WhyIslam-DC distributed around 200 packbacks to children in the neighborhood of Masjid Al-Haqq. Inside each backpack was a notebook, a ruler, a set of pencils and a zippered pouch.  We also inserted into the front pocket of each packpack a small  pamphlet on Islam.   The “Day of Dignity” event was one of several throughout the country sponsored by Islamic Relief, in coordination with a masjid,  they gave provided a meal to neighborhood residents, and a various other items for daily usage.  The Baltimore Sun has a short  article on the event.  The parents of many of those who received the supplies were very happy to receive them and said their children really could use the items. InshaAllah, We plan to have another distribution of school supplies in the Washington, DC area after Ramadan.

Conducted by Ashfaq Parkar from WhyIslam NJ

Saturday May 1st, 2010  /  10 AM – 5 PM InshaAllah
Lunch available for purchase – Register online!

Islamic Community Center of Laurel
7306 Contee Rd, Laurel MD 20707
Directions

For further information, please contact
Dr. Kashif Yahya – drmyahya@hotmail.com

32nd Annual Takoma Park Folk Festival

• Share the message of Islam with your non-Muslim neighbors
• Make conversation, share laughs and stories
• Pass informational literature to interested visitors
• Be a part of positive change instead of complaining on the sidelines
• Become an involved, actively participating community member

Date: Sunday, September 13th
Time: 10 AM to 6 PM
Venue: Takoma Park Middle School, 7611 Piney Branch Rd, Takoma Park, MD Map

Please click here to see detailed information on parking and directions.

All shifts have been reserved and we can no longer accommodate volunteer requests. Please email us if you have any questions regarding upcoming Dawah opportunities.

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM     Arif, Sarfaraz
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM     Hasan, Usmaan, Udana, Yusuf
12:30 PM – 3:00 PM     Adnan, Mahmood, Sarmad
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM     Hayder w/ youth

May the reward for this beautiful effort be multiplied many times for our volunteers in the blessed month of Ramadan.

COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL DAY

Date: Saturday July 18th, 2009

Location: 10221 Wincopin Circle, Columbia MD 21044 map

Please visit our booth, make conversation with visitors, give Dawah and have fun!

Whatever you do, do not miss the opportunity to participate in the beautiful prophetic Sunnah of community outreach.

The following shifts will be manned by our motivated volunteers below:

Setup – 12 pm: Ayub Hira, Kashif Hira
12 pm – 2 pm: Hasan Syed, Kashif Hira, Eyad Saleem
2 pm – 4 pm: Omar Henderson, Hayder Mir
4 pm – 6 pm: Salman Sheikh, Kashif Munir, Kweli
6 pm – Close: Muhammad Habashy, Syed Ameen

For more information please contact us

This opportunity to earn the pleasure of Allah has been brought to you by WhyIslam DC. Join us on Facebook and Twitter!

Washington Metrobuses featuring WhyIslam DC’s Dawah displays are now circulating all over Washington DC!

Check out the photographs below showing the Dawah while on the move.

Please feel free to send in your snaps if you spot a Metrobus carrying the displays and take a picture.

And thank you for all your support in making this project a success!

All five ads are slated to “go live” on the DC Metrobus on Monday June 29 all over the Washington DC area.

As promised, we are now proudly pre-releasing the remaining displays to all friends and supporters of (877) Why-Islam on our website, as well as on Facebook and the Muslim Link newspaper.

The displays are now available in full resolution for viewing, and can also be downloaded for further distribution and sharing with your friends.

Please feel free to share your feedback by leaving us a comment, and thank you for supporting the Da’wah by being part of the Why Islam family.

Download: “Why are so many people like you becoming Muslim?”

Download: “1.5 billion and growing. Do you know why?”

Download: “We eliminated racism 1400 years ago”

Download: “We went green 1400 years ago”

Download: “We believe in Jesus and his second coming”

WhyIslam DC Launches Community Outreach Campaign on Washington DC’s Metrobus

(WASHINGTON DC, 6/9/2009) – The Washington DC chapter of the nation’s largest Islamic outreach effort today announced plans to launch a citywide community outreach campaign on the Washington DC Metrobus.

