 Combo Fried Rice 10.00 (Chicken , Beef & Shrimp) 10.00 Hakka Fried Rice (Chicken & Shrimp)

Spicy

Manchria

9.00 10.00 9.50 10.50 9.50 10.50 9.50 10.50 10.00 11.00 10.00 11.00

LO MEIN (NOODLE)

APPETIZERS Fried Chicken Wings (8) Spicy Chicken Wings (8) General Tao’s Wings (8) Buffalo Style Wings (8) Spring Rolls (2) Spicy Chicken Pakora Teriyaki Beef/Chicken Fried Wontons (8)

Spicy Fried Tofu (8) Shrimp Tempura (4) Crab Rangoon (6) French Fries

18.95 18.95 18.95 18.95 18.95

Plain Lo Mein 8.00 8.00 9.00 Vegetable Lo Mein 9.50 9.50 10.50 Chicken Lo Mein 10.50 10.50 11.50 Beef Lo Mein 10.50 10.50 11.50 Shrimp Lo Mein 10.50 10.50 11.50 Combo Lo Mein 11.25 11.25 12.25 (Chicken, Beef & Shrimp)

SINGAPORE RICE NOODLE With curry or brown sauce Vegetarian Singapore 11.25 11.25 12.25 Chicken Singapore 11.25 11.25 12.25 Chicken & Shrimp Singapore 11.25 11.25 12.25 Beef Singapore 11.25 11.25 12.25 Shrimp Singapore 11.25 11.25 12.25 Combo Singapore 11.25 11.25 12.25

CHICKEN Served with White Rice Chicken with Broccoli Chicken with Mixed Vegetables Hunan Chicken Chicken in Garlic Sauce Chicken in Cashew Nuts Mongolian Chicken Manchurian Chicken Chicken Chilli Kung Pao Chicken Szechuan Chicken Sweet & Sour Chicken

11.50 11.50 11.50 11.50 11.95 11.95 11.95 11.95 11.95 11.50 12.50

VEGETABLES Served with White Rice Sauteed Mix Vegetables Hunan Mixed Vegetables Eggplant in Garlic Sauce Szechuan String Beans Bean Curd w/ Mixed Vegetables

LUNCH SPECIAL

9.95 9.95 9.95 9.95 9.95

$6.95

Monday - Friday 12pm - 3:30pm All Lunch Specials Served with Vegetable of the Day White Rice or Egg Fried Rice or Plain Lo Mein

(Please No Substitutions) Beef with Mixed Vegetables Chicken with Broccoli Chicken Chilly General Tao’s Chicken Kung Tao’ Chicken Manchurian Chicken Pepper Steak with Onions Sauteed Mixed Vegetables Shrimp in Garlic Sauce Sweet & Sour Chicken

NEW ITEMS

Beef, Chicken or Shrimp Teriyaki or Combination Pad Thai with Chicken and Shrimp Bean Thread Rice Noodle with Chicken and Shrimp Fried Bananas with Ice Cream Gulab Jamun (2 pieces)

11.95 12.25 12.25 5.25 2.50

March 18th - April 14th 2016

Restaurant Section

MP - ADVERTISEMENT | 45

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Restaurant Section

March 18th - April 14th 2016

819 Hungerford dr. MUSLIM LINK SPECIAL

$5 off 301-762-9400 ROCKVILLE

Please visit our website: www.PlanetPizzaandSubs.com

WE DELIVER! 11AM- 11PM DAILY

00

any order $25.00 or more -- Pick up ONLY --

ONE COUPON PER CUSTOMER. NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS. LIMITED TIME OFFER The Muslim Link Planet Pizza & Subs • 301-762-9400

FAMILY SPECIAL

Large 14 Inch Pizza with 1 Topping, Your choice of either Chicken or Buffalo Wing Order, 2 Liter Soda +Tax

18

$

HALAL PIZZA & SUBS QUALITY, VARIETY, LOW PRICES!

