The Muslim Link, March 20, 2015 by The Muslim Link

RUNNING FOR THE HILLS

JOURNEY OF AJAR >> PG 20

NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS GET EID HOLIDAYS

>> PG 6

29 JUMADA AL-AWWAL - 20 JUMADA AL-AKHIR 1436 A.H. | WWW.MUSLIMLINKPAPER.COM March 20th - April 9th, 2015

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The President said “No religion is responsible for terrorism.”

Then Why Are His Fingers Pointing At Us? TML Coverage of the White House Summit On Countering Violent Extremism Homeland Security and the National Counter-terrorism Center and with the help of social-service providers and religious leaders.

By Hena Zuberi Muslim Link Staff Reporter As the White House convened a ‘Countering Violent Extremism Summit’ on February 17-19, 2015, protesters held a parallel Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) SpeakOut to express their concerns with the framing of the summit.

The problem is that the targets for all the programs are Muslim communities. According to the White House, CVE efforts address the root causes of extremism through community engagement, through programs that build awareness—including briefings on the drivers and indicators of radicalization and recruitment to violence;

Three cities—Greater Boston, Los Angeles, and the Twin Cities in Minnesota—were selected by the federal government to launch long-term pilot programs to counter violent extremism. These programs would be run by the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of

>> COVERAGE Pg 22

Supreme Court Appears to Side with Muslimah in Abercrombie Hijab Case By Hena Zuberi Muslim Link Staff Reporter On a bitterly cold February 25, 2015 morning, the Supreme Court of the United States heard a historic case, EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, in which the federal government sued suing the fashion giant for religious discrimination and accommodation.

Samantha Elauf, a Muslim teenager, interviewed at her local Abercrombie and Fitch kid’s store in Tulsa, OK, in 2008. She was a fashion-conscious 17 year old and had worked in retail before. After being interviewed by the store manager who gave a good

>> HIJAB Pg 16

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EDUCATION

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Hafiz Hassan | 66 Islamic Society of Baltimore - ISB | 25 Jobs at Al-Huda School | 8

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March 20th - April 9th, 2015

COMMUNITY NEWS

Community News Pakistani Man Sought In Murder of Richmond VA Mua'ththin By Muslim Link Staff On January 24, 2015, the Richmond community faced the loss of a long time community member and the muaddin of the Islamic Center of Virginia, Adel El-Madany. He was found strangled and suffocated with a plastic bag over his head at the business he owned, the Three Amigos second hand car dealership. El-Madany’s brutal murder has troubled the local community. His wife discovered the highly respected community member’s dead body at the dealership. He was known as a kind, larger than life man with hugs, food, and favors for all who met him. Imam Amar Antoinette saw him at the masjid on Friday night before the murder. “The violent death of good people is very disturbing,” said Imam Antoinette. “We know him as a friendly, generous and happy person; he would rush to help those who need[ed] help.”

Memorial Cemetery in Colonial Heights. His attorney, John Oppelman, who has represented him in several civil cases told local news that El-Madany was helpful to the whole community. The attorney added, “He had his hands in helping everybody — people who were down and out, people who needed assistance. He would help them, and he would bring some of them to me.”

A well-attended funeral was held at the Islamic Center of Virginia and El-Madany was buried at the Crescent Islamic

After a month of investigation the police are calling it a murder for hire. On the run is Arshad Mahmoud, 56, who the

police say is a flight risk. The local police department is working with federal agents from the FBI to DHS as well as local police in DC, NoVA and Maryland. They are asking anyone with information about Mahmood, who is a Pakistani national, to come forward. US Marshals are involved in the search as there is a clear connection between Mahmood and El-Madany. The local CBS news reporter in the area uncovered civil court documents that suggest that El-Madany knew Mahmood’s wife and

was assisting her. According to those documents, Mahmood owed a $50,000 mahr payment, written into a prenuptial agreement, to his wife of two months. The couple’s marriage was in trouble. “Mahmood is considered armed and dangerous. As with any fugitive from justice, police ask anyone who sights Mahmood not to approach him, but to contact local law enforcement

>> WANTED Pg 13

DC Masjid Vandalized Twice In One Week By Hena Zuberi, Muslim Link Staff Reporter

Tossed and torn Qur'ans lay atop maroon prayer rugs. Shards of glass from broken windows lay on the gray carpet and on the street. That was the sight that greeted worshipers at the Ivy City Educational Center and Mosque in Northeast DC on February 24, 2015. “We have a big shelf—our library—with books by Ibn Kathir [and other scholars]. He dropped that on the floor, grabbed a chair and hit the big, original windows of the building and broke two of them,” says masjid co-founder Mohammad Mobaidin. The vandalism occurred

sometime between 6:30 -8:00 p.m. Two days later, the masjid was vandalized again in the early hours of Thursday morning. Furniture was broken, and wall hangings were ripped off the wall. In a rather bizarre twist an extra large piece

of art depicting the Kaaba was stolen from the masjid. "Police are puzzled; it is starting to look like a hate crime," Mobaidin told the Muslim Link.

this was a hate crime because there were other incidents of vandalism in the Ivy City neighborhood, including a car parked

Police initially said they do not believe

>> VANDALIZED Pg 18

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March 20th - April 9th, 2015

ICNA Council of Social Justice Reaffirms Moral Mission at Annual Banquet By Muslim Link Staff Reporters The Islamic Circle of North America’s Council of Social Justice (CSJ) made strides in 2014 with Imam Khalid Briggs at the helm. From participating in rallies for Palestine to the Walmart Black Friday Protests campaign over labor rights, CSJ was found raising awareness about issues of social justice. The groundwork of social justice in Islam is based on the Quran as “Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and giving to kith and kin, and He forbids all indecent deeds, and evil and oppression: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition.” (An-Nahl 16:90) The launch of the council had delighted interfaith partners such as Wesley M. “Pat” Pattillo, Senior Program Director for Justice and Advocacy and Communication of the National Council of Churches USA. Currently, ICNA members Mohsin Ansari, Mahmood Aijazi, Naeem Mohammad Baig, Imam Griggs, Mahmood Khan, Arif Mannan, Farrukh Raza, Hamed Siddiqui and Maheen Siddiqui, Farrukh Raza, Hena Syed and Salman Syed sit on the board of CSJ.

In 2014, CSJ published a pamphlet on Islam’s condemnation of torture and distributed them at chapters around the country. Members participated in the Close Guantanamo rally in front of the White House with National Religious Campaign Against Torture. The Dallas chapter of CSJ participated in the Free Aafia rally for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. CSJ also co-signed a letter with the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights to oppose the McCaul Border Militarization Bill, HR 399 and recently (virtually) met with the community outreach representative for the Washington Immigration Festival (GWIFF) to explore future joint projects. 2014 also saw National Coalition Protect Civil Freedoms (NCPCF) workshops at the ICNA South East Convention in Atlanta and ICNA NE Rochester Conference, arranged by CSJ. Naeem Baig, Executive Director of ICNA CSJ, serves as the Chairman of NCPCF and Rameez Abid, Communications Director of ICNA CSJ, as the Treasurer. Abid heads the office in D.C and represented CSJ at the United States Council of Muslim Organizations meeting ahead of the Counter Violent Extremism Summit. Imam Griggs, Chairman of ICNA CSJ

and the editor of Message magazine, was one of the presenters at the NCPCF Family Conference in D.C.

ICNA National, Imam Griggs, Chairman of CSJ, civil rights lawyer Asim Ghafoor, and Sh. Abdool Rahman Khan.

CSJ held its Annual Banquet and Fundraiser on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at 6:00 pm. The keynote speaker was Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of North Carolina’s NAACP chapter, the founder of the growing Moral Mondays movement and a leader of the 50th anniversary of the nonviolent votingrights march in Selma, AL. Rev. Barber broached the audience on Selma starting grounds that “we cannot afford to come to Selma for a celebration. It has to be a convocation and a recommitment.”

Imam Griggs is the Muslim chaplain at Wake Forest University and known as a peacemaker and bridge builder. He cautioned American Muslims that they don’t live in a post racial America. He is a passionate advocate of prisoner’s rights and troubled by the two and half million Americans who are incarcerated in the United States. He evoked the Messenger of Allah recapping that Muslims have a responsibility to everyone of Allah’s creation.

He brought a similar message to the packed crowd at the CSJ fundraiser. “Moral dissent is God’s way through us of saying that there is a better way than hate, better than injustice. Moral dissent says there must be a contrast in the world to the ways of domination, destruction and and injustice. Moral is not something historical, it is to live now,” Rev. Dr. Barber, II. “We will not accept the lies of domination,” he eloquently stated as he held hands with Imam Griggs and Sh. Khan. Also speaking were Naeem Baig, President of

CSJ published a paper on Labor Rights in Islam by Sh. Abdool Rahman Khan, in 2014, which is used by NCRAT. He writes that “if employers followed [the] simple guidance that Islam had given over 14 centuries ago, the world of labor would be given their full rights and respect and in turn they will produce way beyond their call of duty.” From anti-torture to immigration reform, CSJ adds an Islamic voice to faith based social justice work in the United States. CSJ advocates for social justice related issues, and believes that ‘education leads to awareness, which in turn leads to change.’

New York City Public Schools to Have Muslim Holidays Off By Greg Botelho, CNN, March 4, 2015

Muslim, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said that almost 1 million of the more than 8 million people in the city's five boroughs practice Islam.

(CNN) New York City public schools will now observe two Muslim holidays, officials announced Wednesday, making the district -- the nation's biggest -- one of the few to put Islamic holy days on its calendar. Under the change announced by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and city Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina, there will be no class for Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, starting next September 24. Another Muslim holiday, Eid al-Fitr -- a festival marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan -- will become a holiday for those in summer school starting in 2016. "This is a common-sense change," de Blasio said Wednesday, "and one

....

The move isn't a surprise, given de Blasio's campaign pledge to alter the school calendar with Muslim families in mind.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (center) poses with Muslim leaders after announcing that city schools will now have off on the two eid holidays. (Photo from AP) that recognizes our growing Muslim community and honors its contributions to our city."

The decision affects some 1 million students in New York City. While it's not known exactly how many of them are

"Muslim students and their families who observe Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha shouldn't have to choose between an instructional day and their religious obligations," said Farina. "This new addition will also enable a teachable moment in the classroom for our students to learn about religious tolerance and the societal contributions of various cultures."

>> NYC Pg 13

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

COMMUNITY NEWS

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COMMUNITY NEWS

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

Muslim Women’s Fashion Store Opens In Mainstream Mall By Omama Altaleb Muslim Link Contributing Writer

as a sign of modesty, yet she still finds it difficult to shop for modest clothing.

Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va. is now home to a Muslim women’s clothing boutique, Zeena. The originally onlinebased store opened its doors to customers Saturday.

“When I go to Tysons corner, I see a significant amount of Muslims shopping there, and they are looking to buy modest clothes,” Arghandiwal said. Zeena’s main focus has been on delivering clothing options for Muslim women specifically. However Jondy said, “We will still remain loyal to that focus, but we are also adding a whole slew of designs to make the store more mainstream.

“We kept hearing from our customers, please we would love to have a place to come try on things,” said Bayan Jondy, Zeena’s co-founder and CEO. Jondy, 35, runs the store alongside her sister and co-founder Amany Jondy. Zeena is the first Muslim women’s fashion store in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area to open in a mainstream shopping mall. The idea to start a modest fashion business that sells long tops, active wear, dresses and scarves came up four years ago, when Zeena was first created at www. simplyzeena.com. “We’ve been designing clothes, my sister and I for ourselves, and we thought we would open a business,” Jondy said. “Then

people started approaching us saying ‘where did you get your shirt from? Can you make me one too?’ and when we started hearing that from people, we got more serious about opening a business.” Their choice to open up their first store in the Tysons area was a no-brainer, as there is a large Muslim community in the D.C. metropolitan area, Jondy said.