A series of displays will be placed on a number of Metro buses that will aim to educate and open the Washington DC community to the true beliefs and principles of the Islamic faith in a cordial and casual manner.

In a statement issued today, the Washington DC-based community outreach project WhyIslam DC stated “In a time when the core principles of the Islamic religion are commonly misunderstood by our fellow Americans, we at WhyIslam DC are extremely excited about this opportunity to educate our neighbors and to open the forum for interaction and healthy dialogue with the culturally-rich community of Washington DC.”

WhyIslam DC also remarked “WhyIslam DC greatly appreciates their partnership with Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and looks forward to a productive and fruitful outreach campaign that will illuminate the way for cordial and neighborly relations among all members of the diverse Washington DC community.”

The community outreach initiative is scheduled to run for four weeks on fifty Washington DC Metrobus routes starting Monday June 29th, 2009. Interested community members will be able to view contact information such as the toll-free number (877) Why-Islam and the web address WhyIslam.org

About WhyIslam DC

WhyIslam DC is the Washington DC chapter of (877) Why-Islam, the nation’s largest Islamic community outreach effort that seeks to educate Americans of all religious backgrounds about the peaceful and neighborly tenets of the Islamic religion. (877) Why-Islam is a project of the Islamic Circle of North America.

- END -

Contact:

Yusuf Khan, Communications Coordinator
Email: info@whyislamdc.org
Phone: (718) 496 7052

Islamic Circle of North America – Virginia
2913 Woodlawn Trail
Alexandria VA 22306
Phone: (703) 660 1255

A PDF copy of the press release is available for download and distribution.

In a climate of uncertainty, bombarded by cliched and redundant promises of ‘hope’ and ‘change’, the American Muslim finds himself at crossroads.

Under constant suspicion, perpetually pressured to compromise our faith, the time has come to define our Muslim identity for ourselves.

Enough of denying what we’re not. It’s time to proudly declare who we are.

Invited speakers include Sohaib Sultan [Muslim chaplain at Princeton Univ. and author of "Qur'an for Dummies"] and Jawad Ahmed [Principal of al-Ghazali School and member of WhyIslam NJ].

Please come and support your event, and invite your friends and family.

Place: St. Joseph Parish 750 Peachtree St, Herndon, VA

Date: Saturday, April 18th @ 6 PM

Due to technical problems online ticket purchase has been disabled. Paper tickets will be available at the front entrance, insha Allah.

In order to help spread the word, please also download the fundraiser flier and share it in your mailing lists, discussion forums and social networks.

The workshop is being presented by Br. Yusha Evans and is sure to be an inspiring and educational treat for all attendees, so come and bring a friend with you as well.

Place: Muslim Community Center – 15200 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring MD
Date: Sunday, February 15th 2009
Time: 10 AM to 3 PM

To register for the event, email atif.sajid@gmail.com or call (571) 436 3305

Please download a copy of the event flier and share it with your contacts.

Video content accompanying this story is available here and a videotaped discussion between Azeem Khan and Pete King and is found here.

Please feel free to share your views with others by leaving your comments.

NEW YORK (CNN) Ads promoting Islam are to be placed on New York subway cars in September, but a U.S. congressman finds people sponsoring the messages unacceptable.

Siraj Wahhaj is imam of a Brooklyn mosque and a backer of pro-Islam ads on New York subway cars.

“I have no problem with the ad itself, but I have a very, very real problem with those behind it,” Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, said Tuesday. He is urging the Metropolitan Transit Authority to reject the ads.

The campaign is to feature ads on 1,000 of the subway system’s roughly 6,200 cars. The main sponsor is a grass-roots organization, Islamic Circle of North America.

The ads, simple black-and-white panels, will feature key words or phrases about Islam on one side of the panel such as “Head Scarf?” or “Prophet Muhammad?” and the words “You deserve to know” along with the Web site address WhyIslam.org on the other side.

