The Message - Muslim Community Center
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The Message
Vol. 50 / No. 6 / Ramadan—Shawwal 1440/ June 2019
A Publication of the Muslim Community Center, Chicago, IL
President’s Report Safety & Security Workshop Interfaith Iftar
Dear Brothers and Sisters, السالم عليكم, On Thursday, May 9th, MEC held an
interfaith Iftar for over 200 people
from all types of backgrounds and
Ramadan Mubarak to all of you! faiths. The theme of the event was
May Allah (SWT) make this month a Muslim Philanthropy. Guests enjoyed
source of blessing to you and your iftar and dinner after a valuable discus-
family and may He make your wor- sion about Ramadan, Sadaqa, Zakat
ship in this month as productive as and Muslim fellowship along with his-
possible. We hope you use MCC and torical views of the over 400 years of
MEC as a place where this can hap- MEC held a Security and Safety contributions by Muslims who came to
pen. workshop on May 2, 2019. Sargent America as enslaved people.
Syed Quadri and his team gave a
At MEC, things will remain con- presentation on the steps we needed to
sistent for our taraweeh prayers with take to be safer during Ramadan. He
Maulana Yousuf Abdullah. The pray- explained the role of the safety team
and how the community can do their
ers and talks will be live-streamed on part by being vigilant and keep their
YouTube for those who cannot attend eyes and ears open. He also talked
in person, In Sha Allah. At MCC, our about ALICE:
imam, Sh. Ibrahim Khader, will be Alert- Lockdown-Inform (call police)-
leading taraweeh. We have added a Confront - Evacuate. There is a video on
new audio-visual system at MCC this YouTube about ALICE that everyone
year as well, so we will be able to live should watch.
stream as well. We will have daily The speakers included Alia Bilal from
iftar at both locations, and there will After New Zealand tragedy, MCC Inner-City Muslim Action Network,
be itikaaf and Qiyam on the last ten Executives decided we should reevalu- Amany Killawy, CEO of LaunchGood
nights. ate MCC security, some of the steps and Kashif Sheikh, ED of Pillars Fund. By
below were implemented before Rama- bringing together people of all commu-
We are also working on having Eid dan: nities, it provided a sense of friendship
• Assessment of the buildings at both to the attendees as well as a sense of
prayers at an outdoor location as well MEC and MCC with Sargent Syed Uzair
for the whole community. Please be hope for our future. In Sha Allah, the
Quadri and Homeland security advisor. MCC Interfaith and Outreach Com-
aware of the announcement during • We Identified needs, including doors, mittee will continue to spread aware-
the month for more information on signage issues, and those were taken ness of religious pluralism by increasing
this. care of by building committee. effective communication between reli-
• Increased two to three security offic- giously diverse peers within the com-
Finally, as we celebrate our 50th ers and hours from 9am-12pm and 7pm munity. To get involved with the I&O
anniversary, please think about -12pm during Ramadan at MEC and two Committee, go to mccchicago.org/
donating to our endowment and officers at MCC. interfaith.
giving back to MCC. Also, remember, • We formed a team of five volunteers
our 50th Gala will be September 21st, to help during Ramadan at both loca-
2019! tions in addition to the Special Events
team.
Any questions or comments or • With the help of Br. Mazhar Khan, we
were able to secure a police car parked
concerns, please feel free to contact during Ramadan in the parking lot.
me. • Parking will be strictly enforced dur-
ing Ramadan/ Park with handicap stick-
Regards, ers/ street parking with Morton grove
stickers/ blocking driveways.
Kamran Hussain Thank you.— Masood Bijapuri
president@mccchicago.org MCC Elston and MEC masjid locations are
847-452-5811 requiring your generous contributions to sup-
port the security program for both facilities.
With your generous support, you will play a
part in enhancing a safe and secure environ-
ment for our community. The goal is to raise
$60,000 for this initiative. Please visit our web-
site to contribute. Jazak Allah Khairan.
MCC Youth In Action Seniors Committee
We want to con- Ramadan Mubarak from the MEC Alhamdulillah on Sunday, April 21st,
gratulate Ammar Women's Committee. This Ramadan, 2019 Management of Falls in Elderly
Siddiqui for win- may Allah (SWT) shower our path with was held at MEC where Mr. Habib Ab-
ning the North light and knowledge and bless all of us basi BSRT (Retired Director Physical
Shore Youth In-
terfaith Leader- with health and happiness. To welcome Therapy) and Mrs. Sarwar Khan, P.T.A.
ship Award. Con- the holy month of Ramadan, on April & O.T. addressed nearly twenty-five
grats Ammar! 23rd, MEC Women's Committee ar- members. The presentation was done
Well deserved! ranged a lecture by Sr. Rahat Khaja talk- with Demonstration of Assistive Devic-
ing about the dos and don'ts of Rama- es to keep the elderly safe also discuss-
We’d also like to recognize dan and how to gain maximum reward ing the proper uses and risks of fall,
Abdurrahim and Abdurrehman Rana in this holy month. More than 150 sis- followed by a Q&A session and refresh-
for being the first to earn the youth ters benefitted from the lecture after ments.
event attendance incentive. which refreshments were served.