“We believe that there’s this area where Muslim women aren’t being catered to and we shop just like everyone else. Just like everyone caters to different body types and different styles — from swimwear to hosiery to shirts, I think it’s important for us to have stores in malls that cater to us,” Jondy said. Fahtamah Arghandiwal, 20, doesn’t wear the hijab — the Muslim headscarf worn

The founders of Zeena hope they are starting a trend for Muslim women to be able to shop at stores that cater to them more. “Tysons is one of the best malls in the area, so it’s kind of been a dream of ours to be here,” Jondy said. Omama Al-Taleb is the editor in chief of layaliwebzine.com, a blog and online lifestyle magazine for Muslim American women.

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highsChool teAChers: Minimum qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in education with a specialization in Advanced Placement (AP) level Math, English, Biology, or History pe teAChers: 1-2 years teaching experience in the field presChool direCtor, AssistAnt direCtor & pre-K teAChers: Candidates with appropriate course work and experience

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Send reSume along with a cover letter and references to the following address: Dar-us-Salaam c/o, Employment, P.O Box 596, College Park, MD 20741-0596 Email: jobs@duscommunity.org | Website: www.duscommunity.org | Fax: 301-982-2325 | For more information please call: 301-982-2408 ** Dar-us-Salaam: Striving to build a vibrant Islamic community that can serve as an effective vehicle to call people to Islam. Dar-us-Salaam encompasses a variety of services, including a preschool, a private full-time elementary, middle and high school, full time hifzh school, various businesses ventures, a newspaper, and other education and community services. Visit us on the web at www.duscommunity.org to learn more about our mission and for a more complete listing of available positions.

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March 20th - April 9th, 2015

COMMUNITY NEWS

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10 | COMMUNITY NEWS

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

Moroccan American Community Masjid President Tasks Rashad Hussain with Closed, Campaign Underway for New Masjid Developing Counterterrorism Message By Muslim Link Staff

By Muslim Link Staff Mohammad Abdelahi of the Moroccan American Community Organization (MACO) was looking for a site in Northern Virginia to move the center. He says that the management of the current site in Falls Church is harassing members of the center and other Muslim businesses. Regular activities have been impeded at the masjid that has served the community for 7 years. In the latest message to the community, the administration of the MACO Masjid informed that the center is now closed due to the new management’s refusal to renew the lease. Jumuah salah was shifted to the Nur Center but in a twist of events this Nur Center-MACO partnership was stopped by the same management since both properties are owned and operated by the same company.

....

Abdelahi thinks it is a part of an increasing trend of harassment of Muslims. The board of MACO and some members of the community have found a space to buy that is a two minute drive from the old Falls Church location. The MACO Board of Directors say that there is an urgent need to raise $2 million within 30 days to secure the building. Over $200,000 has been raised. “Please don't let this opportunity slip away from you , any contribution will make a difference,” reads the message. Interested donors may donate by visiting the MACO website www.macous.org or by visiting any PNC Bank branch and making a deposit to: M.A.C.O Account # 5313730752.

On February 18, 2015, the United States Department of State announced the appointment of Rashad Hussain as United States Special Envoy and Coordinator for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications. According to the State Department, Special Envoy Hussain will lead a staff drawn from a number of U.S. departments and agencies to expand international engagement and partnerships to counter violent extremism and to develop strategic counterterrorism communications around the world.

at the direction of the President and former Secretary of State Clinton in 2010 and codified by President Obama's Executive Order 13584 to coordinate, orient, and inform government-wide strategic communications focused on violent extremists and terrorist organizations. Hussain has served as U.S. Special Envoy to the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), since 2010, where he worked ”to deepen and expand engagement on U.S. policy and build partnerships with Muslim communities around the world.” Mr. Hussain was previously Deputy

Hussain will also serve as Coordinator of the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, which was established

>> TASKED Pg 13

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

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Asslamu Alaykum. Yes, it’s true. The Moroccan American Community Association (MACO) Masjid in Falls Church, Virginia is now operating out of a temporary place for some our programs. Our children and the community are overwhelmed with the sudden closing. Alhumdulillah, we found a new building to establish a new community center and Masjid. The cost of the building is $2 million dollars and MACO is in immediate need of $1 million as a down payment. This is an opportunity for SADAQA JARIAH. Please don't let this opportunity slip away from you, and any contribution will make a difference. You may donate by visiting the website www.macous.org and click on donate or by visiting any PNC Bank branch and making a deposit to: Moroccan American Community Center. Account # 5313730752. Please spread our appeal to other concerned Muslims. We have faith in Allah’s help and we have already collected $176,000, Allahu Akbar! Jazakumullahu Khairan. “He who builds a mosque for Allah, then Allah will build for him a similar house in Paradise.” -- Hadith in Sahih Al-Bukhari

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12 | COMMUNITY NEWS

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

Green Muslims Springing Back to Life, Eco-Activism By Hena Zuberi

Muslim Link Staff Reporter Asma Mahdi, a California transplant to the DC Metro area, misses the Big Blue that she worked to help protect as a student of the environmental sciences. She now works to change behavior in the public through outreach for the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program. She educates the public about the impact of their buying choices and the reality of garbage patches floating in our oceans.

will be springing with new life. Joining Mahdi are Colin Christopher as Executive Director, Emmalee June Aman, Director of Programs and Advocacy, Rumin Sarwar, Director of Operations and Ryan Strom as Legal Counsel. All of them have experience working in public policy or the environment, which can help contribute to bringing policy changes. Green Muslim offers “one-on-one consulting to community leaders, imams, mosque executive boards, Muslim Student Associations, youth, and others to come up with ways to make green ideas permeate the communities these leaders serve.”

She is a Green Muslim. Mahdi is using her knowledge to educate the Muslim community and develop future stewards. She now sits on the new board of Green Muslims as the Director of Communications. After a hiatus, with an updated website and new programming on the way, Green Muslims

An exciting addition to Green Muslims offerings is the "Our Deen is Green!" Outdoor Youth Education Program. Every Saturday in April, Green Muslims will host a half-day, outdoor eco-Islamic education programming for Muslim youth ages 6 to 18 years. “These no or low-cost

weekly outings will draw connections between the life and teachings of our Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu 'alyhi wa sallam, the responsibility we have as khalifas, or stewards of our planet, and the environmental conservation efforts of our local communities,” said the Green Muslims team. Both Christopher and Mahdi, the youth leaders, have ample experience working with young adults and children. Mahdi worked with inner-city students across Los Angeles County teaching them the “Key to the Sea” — a marine education program led by Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. Over two years, she taught more than 500 students about watersheds, pollution prevention, local sandy beach habitat, and ocean stewardship. Christopher, a former preschool teacher, has led a peacebuilding mission between youth from India and Pakistan. If you are interested in this program for

your child and live in the DMV area, visit the Green Muslim website to apply before Sunday, March 22, 2015. Oceans are an amanah from Allah. What can you do to make sure you aren’t contributing to marine debris which impacts animals and the oceans? • • •

• • • •

Get involved! Participate in local cleanups in your area. Remember that the land and sea, no matter where you are, are connected. Reduce the amount of waste you produce. Reuse items whenever possible. Choose reusable items over disposable ones. Recycle as much as possible. Bottles, cans, cell phones, ink cartridges, and many other items can be recycled.

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COMMUNITY NEWS | 13

WANTED

>> continued from pg 5

immediately,” Chesterfield police said in a news release. Two other men were arrested in February. Melvin Leonel Sandoval Vasquez, 24, and Narciso De Jesus Lemus Mendoza, 25, are charged with conspiracy to commit murder. They are both being held in Chesterfield County Jail without bond. The news was received with gratefulness but also trepidation from the local Muslim community as it leaves many unanswered questions. Inna lilahi wa inna ilay hi rajioon- to God we belong and to Him is our return. NYC

>> continued from pg 6

New York City joins school districts in other states, including New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont, that similarly observe Muslim holidays, according to a news release from Farina's office. And Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha join other religious holidays already on New York's public school calendar. In addition to holidays like Easter that always fall on a weekend, students already have Christian holidays such as Good Friday and Christmas off, as well as the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

TASKED

>> continued from pg 10

Associate Counsel to President Obama, focusing on national security, new media, and science and technology issues. He has also served as Director for Global Engagement at the National Security Council and as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, D.C., where he prosecuted criminal cases, according to an official statement. An American of Indian heritage, raised in Plano, TX, Hussain is a hafidh of the Quran. He completed his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and political science

at the University of North Carolina and his master’s degree in Arabic and Islamic studies and public administration at Harvard University. A graduate of Yale Law School, he served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal. In 2004, he came under fire for his critical comments of the Bush regime's handling of terrorism prosecutions. Initially some politicians labeled him ‘unpatriotic and even potentially dangerous.’

Hussain worked with the National Security Council in 2009, developing and pursuing the New Beginning that President Obama outlined in his address in Cairo, Egypt. Before joining the White House, Mr. Hussain was a member of the legal staff for the Presidential Transition Team. He has served as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, and a legislative assistant with the House Judiciary Committee where he focused on national security-related issues.

He also worked on the protection of the rights of minorities living in the Muslim world. In January 2013, Mr. Hussain received the Distinguished Honor Award which is given for "exceptionally outstanding service to the agencies of the U.S. Government resulting in achievements of marked national or international significance."

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14 | COMMUNITY NEWS

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

Youth Compete to Resolve Conflicts at Annual Essay Panel Competition By Raadia Khan Muslim Link Contributing Writer One hundred and fifteen bright-eyed competitors headed to the annual Essay Panel Competition (EPC) at Dar-at-Taqwa in Ellicott City, MD on February 7, 2015 ready to deliver their groundbreaking ideas on conflict management in speech format, posters, PowerPoint presentations and short films. The various media allowed participants to express their ideas in a very competitive, creative, and impressive environment. The competitors confidently presented their opinions in front of judges and families, volunteers, and fellow participants. Participants came from around the region and represented private, public, and home schools. Khadijah Arafah gave a speech on the different kinds of conflict and how to deal with them by controlling your anger, thinking of Allah, and praying two rakats.

Since 2004, Mafiq has organized the Essay Panel Competition. Every year there is a general theme that serves as a prompt for competitor’s entries across levels; this year’s theme focused on conflict management. esteemed judges and volunteers who handed the trophies and certificates to the winners. Grinning fathers bearing iPhone cameras and proud mothers watched their children earn recognition for the hard work they put into EPC. Judges were heard congratulating students and giving them feedback on their writing. In an EPC annual custom, the winning essays and pictures of the posters will be compiled and sold as a part of the next Young Muslim Voices volume, which are available for purchase at Mafiq events and on Amazon.com.

literacy development among our Muslim youth here at home. The final ranking for EPC is based on both speech and essay scores. “We ask judges to pick a speaker from each level for the award ceremony speeches— irrespective of essay scores or overall standings,” said organizers. The Essay Panel Competition and Muslim Youth Debate Tournament are two of the annual events that have been growing and gaining popularity with each year. Since 2004, Mafiq has organized the Essay Panel Competition. Every year there is a general theme that serves as a prompt for competitor’s entries across levels; this year’s theme focused on conflict management.

increasing global conflict, and what they proposed as a solution. Mrs. Nassar, a parent who has been attending the competition with her children for 15 years, said the event went very well. She said EPC has improved every year, with more people attending, better judges and new volunteers. ”I put my [3] kids in there to learn how to write, how to research Islamic topics and to speak,” she shared. Her high school daughter has been competing since she was in kindergarten. Br. Mostafiz Chowdhury, MAFIQ’s organizer, commented that is was his “pleasure working with such coherent and dedicated brothers and sisters.” Many parents and participants commented that they look forward to EPC Mafiq’s developing into a larger and more complex competition, and applauded the organization and competitive spirit among the youth. Coming this summer is the Muslim Youth Debate Tournament, where middle and high school debate teams from different Muslim communities compete and discuss relevant issues in a faith-oriented manner. Visit the website at http://epc.mafiq.org, http://debate.mafiq.org, or contact the organizers via email at essays@mafiq.org.

