Message From the President: Thank You My Mosque
Every journey shall come to end. Some journeys are long and memorable, while some are better to forget. At the end of each journey we should stop and reflect on what we did, who we traveled with, the ways we walked, the hurdles we overcame, and the nice stops we witnessed.
In the past five years, I was blessed by the honor to serve this Mosque and this community. It was a great journey for me, and I thank you for every moment I had. Without your support, the help of the committed leaders in the Board, the previous presidents and founders, the wonderful volunteers, the dedicated staff and the great community, it would have been impossible to reach the sweet conclusion of my journey.
Looking back at my experience over the last five years at the Mosque Foundation, I feel humbled yet privileged for the ability to serve Islam and this community at this crucial moment in the history of Islam in the US.
I cherish every moment I had in this journey whether meeting, planning, strategizing, consulting, outreaching, listening to complaints and advice, writing, speaking, communicating with the media, public officials, civic partners and faith leaders or prostrating with tranquility while praying at my beloved Mosque.
There were many treasured moments that I remember vividly during this journey. I remember my first task as a traffic volunteer during the cold nights of Ramadan and the early morning hours of Eid day under the leadership of a great brother and volunteer, may Allah bless his soul; the simple opening of the Mosque Foundation Food Pantry which has grown to serve over 170 families every week; the rededication of the youth center after its remodeling; the erection of the Minaret after much resistance from some Islamophobes; receiving the Environmental Hero Award for being the first Mosque in the nation to install a solar panel for water heating using clean renewable energy; the grand opening of the largest expansion of the Mosque Foundation which tripled its capacity; joining our sisters and brothers in the Latino community in the largest rally for immigrants rights in Chicago; the 14,000 Muslim worshippers in Eid prayer at Toyota Park witnessed by Governor Quinn for the first time in the history of Muslims in Illinois; leading the Charity Without Fear campaign that resulted in unprecedented resolution by our Assembly affirming the rights of Muslims to contribute to their charities without fear of persecution; registering 4500 new voters in three campaigns even during the night of power, and so many more milestones.
I remember the launching of our new website; the launching of our Community Pulse; the 21 members of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board who visited to the Mosque Foundation to “apologize” about the article they wrote about “the hardliners”; the TV reports about the Green mosque; the Voter Registration Drive on Eid; our reactions to the Pope's comments about Islam and President Obama's speech in Cairo; the NPR reports about our Environmental campaign; our reaction to the Fort Hood Shooting; our Arabic language in Public School initiative; and the many positive news articles about our community and civic work.
I remember the visits of many foreign dignitaries, our local politicians, local Jewish leaders, Rabbis and peace activists, church and college groups, and many international Muslim civic and religious leaders to what is recognized as a model Muslim American Community. I remember the candidates’ forums, the town hall meetings, the monthly educational programs, and the interfaith Iftar in Ramadan. Our community opened its doors and its hearts and the results were heartfelt appreciation and goodwill.
I remember the generosity of this selfless community when asked by our Imams to contribute to help the needy throughout the world. You answered the call, opened the doors of your Mosque to the call of the Merciful and paid your dues. Whether it was New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; Haiti after the Earthquake; the Holy Land after the many crises and wars waged by the Israeli occupation against the helpless Palestinian civilians; Bosnia during the worst ethnic cleansing in recent history; Iraq during the two wars and throughout the sanctions; Somalia during the endless civil war; Kosovo, Niger, Pakistan, Iran, Algeria, Lebanon, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, an Islamic School in Ohio, a Mosque in Alaska or the Southside of Chicago, CAIR, ISNA, CIOGC, MAS, IMAN or MANA, you were there for them all.
I remember the young organizer from London who told me, “When I enter your Mosque I feel very welcomed, your new Mosque is very inviting and very spiritual,” and the young IT Muslim who told me, “Your Mosque is on the cutting edge of service and outreach in the US, it is a role model that everyone wants to imitate," and the Muslim sister visiting the Mosque from the Philippines who to told us, “I wish that women in my Mosque are treated the same way you are treating women here." And how can I forget young Aziza who said with tears in her eyes when she saw the Minaret crowning the Mosque, “I am proud of belonging to the Mosque Foundation.”
I learned, and continued to learn, how to be a Muslim by action and not a Muslim by words; how to live the Quran and by the Quran instead of just reading or memorizing it; how to treat all people with respect without prejudging them; how to accept different views and democratic proceedings; how to conduct Shura and abide by the majority’s consensus; how to believe in our abilities and ignore the conspiracy theories; how to raise the bar and promote professionalism; how to challenge ourselves and change our culture; how to be proactive and less reactive; how to manage a crisis and deal with conflict; how to be inclusive and not elitist; how to treat the others the same way I would like them to treat me; how to push myself out of the comfort zone and learn new skills; how to listen more than I talk, and accept criticism gracefully; how to learn from others and from our own mistakes; how to be patient but persistent; and how to balance between family, job and community work.
I apologize for my shortcomings and my many errors and ask Allah and those I hurt to forgive me and pray for me, for my family and for their community. Whatever good I was part of was because of Allah’s blessing and whatever bad I was part of was because of myself.
I hope and pray that when I stand questioned at the Day of Judgment in front of the Most Merciful that I can sincerely claim that my intentions were pure, my heart was clean, and I used my best God-given qualities to serve His Deen and this community.
Thank you our great Imams, our dedicated staff, our beloved volunteers, our energetic youth, our wise elders, our devoted sisters, and our spirited new converts for being what you are, for making the Mosque Foundation a model prophetic Mosque.