“The idea is to evoke certain thoughts in the mindset of the person who is looking at the ads and get them to a point where they can reflect upon certain words that one could define as hot words or keywords that get thrown around a lot but are not necessarily defined in the most proper context,” said New York University’s Imam Khalid Latif, a cleric who is promoting the project in a YouTube video created by the Islamic Circle. Watch the controversy surrounding the subway ads »

Another of the backers of the advertising campaign — which will launch in September to coincide with the monthlong Islamic holiday of Ramadan — is Siraj Wahhaj, imam of a Brooklyn mosque.

Wahhaj was the first Muslim to lead a prayer before the House of Representatives, but King objects to him because he was a character witness for convicted 1993 World Trade Center bombing mastermind Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman.

“He is a known Islamic extremist, and you would be giving him credibility and stature through a known government facility,” said King, ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee.

Wahhaj also appeared on a list of 170 potential unindicted co-conspirators in the 1993 bombing case. A prosecutor said that not everyone on the list was considered a co-conspirator.

On Monday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg did not join in King’s outrage about the ads.

“If you were to advocate becoming a Muslim, I assume the First Amendment would protect you,” he said.

But King, noting that the ads would be up during the seventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks, said, “I’m calling on the MTA not to have these ads, not to go forward with them, and I don’t see this as a free speech issue at all.”

King said he sent a letter to the MTA on Monday night demanding that it reject the ads.

The New York Post has reacted strongly to the ads, running a cover photograph of Wahhaj on Monday with the headline “Jihad Train” and posting an article on its Web site with the headline “Train-ing day for jihadists” and the first paragraph saying, “Allah aboard!”

Abdel-Rahman and nine others were convicted in 1995 of seditious conspiracy for their role in a plot to bomb the United Nations, FBI headquarters in Manhattan, two tunnels in New York and a bridge connecting New Jersey with Manhattan, all in one day.

The government said the group also was responsible for the February 26, 1993, World Trade Center bombing that killed six people and injured more than 1,000.

Andrew McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor in that case, said Wahhaj’s name was included in a filing that prosecutors were required to provide to defense attorneys in the case, a list of all the names of people who could possibly be foreseen to come up in the evidence. The filing, McCarthy said, has been called a “co-conspirator list.” But Wahhaj was never named by the prosecution.

“The only time he came up in a meaningful way before the jury is when the defense called him as a witness,” McCarthy recalled.

McCarthy said that although the list named anyone the government might allege during the trial was a co-conspirator, not everyone on the list was so labeled.

Wahhaj said Monday that he was a character witness for Abdel-Rahman in the context of “what we knew about him before the incident,” citing him as a “scholar in Islam” and “a great reciter of the Quran.”

“People try to make the connection as if I’m endorsing some bad deeds that [were] done by Sheik Abdel-Rahman,” he said. “That had nothing to do with it.”

He added, “not only have I never been charged with anything, not one FBI agent has ever asked me one question in relationship to that bombing.”

Wahhaj also said that he regrets some of his more controversial statements, such as calling the FBI and the CIA “terrorists.”

“What I was saying is that not all the FBI or CIA are terrorists, but there are some elements in there,” he said. “So if you want to accuse some Muslims [of being terrorists], OK. These Muslims did that, but don’t undermine the entire faith. That’s what the message is.”

Wahhaj said the New York Post’s “cheesy” and “anti-Islam” reaction to his participation in the Subway Project is “the very reason the young Muslims want to put out this ad campaign.”

Islamic Circle spokesman Azeem Khan called the situation a “perfect microcosm” of what the ads seek to address: that Wahhaj’s portrayal in media reports is similar to how Islam is often depicted.

“I think that even more so reinforces the idea as to why a project like this is necessary, where Muslims have to be more pro-active in terms of educating people about their religion, by no means proselytizing the faith in any capacity, but really setting a standard and defining what mainstream Islam stands for,” Latif said.

The project is the Islamic Circle’s first such advertising campaign. The group has run ads before but not on New York’s subways.

The transit authority said the cost of the monthlong campaign is about $48,000.

CNN’s Shirley Zilberstein, Mary Snow and Jennifer Rizzo contributed to this report.

Baltimore I-95 Drivers Asked: Why Islam?

By Rashad Mulla
Muslim Link Staff Writer

Interstate 95 has a new billboard near Baltimore, and it’s causing quite a stir.