The emcee, Adib Ahmad, introduced

Mafiq is a non-profit humanitarian organization, established in 1999 that set out with a mission. In accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, Mafiq intends to eradicate class inequality and ease the financial difficulty that burdens too many people across the globe. Along with providing emergency relief, money for Islamic Uddhiya/ Qurbani in impoverished countries, monthly orphan sponsorship, and general donations to those in need, Mafiq also hosts several programs that encourage

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Abdullah Jameel gave a passionate and scholarly speech on what the Qur'and and Sunnah contain of conflict management strategies. After a morning of presentations, everyone gathered in the main hall to watch the riveting short film entries and speeches. A break for Dhuhr salah and a lunch of subs and pizzas was followed by the long-awaited award ceremony.

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Halima Bandarkar - 1st Hasan Mir - 2nd Maryam Mahmood - 3rd Saadiq Ahmed- Special recognition - essay Ahmad Ali Imam - Special recognitionspeech

Ameen Ahmad - 1st Musa Ahmad - 2nd Shaheer Ali Imam -3rd Saad Jameel -Special Speech Sajid Huda - Special Essay

Elementary schoolers were required to write a letter to a loved one narrating how they handled an experience with conflict. Middle schoolers reflected on how to implement the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) manner of being slow to anger, and quick to forgive. The high school level competitors analyzed what they thought to be the source of

Huma Chowdhury - 1st Yomna Nassar - 2nd Afaaf Ahmad - 3rd Farhan Nadeem - Special Essay Zaynub Siddiqui - Special Speech

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Amina Bandarkar - 1st Aabidah Ahmed - 2nd Ibrahim Mir - 3rd Khadijah Samiya, Hunniya Jafri Special recognition - essay Marwa Aligabi- Special recognitionspeech

Adam Ahmad - 1st Abdullah Jameel &Yusra Rahman - 2nd Danyah Imam - 3rd Arafat Ismail - Special Speech Yusuf Khan - Special Essay

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Aamirah Ahmad - 1st Zaakira Ahmed - 2nd Danya Chowdhury - 3rd Jinan M Oubaid - Special recognition - essay Zahrah A Mir- Special recognitionspeech

The official list of winners from EPC 2015 essay, poster, and multimedia competitions is below. Zaynub Siddiqui contributed to this report

Kalimah McKeaver - 1st Shaheer Imam - 2nd Asif Islam - 3rd

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Shaheer Imam - 1st Kalimah Mckeaver - 2nd Asif Islam - 3rd

Poster- High School •

Yuser Tagouri - 1st

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

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Area Youth Convene to Discuss Murder of Chapel Hill College Students By Rana Khan Muslim Link Contributing Writer It was a crime that sent deep shudders within the American Muslim community. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the three victims, Deah Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, were young, vibrant people representative of any average Muslim in America. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they were deeply involved in their communities and their families, were valuable citizens and were at the forefront of humanitarian work to help those who were less fortunate. Or perhaps, it was the fact that their lives were brutally ended within what most people consider their safest haven - their home.

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To help the Muslim community - and especially the youth - come to terms with these killings as well as several subsequent incidents around the country of targeted attacks against Muslims and their places of worship, Dar al-Taqwa hosted a United Youth Awareness event in collaboration with more than 27 masajid and Islamic organizations in the DMV area, on February 27, 2015. Yasir Siddiq, the 20-year old Youth Coordinator at Dar Al-Taqwa, led the congregation for Isha prayer, reciting verses from the Holy Quran which served as reminders of the tests and tribulations Allah will send upon people in this world and the great rewards promised for those who are patient. "These people had goals for their lives, " said Shaykh Yasir afterwards. " They left a legacy. How many people die and no one remembers them? And how many people die and are remembered

centuries later, such as our great scholars in Islamic history?" Shaykh Yasir reminded the audience of the importance of using time wisely. "Time is our most precious commodity, " he advised. "Don't ever spend your time on useless things. We have been created for the purpose of 'ibadah' (worship). Don't let your time pass by and nothing happens. Be a good person. That is the best way to serve 'dawah'. " Aisha Ahmad, a native of Raleigh,

North Carolina, who currently resides in Maryland and who personally knew the three victims recounted her experiences with them. She was a teacher at Al-Iman school in Raleigh and taught Farris Barakat (Deah's older brother) when he was in Fourth Grade. She was also a part of Deah and Yusor's wedding in December 2014. "I want you to know that everything you have seen and heard about Deah, Yusor and Razan and their families, all the pictures you have seen, that is really who

they were. They really were that amazing, " said Ahmad in an emotional testimony to the sincerity of the victims and their families. Speaking afterwards to the Muslim Link, she reiterated that sentiment. "They were just amazing people, better than our generation. They didn't have the same kind of identity issues, perhaps because they were growing up post 9-11. This >> DISCUSS I Pg 17

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assessment, she was not hired by the district manager. Her hijab cost her the job. “I had worked in two other retail stores and was excited to work at the Abercrombie store. No one had ever told me that I could not wear a headscarf and sell clothing. Then I learned I was not hired by Abercrombie because I wear a headscarf, which is a symbol of modesty in my Muslim faith,” stated Elauf. The company says that it didn’t know that she wore the scarf for religious reasons. Since then, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued on Elauf ’s behalf and won. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma found Abercrombie guilty of religious discrimination. The 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals reversed that decision in 2013, siding with the retailer. The issue is whether an employer can be liable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for refusing to hire an applicant or discharging an employee based on a “religious observance and practice” only if the employer has actual knowledge that a religious accommodation was required and the employer's actual knowledge resulted from direct, explicit notice from the applicant or employee. Mr. Shay Dvoretzky, Abercrombie’s lawyer, told the Supreme Court Abercrombie’s dress code banned all head coverings and was not discriminatory towards any one religion. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg found that to be ‘the’ problem. She said,“They don’t have to accommodate a baseball cap; they do have to accommodate a yarmulke.”

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March 20th - April 9th, 2015 Justice Ginsburg pointed out if an applicant cannot ask for accommodation if she does not know the employer ’s rules. In fact, Elauf’s friend who worked at Abercrombie had informed Elauf that her headscarf would not be a problem as long as it wasn’t black since the company doesn’t sell black clothing. Abercrombie’s attorney argued that putting the burden on employers would require them to probe into an applicant’s religious practices. Justice Elena Kagan argued back that

headscarf, [our] civil rights laws protect all of them against religious discrimination,” said Baxter. Attorney Jennifer Wicks of CAIR National, said that she is “cautiously optimistic that a majority of the court will agree to reverse the Te n t h C i r c u i t ' s p e r v e r s i o n o f Title VII standards for religious discrimination cases. The reasonable policy, as articulated by the EEOC today, is that an employer has two choices when the employer has knowledge of a religious practice – (1) make no assumption about

Justice Elena Kagan argued back that having an “awkward conversation” about religion with an applicant was a better choice than not hiring someone because the employer relies on stereotypes about religion. having an “awkward conversation” about religion with an applicant was a better choice than not hiring someone because the employer relies on stereotypes about religion.

religion or (2) educate the applicant about the employer's policy and start a dialogue about whether the applicant could comply or need a religious accommodation."

According to the SCOTUS blog, Justice Sonia Sotomayor offered a solution that “would allow an employer like Abercrombie to inform a job applicant about its work rules without asking probing questions about the applicant’s religion. If an applicant had a beard, for example, the employer could tell the applicant that its “Look Policy” prohibits beards (thereby notifying him of a possible conflict) and simply ask him whether he can comply with that policy, explained Sotomayor.

President of the National Council of Clergy, Rev. Robert Schenck stated what he saw was a court that knows that “there is no constitutional right to fashion preferences, there is a constitutional right to religious practice.” He believes that it should be a good decision for religious freedom in America.

After hearing the oral arguments, Attorney Eric Baxter from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said that he believes the justices were sympathetic to Elauf's case. “The court noted a Jewish employee might come into an interview wearing a yarmulke, a Christian might wear a cross, Samantha Elauf wore a

J e n n i f e r Wi c k s a l s o s a i d t h a t Abercrombie employees “assumed that she was Muslim and wearing the headscarf because she was Muslim, and for that reason did not hire her.” The 10th Circuit ruled that Elauf was not protected under the 1964 Civil Rights Act because she didn’t explicitly inform Ambercrombie during her interview “of the need for a religious accommodation” — that is, that she would need an exemption from Abercrombie’s “look policy.”

P. David Lopez, General Counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), says that Elauf’s case is the latest effort to ensure all persons protected by Title VII are not placed in the difficult position of choosing between adherence to one’s faith and a job. The line to watch the case extended around the Supreme court building as early as 6 am. High school students and European tourists debated the case as they waited to enter the building. Constitutionally covered read signs held by working women in hijab and their supporters i n a r a l l y o rg a n i z e d b y C A I R . Some questioned the wisdom of the faithful working in a store such as Abercrombie which is known for its unethical choices— from hiring practices to less than humane labor practices. According to CAIR, if the court rules in favor of Abercrombie, there would be widespread negative implications for American Muslim applicants and employees of other religions who outwardly manifest their faith through religious practice or grooming such as a hijab, turban, yarmulke, or beard. A smiling Elauf emerged from the courthouse accompanied by her mother. “I am grateful to the EEOC for looking into my complaint and taking this religious discrimination case to the courts. I am not only standing up for myself, but for all people who wish to adhere to their faith while at work. Observance of my faith should not prevent me from getting a job,” said Elauf in a statement issued through her lawyers at the EEOC. Earlier this year the court ruled a Muslim inmate in Arkansas could grow a beard as required by the Sunnah. The Supreme Court is expected to decide on EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores in June.

