Eid Al-Adha Announced
(Oct 27, 2011) The
Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) has announced the official date for Eid
al-Adha and it will be on Sunday, November 6, 2011. This means that tomorrow, Friday October 28,
2011 is the first day of Dhul Hijjah and the ten most blessed days of the year.
Regarding the determination of the date of Eid, ISNA follows
the decision of the FCNA to determine the date for both Eid Al-Fitr and Eid
Al-Adha. In the case of Eid Al-Adha, the Fiqh Council of North America (and
ISNA) uses the date determined by the Hajj authorities. The official date was announced by the Hajj
Authorities today and will be Sunday, November 6, 2011.
MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the way in which
the date for Eid al-Adha is determined, please read this short article written
by Dr. Zulfiqar A. Shah of FCNA.
Click to read more ...
Posted on Friday, October 28, 2011
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid-ul-Fitr Celebration at The Islamic Academy of Columbia, SC
30 August 2011
This community milestone is
merely a reflection of the continued efforts of Imam Shaheed; also a
contract Imam on Fort Jackson, and Chaplain (MAJ) Abdullah Hulwe, Muslim
chaplain currently assigned to Fort Jackson. These two Muslim leaders
have worked closely together during this past year, attending to the
religious needs of the Muslims Soldiers and Family members on Fort Jackson.
Imam Shaheed, a student and follower of the late Imam W. Deen Mohammed,
has worked continuously in the Muslim community throughout
the greater Southeastern region of the U.S. for well over 30 years. I
recall him mentioning on several occasions in the past, "we are long
past due, the Muslims here in Columbia, being more in unison with one
another.” This year’s Eid celebration is as good a beginning in that direction
as we’ll find during any time of the year.
InshaAllah, these two communities will serve as a good and ongoing
example of what right looks like throughout the entire Muslim community in
America, not only during the Eid celebrations, but throughout the entire year.
Click to read more ...
Posted on Friday, September 09, 2011
Pentagon Iftar
The Pentagon held its annual
Iftar on August 17, 2011, Wednesday night.
Close to two hundred Muslims from the
military and civil service attended. Iftars are evening meals when Muslims break fast together after sunset during the
month of Ramadan.
US Army Lieutenant Colonel Chaplain
Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad (pictured left) emceed the event. Imam Talib Sharif (pictured left), a retired Chief
Master Sergeant in the US Air Force was awarded a plaque and flag for his
service in the military. Imam Talib is currently the 4th Resident Imam for
the historic Masjid Muhammad in Washington, DC. Representing
ISNA were President Imam Magid, and Secretary General, Safaa Zarzour (pictured above). The theme focused
on the achievements and accomplishments of Muslim Americans in the
military.
Also in attendance was the mother of Corporal Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, a US Army Specialist,
who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom on August 6, 2007 in Baqouba, Iraq.
Click to read more ...
Posted on Friday, August 26, 2011
48th Annual ISNA Convention Sessions
On Friday,
July 1, 2011 the 3-day Chaplaincy Program opened with a session about the need, training, and
challenges of chaplaincy. CH
Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad began the workshop by highlighting the importance of
establishing a greater number of Islamic Lay Leaders, sometimes referred to as
Assistant Imams, or Designated Faith Group Leaders (DFGL’s) in the U.S. Army.
CH Muhammad stressed the current need for lay leaders due to a shortage of
available Muslim chaplains and imams within the various institutions, i.e.
hospitals, universities, correctional facilities, and the Armed Services
branches. Dr. Jimmie Jones spoke on the need for the Muslim community to be
sensitized to establishing religious leaders who are competent and qualified to
conduct services in the Islamic traditions. In order to do this, Dr. Jones
indicated we (the Muslim community) need to establish our own institution of
higher learning, or an Islamic Theological Seminary as the way forward to train
our imams and lay leaders. Dr. Mansur Ali, a prison chaplain and research
scholar from the Untied Kingdom, shared several examples of how chaplaincy work
of all faith backgrounds, including Islam, is conducted and supported in Great
Britain of the British government . Dr. Ali also mentioned some of the
intra-religious challenges experienced by chaplains as a result of a theologically
diverse Muslim inmate population. During the Q&A portion of the seminar,
several very relevant and penetrating questions were presented by an audience
that was well represented by individuals from a variety of professional
backgrounds, including chaplaincy.
Click to read more ...