The DC area branch of WhyIslam, the Da’wah (teaching Islam) wing of the Islamic Circle of North America, paid for a month-long billboard advertisement from May 20-June 20.

The cost of the billboard between exits 52 and 53 is $9,500 for one month, according to WhyIslam volunteer Yusuf Khan. The money was raised during an April 5 fundraising dinner at the Islamic Society of Baltimore.

In its 10 years, WhyIslam, has placed over 40 billboard advertisements in the country, run radio commercials, and set up booths at public fairs and locations. The organization also runs an Islamic hotline (1-877-WHY-ISLAM), which is on display on the billboards.

Although it is the first of its kind in the DC area, the billboard near Baltimore follows similar efforts in Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas.

The immediate response to the Baltimore billboard has been plentiful and colorful.

“There has been a lot of feedback and also a lot of anger,” Khan said. “People have called [the hotline] and asked ‘Why in our area?’” Jawad Ahmed, the director of the hotline, based in New Jersey, said the volume of calls has increased significantly since the billboard went up on May 20. On some days, the WhyIslam hotline staff answer more than 20 calls. Ahmed said the hotline receives over seven calls every day.

“Some Muslims have called,” Ahmed said. “Non-Muslims have called for facts and free Qurans and brochures (WhyIslam mails free literature).”

Many of the calls have not been pleasant, Ahmed said.

Ahmed and WhyIslam hotline staff members deal with numerous prank callers and others who call to yell curse words and hang up. While Ahmed has his share of miraculous educational moments, the staff is not required to listen patiently to every negative caller. “Everything is not always merry,” Ahmed said. “I usually tell them to hang up or transfer the call to me.”

The negative feedback is expected, but the organization must continue to focus on taking positive steps, said Syed Ameen, a longtime Maryland community presence and WhyIslam volunteer.

“The group is very dedicated,” Ameen said. “The management of the group may be small, but we have many volunteers. We set up booths, distribute [copies of the] Quran, literature and contacts for new Muslims.”

Ahmed, too, doesn’t dwell on the recent surge of phone calls.

“[Negative feedback] has subsided tremendously,” Ahmed said. “Especially since 9/11.”

The hotline received over 1000 callers in its most active month. Phone calls sometimes end with callers converting to Islam or taking part in long, serious discussions. Ahmed’s most publicized phone call consisted of him taking a barrage of negative comments from a caller. After this tirade, the caller was shocked to find Ahmed still on the line. According to an article by WhyIslam volunteers Salman Sheikh and Kashif Munir (TML, April 11, Fundraiser to Help Raise Islam Billboard on Baltimore Highway), Ahmed and the caller talked for 30 more minutes.

“The person apologized,” Ahmed said. “And we had a positive conversation.”

Fundraiser to Help Raise Islam Billboard Baltimore Highway

By Muslim Link Contributing Writers

The WhyIslam-DC chapter held its annual fundraiser at the Islamic Society of Baltimore on the evening of Saturday, April 5th. The theme of the dinner was “Spread the Light”. The program kicked off with a delicious dinner provided by Shahi Grill.

Brother Yusha Evans, one of the volunteers of WhyIslam in Florida, led off the night discussing his conversion to Islam. He was brought up in a Bible loving household and began his studies in Christianity at an early age. Yusha attended weekly bible classes and would engage in long discussions about religion with his family. He was finally inspired and thrilled to go to Bob Jones University to become a textual scholar of the Bible. Once he was able to delve deeper into the text, he noted a lot of inconsistencies with logic. He could not understand how noble Prophets like Abraham, David, Lot, Solomon and the like could engage in such reportedly heinous acts such as adultery and murder.

It made no sense to brother Yusha and he was not given capable answers by those with knowledge, only told to not let a little knowledge of the Bible ruin his faith. He eventually left Christianity due to his discomfort and went on a religion finding mission, since he still deeply believed in God. He studied all the various well known creeds, and even read a book about Islam from the local library. In it he learned that “Moslems” [sic] pray to the moon god and oppress their women, so he knew that the deen was not for him. He left all religion for a while and became an agnostic.

