A Message from Br. Ashfaq Taufique

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), for the first three years after receiving prophethood, spread the message to close friends and relatives. Right before the pagans of Mecca could mobilize a campaign against the spread of Islam (now called Islamophobia), Allah revealed the verse:

“O, you who is wrapped, Rise and Warn”

Immediately after the revelation of this verse, the Prophet (pbuh) went to mount Safa and gathered the clans of Mecca and asked them, “If I were to tell you that there was an army of enemies on the other side ready to attack you, would you believe me?” A resounding answer was, “We have never seen you lie”. He (pbuh) said, “Then know that I am a warner for you before the severe punishment comes over you.”

In today’s environment of Islamophobia, we have indeed some lessons to be learned from this historical event. We need to be honest and truthful in our dealings and establish a firm footing in the communities at large. We must reclaim our narrative. If there will be a discussion about our community and our faith, we are the ones speaking.

It is not a time to be silent bystanders. Our response to the negative propaganda about our faith and community should be a positive one. We need to engage in discussions with our neighbors, coworkers, friends and family about the exemplary status of us as Muslims in the USA.

Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), a research organization, works for a better understanding of Muslims in USA and has the following track record that we need to proudly promote:

· 1/3rd of our community (African-Americans) have been here as early as anyone.

· Muslims are statistically the most diverse faith group in the US.

· Muslim-American women surpass their male counterparts in education.

In Michigan, Muslims are 2.5% of the population, yet account for:

· 15% of the state’s doctors

· 10% percent of the state’s pharmacists

· 4-5% of small business (over 35K business owned, over 103K employed)

· $117 million donated to local and international charities in 2015

In NYC, Muslims are 9% of the population, yet account for more than:

· 9% of the city’s medical doctors, serving over 5 million patients annually

· 2% of the state’s pharmacists, filling over 9.5 million scripts annually

· 11% of NYC’s engineers, 40% of taxi-drivers, 57% of street-food vendors

· 1,000 of NYC’s police officers and firefighters

· 10,000 of NYC’s teachers, educating ~250,000 kids K-12

· 95,000 small businesses owned, employed over 250,000 people

· $608 million donated to local and international charities in 2016



This article was inspired by a khutba, I heard from Sheikh Omar Sulaiman.

BIS Annual Spring Hike by Abdulkarim Taufique

Members of the BIS community hiked on the Dunnavant Valley Trail for our Annual Spring Hike. We hiked roughly four miles through some beautiful foliage following along a small creek where hikers spent time looking for fish and enjoyed connecting with the natural world. Along the way, we got to know each other despite our diverse backgrounds, nationalities, ages, and professions. We began hiking as strangers and found meaningful connection through our shared faith and love of the outdoors.

May Allah SWT bless us all in our lives and allow us to hike the trails of Jannah together as he has allowed us to hike the trails on his earth. Ameen.

Leadership Birmingham Hosts Panel Discussion at HCIC by Mohamed Shoreibah

Birmingham Islamic Society hosted a panel discussion for Leadership Birmingham participants at Hoover Crescent Islamic Center in February. Panelists were: Sufia Alam, Lucas Gambino, Ashfaq Taufique and Mohamed Shoreibah, and the moderator was Hussain Abdullatif.

The discussion covered topics ranging from the daily life challenges Muslims face in the U.S. to the status of women in Islam. The meeting not only brought leaders from many different industries to HCIC--in some cases for the first time--but was also an effective venue to present the true image of American Muslims and Islam in the U.S. At a time when some media outlets and political figures choose to promote misrepresentations of Islam, we are in need of platforms that allow us to rectify this situation and teach others about the the true image of Islam and Muslims. It is safe to say that the diverse group of attendees left the event with the realization that we agree on more than we disagree on.

Family Movie Night and BBQ Food by Aser Janjua

On Friday, March 22nd, BIS held a Family Movie night for adults and children. It was a great turn out. The adults watched “Hidden Figures,” while the children watched their movie, “Homeward Bound.”

For dinner BIS arranged with Br. Ali Mustaqeem to bring his food truck, and he served a variety of wood-smoked, fire-grilled meats with rice and vegetables. There also was fresh made popcorn and cotton candy for all ages to enjoy.