GLUTEN FREE PIZZAS! ASK FOR DETAILS

99

ONE COUPON PER CUSTOMER. NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS. LIMITED TIME OFFER The Muslim Link Planet Pizza & Subs • 301-762-9400

LUNCh SPECIAL

Two 8” Subs, Two Cans of Soda and Two Bags of chips WE ACCEPT COMPETITOR COUPONS FOR PICKUP ORDERS!

12

$

99

+Tax

ONE COUPON PER CUSTOMER. NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS. LIMITED TIME OFFER The Muslim Link Planet Pizza & Subs • 301-762-9400

PICK-UP SPECIAL

3 Large Cheese Pizzas

19

$

99

ONE COUPON PER CUSTOMER. NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS. LIMITED TIME OFFER The Muslim Link Planet Pizza & Subs • 301-762-9400

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+Tax

March 18th - April 14th 2016

MP - ADVERTISEMENT | 47

PHD Salon Barber Shop Specializing in Natural Hair Care Braids, Twists, Locs, Press & Curl, Shampoo & Conditioner, Corn Rows, Weaves, Set-Roller Wrap, and much more...

For Sisters: Private Area on 2nd Floor Available by Appt. Only Call Sylist Cealia at 240.501.3985

For Men and Boys 1st Floor Level Walk Ins Welcome Phone # 301.604.6980

216 Main Street (Off Route-1) , Laurel, MD 20707

NOW HIRING BARBERS www.BARBERLGE.com (571) 620-2887

302 ELDEN ST. HERNDON, VA Bangurah Financial Services YOUR TRUSTED ACCOUNTANT FOR OVER 20 YEARS WE OFFER SERVICES IN ALL 50 STATES

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“THE BEST ACCOUNTING AND TAX SERVICES IN THE NATION ” OUR SERVICES Preparing your own income tax return can be a task that leaves you with more questions than answers. According to a study released by the US Government's General Accounting Office last year, most taxpayers (77% of 71 million taxpayers) believe they benefited from using a professional tax preparer.

Whether we like it or not, today's tax laws are so complicated that filing a relatively simple return can be confusing. It is just too easy to overlook deductions and credits to which you are entitled.

Even if you use a computer software program there's no substitute for the assistance of an experienced tax professional. We are with you every step of the way.

OUR ADDED SERVICES OUR COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL CHANGE When someone becomes a customer of Bangurah Financial Services, a child gets fed and when a customer pay their bills each month on select services, another child gets fed.

We Are The World's Largest Direct seller of Telecommunications, Energy & Other Essential Services. * 24 Countries on 4 Continents * Over $800 Million in Revenue * 24 Countries on 4 Continents

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OUR OFFERS Personal Tax Preparation Year Round We Ask All The Right Questions. We Work Harder, Dig Deeper And Fight To Find 100% Of The Credits And Deductions You Deserve Business Tax Preparation Year Round We Prepare Taxes For Corporations, Partnerships, LLC’s, LLP’s, and Sole Proprietorship’s.

1. FREE E-File With Tax Preparation 2. FREE Audit Support/IRS Issues 3. FREE Year Round Assistance

PLEASE CALL US TOLL FREE

(240) 315-1412

QUALITY SERVICE INTEGRITY REASONABLE PRICE CREDIBILITY HONESTY Address :- 8006 Driscoll Drive Bowie, MD 20720 Email :- B13acctax@yahoo.com Other Services-Visit Hakeemhameed.acnibo.com

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June 6th - July 10th 2014

50 | MP - ADVERTISEMENTS

March 18th - April 14th 2016

To Advertise in the Muslim Link Call

301-982-1020 or Email us at office@muslimlinkpaper.com

The Muslim Learning Center 2642 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD 21218

443-779-9142

Home School Umbrella Group - Registered Now Enrolling K-12th Graders in Maryland Email: admissions.tmlc-md@outlook.com for enrollment packet.

