3rd Annual Muslim Chaplains Conference
The theme of this year's conference addresses issues of working in a religiously diverse society and workplace, and explores ways and means to improve intra-faith and interfaith services and working relations
The conference is open to imams and Muslim chaplains working with hospitals, universities, the Armed forces, and federal and state, prisons around the Country.
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Posted on Monday, July 30, 2007
ILDC Director Speaks in Munich
Dr. Safi and Mr. Awad outside Penzberg Mosque with Imam Idris and members of boardILDC Executive Director Louay Safi participated in two programs in Germany organized by the senior Muslim chaplain in Germany and by the US Consulate in Munich. The first program involved Muslim service-men and women and their families and was sponsored by the army. It featured several workshops on family values, Islam’s teachings on peace and war, and issues of prejudice and discrimination. The second programs involved several meetings and seminars with public officials, community leaders, and the press.
Col. May commeded Maj. Mohammed for his hardwork and for constantly looking for ways and means to serve his community and country. He also expressed hopes that the Muslim servicepersons and their families work closely with other people of faith to bring mutual understanding and help.
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Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2007
ISNA Strategic Planning Retreat
More than sixty ISNA leaders, including Executive Council and Majlis Shura members, and imams, community, and youth leaders met in Chicago, IL on March 16-18, 2007 at a Strategic Planning Retreat to discuss and chart plans for the future work of the organization. The meeting was organized by the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) that includes AMSE President Dr. Khurshid Qureshi, Fairfax Institute Director Dr. Iqbal Unus ,ISNA Secretary General Dr. Muneer Fareed , ILDC Executive Director Dr. Louay Safi . The meeting was coordinated by Nadia Pirzada, Administrative Manager of ILDC.
The meeting aimed at establishing realistic goals and objectives consistent with the mission and vision of the organization and to develop a strategic plan for the next ten years. The participants were nominated based on their leadership role in the Muslim community and their continuous involvement and support of ISNA. The retreat offered the opportunity to examine ISNA’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats by compiling the responses of two surveys sent to Muslim community leaders.
The participants discussed and developed strategies about providing the clear focus and determining projects and goals of the organization for the coming decade. They established the framework of SWOT analysis, values statements and map of stakeholders. They reached consensus on the highest strategic priorities which includes:
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Posted on Wednesday, May 02, 2007
ILDC Director Joins the Debate on Terrorism in Dublin
Louay Safi addressing the College Historical Society(Plainfield – April 5, 2007) ILDC Director Louay Safi addressed on Wednesday, April 4th, the College Historical Society on the question of political violence. In debating this issue Dr. Safi joined a group of speakers that included Kate Fitzgerald , the chair of the Irish committee of Democrats Abroad , Eamonn Mallie , noted journalist and political commentator, who was behind the Channel 4 documentary "Good Friday Agreement" and author of "The Provisional IRA" and "The Fight for Peace," Deirdre Clancy, an anti-war activist, and Harry Browne, Columnist for the Village magazine and member of Anti-War Ireland .
The Society's Wednesday debate is part of an old tradition that dates back to the days of the British philosopher Edmond Burke, who established the Historical Society in Dublin, Ireland, in 1770. Over the years, the Society hosted debates on timely and often controversial issues, and invited speakers with diverse views on those issues. The list of speakers that addressed the College Historical Society includes Winston Churchill, Joseph Hellar, Ted Kennedy, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, Paddy Ashdown, and Tony Benn.
Dr. Safi stressed the need to have clarity in defining terrorism and consistency in prosecuting the war on terrorism. He pointed out that the current definition of terrorism adopted by world powers is oblivious to violence committed by suppressive governments against civilian populations under their control. He stressed the need to adopt universal criteria rooted in international humanitarian law, and then consistently apply the criteria to both state and non-state actors, without fear or favor. This is not only the right thing to do, he argued, but the most effective way to counter terrorism. He suggested that terrorism should be defined as "the use of violence against civilians and non-combatants for achieving political ends."
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Posted on Friday, April 06, 2007
2nd Annual Conference of Muslim Peacebuilding, Justice & Interfaith Dialogue
Date: May 5-6, 2007
Location: Washington, DC
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Conference Program
Leadership Training program
Hotel Information & Conference Location
ISNA Leadership Development Center & Salam institute for Peace and Justice proudly presents the Second Annual Conference of Muslim Peace building,Justice & Interfaith Dialogue.
This conference aims to create an opportunity for Muslim scholars and practitioners to convene to discuss and clarify main concepts and approaches to peacebuilding, conflict resolution, human rights, democratization and development rooted in the Islamic tradition; to contribute to effective policy development in the Muslim world in the fields of governance, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding. It provides a platform for Muslim Peacebuilding practitioners to share their experiences on the ground with the wider community of Muslim and non-Muslim scholars and practitioners in order to contribute to theory building and practice of conflict resolution in the Muslim world.
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Posted on Thursday, April 05, 2007
Memphis Hosts ILDC Training Program
Memphis program participants listen attentively to Dr. UnusISNA Leadership development center (ILDC) organized, with the Muslim community of Memphis, Tennessee, one day leadership program on March 3, 2007. The program focused on building leadership capacity among community leaders and imams. Sessions focused on strategic planning and implementation as well as on team building in islamic organizations.
Dr. Iqbal Unus, director of the Fairfax Institute, spoke on the topic of Strategic Planning and Implementation. He asserted through his presentation the importance of having a long tern strategic plan which helps guide the organization in all its actions and activities such that the organization stays focused on its overarching purposes. Dr. Louay Safi, Director of the ISNA Leadership Development Center, followed with a presentation on the importance of teambuilding in Islamic Organizations. He emphasized that organizations can truly succeed if all involved work together effectively to fulfill its goals and serve those around them. The presentation was followed by a teambuilding exercise that the participants engaged in.