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

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has made us think about what it means to be Muslim here in America. We need to be more." Ahmad said this tragedy has inspired her to be reminded to be more appreciative in her personal relationships with her loved ones. Ayman Nassar, founder and president of ILIA (Institute of Leadership in America) said, " This has been a test for us in America. A reminder for us that Allah will test us, an opportunity for us to give dawah and spread the message, to stand up with confidence and 'yaqeen'. " The audience was asked to get into several large circles, to hold discussions on several questions that would be presented to them by the group facilitator. On the sisters' side, Dr. Zainab Chaudry, Vice President of the Maryland Chapter of CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations), led the discussion. "As a young Muslim, how do you think you can make a change in the world in any of the following areas: legacy, youth activism, Islamophobia and terror? Sara, president of the MSA (Muslim Student's Association) in her school, said, " We do little things to raise awareness among Non-Muslims in our school, like a "Hijaab" booth and a memorial for Chapel Hill. We talked about "hijaab" in small groups. Having that discussion and dialogue can help to demystify it." Another High School student remarked how when a discussion on freedom of speech and terror (in relation to the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris) took place in her classroom, she stood up and noted the double standards. How is there real freedom of expression in France, she questioned, when women wearing "hijaab" are not allowed to attend public universities? The audience was then asked to present questions or topics of discussion to the panelists, consisting of Dr. Zainab Chaudry and youth members, Ammar Nada and Naeem Baig, both graduates of the Dar-us-Salaam Hifdh School. When asked what their plan for the community was in the wake of recent events, Dr.Chaudry responded, "This question is relevant to each and every

person in this room, and makes up part of our work (at CAIR) on a daily basis. What made it all the more frightening was that three vibrant, young Muslims were targeted in their homes. There is no easy answer." "The first step," she elaborated, "is to realize we cannot remain dormant and ignore the challenges. We have to work within the Muslim community, and with neighbors and friends and beyond. In >> DISCUSS II Pg 26

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18 | CONTINUED VANDALIZED

>> continued from pg 5 near the masjid which was damaged. Mobaidin says there was no visible sign of a hate crime—no graffiti—but the second incident within the same week changed his mind. “They just took the wall hanging off the wall and broke things and left,” he said. This time the police have fingerprints. Community activists say these incidents should be investigated as a possible hate crime. Mobaidin said that is happy with the cooperation the masjid is receiving from the Metropolitan Police which assigned a detective to the case who is investigating the vandalism as a potential hate crime. Agents from the FBI also visited the masjid. As attacks on masajid and Islamic schools increase nationwide, some area Muslims are concerned that – afraid to strain relations with local law enforcement – masjid leaders won't aggressively push police to investigate these incidents as hate crimes. On Thursday morning, the doors to the Ivy City Masjid were locked. Vandals reentered from the broken windows, broke the railings, destroyed the podium and furniture and ripped out wall hangings of verses from the Quran. “That indicate[s] to me, this might be some kind of hate crime," Mobaidin said. He doesn’t like the idea of installing cameras when people are worshiping, but Mobaidin said the masjid must start taking appropriate security measures. Inner city masajid can barely pay to keep their lights on. He initially thought the damage was done by someone from the homeless shelter down the street who missed the shelter's 7:00 pm closing. “They need medical attention as a lot of them don’t take [their] medication and knock over garbage cans,” said Mobaidin. "Something is not right here," Zainab Chaudry of the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations (CAIR) said. CAIR pledged a $500 reward for information about the crime. The Ivy City masjid was established in 1997 in a high-crime part of the District but never had any hate incidents before. The street where the masjid is located was abandoned and used for illegal activities. The masjid cleaned it up and lit up the street. “People live in these neighborhoods who are just trying to live their lives, and they aren't criminals or constant victims,” say students who attend universities near this neighborhood.

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"We know the neighbors; they celebrate iftar with us, they socialize with us. A lot of Muslims live in the neighbor and walk to the masjid to pray." Rudy Abdel Rahman, from College Park, heard about the incident through his local Dar-us-Salaam community. He hopes the effort to help the Ivy City masjid makes the DMV community more united and ushers in greater cooperation between area masajid. Almost twenty years ago, Mohammad Mobaidin drove past a dark street in a North East DC when he saw a man beside a stalled car. He knew it wasn’t a safe neighborhood so he stopped and offered him help. The man turned out to be a visiting imam from Jerusalem. As the two men started talking the imam asked Mobaidin what he done for the faith. “Well Shaykh, I want to build a masjid but for that I need a million dollars,” he replied. The imam replied incredulously, “No, you don’t. Show me what you have here.” Mobaidin showed him a warehouse that he had purchased for his business. “Here is you masjid,” said the imam. He stayed at the behest of Mobaidin for six months and helped him set up, then returned to Jerusalem where he was building a sister masjid... “he also built an orphanage,” said Mobaidin. “We sent a group of Muslims to visit him in the early years, but haven’t heard from him since 9/11.” Currently Imam Ahmad from Pakistan is the imam of the masjid. “The [community members] are okay and even more determined to come to the masjid. We just didn’t know what [this attack] was, if we know that it was someone sick then I would feel much better than [if it is] a hate crime because we don’t expect [a hate crime] in this neighborhood,” says Mobaidin. Worshipers usually leave after businesses in the area closed, especially during the winter season. Previously, the masjid stayed open all day and all night and tried to help people get off the streets. “We tried to [host] sabeel (travelers) for three days, open the bathrooms for people to use to take showers and clean themselves,” said Mubaidin, adding that the practice was discontinued because he masjid couldn’t afford the water bills. The masjid doesn’t host fundraisers— a simple donation box suffices. Gallaudet University students used to

pray at the masjid on Fridays, but now the university hosts Jummahs on campus and discourages students from walking around in the neighborhood. The damage initially was a few thousand dollars, but the need to get security cameras and additional security measures will cost the center additional funds. Islamic Centers, churches and synagogues have reached out to the masjid. An online fundraiser and an after juma' appeal at Dar-us-Salaam in College Park raised over $10,000 as of this report. “Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu 'alaihi wasallam) once remarked that the most beloved places on the earth are its masjids while the most loathsome places to Allah are its marketplaces. May I challenge you to do whatever you can to help our brothers and sisters? They are the custodians of this house of Allah. May I ask you to take the funds you were planning to spend while shopping this weekend and spend them on this masjid?” asked Imam Safi Khan of Dar-us-Salaam in an email sent to several

thousand local Muslims. The masjid will use all extra monies received through the online campaign and other donations to make a clean, equitable space for the sisters. Currently, the women have one small room upstairs where they pray; they had been trying for a long time to make a better facility for the sisters 'for prayers and whatever program the sisters need to do'. They currently do not have any educational classes for sisters.. "The money that we received is over what we need. Jazakallah Khayran. They broke the glass, but they brought us together," shared Mohammad Mubaidin when he visited Dar-us-Salaam and AlHuda School on Wednesday, March 4. He thanked the community for its support and recounting some of the positive outcomes of the vandalism, including unity between Muslims and other local religious communities. To donate, mail checks to Ivy City Educational Center and Mosque 2001 Gallaudet St. NE Washington, DC. 20002

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

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March 20th - April 9th, 2015

20 | HEALTH & FAMILY

RUNNING FOR THE HILLS

“Journey for Ajar” 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

There is no brick and mortar masjid at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. There isn't even a log and chink masjid. Yet. So for all intents and purposes our 40 acres has been our masjid.

By Jann McClary

Muslim Link Contributing Writer “I don't wanna.” “It's too much trouble.” “It's too far.” “I don't have to.” “I'll go next time.” Do these sound like what comes out of your child's mouth when you need help with an errand or you suggest a trip to visit 86-year old Auntie So-and-So from back home whose house always smells like old cooking oil from two weeks ago? Well, guess what? It's what grown people often think, or say, when it's time to go to the masjid for salaat. Now you know that if you live less than a mile from the masjid those words have absolutely no business ever coming out of your mouth. But suppose you live two miles from the masjid. Is that too far? Or ten miles. Is that too far? Twenty-five, forty miles. Is that too far? When does it become too far to grab some barakaat from your Rabb? When is it too far to have your feet earn some good deeds for you? There is no brick and mortar masjid at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. There isn't even a log and chink masjid. Yet. So for all intents and purposes our 40 acres has been our masjid. Tariq goes outside and calls the adhan to the hills and critters that surround us. Who needs a building? All of our property is a masjid! Look at the mercy of Ar-Rahman who doesn't require us to go out of our way to find an actual masjid to worship Him if there isn't one near when the time for salaat is in. Narrated Abu Dhaar: I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Which mosque was built first?" He replied, "Al-masjid-ul-Haram."

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I asked, "Which (was built) next?" He replied, "Al-masjid-ul-Aqsa." I asked, "What was the period in between them?" He replied, "Forty (years)." He then added, "Wherever the time for the prayer comes upon you, perform the prayer, for all the earth is a place of worshiping for you." (Sahih al-Bukhari) That is so cool, as long as you don't abuse the barakat. For city folks it's wonderful to live so close to the masjid that you can practically fall out of bed and slip into the first row for fajr in less than ten minutes. But the other side of that is that living farther away has it's rewards, too: Narrated Anas: (The people of) Bani Salama intended to shift near the masjid (of the Prophet) but Allah's Apostle disliked to see Medina vacated and said, "O the people of Bani Salama! Don't you think that you will be rewarded for your footsteps which you

We had heard that there is a masjid in Pueblo, which is a medium-sized city 75 miles due north up I-25. But every time we'd try to call on advance to find out the jum'ah salaat time, no one ever answered, and they had no website. take towards the masjid?" So, they stayed at their old places. (Sahih al-Bukhari) We had heard that there is a masjid in Pueblo, which is a medium-sized city 75 miles due north up I-25. But every time we'd try to call on advance to find out the jum'ah salaat time, no one ever answered, and they had no website. We debated

driving all the way up there only to find out that the masjid might no longer be there. Then we figured, hey fisibilillah. Even if it wasn't, insha Allah, we'd still get the ajar for the intention. So, right after breakfast we began: It takes strategic

>> JOURNEY Pg 21

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JOURNEY

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planning to clean up the breakfast dishes, feed the cat, bring in wood to fire up the woodstove to heat the water for ghusl, take turns in the tiny tub, prep some veggies ahead of time for dinner, and try to get two grown people dressed while maneuvering around a narrow mirror. All this, and still leave two hours plus 15 minutes get-lost-time ahead of jum'ah. Off we go, masjid address in the GPS, ready to stand among rows of Muslims for a change. We drive through Pueblo proper and can tell by the time and mileage estimate on the GPS that we should be close to the masjid. A few more left and right turns and then Miss GPS confidently declares, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Arriving at destination...on left!â&#x20AC;? Not so fast lady, there's no masjid here, just duplexes. Wait. The address matches. Then it occurs to us: How many masaajid begin as a few dedicated Muslims gathering in someone's apartment or house? Dar alTaqwa. ICCL. Dar us-Salaam. ISWA. So Tariq knocks on the door of the bottom duplex. No answer. No lights on. And it's almost time for jum'ah to start. He goes up to the top duplex and knocks, waits a bit, then turns to leave. Just as he begins to descend the stairs, a sister opens the door. Alhamdulillah, someone who would know what's going on. Turns out that the bottom two duplexes are the masjid. Left one for brothers, right one for sisters. Since no other brothers had arrived yet, Tariq beckoned for me to sneak a quick peek at the brothers' side. It was a neat and empty apartment, with a wall partition that had been made into an elegant archway, and two bookcases full of Qur'ans and collections of ahadeeth framing the mihraab. You could fit maybe 30 brothers in there. The sisters' side looked more like a regular apartment with sofas, chairs, kitchen table and the ubiquitous boxes of donated toys that are only ever on the sisters' side. I settled myself in and sat waiting to meet and greet some new sisters. The scratchy hums, clicks and squeaks coming from the wall-mounted speaker let me know the brothers were setting up for the adhaan. In walks a petite sister, the only sister I would meet that day. Intros would have to wait because the adhaan was called and the imaam began in Arabiy, his khutbah advising and warning against dhulm. After

the salaat was finished I found out that the sister was an exchange student from Pakistan studying at a nearby college. Tariq met a bunch of brothers, most were also exchange students from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Jordan and Palestine. All of us made the effort to travel some distance to worship, and we hoped for the reward for the intention. The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So make the effort. Take a little trip for ajar.

