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ING'S
10TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY DINNER & SYMPOSIUM (1993-2002) November 2, 2002 On Saturday, November 2nd, 2002 over 500 people attended ING's 10th year Anniversary Dinner at Chandni Restaurant in Newark, California. As the guests were slowly filing in for the event the soothing sounds of the Burdah (a poem about the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him) echoed throughout the restaurant. PROGRAM The program officially began with recitation from the Qur'an, and then a welcome speech by Ameena Jandali. Maha ElGenaidi then took to the stage alongside Ameena for their PowerPoint presentation about ING's work history for the past ten years and future goals for the organization. The program that followed included a fundraising session, a video presentation, an awards ceremony, and four very powerful speeches given by the following keynote speakers. SPEAKERS Shaykh Hamza Yusuf (Director, Zaytuna Institute) Hamza Yusuf Hanson was born in Walla Walla, Washington and raised in Northern California. He became Muslim in 1977 in Santa Barbara, California and subsequently moved to the Middle East and studied Arabic and Islam for four years in the United Arab Emirates and later in Madina, Algeria, Morocco, and West Africa. He received ijazas (teaching licenses) in various Islamic subjects from several well-known scholars in those countries. After a ten-year sojourn of studies abroad, he returned to the United States and took degrees in Nursing from Imperial Valley College and Religious Studies at San Jose State University. He is the co-founder of Zaytuna Institute, which is dedicated to the revival of traditional study methods and sciences in Islam. He has translated several classical texts from Arabic and presently teaches at Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, California and lectures around the world. Shaykh Abdullah Adhami (foremost scholar on women in Islam) Shaykh Abdullah Adhami is a traditional scholar, educator, and certified narrator of hadith. Born in Georgetown, Washington D.C., he received his Bachelors of Architecture from Pratt University in New York City. He began his study with scholars in Damascus at the tender age of eight, obtaining ijazahs (teaching licenses) from great scholars of our time such as Shaykh 'Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Halabi, Shaykh 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Shaguri, Shaykh Yusuf 'Arar, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al-Yaqoubi, and numerous others. He has lectured widely in the United States & England, and taught subjects and texts such as Shafi'i fiqh, al-Shama'il: The Sublime Qualities of our Beloved Messenger (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam), Manazil Al-Sa'irin, Kitab Al-Sidq, and Maqasid Al-Sawm. His last lecture prior to leaving for Damascus was entitled "Sacrifices in Being a Muslim" with Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, Siraj Wahhaj, Hamza Yusuf and Zaid Shakir. His current manuscript, an exploration into the implications of gender-related language in the texts of Shari'ah, was based on a seminar that he taught entitled, "Quranic Eloquence: Toward a Higher Gender Adab". Shaykh Abdullah is particularly interested in the (usuli) implications of language and the spiritual adab of figh. His insights into the spiritual implications of Quranic language provide much-needed answers and understanding for our modern condition. His deep knowledge of our tradition, his profound understanding of human psychology, and his insight into the most important conflicts of our time make him an invaluable resource for all those struggling in the search for spiritual excellence. Shaykh Abdullah is currently on sabbatical in Damascus, Syria, where he resides with his wife and son. Dr. Layla Al-Marayati (MPAC) Dr. Layla Al-Marayati is the spokesperson and past president of the Muslim Women's League (MWL), a Los Angeles based organization dedicated to disseminating accurate information about Islam and women and to strengthening the role of Muslim women in society. Dr. Al-Marayati has written articles and participated in numerous conferences addressing issues of concern to Muslim women; topics include basic women's rights in Islam, reproductive health and sexuality, stereotyping, violence against women and so on. In addition, Dr. Al-Marayati spearheaded the MWL's efforts on behalf of rape survivors from the war in Bosnia in 1993 and she was a member of the official US Delegation to the UN Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Dr. Layla Al-Marayati has also participated in numerous activities related to international religious freedom. She served as a Presidential appointee to the Commission on International Religious Freedom from 1999 to May 2001. Prior to that, she was a member of the State Department Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad. She has testified before Congress and as part of the US delegation to the OSCE Human Dimensions meeting in Poland regarding religious intolerance against Muslims in Europe. As an America of Palestinian descent, Dr. Al-Marayati frequently speakers about the rights of Palestinians. She is a member of the Board of Directors of KinderUSA, a newly formed charity whose primary focus at this time is on addressing the health and educational needs of Palestinian children living in the West Bank and Gaza. She just returned from a humanitarian mission on behalf of KinderUSA to West Bank and Gaza in October. Dr. Al-Marayati's articles have been published in the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, on Beliefnet and elsewhere