Coming together on Saturday at Frontier Park, Naperville, attendees had the opportunity to indulge in a rich array of experiences, including food, traditional attire, arts, culture, and more.

“This organization needs to support and help and connect between the Muslim businesses so that they can grow,” said ILMCC President Shafeek Abubaker.

“Food vendors, over here, we have around 20 food vendors to give them an opportunity so that they can present their products, their food to the larger community,” he added.

Opening doors to people of all faiths and backgrounds, the festival aimed to foster community unity and promote interfaith dialogue.

With thousands of attendees participating in the event, organizers of the Naperville Halal Fest plan to hold the event annually.

Naperville City Councilman Benny White was among attendants to support the inaugural event.

Similar events usually bring people together, sharing food and conversation.

Earlier this year, the North Carolina Muslim Festival brought hundreds of people together to build bridges with community members.

Last December, the Islamic center of Cambridge, Ontario, invited neighbors for a fun night of games, gifts, prizes and more in the annual Family Fun Night.

Also in Greater Lansing, the Islamic center hosted Salaam Peace Festival to bring different cultures together through exhibits and food.

Source: AboutIslam.net

In his opening remarks, Al-Issa said: “Peace cannot be achieved without total justice, abstract justice can only lead to false peace.” He added: “Religious freedom is a human and logical necessity, a given if we understand the holy texts correctly.”

WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit welcomed Al-Issa to the Ecumenical Center. Tveit reflected: “As religious leaders we have a special responsibility to elevate the sanctity of the life of all human beings created by the Holy God. As communities of faith we are called to show this as love to one another, in relations of respect and care to everybody.”

Tveit continued: “We believe in one God that has created one humanity to live together with its diversity and differences. We are here to share our reflections and commitment to show together what we believe this means in practice. Together we should call for the care of the life of everybody created by God.  Therefore, we must be accountable to those are searching for justice and peace in our use of our Holy texts.

Al-Issa responded: “I am very satisfied to be present and learn more about the distinguished work of the World Council of Churches on peace, unity and co-existence. We seek to achieve the same humanitarian objectives within our religions.”

“One of the most important tasks of the World Muslim League is the defeat of virtual extremist messages that are disseminating the world with hatred,” added Al-Issa. “We have to combat extremists, the means and media used by them. Their objectives are purely material. We all have to be well informed, open to dialogue and new information, keep the truth and listen to all parties” He added: “World religions are neutral, they have nothing to do with profits and individual ambitions. The ones who kidnap religions are the ones that create the problem.”

Al-Issa concluded: “We have to unite and co-operate, those in all different religions and denominations; first reconciliation among us, and then show this paradigm to the rest of the world. As soon as we transform ourselves, we will be able to present mindful and unbiased solutions to others as well. In order to make an impact we would need to work together – through interreligious dialogue – in a sustainable way, neutral, with no political slogans. We need to develop strategic plans together and then make an impact to the world.”

The Muslim World League is an international non governmental Islamic organization based in the Holy City of Makkah.

Source: World Council of Churches

The project aims at producing an online Atlas of the religious minorities’ rights in the Council of Europe member States. The Atlas will provide a general overview of the religious minorities social and legal status in the CoE countries and, through its interactive format, the reader will also have access to data and information concerning a particular country, religious group, and area of rights. Each map will be complemented by a short text that places the map in its socio-historical context and, if necessary, provides further information. Maps and chapters will be updated every three years.

The Atlas is designed to offer an easy-to-read comparative description of the status of religious minorities in the CoE countries. It will consent to identify and compare the different levels of minorities rights protection granted by each State, the legal status enjoyed by each minority group both across the CoE countries and in each of them, and the specific areas of rights that are at stake (again both transversally across the CoE countries and in each of them).

Particular attention will be devoted to the rights implementation so that the gap between formal entitlement and real enjoyment of rights is reduced.

Source: ISA Research Committee 22

Kabir will be the next mayor of the City of College Park following a landslide victory in a special election held over the past month. He is reportedly the first Muslim to hold the post of mayor of any Maryland city.

“This historic moment is a cause for celebration for all those who value diversity and inclusivity. We congratulate Mayor-Elect Kabir on this victory and look forward to continuing to work with him and all our elected leaders to advance causes that affect and matter to our vibrant communities.” Said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry.

He’s served on the city council for the last 12 years, where he’s led efforts like creating the Hollywood Farmers Market. He will be sworn in on Tuesday and serve until November’s regularly scheduled elections.

“I am grateful to my community for electing me as the first Muslim mayor of Maryland as a prime example of what our country offers – the opportunity to fulfill the American dream by serving others.” Said Mayor-Elect Kabir to CAIR in a statement.

Kabir grew up in Bangladesh and lived in the United Kingdom and Canada before moving to College Park 20 years ago. He previously worked as an adjunct professor teaching cybersecurity at the University of Maryland.

Source: CAIR

The newspaper referred to a recent study launched by USC Annenberg’s inclusion initiative; which indicated that Muslims make up 25 percent of the world’s population, but their presence as characters in popular TV series does not exceed 1.1 percent.