Did You Know

That since the Muslim Link began in 1998, we've distributed over 1 million copies of the newspaper you are holding at absolutely NO charge to you? That advertising only pays for 50% of our operating expenses? That our newspaper is a non-profit 501-C3 Islamic project that needs your donations? That you can donate quickly and safely on our website at www.muslimlinkpaper.com ?

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22 | NATIONAL NEWS

National News

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

Iraqi Refugee Gunned Down In Texas In Front of His Home By Muslim Link Staff

A minor has been arrested in his murder.

On the evening of Thursday, March 5, 2015, an Iraqi refugee, Ahmed Al-Jumaili, 36, was murdered in Dallas— shot by a group of young men outside his home as he and his wife were taking pictures of something he was seeing for the first time in his life – snow.

CAIR-Texas Dallas Fort Worth Executive Director Alia Salem says she currently sees no indication that it was a hate crime. "There was nothing said to Ahmed or his wife and her brother by the perpetrators in advance of the shots … no verbal insults or derogatory slurs. They do not wear clothing that would indicate their ethnic or religious identity and Ahmed's wife, Zahraa, was wearing a winter hat that concealed her hijab."

Al-Jumaili arrived in the United States only twenty days ago, surviving ISIS and and Nusra Front violence to join his wife in Texas. The magical moment was cut short by gunfire.

North Dallas is home to a large community of Iraqi refugees. “This is a tragedy that has

brought extreme heartache upon the family and extreme heartache upon the community. There is no shortage of sadness for the loss of this beautiful young man who has only just come to this country 20 days ago,” said Salem. The Dallas Police Department has not ruled out any bias motive. Neighbor Mohammad Dalian said the shots were not random and they shot at the car that he hid behind. A campaign, 'To Ahmed's Family with Love', was started to help his young bride who waited 440 days for him to join her in the United States.

The Janaza took place at Islamic Association of North Texas (IANT) on Saturday, March 7, 2015. Inna lilahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon. In other news, On Tuesday, March 17, 2015, 18 shots were fired at the home of a Muslim family in North Carolina, striking the woman of the house as she slept. According to the Charlotte Observer, police said they can't tell if the shooting was a hate crime until they arrest a suspect. No other homes in the neighborhood were shot. The father of the house, "Abdul" appears to be from the Middle East and has a full beard.

COVERAGE

The United States Council of Muslim Organizations met prior to the summit to gather the thoughts of Muslim leaders. The meeting was closed to media.

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countering extremist narratives—directly addressing and countering violent extremist recruitment narratives, such as encouraging civil society-led counter narratives online; and emphasizing community led intervention efforts to disrupt the radicalization process before an individual engages in criminal activity.

Michael German, a former FBI undercover agent now with the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, has been studying terrorism for more than 20 years and working within terrorist groups. He cautions against the use of strategies such as the ones proposed by the CVE Summit as they are based on flawed theories of radicalization.

The issue Muslims and other faith groups had with this summit is that it concentrated on the American Muslim community and further perpetuated community fears that American Muslims are only looked at through the lens of national security.

“Studies supporting government-favored radicalization theories rarely mention U.S. military actions in Muslim countries, lethal drone strikes, torture, or the Guantanamo Bay prison as radicalizing influences, though many terrorists reference them in attempting to justify their actions,” said German.

Critics and proponents all have one aim in common to keep Americans safe. The way to do this has sparked heated debate. The biggest criticism from community leaders has been that CVE measures put the Muslim community in a box of suspicion, and then asks them to report on each other. By exclusively focusing on the recruitment and radicalization of Muslims and ignoring what the government admitted constitutes the majority of domestic terrorism --‘the very real threat of right-wing violence’ – efforts like the White House CVE summit are tunnel-visioned. CVE SpeakOut organizers Dr Maha Hilal, Darakshan Raja and Rudah Kudaima of

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Some CVE programs have reduced the effectiveness of pro-government groups, shared German.

the Washington Peace Center authored questions for the attendees harnessing their concerns. Some of the questions were apprehensions about the protection of first amendment rights of participants. “Will the new CVE programming focus

on preservation of first amendment rights? They want to know what … first amendment rights of Muslims and Muslim Americans are discussed in the realm of CVE programming?” Others questions pertained to funding and transparency.

The American CVE program is based on a similar effort in the United Kingdom called Prevent, which has had disastrous results, splitting and alienating Muslim communities. The disowning of government-funded TellMAMAUK by

>> COVERAGE I Pg 23

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

COMMUNITY NEWS | 23

COVERAGE I

>> continued from pg 22

many in the British Muslim community is an especially valuable case to look into for the American Muslim community organizations that do chose to engage. TellMAMAUK is an organization that reports anti-Muslim bigotry. The organization is accused of ‘playing up’ Islamic victimhood by the extreme right parties in the UK and also cozying up with anti-Muslim bigots by Muslim critics. Interestingly, according to the CVE Prevent strategy, the ‘victimhood mentality is a signifier for radicalization and eventual terrorism’, making the very effort to report hate crime and bigotry into a precursor for radicalization. Critics from the African American Muslim community say the CVE program is a recycled version of COINTELPRO— which some in the Muslim community are self-embracing. The long history of the FBI using the guise of outreach to gather intelligence on the Muslim community creates an instant trust problem for the new White House initiatives. The government has studied the community in Los Angeles and noted those who chose to engage versus those who chose not to engage. Muslim leaders are worried about what this means for their communities. Will those who do not engage be defined as the ‘bad Muslims’ even though studies show that ‘disengagers’ care about their communities and love the United States in the same manner as any other American? Additionally, CVE models often do not discuss US foreign policy and the effects it has on radicalization or any other political grievances terrorists themselves identify. Dr. Hilal who arranged the CVE SpeakOut protest in front of the White House during the Summit, asks how the government developed an entire strategy without precision and research? CVE SpeakOut organizers want solid evidence beyond anecdotal evidence. CVE programs that have adopted the drivers and indicators of violence have ‘unwarranted legitimacy in some counterterrorism circles’ according to Faiza Patel, who has conducted research on CVE. Patel, the Co Director at the Brennan Center, writes in her study about

the causes of radicalization that are used by the government in forming policy are flawed, such as the religious conveyor theory. This is the belief that non-violent “Islamist extremism” is a conveyor belt to terrorism. She calls it a thinly sourced, reductionist view of how people become terrorists. Will McCants is an analyst at CNA and adjunct faculty at Johns Hopkins University. He previously served as a State Department senior adviser for countering violent extremism. He tops the list of terrorism experts whose words are trusted

by mainstream journalists. He states about the US CVE Initiative that there are at least two major problems with this strategy. “Anyone can potentially sympathize with a terrorist organization if the conditions are right. By framing the problem this way, you risk alienating a broad swathe of people, as the United Kingdom found several years ago in its treatment of British Muslims,” he said. This approach assumes that American Muslims are actually susceptible to this propaganda in large numbers when in fact that has not proven the case, he added.

Another issue McCants says is that “the subtext remains: You Muslims are a potential threat and we, the government, have to co-opt you. As seen in the first iteration of the United Kingdom’s Prevent (CVE) model, this approach isolates already marginal communities even further. The approach risks perpetuating the “us-versus-them” dichotomy the White House is trying to overcome.”

>> COVERAGE II Pg 30

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24 |

Arts & Entertainment

World Press

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

Why Are US Taxpayers Subsidizing Right-Wing Israeli Settlers? That's what this human rights group is asking the IRS. By Josh Harkinson

The behavior of Jewish settlers in Hebron has been repeatedly denounced by human rights groups. In 2001, Human Rights Watch called Hebron "the site of serious and sustained human rights abuses," including "a consistent failure [by IDF] to protect Palestinians from attacks by Israeli settlers." In 2011, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem wrote that settlers "have been involved in gunfire, attempts to run people over, poisoning of a water well, breaking into homes, spilling of hot liquid on the face of a Palestinian, and the killing of a young Palestinian girl."

Mother Jones, March 11, 2015 A few weeks before Benjamin Netanyahu's delivered his controversial address to Congress, the Jerusalem Post reported that the Israeli Prime Minister was considering a campaign trip to Hebron, a right-wing settler community in the Israel-occupied West Bank. The proposed March 10 trip to Hebron, which would have been the first by an Israeli PM in more than a decade, raised eyebrows among Israel's political class and inflamed tensions with Palestinian groups. Last week, Netanyahu called it off, citing security threats.

In 2013, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed "deep concern" at the abusive treatment and harassment directed at a Palestinian activist in Hebron by settler groups and the IDF. Breaking the Silence, another Israeli human rights group comprised of IDF veterans, offers guided tours of Hebronâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but only rarely, the group writes on its website, due to "the Hebron settlers' violence towards our tours and the limited ability of the Hebron police to protect our tours from this violence."

Here in the United States, meanwhile, few politicians have questioned why American taxpayers continue to subsidize the Hebron settlers, accused by international observers of human rights violations that include thefts, battery, and murder. In 2003, the most recent year for which figures are available, an estimated 45 percent of the settler community's funding came from the Brooklyn-based Hebron Fund, whose status as a tax-exempt nonprofit allows Americans to write off donations to the group. "The Hebron Fund has supported, either directly or indirectly, a wide array of acts that are definitely not charitable," says John Tye, the legal director for the global activist group Avaaz, which last week petitioned the IRS to revoke the Hebron Fund's nonprofit status. "They are basically using a small group of Jewish settlers in the West Bank to push Palestinians out of their homes. These settlers are arming themselves, they are engaged in military and paramilitary acts, some of them have connections to terrorism, and they are committing a wide range of crimes against Palestinians." The Hebron Fund declined to make anyone available for comment for this story, or to respond to my written questions.

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TOP: An Israeli settler walks along a street in Hebron with his automatic rifle, bottle of alcohol, and child in tow. Settlers are permitted to carry guns while Palestinians are not. Credit: EAPPI/C. Venables. BOTTOM: Grates and netting erected by store owners to catch garbage thrown by Jewish settlers living above Palestinians shops. ISM Palestine

Hebron, a community of some 200,000 Palestinians located about 30 miles south of Jerusalem, is home to several ancient Jewish holy sites. The modern Jewish occupation began in 1967, after the Six Day War. The Hebron Fund was founded in 1979 to support the settlers, who now number around 850. After years of conflicts between Palestinians and settlers, the historic center of Hebron has come to be known

as "The Ghost Town." It is largely abandoned, with the doors of Arab shops welded shut by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during the second intifada. Palestinians are forbidden from entering much of the area. In other parts of downtown Hebron, Jewish settlers live in buildings above Palestinian shops. The shopkeepers have stretched nets and metal grates over the streets to catch the garbage that settlers routinely throw from their windows.