Posted on Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Ramadan Announcement
The
holy month of Ramadan will be celebrated this year during August. The first day of Ramadan will be Monday,
August 1, 2011. During Ramadan, Muslims must fast each day from dawn
(approximately 1 ½ hours before sunrise) until after sunset. During
these hours, a Muslim cannot consume any food or liquids. Ramadan is followed
by the celebration of Eid- ul-Fitr, one of two Islamic holiday observances.
This year’s Eid-ul-Fitr will be observed on Tuesday, August 30, 2011.
Special
accommodations may need to be made for Muslim military members observing the
Fast. Such accommodations may include: Soldiers that may work a late shift,
i.e., hospitals, Military police; may request to be released from duty at least
1 ½ hours before sunset to make preparations for Iftar (Fast Breaking
Meal) and the sunset prayer. Additionally, Muslims may request an alternate
daily physical training program and schedule as well as exemption from any
rigorous field training exercises.
For more information, visit the FIQH Council of North America website at: http://fiqhcouncil.org/
Click to read more ...
Posted on Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Chaplaincy Session Times at the Convention
Session Times at the 48th Annual ISNA Convention
Friday July 1, 2011
4:45 – 6:15 PM Session 1C Room 33
Muslim Chaplains and Lay Leadership:
The Challenges and Opportunities of Filling the
Void of Religious Leadership
Part one of this session will explore some of the issues and challenges that confront the Muslim community’s ability to provide competent, professional, religious institutions, in the absence of Chaplains or Imams primarily where Muslims co-exist as leadership to patients, inmates, military personnel, and student status.
In part two of this session, Dr. Muhammad Mansur Ali, a Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK, will present a power point presentation on a brief historic account of Muslim Chaplaincy in the UK and discuss his research on Muslim Chaplaincy using qualitative methods, i.e. focus groups and surveys.
Speakers: Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad, Mansur Ali, Omer Bajwa
Moderator: Refat Abukhdeir
Saturday July 2, 2011
10:00 – 11:15 AM Session 4E Room 33
Muslim Women and Chaplaincy: Searching for Reform
This session will examine the various issues and concerns facing Muslim women currently serving or those wanting to serve in the role as pastoral care service providers or Chaplains in institutions such as prisons, armed services, colleges, and healthcare settings.
Speakers: Shareda Hosein, Mumina Kowalski
Moderator: Khadijah Muhammad
Sunday July 3, 2011
10:00 – 11:30 AM Session 12H Room 33
Establishing Best Practices for Muslims in a
Changing Environment
This session will examine the importance of providing broad-based institutional support, through such methods as participating in inter/intra-faith dialogu. Therefore providing consultation and the correct theological guidance to those individuals who may be attracted to distorted views of religion, pastoral counseling services to multiple population and assisting Muslims and non-Muslims who are often curious and simply interested in distinguishing right from wrong as related to fundamental religious practices.
Speakers: Mohamed Magid, Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad
Moderator: Ronald Beyah
Click to read more ...
Posted on Monday, June 27, 2011
48th Annual ISNA Convention-Chaplaincy Sessions
Muslim Chaplains & Lay Leadership: The Challenges and Opportunities of Filling the Void of Religious Leadership
Part one of this session will explore some of the issues and challenges that confront the Muslim community’s ability to provide competent, professional, religious institutions, in the absence of Chaplains or Imams primarily where Muslims co-exist as leadership to patients, inmates, military personnel, and student status.
Part two of this session, Dr. Muhammad Mansur Ali a Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK will present a power point presentation on a brief historic account of Muslim Chaplaincy in the UK and discuss his research on Muslim Chaplaincy using qualitative methods, i.e. focus groups, and surveys.
Speakers: LTC Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad, Dr. Mansur Ali, Ch. Omer Bajwa
Muslim Women and Chaplaincy: Searching for Reform
This session will examine the various issues and concerns facing Muslim Women currently serving or those wanting to serve in the role as pastoral care service providers or Chaplains in institutions such as, prisons, armed services, colleges, and healthcare settings.
Speakers: LTC Shareda Hosein, Mumina Kowalski
Establishing Best Practices for Muslim Chaplains in a Changing Environment
This session will examine the importance of providing broad-based institutional support, through such methods as, participating in inter/intra-faith dialogue, and providing consultation and the correct theological guidance to those individuals who may be attracted to distorted views of religion as well as, if needed, be able to provide pastoral counseling services to multiple populations.
Speakers: Imam Mohamed Magid, Ch. LTC Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad
How to Register:
Register for the ISNA Convention and then please select Chaplain as your career. Certificates of completion will be mailed to attendees who attend all three chaplain sessions at the convention.