throughout the United States. She has appeared on local and national television and radio programs, addressing issues of concern to Muslims in America. Dr. Al-Marayati is a Board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist in private practice in Southern California. She is married to Salam Al-Marayati and is the mother of three children: Malek, Zayd, and Jinan. Dr. Ingrid Mattson, PhD (Vice President, Islamic Society of North America) - Taped Ingrid Mattson earned her Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the University of Chicago in 1999. Her research is focused on Islamic law and society, especially in the early Islamic period. Ingrid is a Canadian born Muslim who studied Philosophy at the University of Waterloo, Ontario (B.A. '87). In 1988 she traveled to Pakistan where she worked with Afghan refugee women and obtained a grant from the Canadian International Development Agency to develop a training and support program for traditional midwives. During her graduate studies in Chicago, Ingrid was involved with the local Muslim community, serving on the Board of Directors of Universal School in Bridgeview and as a member of the Interfaith Committee of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. She is presently a Professor of Islamic Studies at the Macdonald Center for Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at the Hartford Seminary in Hartford, CT., where she resides with her husband and children. HONOREES Recognition awards for their contributions to ING were given to: Shabbir Mansuri, Founder of the Council on Islamic Education (CIE) Recognized for the seminal work of the founder of the Council on Islamic Education, which created the Islamic Speakers Bureau (ISB) program, and in gratitude for his continuing support, advice, & inspiration. Shabbir Mansuri is Founding Director of the Council on Islamic Education, a scholar-based resource organization for K-16 educators and publishers. He serves as consultant/reviewer to several major textbook publishers in the field of world history, social sciences, and religion. He represents CIE as a member of the:
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Recognized for the vital role played by ISNA in encouraging and aiding in the dissemination of ING programs through workshops and bazaar space at ISNA conventions, which lead to the creation and growth of the Network of Affiliated Speakers Bureaus (NASaB). ISNA is an association of Muslim organizations and individuals that serve the diverse needs of Muslims in North America. ISNA's mission is to provide a unified platform of expression for Islam, to develop educational, outreach and social services that translate the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunnah into everyday living, and to enhance Islamic identity in the Society. Anas Coburn, Dar Al-Islam of Abiquiu, NM Recognized for his vision, inspiration, encouragement, and material contribution to the documentation of the Islamic Speakers Bureau (ISB) Program, which lead to the ISB Coordinator's Start-Up Kit and Network of Affiliated Speakers Bureaus (NASaB). Anas Coburn was a social activist in the sixties and graduated from UC Berkeley in 1972. He embraced Islam in 1973 in Berkeley and began travels and studies through Europe and North Africa lasting nearly 10 years. His experience with Muslim nonprofits in the United Kingdom convinced him that the effectiveness of Muslim organizations often compromised by a lack of business-like operations. He then returned to California where he began working with a small start-up company in the computer industry in Southern California. At this time he also served on the school board for the Orange Crescent School in Garden Grove. In 1987 colleagues approached him about teaching at the Madressah Islamia run by Dar al Islam in Abiquiu, New Mexico. After a site visit Anas wrote an operational critique and development plan for Dar al Islam. He was hired by Dar al Islam to run its business operations at the Abiquiu Inn. By 1996 the Inn was well-established, and Anas was given the title of Executive Director and sent to open offices for Dar al Islam in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. Current projects include the development of a course on technology and society for Muslims and coursework towards a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. WOMEN LUMINARIES Recognition awards for Muslim women luminaries in the San Francisco Bay Area Muslim community were given to: Habibe Husain: Pharmaceutical degree from Temple University, Philadelphia. She worked for three years as a pharmacist before moving with her husband to Silicon Valley in 1973. They soon began a Sunday school and established Jummah prayers in their Sunnyvale home. Within two years the school, which she continued to run for many years, had 90 students. She spent 10 years in search of spiritual development. In 1993 she founded Rahima as a charitable and educational organization devoted to the needs of local indigent Muslims. Rahima currently serves 325 families throughout the greater Bay Area. She is married with two daughters and a son. Malika Khan: B.S., Chemistry from India, B.S., Biology, Fullerton, CA. She has worked as a licensed clinical lab scientist for 15 years. She came to Silicon Valley in 1980, where, with her husband, Br. Mahboob Khan (may Allah have mercy on him) she became one of the founding members of MCA. She is a board member serving as women's representative and community spokesperson, and has been instrumental in involving the community with local city officials, neighbors, and politicians. She has been active in a variety of Islamic activities and organizations, and is