Just in the past two months, according to B'Tselem, vandals in the Hebron area have destroyed Palestinian olive groves in four locations. At least one former member of a terrorist organization has joined the Hebron settlement. Baruch Marzel, a one-time spokesman for the extremist Kach Party, which is listed by the United States and Israel as a terrorist group, lives in Hebron's Tel Rumeida outpost. In 2011, he helped organize a manhunt for a Palestinian man, Hani Jaber, who'd just been released from jail after serving 18 years for killing a Jewish settler. Posters appeared on Hebron walls with Jaber's face and the words, "Rise up and kill him." >> TAXES Pg 25

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

COMMUNITY NEWS | 25

TAXES>> continued from pg 24

At times, the Hebron Fund has specifically sought to raise money for controversial settler activities. In 2007, according to Salon, it held a fundraiser on a cruise ship in New York's Hudson River to support a settler who'd taken property from a Palestinian family. A year and a half later, the Israeli government ruled that the house had been illegally seized from the family and ordered the settlers out. Once evicted, the settlers set fire to Palestinian houses, olive trees, and cars—25 people were wounded, including a man shot at close range. The United States tax code does not provide detailed information about what can disqualify groups from nonprofit status, though precedent suggests that it includes illegal and discriminatory behavior. In 1974, for example, the Supreme Court ruled that the IRS was justified in revoking the nonprofit status of Bob Jones University over its refusal to admit black students. The Hebron Fund has not released detailed financial information, making it impossible to determine whether it directly bankrolls prohibited activities. Yet Tye of Avaaz argues that the settlements' finances are sufficiently fluid and dependent upon the Hebron Fund to make it inherently complicit in any abuses. "I can't tell you precisely where every dollar has gone," he says. "But when there is a doubt, the legal burden is on the Hebron Fund to produce documents that show how its money is spent." This isn't the first time a group has asked the IRS to revoke the Hebron Fund's nonprofit status. In 2009, a similar complaint was submitted by the Washington-based American-Arab AntiDiscrimination Committee. The IRS never responded. Though Tye believes there's already sufficient public evidence to revoke the fund's nonprofit status, he at least wants the IRS to conduct a thorough investigation. A spokesman for the IRS declined to comment on the case, citing a federal law that bars the agency from discussing specific taxpayers.

Allah Says "Surely I am Near" Allah says: “And when My servants ask you (O Muhammad) about Me, then surely I am near. I answer the prayers of the suppliants when they beseech Me. So let them hear My call and let them trust in Me, in order that they may be led aright.” [Sūrah al-Baqarah: 186] Allah brings up this verse right in the middle of a long discussion about fasting. By bringing up supplications while speaking about the fast, He eloquently brings these two acts of

worship together. In this verse, Allah moves from addressing the believers in general about fasting to addressing the Prophet in particular, telling him to remind them of the devotion and sincerity they are supposed to cultivate through fasting, particularly that they should turn to Allah alone with their prayers and supplications. Indeed , Allah is still addressing the believers in general. He does not say “Tell the believers I am near.” He replies to the question directly, saying “surely I am near.”

Then he goes on to explain what this nearness means, that He answers the supplications of those who beseech Him. This addresses the matter the Prophet’s Companions were concerned about. The question they had originally posed to him was: “Is Allah near so we should commune with Him or far away so we should call out to Him?” Another aspect of Allah’s nearness is that He knows everything about us, what we profess openly as well as our deepest secrets. He says:

>> SEE NEAR Pg 28

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26 |

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

ISLAM

Salaah times for March 20th - April 9th, 2015 Day

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.

DISCUSS II

>> continued from pg 17

North Carolina, some of the strongest allies were allies within the Christian and Jewish communities. If we harness that, we can really improve the situation of Muslims here in America." "There are so many different layers that have to be addressed," said Dr. Chaudry. " Until now, we have had a sense of safety and security. (Now) we feel very vulnerable. Our rights are being violated. These incidents are striking more and more closer to home. While we are educating ourselves and our youth and harnessing our talents, at the same time we have to make sure we work with the different agencies (FBI/CIA), government departments (Departments of Justice/ Homeland Security) and law enforcement to make sure Muslims' rights are protected." "It is outrageous that this (killings in Chapel Hill) is still not being called a hate crime," reflected Dr. Chaudry. "We have to make sure that there is a balance in how things are reported." Ammar Nada also responded to the question using two verses from the

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29/5

5:58

7:11

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8:34

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6:56

1:13

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7:30

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11/6

5:40

6:54

1:13

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7:31

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12/6

5:38

6:53

1:12

4:47

7:32

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13/6

5:36

6:51

1:12

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7:33

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14/6

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Quran. "Our reaction has to be on a community level," said Nada. "Hold "afwu" (forgiveness) in your hand and command with "urf" (which is a lower form of "ma'ruf", meaning good). Take a grip of what little forgiveness you can give. There are little things which we all can agree on. And then leave (alone) those

and think about those not brought up in the Muslim community. They face worse challenges. The kind of character our Prophet (peace be upon him) embodied was such that it would make his worst enemy his best friend." He illustrated his point with the historical

"I'd like to give people the message to just don't forget them (the victims). Go out and start something," advised Oubaid. "Maybe some people will close doors on us, but there are others that will open." who are ignorant. Their (the ignorant one's) provocation is going to cause "shaitan" to prick you (but remain patient and forgiving)." Nada also reminded the Muslim community to be more proactive, going beyond forgiving others and actually inviting them into their fold. "Go ahead and be the one to start first," said Nada. "Don't wait for someone to ask you a question. As Muslims growing up, we get challenges. Step out of your shoes

incident of the brutal killing of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) uncle by Wahshi. Though the loss of his uncle hurt the Prophet (peace be upon him) tremendously, he nonetheless continued sending letters to Wahshi inviting him to Islam. Nada quoted a Prophetic saying that the one who interacts with people and is patient with the harm they inflict upon him, is better than the one who does not interact with them. This, said Nada, was evidence that one cannot make the choice to live in a "bubble" or shelter

oneself or one's community away from one's surroundings. Another question presented to the panel by a Non-Muslim audience member was, " What can Non-Muslim friends do to support the Islamic community? What would you like from us?" Naeem Baig responded, "The first step is to just educate yourself. Most people learn about Islam from the news or T.V. Diversify your source of information. The other step is to interact with us in the different events we hold, and get involved in our initiatives." Baig reminded the Muslim community to be thankful. " Do we, as Muslims, take on a cause as our own or do we only react if it is close to home?" The Muslim Link spoke with several of the youth at the event about their reaction to the killings and what they felt they could do in the aftermath of that tragedy. Many expressed frustration at the lack of mainstream coverage of the event when it first happened, and highlighted the role of social media in getting the word out.

>> DISCUSS III Pg 28

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ISLAM | 27

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28 | CONTINUED DISCUSS III

>> continued from pg 26

Many also spoke about being inspired by the lives and good works of the victims, and how it had become a positive driving force in their own lives. Seventeen year old Luwaila Babiker recounted, " When I first heard about it (the killings) I was nothing but angry, furious. I was surprised that it could happen to anyone. The question 'why, why' kept coming up in my mind. The first thing I thought was 'of course it's because they were Muslim'. As time went on and there was very low coverage of the event, my anger only grew." "It happened and we can't bring them back. We can make dua'a, keep their name alive and take a project like that (Refugee Smiles, which Deah Barakat and his wife, Yusor were involved in) and move it forward," said Babiker. "It's a lesson to learn. It has motivated me to do more. On Twitter, I had a lot of support from Non-Muslims, which is beautiful. They recognized the unfairness. Yes, it was a hate crime. The most beautiful part is that it brought Muslims and NonMuslims together. Coming to events like this, I see so much awareness. I feel we are going on a more powerful path." One student from McDonogh school in Owings Mills said," I feel it's more than just those people (in Chapel Hill). It's (hate killing of Muslims that has) been NEAR

>> continued from pg 25 “Verily, We created the human being and We know what his soul whispers to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.” [Sūrah Qāf: 16] To offer supplications (du`ā’) to Allah is to beseech Him for everything that concerns us in this world and the Hereafter. In doing so, we profess our dependency on Allah, recognize that we need Him, and reveal that we possess no strength or might of our own. It is the clearest expression of sincere faith. Prophet Muhammad said: “Allah is angry with those who do not ask of Him.” [Sunan alTirmidhī (3373)] He also said: “Supplication is the greatest act of worship.” [Mustadrak al-Hākim (1/491)] and also: “Supplication is essentially what worship is.” [Sunan alTirmidhī (2969)] In this way, the Prophet indicated that

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happening. It has just never gotten this much coverage and reaction from the Muslim community." Sixteen year old Tasnim Benalla said she was upset that she found out about the killings on social media, and that it took CNN two days to actually cover it. She said her school has a current events announcement every morning, but they did not mention the Chapel Hill killings. Benalla said her school's MSA had a collaborative meeting with Young Democrats discussing ISIS and the threat of "radical" Islam, an event to which over 50 people came. "People who did have (negative) views about Islam, did learn a lot," said Benalla, emphasizing the importance of having discussions on current issues and engaging those around us. Seventeen year old Jinan Oubaid from Baltimore said she first heard about the killings from her grandmother when she returned from school. She went online to find more information, but it was not readily available. When she saw a picture of the three victims she said, "My heart sank. It was like one of my own had gone. My (Non-Muslim) teacher said it was like she lost one of us, her own students." "I'd like to give people the message to just don't forget them (the victims). Go out and start something," advised Oubaid. "Maybe some people will close doors on us, but there are others that will open."

supplication is not just the best form of worship, but that it comprehends all other forms of worship. After making this statement, he recited the following verse of the Qur’an: “And your Lord said: Call upon me in supplication. I will answer you.” [Sūrah Ghāfir: 60] He also said: “The stingiest of people are those who are stingy in greeting people with peace. The most incapable of all people are those who are incapable of beseeching Allah in supplication.” [Sahīh Ibn Hibbān (4498)] He said: “Whenever any Muslim on Earth beseeches Allah in supplication, Allah will either give him what he asks for or remove from him an evil commensurate to what he asked for, as long as he does not ask for something sinful or ask to break ties of kinship.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhī (3573)] The Prophet related to us that Allah says: “I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he calls upon Me.” [Sahīh Muslim (2675)] [Source: ISLAMToday.net]

Upcoming Events In Your Area Al-Rahmah School Annual Benefit Program Saturday, March 21 2015 Al-Rahmah School Annual Benefit Program - The Gift of Education, An Evening of Celebration and Praise. Monzer Taleb, Bayyinah Instructor; Rabia Chaudry, National Security Fellow. $15 per person, $50 per family. Starts at 5PM. Location: 6631 Johnnycake Road, Baltimore, MD 21244. Register at alrahmah.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Annual Meeting of the Montgomery County Muslim Foundation Sunday, March 22 2015 Begins at 10AM. Registered members of the MCMF are eligible to vote in elections. Your participation in the meeting would be greatly appreciated. Location: MCMF, 811 Russell Ave, Suite G, Gaithersburg MD 20879 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Annual Family Ice Skating Event 2015 Friday, March 27 2015, 4:00pm - 5:50pm Al-Huda School SGA Presents Ice Skating. $15 On-Site Registration, $10 Online at www.alhuda.org. Location: The Gardens Ice House, 13800 Old Gunpowder Rd, Laurel, MD 20707. Contact: For more info, email alhuda.sga@gmail.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10th Annual Central Virginia Qur'an Competition Saturday, March 28 2015 Register online by March 17th. Testing March 21 from 9:30AM to 2:00PM at the Islamic Center of Virginia. Awards Ceremony on March 28th from 1:30PM to 5:00PM at the Islamic Center of Virginia. Prizes, gifts and Zabiha Meal. Location: Islamic Center of Virginia, 1241 Buford Rd Richmond Virginia 23235. Visit www. cvqc.org, email us: centralvaqcc@gmail.com or call (804) 552-0131 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The GITMO Guard Who Accepted Islam Saturday, March 28 2015, 8:00pm - 9:45pm US Army veteran Terry Holdbrooks was a guard at Guantanamo Bay. His experience there led him to accept Islam in 2003. Hear an inside perspective and get firsthand accounts of GiTMO. Listen to an amazing story of faith and conversion while supporting the cause of justice. To register for the event, go to: https://www.mlfa. org/event/gitmo-guard-comes-to-pg-county-md/ Location: PGMA, 9150 Lanham Severn Rd, Lanham, MD 20706 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------English Language Classes at MCC Sunday, March 29 2015 Meets from March 29, 2015 to June 21, 2015. Registration and testing for class placement will be held on 3/8/15, 3/1/15 and 3/22/15 from 11-1pm at the MCC's Main Hall. Location: Muslim Community Center, 15200 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, Md 20905. Contact: Call 301 503-0827 for more information -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mobilization for Dr Aafia Siddiqui Monday, March 30 2015 12 years too long - Justice for Aafia Protest. Sentenced to 86 years for attempted murder, despite the evidence pointing to her innocence, Aafia Siddiqui now needs our help to get the medical attention she so desperately needs. Begins at Noon. at Bureau of Prisons, 320 First Street, NW, Washington DC 20534 www.aafiamovement.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rekindle Your Marriage 2015 Friday, April 03 2015 Experience a Weekend where two hearts become one. Join us for a one of a kind opportunity for couples for a romantic getaway on the tranquil 350 acres, 4 diamond Hyatt Regency resort. Couples will, in Shaa Allah, rejuvenate their relationship while enjoying any of the resorts' amenities, including a spa, hair salon, marina, miniature and full golf courses, volleyball courts, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pools, fitness center, game room and nature preserve. April 3rd - April 5th 2015. Group rates and early bird packages available. Space is limited. Contact: Make your reservation today at www.duscommunity.org or by calling 301-982-9848