Convention Site:
Rosemont Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont, Illinois 60018
Registration Fees:
Adult: $ 97
Hotel Rates:
Hyatt O'Hare: $ 107 + tax
Crown Plaza: $ 75 + tax
Click to read more ...
Posted on Thursday, April 21, 2011
2011 NCMAF Annual Conference
The NCMAF Conference is always an interesting and educational conference. Every year it is held in Alexandria, VA.
Chaplain Colonel Eric Wester presented the results of a research project. It showed the results of a survey of US land forces in the combat zone of Iraq, collected in the summer of 2009. It was called the Army’s Excellence in Character, Ethics, and Leadership (EXCEL) survey. It measured spirituality as one of the individual variables among soldiers. Spirituality is expressed using composite score and three discrete factors. The three factors of spirituality in this study are connection to others, religious identification and hopeful outlook. Chaplain Wester discussed the statistical significant correlations between higher scores of spirituality with measures of ethics and the resilience of Soldiers. Specifically, spirituality correlates positively with five factors of ethics, such as moral courage and moral confidence, as well as increased psychological and physical resilience.
Chaplain Captain Erick Harp of the United States Air Force gave a keynote address during the luncheon. It showed the hardship and reality of serving during wartime. It was a moving address.
The film clip “Chaplains Under Fire”, a documentary, that NCMAF attendees were given a sneak peek of, was quite informative. Round-table discussions on selected clips produced interesting dialogue among the participants at the conference. Chaplain Endorsers from different faiths agreed how important it was for the Chaplains to be available to all faiths. They remarked that soldiers facing death, injury and hardship on the battle field need compassion and spiritual guidance from their Chaplains. During these times, religion is universal, and compassion is ministered to all by all faiths.
Click to read more ...
Posted on Friday, January 14, 2011
Chaplain LTC Abdul-Rasheed Muhammed Addresses Gathering at Pentagon Iftar
O ye who
believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before
you that you may learn self-restraint.
Holy Qur’an 2:264, The Heifer.
Ramadan is
the ninth month in the Islamic (lunar) calendar. Historically it is the month
in which the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, PEACE be upon
him.
In 2010 it
is the month in which more than 1 billion Muslims fast from daybreak to
sunset. Iftar or fast breaking at sunset
is performed nightly. As the national Commander for the Muslim American
Veterans Association I was invited to attend the Iftar held at the Pentagon.
Lieutenant Colonel Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad was to give the keynote address.
Chaplain Muhammad was affirmed into the U.S. Army as the first Islamic Chaplain
in the U.S. Armed Forces at the Pentagon on 3 December 1993.
In his opening remarks from his talk
“Diversity Is Our Strength” Chaplain Muhammad quoted a verse from the Qur’an.
Al-Hujurat
(The Dwellings)
49:13(Asad)
O men! Behold,We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made
you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another.
Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply
conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware.
Click to read more ...
Posted on Thursday, September 16, 2010
Chaplaincy Sessions at the 2010 Annual ISNA Convention
At the 47th Annual ISNA Convention, Chaplaincy sessions were added to the Parallel Sessions. There were two sessions during the Convention. ISNA, along with the help of Chaplain (LTC) Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad, worked diligently to prepare sessions that would illuminate the attendees on what Chaplaincy is, the importance of their work and how it contributes to the health and welfare of our communities and those they serve in the hospitals, prisons, military, etc.
The 1st session, “How can Muslim Chaplains work more effectively with other faith groups within institutional settings” (Prisons, Hospitals, Military, Universities, and Law Enforcement) was presented by three Chaplains, Chaplain Refat Abdkheir (BOP), Chaplain (MAJ) Abuhena Saifulislam, (Navy) and Chaplain (LTC) Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad (US Army). Each chaplain gave a 15-20 minute presentation on their institutional setting, including what it was like as Muslim chaplains working with patients, clients, institutional staff that came from diverse religious backgrounds. The audience was very engaged and fully attentive during the entire 90-minute period.
The 2nd session, “Muslim Chaplains, Who we are, what we do, and why we do it?” was well received and attended by convention attendees. This session was conducted like a workshop with chairs set in a circle. Participants and speakers were placed on equal footing. This process enabled more active and effective communication to take place! As participants entered the room they were asked to get a chair and make it a part of the circle. Five chaplains participated in this workshop. They consisted of, 2 military, 1 university, 1 hospital, and 1 prison chaplain.
We’d like to thank everyone who participated and worked on these sessions, and especially the attendees for showing support and interest in such an important field.
Click to read more ...
Posted on Monday, September 13, 2010