The study stated that images of Muslims are often linked to terrorism or violence, as the study conducted found that “more than 30% of the 98 Muslim personalities assessed were vulnerable to perpetrators of violence, while nearly 40% were the target of violent attacks.”

The author of the article said that there is a common trope that portrays Muslims in a bad light and relates to “the feeling of liberation of women when they take off the veil,” which makes the public assume that the veil is a symbol of oppression.

They are also commonly portrayed as submissive and fearful of their male counterparts, reinforcing the idea that Muslim women are vulnerable to oppression.

The author also indicated that the focus is often placed on the faith of those Muslim personalities, which reduces the chances of showing other aspects of their personalities, which makes the public believe that religion is the focus of every Muslim’s life, and also causes Muslims to isolate instead of integrating them and turning them into productive members of American societies.

Note that the aforementioned study revealed that among the 98 Muslim personalities in the sample, almost half of them referred to their faith in some way, and 23.5 percent of them revealed that they were portrayed non-verbally on the grounds that they are Muslims.

Source: Shiawaves.com

Samatar and Adam, both 29, met at St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, where they studied to become respiratory therapists.

Though hospitals provide sterile protective equipment to health care workers, they didn’t have a head covering that met a Muslim Woman’s veil (hijabi) standard.

“We had to find the right material so it’s not too hot or thick, but also not too sheer and meets hijabi modesty standards,” Samatar said.

They settled on two disposable designs: the Zanub, a pull-over with an adjustable elastic band around the face, and the Ikram, a one-size-fits-all wrap.

Mawadda officially launched on Nov. 9, and has since gained international attention, with 30 percent of their reach coming from France, according to business analytics on their website. Their site has also reached users in the United Kingdom and China.

Samatar and Adam hope that providing culturally appropriate protective garments in hospitals will lead to more inclusivity and comfort for Muslims in health care.

“It’s created by us, for us. But having culturally appropriate protection won’t just affect us, it will affect everyone under the care of a Muslim woman: patients, families and communities,” Samatar said.

Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.

Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press

Zaynab Mohamed became the winner in the race to represent State Senate District 63, making history as the youngest woman and one of the first Black women elected to the Minnesota Senate.

In Illinois, Democrats Abdelnasser Rashid won the race to represent State House Districts 21, receiving more than 65% of the votes.

Nabeela Syed also won the race to represent State House Districts 51. They both became the first Muslims elected to the Illinois State Legislature.

Nabilah Islam who prevailed in the race to represent Georgia State Senate District 7, joined incumbent State Senator Sheikh Rahman, the lone Muslim in the State Legislature, who didn’t have a challenger for the District 5 seat.

Nabilah Islam is the first Muslim woman elected to the State Senate while Romman is the first Muslim woman elected to the State House of Representatives and became the winner to represent District 97.

Democrat Munira Abdullahi, who didn’t have a challenger in the general election for Ohio State House District 9, became the first Muslim elected to the Ohio State Legislature.

Abdullahi, a 26-year-old youth director, is also the first Muslim woman to win a seat in the Ohio Legislature.

Ismail Mohamed, one of the city’s first Somali-born attorneys licensed to practice in the state, defeated his opponent Republican J. Josiah Lanning, winning 80% to 20% of the vote.

Democrat 26-year-old Mana Abdi made history in Maine when she was elected to represent State House District 95.

Abdi was unopposed in the general election after her Republican challenger withdrew from the race after posting on Facebook that Muslims “should not be allowed to hold public office.”

South Portland Mayor Deqa Dhalac joined her in the State House of Representatives after getting elected to represent the Maine House of Representatives District 120.

Source: AboutIslam.net

This year’s program saw 53 writers in 13 categories, with 35 judges searching for the best of the best.

After opening to the recitation of the Qur’an, Shahid Bashir from Muslim Hands expressed joy for seeing young writers, adding it is not enough that we read and write as we ought to read and write well.

Receiving their awards, the young winners read some of the work on stage, giving attendants a taste of their creativity.

The host and venue for the day, Professor Clare Lees from the Institute of English Studies, reminded that words can make us cry, and laugh and help us communicate, adding “words carry stories, histories, cultures, and faith.”

Project Manager Zainab Chohan, shared that Muslim Hands support this initiative as it allows them to empower children to share their thoughts and ideas.

Source: AboutIslam.net

Yusuf Shah, a year-six student from Leeds, achieved the maximum IQ for under-18s.

He took the Mensa test after constantly being told how smart he was by his friends.

“I have always wanted to know if I was in the top two percent of people who take the test, it feels special to have a certificate for me and about me.” he said.

Shah is not the only genius Muslim student to make such remarkable success.

In 2019, Tara Sharifi, an Iranian girl and a student in UK’s Aylesbury High School, scored an impressive 162 points. The result put Sharifi well above the “genius benchmark” of 140.

Source: Metro.co.uk

Nabeela oversees the operations and performance of Walmart Canada’s 400-plus stores. She is one of The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business 2022 Top Executives and has nearly 20 years of leadership and business development experience with Walmart, IKEA and Starbucks Coffee. Nabeela has a dual degree in marketing and supply chain management and distribution, and a master’s in industrial and organizational behavior and design. She is a certified executive coach.

Source: WXNetwork.com