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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)” 02-14-2015 Br. Naeem Ajmal, Brother of Mian Aleem Ajmal and cousin of Br. Abdul Basit Bashir, has returned to Allah (swt). Janazah prayer was on February 15, 2015 in Sterling, Virginia. May Allah (swt) forgive all his sins, widen his grave, shower HIS mercy upon him and enter him into the highest place in Jennah. (Source: E. Baig) 02-19-2015 Sr. Zubaida Randhawa, mother of Br. Farid Randhawa, has returned to Allah. We ask Allah (SWT) to shower her with His mercy, compassion and forgiveness, grant her the highest ranks in paradise and give her family support and patience during this difficult time. (Source: ISB) 02-21-2015 Jaffar Iqbal, brother of Javed Iqbal, has passed away. Salaat ul Janazah was on February 22, 2015 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. May Allah accept his good deeds, forgive his shortcomings and enter him into Jannat ul Firdaus, Aameen. (Source: ICM) 02-22-2015 Sr. Faizune Nessa Haq, mother of Br. Farook Quddus, has passed away. Janazah prayer was on February 23, 2015 in Sterling, Virginia. May Allah (swt) forgive all her sins, widen her grave, shower HIS mercy upon her and enter her into the highest place in Jennah. May Allah give them sabr (patience) to bear the loss. Aameen. (Source: E. Baig) 02-24-2015 Br. Mahboob Ali Javid has passed away. Janazah prayer was on February 24, 2015 in Sterling, Virginia. May Allah (swt) forgive all his sins, widen his grave, shower HIS mercy upon him and enter him into the highest place in Jennah. May Allah give them sabr (patience) to bear the loss. Aameen. (Source: E.Baig) 02-25-2015 Sister Khadijah, the grandmother of Sahar, Omar and Sanae Popalzai has returned to Allah. May Allah Subhanahu Wa T'aala grant her the highest level in Firdaws and forgive all her sins through her illness. May He, the most Merciful, give her family and her daughters patience and peace of heart Ameen. (Source: MAS-DC) 02-26-2015 Sr. Tawhida Ibrahim, mother of Sr. Iman Zenhom and mother in-law of Brother Mohammed Salem has returned to Allah (swt). She was a loving grandmother of Begad Salem, Bushra Salem, Duha Salem, Malak Salem & Habeeba Salem as well as Mona Zenhom, Salwa Zenhom, Halah Zenhom, Widad Zenhom & Abdulkareem Zenhom. Janazah prayer was on February 26, 2015 in Sterling, Virginia. May Allah (swt) forgive all her sins, widen her grave, shower HIS mercy upon her and enter her into the highest level in Jennat al Firdous. May Allah give them sabr (patience) to bear the loss. Aameen. (Source: E. Baig) 02-27-2015 Zaibunnisa Siddiqui, mother of Sr. Saba Madani, Anwar and Ubaid Siddiqui, has passed away. Salaat ul Janazah was on February 28, 2015 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. May Allah accept her good deeds, forgive her shortcomings and enter her into Jannat ul Firdaus, Aameen. (Source: ICM) 03-02-2015 Br. Eldin Omar has passed away. Br

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Omar's Janazah prayer was on March 2, 2015 in Manassas, Virginia. May Allah (SWT) forgive all of his sins, may He grant him jannah-tul-firdous and give sabr to family and friends. (Source: Dar Alnoor) 03-04-2015 Dr. Aisha Goheer, eldest daughter of Dr. Anwar and Parveen Goheer, and wife of Bradford Singiser has passed away. The family is longtime members of the MCC and all family members have served MCC for years in various important roles. Aisha and her sisters Attiya and Amina are children of the MCC educational and youth system. The Janaza prayer was on March 6, 2015 in Silver Spring, Maryland. (Source: MCC) 03-05-2015 Col. Sultan Khan, father in law of Abdul Qayyum Malik, has passed away. Janazah prayer was on March 6, 2015 in Manassas, Virginia. May Allah (SWT) forgive all of his sins, may He grant him jannah-tul-firdous and give sabr to family and friends. (Source: Dar Alnoor) 03-07-2015 Altaf Hussain Shah has passed away. Br. Altaf leaves behind his wife Mussarat Shah and son Ahmar Shah. Salaat ul Janazah was on March 7, 2015 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. May Allah accept his good deeds, forgive his shortcomings and enter him into Jannat ul Firdaus, Aameen. (Source: ISG) 03-09-2015 Shamsul Islam Mojumder, father of Reajul Mojumder, has passed away. Salaat ul Janazah was on March 9, 2015 in Germantown, Maryland. May Allah accept his good deeds, forgive his shortcomings and enter him into Jannat ul Firdaus, Aameen. (Source: ICM) 03-10-2015 Br. Mensur Pandurovic has passed away. Brother Mensur leaves behind his wife and daughter. Janazah prayer was on March 11, 2015 in Sterling, Virginia. May Allah (swt) forgive all his sins, widen his grave, shower HIS mercy upon him and enter him into the highest place in Jennah. May Allah give them sabr (patience) to bear the loss. Aameen. (Source: E. Baig) 03-14-2015 Br. Zahid Shamim's Mother and Sr. Shala Shamim's mother in law passed away. Br. Zahid and Sr. Shala are part of ICM's core group and instrumental in the success of our masjid programs. May Allah accept her good deeds, forgive her shortcomings and grant her Jannat ul Firdaus. May Allah give them the Sabr to bear this loss, Aameen. (Source: ICM) 03-15-2015 Br. Ashraf Khan, father of Br. Iftikhar Khan, has passed away. Janazah prayer was on March 15, 2015 in Manassas, Virginia. May Allah (swt) have mercy on him. May Allah (SWT) forgive all of his sins, may He grant him jannahtul-firdous and give sabr to family and friends. (Source: Dar Alnoor) 03-15-2015 Br. Faruk Canic and his wife Sr. Arnela lost their 3 day old baby boy. Janazah prayer was on March 16, 2015 in Sterling, Virginia. May Allah give them sabr to bear the loss and strength during this time, May Allah reunite them with their child in Jannah, Ameen. (Source: E. Baig)

COVERAGE II

>> continued from pg 23 ‘The United States is poised to deploy its global influence and hundreds of millions of dollars to “counter extremism” with few workable ideas and fewer plans for their potential consequences, including the impacts on freedom of expression and privacy,’ comments attendee Naureen Shah of Amnesty International. She says that the often used gang intervention analogy for CVE intervention models are not a fair comparison as American Muslims are not lining up to join extremist organizations. There are currently a total of twelve Americans overseas fighting with Daaesh (ISIS). Patel further expounds in her report, Rethinking Radicalization, that theories used by the FBI and law enforcement ‘suggest, contrary to empirical social science studies, that the path to terrorism has a fixed trajectory and that each step of the process has specific, identifiable markers.” A shocking revelation came to the community through a 36-page document by the National Counter Terrorism Center dated May 2014 unearthed by The Intercept, titled “Countering Violent Extremism: A Guide for Practitioners and Analysts.” According to this document police, social workers and educators would apparently rate individuals on a scale of one to five in categories such as: “Expressions of Hopelessness, Futility,” “Talk of Harming Self or Others,” and “Connection to Group Identity (Race, Nationality, Religion, Ethnicity).” Reading the document, one might think Muslim parents and communities will be judged on bonding issues and access to healthcare. Amongst the CVE initiatives are “leading a workshop with the creative arts community and community leaders in Los Angeles to develop innovative, scalable and implementable programs and tools to counter violent extremism.” The community leaders opposed to CVE say that they see the need for these programs but not policed by the government. All three cities have largely rejected CVE efforts. Los Angeles Reacts The Islamic Shurah Council of Southern California, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Sikh American Legal Defense and

Education Fund and other in Los Angeles based groups serving the American Muslim community questioned the ‘programs as ill-conceived, ineffective and stigmatizing. They cited the futile efforts of expensive Department of Homeland Security fusion centers designed for domestic intelligence. In a statement they urged the government to heed the lessons of the nation’s history. A study by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) quoted a community leader from Los Angeles who expressed concern about the funding of random organizations who do not have roots in the community. “As organizations that are in our communities should be receiving funding and grant money to work with our communities. All of the people that get grants about us are not us or the organizations of our communities.” Another standard worry is that faith communities cannot take on the burden of guaranteeing that anyone from the community will turn to violence. Boston Reacts The community-based organizations in Boston also raised concerns about the CVE programming. In a February 13 letter to Lisa O. Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, they recommend that, ‘to improve public safety, the White House focus on reducing violence regardless of its motivations and work to meaningfully redress systemic human and civil rights violations that erode confidence, domestically and worldwide, in democracy and the rule of law.’ Many interfaith organizations have also signed the letters expressing their concerns. In an open letter to President Obama, the Interfaith Alliance protested White House press secretary Josh Earnest’s statement formally announcing the event, which the group said “mentions only acts of violence perpetrated by individuals who self-identify as Muslims, and it holds up as examples of prevention only CVE pilot programs directed at American Muslims.” According to a Boston Globe report there is an increasing number of public officials calling for domestic intelligence. Former Police Commissioner Ed Davis, who oversaw Boston’s response to the Marathon attacks, helped draft recommendations for policy makers that includes

>> COVERAGE III Pg 32

MASJID LISTING

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

| 31

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 E-mail: Mustafacenter@gmail.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------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

E-mail: Contact@ziacademy.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------Badr Community Center Of Dumfries: 17794 Main Street, Dumfries, VA 22026 Tel: 703-554-7983 www.bccd.org E-mail: Info@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 5613 Lessaburg Pike,#1 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 (ISGR): 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 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 masjidalfalah@verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 --------------------------------------------------------------------------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 Imam’s cell: 571-721-9938 email: baitallahmasjid@yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Bilal Dawah Center, Inc: 1910 Frederick Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21223 Tel: 410-945-1515 --------------------------------------------------------------------------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: 443-438-7986 --------------------------------------------------------------------------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 Phone: 410 800 4880 Email: info@masjidfatima.com Website: 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 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Islamic Society Of Southern Pg County (ISSPGC): P O Box 99, Clinton, MD 20735 5410 Indian Head Hwy, Oxon Hill, MD 20745 Tel: 240 603 4618 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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): 19900 Brandermill Rd., Germantown, MD 20876 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 Imam’s Office: 301-459-1441 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 Community Center of Potomac 10601River Road, Potomac MD 20854 www.iccpmd.com | 301-983-0383 E-mail: info@iccpmd.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------Randallstown Islamic Center 9019 Marcella Ave. Randallstown, MD 21133 Tel: 410-971-4018 www.ricbaltimore.org E-mail: Info@ricbaltimore.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------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 Fax: 410-663-9817 --------------------------------------------------------------------------Masjid Al-inshirah: 7832 Fairbrook Road, Windsor Mill, MD 21244 Tel: 410-298-2977

....