The program was well attended by leaders of Islamic organizations and members of the community active in Islamic Centers and schools. The 35 participants requested that future programs of this caliber be delivered in their local community. ISNA Leadership Development Center is in the process now of meeting with the local community leaders to ensure the execution of such a request in the near future.
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Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007
ILDC to work with NAIF on Leadership Certificate for Imams
ISNA and NAIF leaders at the conclusion of the two-day visitILDC in conjunction with ISNA General Secretariat recently hosted three leaders of the North American Islamic Federation (NAIF) for a series of meetings. The meetings took place on Friday, February 23 and Saturday, February 24, 2007, and included discussions with ISNA directors and staff. In the various meetings and discussions, NAIF was represented by the Chairman of the Board, Shaikh Mwafaq al Ghalaini and its President Dr. Omar Shahin. Also present in the discussions was Shaikh Waleed Almunaisi, member of the NAIF Board.
NAIF leaders met with ISNA staff on Friday afternoon and were given the opportunity to introduce their organization and work. They discussed the programs and services they provide to their members and the Muslim community at large. NAIF focuses on serving imams and providing support in the area of employment and work conditions. Dr. Omar Shahin shared with ISNA staff some of the challenges facing imams in North America. These included pay schemes and work environment. In response to these challenges, one of the projects NAIF is currently working on is providing affordable group insurance to imams as the majority of whom do not receive healthcare benefits.
In the evening, NAIF leaders met with the Indianapolis area Muslim leaders in during a dinner banquette. The banquette was followed by a discussion concerning improving relationships between ISNA headquarters and the greater Indianapolis Muslim community. The meeting was chaired by ILDC Executive Director Dr. Louay Safi, and Dr. Muneer Fareed, ISNA Secretary General, spoke at length on the importance of civil society organizations in the historical Muslim societies. He stressed the need to take advantage of being part of a society with vibrant civic culture and organization, and with considerable margin of freedom that allow Muslim community to organize themselves and to take initiatives to develop their resources and live their values. Dr. Fareed emphasized the need to have better communications among Muslim leaders and offered the support of ISNA to develop the appropriate structure for cooperation among Indianapolis Muslims.
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Posted on Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Loyalty to God and Country
ISNA Executive Director spoke on Tuesday, January 30, at George Washington University on the question of the relationship between religious commitments and the moral obligations of citizens. The talk was part of the Islamic Awareness Week organized by the Muslim Student Association.
Dr. Louay Safi examined the basic values relevant to loyalty to a multi-religious society and concluded that Islam places a moral responsibility on a person to be committed to the general wellbeing and common good of the larger society to which he or she belongs, regardless of the ethnic and religious affiliation of that society. He pointed out that the Muslim highest moral commitment is not to a specific religious or ethnic community, but to the principles of good, right, and justice which form the general foundation of loyalty for Muslims.
Taking historical Muslim experience as the background of his discussion, and using the example of the Medina society which was founded by Prophet Muhammad, Dr. Safi argued that the Prophet of Islam based the fist political society on the universal principles of equal dignity, freedom of religion and movement, and mutual help and support among all segments of the Medina society, many of whom were followers of Judaism. He illustrated how the Covenant of Medina placed mutual help among the members of Medina society over and above any other considerations. Dr. Safi stressed that Muslims' commitment to the covenants they entered into with people of other faiths overrides religious solidarity.
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Posted on Wednesday, February 07, 2007
ILDC Leadership Development Involves Young Muslims
ISNA Leadership development center (ILDC) organized, with the Islamic Center of Hawthorne, Los Angeles, one day youth program on January 6, 2007. The program addressed the challenges and issues facing the Muslim youth. Sessions focused on specific topics such as cross-cultural communication, ethics of disagreement, conflict prevention and resolution, designing successful youth programs.
Dr. Aneesah Nadir, President of the Islamic Social Services Association, spoke on the topic of Challenges of Cross Cultural and Generational Communication. She shared her findings of her research concerning this topic and engaged the audience in an open dialogue. She discussed the possible ways to engage in communication with elders effectively. The second session was conducted by Br. Iyad Alnachef, director of ISNA youth programs and services, who spoke on the effective ways of achieving a successful youth programs.
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Posted on Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Cultural Transformation and Team Building in Houston, TX
ISNA Leadership Development Center and the Islamic Society of Greater Houston organized one and half day Leadership for Community Empowerment (LCE) program on December 9-10, 2006. The program was attended by 50 participants including imams, community leaders, directors of mosque boards and youth leaders. The program was specifically designed to meet the local priorities and needs of the community. The major areas of training were team building in Islamic organizations, leadership through cultural transformation and Islamic principles, and conflict resolution methods. The idea was to identify challenges and issues facing the Muslim communities and foster Islamic learning geared to the North American experience.
The first session was conducted by Dr. Louay Safi, ILDC director, focused on the role of imams and community leaders to provide a platform for mutual cooperation and involvement among the community members.The second session was conducted by Dr. Iqbal Unus who spoke on the importance of teambuilding in Islamic organizations.
The first day event was concluded by a banquet dinner for the community leaders of greater Houston, where Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of ISNA, Dr. Muneer Fareed, Secretary General of ISNA and other local community leaders participated.
LCE program was followed by the leadership meeting on Sunday, December 10, 2006, where ISNA leaders met with the ISGH board to discuss areas of mutual cooperation. It was agreed ISNA organize more leadership and youth training programs, and ISGH offered to host ISNA regional conference in 2007.
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Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007