Eventually he was re-introduced to Islam by a drug-dealer who happened to be Muslim and invited him to Juma’. The khutbah discussed the hadith of repentance where Jibra’il confirmed that even an alcoholic, murderer, adulterer, etc. could be forgiven if they repent. In fact the only unforgivable sin is shirk. Yusha then witnessed the prayer and was moved deeply by the congregation after overcoming his fears of possibly being attacked by the mob. He immediately recognized the prostration as an act of worship performed by all the Prophets throughout time. He went to the imam after the salah and inquired about further guidance, and was given an English translation of the Quran.

Yusha finished the entire translation in 3 days and was fully convinced of its truths. He recognized all the wonderful Prophets he had know from the past, but in the noble and infallible light they deserve. These were the true God-fearing believers worthy of Messengerhood.

Yusha went on to say how there are millions of people just like him here in the United States in need of the message, and it’s our role to convey it to them. He said the first mosque he went to shared the same parking lot with a church he’d attended for many years. Until that time he was completely unaware of the mosque. Not once was he approached by a Muslim and told about Islam despite the proximity of the houses of worship. Brother Yusha stressed the importance of da’wah and the tremendous responsibility we have in spreading knowledge of our deen to all of our families, neighbors, coworkers, countrymen, and the world.

Sister Julie Mair, a former prosecution lawyer in Pittsburgh, spoke next. She came to Islam in 2001. She discussed the two phases of conversion she has felt. Initially it’s taking the shahada, and the second phase is when Islam solidifies in the heart. Sister Julie discussed many of the hardships new converts face and how they are often shunned or treated rudely by many of their new brothers and sisters. She urged for more compassion and a gentler manner in teaching new Muslims their deen, and the realization that some will be need to take “baby steps” and have a harder time breaking strongly-ingrained habits than others.

After Maghrib, there was a short video showing the many activities of WhyIslam and the work that has been done throughout the country. Radio ads during the first 10 days of Ramadan on WTOP, an upcoming 14’x48’ billboard ad on I-95 near Baltimore in May, participation in community events were all different means of relaying the message of Islam to our fellow citizens. Brother Atif Sajid showed some of the events that the local WhyIslam chapter organized including many booths at fairs in the DC metropolitan area and at the Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore.

Brother Jawad Ahmed, director of the 1-877-WhyIslam hotline then discussed the purpose of the hotline and gave examples of some of the calls he has received. Ten trained da’ees share the responsibility of answering the phone at all times. He said about 1000 calls per month are made to the hotline, and there is an average of one shahada per day. During campaigns such as radio ads during the first 10 days of Ramadan the volume of calls can triple. He described many friendly callers, but also those who can be hostile.

One caller startled Br. Jawad with an angry expletive-laden tirade that he timed to last about ninety-five seconds. Once the caller finished what he had to say, he was astonished to find Br. Jawad still on the line and cool and calm. In fact the caller was so impressed he spent another half hour discussing Islam with Jawad. The fund-raising efforts were able to successfully raise over $50,000. This will be enough money to support a large billboard in downtown Baltimore for 3 months, with enough left over to fund many of the local WHYISLAM summer activities.

The night was capped off by a comedy performance by Azhar Usman. He mainly ridiculed Muslims from the subcontinent with subtle shifts in accent, and language manipulation to draw hearty laughter and applause from the crowd.

WhyIslam is a non-profit project of ICNA. If you would like to learn more, please visit WhyIslamDC.org. We welcome volunteers to help staff our booths in the upcoming fairs and festivals beginning in May and lasting through October.

The writers, Salman Sheikh and Kashif Munir, are active participants in local WhyIslam activities.

Don’t miss this golden opportunity to SHARE the message of Islam with your non-Muslim neighbors.

INVITE your friends as well and GAIN even more Ajr, in sha Allah!

Location: 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax VA – Map it!

For more information contact Atif Sajid – atif.sajid@gmail.com

The following shifts are AVAILABLE!

June 6th: 6pm to 9pm
June 7th: 10am to 2pm – 2pm to 6pm – 6pm to 9 pm
June 8th: 10am to 2pm – 2pm to 6pm

This opportunity to earn the Pleasure of Allah has been brought to you by (877) Why Islam !