a board member of California CAIR. She is the mother of two daughters and three sons. Romana Khan: B.A., English and Psychology, St. Joseph's College, Karachi. She worked for five years at UC Berkeley in the Affirmative Action department. She is an advisor and speaker for ING, and a long time contributor to the Bay Area community, first in the East Bay, where she helped found a woman's group and hosted a weekly meeting for new converts, and later in the South Bay, where she conducts weekly Qur'an classes for women. She has also dedicated herself to generations of Muslim children throughout the Bay Area, teaching Sunday school for over 25 years. She is married and lovingly tends to her mother. Madeha Lashin: Pharmaceutical degree from Cairo, Egypt. She worked at Granada Islamic School for ten years, first as a substitute teacher and then teaching Arabic and Biology. She went on to serve as principal for four years providing the strong leadership that helped the school advance and achieve a new professionalism, team spirit among the staff, and a love of Islam and learning among the students. May Allah bless and reward her for her efforts and her suffering in a recent illness. She is married with three married daughters. Zakiyyah Hyatt: Doctor of Psychology, Newport Beach, CA. Long time community activist, social service and psychology expert, and advocate for youth and women, first in the East Bay, where she lead a women's study group from 1978-'82 and served as MSA west zone rep from 1979-'80, and then in the South Bay, where she established the first full time Islamic school there, Maryam School, where she served as director from 1985-'89. She has been an advisor and mentor for youth in Fremont, San Jose, and Santa Clara since 1988, and helped establish and head the South Bay Muslim Women's Association. She is married with three daughters and three sons. Nihad Mourad: B.S., Computer Science and currently completing an M.S. in Mathematics both from San Jose State. She is a long time community activist, and has contributed to the MCA since its inception, serving as women's representative on the MCA board from 1992-94. She has provided education for adults and young people alike through halaqas, youth camps and other activities, and as a teacher of Islam and Mathematics at Granada School for the past eight years. She has served as vice principal for the past three years, contributing her long experience, dedication, and professionalism to the school. She is married with two daughters and one son. Amatullah Alaji-Sabrie: advisor and speaker for ING, she is a long time community activist in the East Bay, where she has devoted herself to educating young people. In 1995 she founded the Bilal ibn Rabah Institute, a middle and high school in the East Bay where she worked tirelessly to ensure an Islamic education for the students, hiring teachers, overseeing the daily running of the school and sponsoring educational fund-raising events for the community, despite a full time job at UC Berkeley Boalt Law School. She is a volunteer at the federal prison in Dublin, and regularly participates in Islamic activities around the Bay Area. She is married with a daughter and a son. Samira Aamer: B.A., Philosophy, Kinnaird College, Pakistan. An ING advisor and former board member, her contributions to ING are numerous, including hosting fund-raisers and helping with ING events. She is a board member at the Stanford Islamic School, where she has volunteered for over ten years, first as a teacher and then as administrator, responsible for the daily running of the school, hiring and overseeing teachers, serving as a parent-teacher liaison, and coordinating events. She has worked tirelessly to establish and continue the educational excellence that is the hallmark of the school. She is married with two sons. Fadwa Silmi: B.A., Middle Eastern Studies, UC Berkeley and currently pursing an M.A. in Education at SF State. Since her graduation she has dedicated herself to educating young Muslims. As head of the Sunday school in Berkeley and as teacher for five years at Masjid al-Islam School in Oakland, she has devoted herself to instilling Islamic values and character in young Muslims. As a volunteer and student at Zaytuna, she has applied the same dedication to the study of traditional Islamic sciences. Dian Alyan: B.S. Agricultural Engineering. She worked for eight years at Proctor & Gamble in brand management. As a former ING employee, she built up the Community Calendar and successfully did grant writing. She is presently the outreach director at MCA. In this capacity, she has helped develop multi-faceted dawa programs, including dawa in prison, educational programs for Muslims, outreach to Americans of other faiths through open houses, church presentations, and volunteers at food banks, as well as mosque tours and classes; and education for new Muslims through classes, a mentor program, and a developing library. She is married. Bernadette Maaz: B.A. Advertising, San Jose State. Worked in financial aid office at San Jose State and an engineering office in San Mateo. She worked as facility manager at the MCA for seven years, dedicating herself to running as a professional institution, spending long hours in building management, including monitoring safety, and overseeing maintenance and clean up. She was also responsible for answering phones, booking and coordinating events, reserving rooms, coordinating between groups, and general administrative work for the busy center. She recently left this position and will be sorely missed. She is married with a daughter and a son. PHOTOS Click on an image to enlarge.
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