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

32 | CONTINUED COVERAGE III 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-usSalaam 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 2015

....

>> continued from pg 30

establishing the new post of national domestic intelligence director in Washington. They are also “calling on the federal government to empower state and local police to conduct more sleuthing and surveillance of possible terror suspects.” The proposals -- which already have drawn concerns about civil liberties -- would go beyond the steps taken in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2011 attacks. “You can call it gathering intelligence, you can call it being preventive, doing good police work, but the truth is we have to stay on top of what is happening in our cities,” said Davis to the Boston Globe, who left his Boston post in last year and is now a private security consultant. Hina Shamsi, of the ACLU, says that it is hard to overstate the mistrust that minorities, especially the American Muslim community, has of law enforcement as a result of these programs, where they are targeted on the a basis of their beliefs not on the basis of having done anything wrong. “An entire generation of American Muslims are [being raised] up fearful of exercising their first amendment rights,” says Shamsi. At the trail of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Murtaza Husain, a journalist reporting for the Intercept, writes that although Tsarnev is ‘widely described as a “self-radicalized” terrorist, that would be target for a CVE program, in fact “Tsarnaev’s life trajectory leading up to the bombing does not resemble the “path to radicalization” identified in CVE frameworks — raising questions about the capacity of these programs to intervene effectively to preempt terrorism.’ Minnesota Reacts The Washington Post reports that more than half of all Somalis in the United States live in Minnesota. Between 2006 and

2008, the terrorist group alShabab successfully enlisted several Somali Minnesotans to fight overseas, and more than 20 individuals have been charged in federal court in the District of Minnesota in connection with that recruitment drive.

The Summit

In Minnesota where funding is desperately needed for programs to address unemployment and other social issues, many are hesitant to accept funding from the same department that will prosecute. Summit participant U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger heads the department. Several Minnesotans tweeted that those attending the summit don’t represent the community while others said that Imam Adam from St. Paul, MN was a model for how the White House and U.S. law enforcement hope to work with the Somali community. By working within local communities and with civic leaders, they aim to prevent the radicalization and recruitment of young people into extremist organizations.

Some say that the CVE Summit traces its roots back to 2001, when in one of his earliest public appearances after the attack on the World Trade Center, President Bush went to the Washington DC Islamic Center to reassure American Muslims that the US was not planning a war against Islam, but only with a few of its adherents who use select interpretation of Quranic doctrine to justify violent extremism. This engagement with American Muslim communities is a part of CVE, a bottom-up approach. In the words of the White House senior administration officials “it puts communities with civic leaders, with religious authorities, with community power brokers, teachers, health providers, et cetera, in the driver’s seat. They know their citizens best. They are the first line of defense to prevent or counter radicalizing forces that can ultimately lead to violence.”

He admits that he faces deep mistrust within the community. “Is the government sincere about this?” Imam Adam said to the Washington Post. “That’s a big question. The trust is not completely there.” But he added that communities such as his have little choice. “Personally, I think if it’s done right and the government’s sincere, it’s the right thing to do.” At a press conference on February 18, representatives from CAIR-MN and other community leaders expressed concern about informants, sting operations and the effective use of public funds. They stated that they requested U.S. Attorney Luger to let private, non-government foundations offer grants to community o rg a n i z a t i o n s t o p r o v i d e adequate social services that will help educate and empower youth. They believe that any anti-radicalization efforts must be internal and organic and have set up a community taskforce to serve as a united outreach effort to law enforcement agencies.

"No religion is responsible for terrorism, people are responsible for violence and terrorism," President Obama said to the international audience at the summit.

University of Maryland Professor William Braniff of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) in an interview with C-SPAN said that he learned at the summit that there is a lot of excitement about pushing the CVE agenda forward. Globally the government is looking to enlist Sunni Muslim countries. He assured callers that if the US government uses terms that alienate allies then it will not get far in with the strategy. “We don’t spend a lot of time talking about ideology,” and a lot of time is spend on causes of radicalization such as jobs, governance and communities. He said that there should be a greater focus on the ideology. He says that Sunni Muslim majority countries as the most equipped to marginalizing extremist ideology. The mayor of Paris attended the conference along with other

global leaders. She debunked the notion of “no go zones” in her city as perpetuated by Steve Emerson, an anti Muslim pundit, and Governor Bobby Jindal. The Summit offered presentations by social media partners on what works, what doesn’t work, and how our community groups can better use social media. The executive editor of Rappler in the Philippines and Google Ideas in the U.S spoke at the conference. Participants were introduced to new social media tools being used to recruit. Ask/ fm, Kik and Sharespot are new sites being used to pair an online recruit with a fighter of their choice. Here ISIS fighters groom young recruits out of the reach of standard tracking tools. The summit came at the heels of the brutal murders of three Americans at Chapel Hill. Speaking at the summit, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) denounced the United States' targeting of Muslim populations and argued that by failing to prosecute hate crimes against Muslim communities the U.S. government is only furthering extremists' cause. The Congressman brought up the hesitance of law enforcement official to investigate the murder as a hate crime. "It’s important that law enforcement prosecute hate crimes against Muslims.... It’s important that we at least admit that what happened in Chapel Hill probably was not only about a parking space,” he said. "This defies our sense of logic and common sense,” he added. "Razan, Yusor and Deah—the three student victims—were living, walking, breathing examples of countering violent extremism until their lives were taken away," he commented. "Let us not slip into a mistaken idea

that terrorism is somehow a Muslim idea,” he told summit attendees from across the world.

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“Best Burger in NoVA” Northern Virginia Magazine June 2014

Virginia

Arlington Ashburn - One Loudoun Fair Oaks Mall Falls Church Turnpike/Fairfax Tyson’s Corner Center Vienna

Maryland

Crofton/Gambrills Park Potomac National Harbor

Halal, Organic, Grass-fed Beef Halal, Organic Chicken Halal Veggie Options ....

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HALAL, ORGANIC, GRASS-FED BEEF AND HALAL, ORGANIC, CAGE-FREE CHICKEN NO ANTIBIOTICS - NO HORMONES - NO PESTICIDES 290 Cal

ELEVATION BURGER ....

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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

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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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1 Za 00% Habih lal a

0%ha 10abi lal Z Ha

R e n staur i r a d an an

W ande deli cat ver er

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

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

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819 Hungerford dr. MUSLIM LINK SPECIAL

$5 off 301-762-9400 ROCKVILLE

Please visit our website: www.PlanetPizzaandSubs.com

WE DELIVER! 11AM- 11PM DAILY

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

HALAL PIZZA & SUBS QUALITY, VARIETY, LOW PRICES!

GLUTEN FREE PIZZAS! ASK FOR DETAILS

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!

+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

+Tax

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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simplynatural KEEP IT SIMPLE, KEEP IT NATURAL

l a l a h l l a , l a r u t a n NOW SHIPPING TO: eat all- 2015! --------------in Connecticut 100% ZABIHAH HAND SLAUGHTERED UNDER DIRECT SUPERVISION OF ISLAMIC SCHOLARS

100% NATURAL NON-GMO FEED, NO ANTIBIOTICS GRASS-FED BEEF, FREE-RANGE CHICKEN

BEEF, GOAT, LAMB & CHICKEN SUPERIOR QUALITY-PREMIUM CUTS

ONLINE ORDERING DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS www.simplynaturalhalal.com

email: info@simplynaturalhalal.com phone: 202-656-MEAT (6328) fax: 888-898-6328 ....

Delaware District of Columbia Maryland New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Eid Mubarak! Pennsylvania From your Simply Natural Team!!! Vermont Virginia West Virginia

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

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HVAC Innovation

HEATING - VENTILATION - AIR CONDITIONING

We Install & Service

Our attorneys are licensed in: DC, MD, VA, TX, LA and many more

Licensed, Bonded & Insured Certified Technicians 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Heating & Cooling Seasonal Check-up Only

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

www.hvacinnovation.net • ben@hvacinnovation.net

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Your Child Deserves the Best Medical Care

NEW PEDIATRIC OFFICE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Same Day Appointments

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Monthly Muslim Eyeball Magnet.

Advertise in the Muslim Link

301-982-1020

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2015 Leave Beginning of July -- In Shaa Allah

Program Cost $3,300 (meals not included) We also have Economy Hajj ! Program Cost: $6,000

muskhadar1@gmail.com

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Place a personal classified ad. Call us at 301-982-1020. Office@muslimlinkpaper.com We invite you to place a personal classified on the web FREE of charge at www.muslimlinkpaper.com. Classifieds in the print edition of the Muslim Link newspaper are only $1 for every 3 words. All classifieds run for a single monthly issue in the Marketplace section. Get started by emailing your exact text to office@muslimlinkpaper.com and then call in your credit card payment to 301-982-1020 or send a check or money order payable to: The Muslim Link, PO Box 596, College Park MD 20741.

EMPLOYMENT

SERVICES

NOW HIRING Cook and Driver, experience preferred. Apply in person. Planet Pizza and Subs, Rockville, Maryland 301-762-9400. --------------------------------------DRIVERS WANTED Drivers wanted for Pizza Delivery. 301982-6797. --------------------------------------LOOKING FOR POSITION OF IMAM/KHATIB A graduate in Islamic Shariyah, Hafiz a Quran with tajveed recitation, can speak in English, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Farsi and Bengali languages with 35 years experience in above position. Looking for a position of Imam/Khatib/ Hifz School Teacher in any Mosque. Please contact Hassan Hafiz at 703 – 677 – 4496 or hassanbmm@yahoo.com

HOME SERVICES Contractor, Need Home Improvement work done? Interior/ Exterior Estimations. Contact Bro. Allen Scott at 443 538 7643 or ascott1529@yahoo.com --------------------------------------FUNDING SUPPORT NEEDED Funding support is needed at Islamic Learning Multipurpose Center: Contact Bro. Yusef Shahid to see how we can barter a percentage of Home Services work to support bldg and programs. Coordinator: Bro. Yusef Shahid 443 769 0319, Teacher: Sister Touria Elfakir 410 467 1259, Contractor Bro. Allen Scott 443 538 7643. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dynamic Family Dentistry 159 Hillwood Ave, Falls Church, VA 22046

Creating Beautiful Smiles with State of the Art Dental Care

Farida Khattak, d.d.s SPECIALIZING IN: • General Dentistry • Pediatric Dentistry • Endodontics • Orthodontics • Cosmetic Dentistry CONTACT US: Tel: 703 531 0010 Fax: 703 531 1330 www.dynamicfamilydentistry.com Dynamicdental1@hotmail.com Info@dynamicfamilydentistry.com ....

March 20th - April 9th, 2015

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