HVAC Innovation

HEATING - VENTILATION - AIR CONDITIONING

We Install & Service Furnaces | Air Handlers | Air Conditioning | Heat Pumps | Boilers | Water Heaters | Roof Top Units Ductless Heating & Cooling | Humidifiers Thermostats | Air Cleaners | Sheet Metal Duct Work Installation | All Brands Service & Installation

Licensed, Bonded & Insured Certified Technicians 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

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Call Today ! 301-946-0700 $59.50 Residential & Commercial • License HVAC # 5757 • MHIC # 89072 • VA # 2710061540

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Mr. Laher is with Liles Parker, PLLC. He is a Harvard and Georgetown University graduate and a former Jones Day lawyer.

Mr. Laher has handled many cases over the years and always acts in their best interests.

He always does what is best for his clients.

Mr. Laher will help you or try to find you an attorney who can.

Please visit www.Laher.com for our office locations, articles, emails, free newsletter signups and more.

FAZ CREATIVE EDUCATION Child Care & Private School

FAZ Sunday School Arabic – Islamic Fun Activities

WE OFFER COST EFFECTIVE, AGGRESSIVE & QUALITY REPRESENTATION www.LilesParker.com “Your Success is Our Success!” (Offices in DC, TX & LA)

Professional Hair Designers Specializing in Natural Hair Care Braids, Twists, Locs, Press & Curl, Shampoo & Conditioner, Corn Rows, Weaves, Set-Roller Wrap, and much more...

For Sisters: Private Area on 2nd Floor Available by Appt. Only Call Sylist Cealia at 240.501.3985

For Men and Boys 1st Floor Level Walk Ins Welcome Phone # 301.604.6980

2 1 6 M a i n S t r e e t ( O f f R o u t e - 1 ) , L a u r e l , M D 2 0707

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Hours 7:30-6:30 (Monday-Friday)

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March 18th - April 14th 2016

MP - ADVERTISEMENT | 51

Your Child Deserves the Best Medical Care

NEW PEDIATRIC OFFICE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Same Day Appointments

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March 18th - April 14th 2016

A SCH UoD O llege Park, M H D - C

LL

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EP

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•

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REPARAT OR

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MP - ADVERTISEMENT | 53

Y

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OPEN

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Tour the School | Meet the Admin Friday, March 25th - 9 am - 12 pm Monday, April 18th 9 am - 12 pm Monday, May 30th 9 am - 12 pm

Friday, May 6th 9 am - 12 pm

Monday, June 6th 9 am - 12 pm

Friday, July 15th 9 am - 12 pm

Al-Huda School is an accredited Kindergarten to 12th grade Islamic School in College Park, Maryland For more information call (301) 982-2402 or email office@alhuda.org | 5301 Edgewood Rd., College Park, MD 20740

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MP - ADVERTISEMENT | 63

stop genocide of Muslims In Burma Before

After

Out of the 5 million Muslims in Burma only 3 million are left. They cannot hold a job, enter the masjid, go to school, marry, or have children although Rohingyas are indigenous people living in their ancestral lands in Burma. This is the reason 7 Nobel Laureates have declared it a genocide!

Give 10 Minutes a Day To Stop Genocide

The satellite images above by Human Rights Watch show the destruction of homes and property in the Rohingya Muslim area of Kyauk Pyu. There are many towns like that.

The Impact of our United Efforts and Phone Calls 1) The US Congress passed H.Res. 418 supporting Rohingyas.

2) At least 3 attacks on Muslims in Burma have been stopped.

3) The US has re-imposed some of the restrictions on aid to Burma this January.

4) Media is no longer dismissing it as a conflict between the two communities.

A whole lot of work must be done to stop this genocide. Burmese Muslims have asked us to put pressure on their government to protect them. We are counting on your generosity to do this work professionally.

Justice for All

Muslim MUNA

Muslim Ummah

Peace Coalition USA North America

Atlanta shura

ISNA • CAIR • IONA • MANA • MUNA • Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) • Justice For All • Muslim Peace Coalition USA • Majlis Shura of Atlanta • ICNA Canada • DawaNet Majlis Ash-Shura of Metropolitan New York • Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) • Burmese Rohingya Association of North America • Free Rohingya Campaign

www.BurmaTaskForce.org

Muslim Link btf advt Aug 27, 2015.indd 1

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8/27/15 4:39 PM