Overall it was a great turn out and we look forward to having more of these family social events.

List of Items Being Collected for Area Women and Children as Part of BIS's Ramadan Craft Fair

If you can help please bring the requested items to the BIS Ramadan Craft Fair on April 27, 2019 or contact the sisters to make arrangements beforehand. JazakhAllah kher.

NCCJ Biannual Awards Dinner Honors Ashfaq Taufique by Lucas Gambino

The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) held its biannual awards dinner on Thursday, March 7, 2019, at the Harbert Center in downtown Birmingham. Brother Ashfaq Taufique was honored at this event with the presentation of a prestigious award commemorating his years of civic service to the Birmingham community, both Muslim and non-Muslim alike.

Nearly 400 people attended the black tie affair, and Birmingham Islamic Society was well represented with many of its members present at the dinner. This award is a testament to the tireless efforts that brother Ashfaq has contributed to our community over the last three decades. We are all very fortunate to have brother Ashfaq leading our organization and continuing to execute his vision for the future. Please congratulate brother Ashfaq when you see him for receiving this distinguished honor!

Pictures from the Lecture "First Black Muslims in America"

The lecture, "First Black Muslims in America" by Br. Muttaqi Ismail took place on 2/22 after Isha at HCIC. Pizza was served after the event.

Family Fun Night: Reptile Show, Face Painting, Balloons, and More by Sakeena Ahmed

BIS is planning to organize a monthly Family Fun Night for the community to gather at the masjid for an evening of fun that the whole family can enjoy. Our first event of the year was on Friday, February 15 at the Hoover Crescent Islamic Center. This was planned together with Br. Imad Bensalem's son's aqiqah dinner. Alhamdulillah a large crowd attended.

For entertainment, we invited a balloon twister who shaped balloons into animals and figures for the children. We also had face painting. The highlight of the evening was a reptile show. The presenter brought some exotic reptiles such as a bearded dragon, blue tongued skink, tegu lizard, small alligator, snake, and turtles. It was a big hit with the young and old alike as the presenter allowed community members to touch and hold the animals.

May Allah bless our community with more such events and reward those who made the event possible.

Ramadan Craft Fair Bag Design Competition Rules and Guidelines

The 5th Annual Ramadan Craft Fair will take place on Saturday, April 27 at the Hoover Crescent Islamic Center for children ages 2-10. All paid participants will receive a reusable tote bag to collect their crafts.

We are having a design contest for the tote bag. One winner will be chosen from the submissions at the discretion of the Ramadan Craft Fair committee to be printed on the bags to be distributed. Please contact Sr. Sakeena (sakeena.ahmed@bisweb.org) if you have any questions.

• Here are the rules for the contest:
• Use only black and white in the design.
• Size should be no larger than 8.5"x11".
• Design can be a graphic and/or text.
• Design must be Ramadan related.
• Submission deadline is April 15, 2019 at 12 noon.

Email submissions in .jpg or .pdf format to sakeena.ahmed@bisweb.org

Last year's tote bag design is below.

Vigil Following the Events in New Zealand at HCIC by Bashar Khalaf

The theme that was summoned in the vigil for our New Zealand brothers and sisters was “unity.” Many speakers from many different religious and personal beliefs came and publicly gave their condolences on a microphone in front of hundreds of attendees at the HCIC on the Sunday following the tragedy.

Many heartfelt people gave their support to the Muslim community in this trying time, but other communities received support as well.These mentioning did not take away from the direct intent of the vigil to give support to Muslims as it focused on a greater ideal, unity.

Martin Luther King Jr. was quoted by one Christian speaker, and I would like to quote Dr. King once more when he said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Again, unity is the ultimate goal. Although Dr. King and our kind speakers were headed in the right direction, it is our Prophet Muhammad (SAS) who put it most beautifully as stated in Bukhari, ‘The believers resemble one body, so that if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the ill feeling’.

We must unite and take what our collective goals have in common and not allow any injustice that we know about. The call to action is to stop injustice when you see it, advise the politicians around you to do so at the local and global level, and pray for those who you cannot help with your hands or voice. May God forgive us for allowing so much pain to our Muslim brothers and sisters and for all other oppressed people.

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 6011 Book 78, Hadith 42