Sh. Jamal Said and Sr. Aisheh Said Received Community Service Awards at Council’s Dinner by Deanna Othman
Saturday October 15, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) held its Annual CommUnity Dinner, gathering Muslims from diverse ethnicities and various neighborhoods around the Chicagoland area to celebrate the achievements of the Council, as well as the contributions of the individuals who make the Council possible.
 The Mosque Foundation’s very own Sheikh Jamal Said and his wife Aisheh Said were among the Annual Community Service Awardees, along with Ahmed Abdul Qadeer and his wife Tasneem Sayeedi Qadeer from the Islamic Center of Naperville. The director and producers of the film “Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football,” Rashid Ghazi, Ash-har Quraishi and Basma Babar-Quraishi were presented the Media Award.As Sheikh Jamal accepted his award, he recalled his 23-year-old self, who left Jordan some 30 years ago and immigrated to the United States to continue his journey of da’wah and service to the Muslim community. He reminisced about arriving to Chicago, and immediately calling Sheikh Mohammad Nur Abdullah, former president of ISNA, and telling him that he had resolved to return home.
Little did he know at that time the impact he would make on the Chicago Muslim community, and the impact that community would have on him as well.
Under his leadership since 1985, the Mosque Foundation services more than 30,000 individuals a year from the greater Chicagoland area. Sheikh Jamal not only serves the Muslim community in the southwest side of Chicago but Muslims from across the state come to him for a variety of issues and seek guidance from him for support. He is accredited for keeping the Mosque Foundation doors open to all other Islamic projects and organizations by his emphasis on generosity and charity. Sheikh Jamal thanked his wife Aisheh, also an award recipient, for being his support system.
Sr. Aisheh Said has played an outstanding role in the success of the Mosque Foundation as a model Islamic organization locally and nationally, and defining a leadership role for women in the community. Holding a masters degree from Jane Addams College of Social Work, Sr. Aisheh offers individual, family, and youth counseling on a variety of issues not only to the Southwest side of Chicago but to the greater Chicagoland community. She is known to the Muslim American community in Illinois as an inspirational leader and advocate for women and the Muslim community at large.
Both Sheikh Jamal and Sr. Aisheh expressed gratitude toward their three children Albara, Banan and Sana for encouraging and sustaining their leadership throughout the years.
|