Congratulations! Many appreciated the program, In
MEC Women's Committee is also Sha Allah, the committee's next event
proud to announce that Sr. Yvonne, will be an Eid party on June 16th at
one of the participants of its ongoing MEC along with other committees and
program Classes for New Muslim Sis- a Chicago Botanical Garden trip on Au-
ters, took Shahadah a day before Ram- gust 6th, please mark your calendar.
adan. May Allah (SWT) make it a peace- Happy Ramadan, Habib Abbasi, Chair-
ful and joyful journey for her. man Senior Committee
On May 16th, MEC Women's Com-
The Elston Youth Shura held its mittee's Mommy & Me group went on
first event - MCC Movie Night show- a field trip to Morton Grove Police Sta-
ing Bilal: A New Breed of Hero. It was tion. Moms and kids had a great time
a successful event and well attended meeting officers, taking a tour of the
with over 35 youth and parents pre- station, and taking many pics. Officer
sent. They enjoyed popcorn, pizza Lietz and Officer Jurasz were just won-
and other snacks with the movie. derful hosts and answered all of the
The MCC Young Sisters Empower- questions moms and kids had. Some of
ment Circle began their special Ram- the things the group got to see was the
adan program and will continue hav- dispatch room, cells, practice room,
ing weekly meetings until Ramadan is and the most favorite police car. We
over. They will start the story of Assi- are grateful to have police officers Board of Directors Meeting:
ya (AS) this week. There was also a around to help us when needed. The
small refresher quiz on the life of officers showed the kids that they could Annual Budget
Khadijah (RA) last week and prizes be nice and friendly to good people.
will be awarded this week, In Sha Thank you, Morton Grove Police De- On Sunday, May 19th, 2019 the Board
Allah. partment for the wonderful job of of Directors in a meeting, with Committee
keeping us safe. Chairs present, approved the 2019/2020
budget after a lengthy and lively discus-
sion. The break down of the budget is 73%
MCC Academy, 25% General Fund, and 2%
Part-Time schools with a total budget of
$6.8 million.
This will allow the continuation of fund-
ing across all committees, schools and
every function at MCC Elston, Morton
Alhumdullilah, about forty boys Grove and Skokie campuses.
attended the “Ramadan Goals” pro-
gram on Friday, April 26. The boys
enjoyed a game of football in the
MEC field. After Asr, we served pizza
and fruit to the boys and concluded Donation Processing Committee
with a talk on preparing for Ramadan The Donation Processing Committee has launched a campaign to enlighten
led by YM Amir Ammar Siddiqui. members that the ultimate purpose of their donation is to please Allah (swt), to
seek His mercy and to enter into Jannah. They are trying to change the mindset,
to not just donate but donate with purpose. This message is displayed on the
donation boxes table. This committee was officially formed with Chairman Khalid
Mujtaba and a team of nine dedicated individuals. Their trustworthiness has
earned the confidence of donors, which is essential for the donors to give for
various projects: Masjid, Sadaqa, Zakat, Ramadan collection, to name a few. Out-
side organizations raising funds have been very professionally and systematically
processed promptly to the satisfaction of the MCC organization.
MCCA News
Anniversary Memories
MCCA Superintendent Be part of MCC history! In prep-
Honored aration for MCC’s 50th anniversary
celebrations we invite you all to par-
ticipate in the festivities. If you have
We are incredibly excited to an- any historical information or memo-
L-R: Habib Abbasi, Dr. Aasim Padela, Dr. Fauzia nounce that MCCA's Mr. Habeeb Quad-
Lodhi, Dr Rosie Duivenbode, Dr Michael Quinn, ri was given the Islamic Society of North ries or culinary memories/recipes
Dr Milda Saunders, Megan Craig America (ISNA) Lifetime Achievement for a particular event you would like
Award in Islamic Education on April 20,
2019, at the organization's Annual Edu- to share, please submit using the
MEC is hosting the Initiative on Islam
and Medicine (II&M) to deliver educa- cation Forum. In front of a crowd of respective links below:
600+ guests in attendance, Mr. Quadri
tional workshops on End-of-Life Care was shocked. As he humbly accepted http://mccchicago.org/history-project/
and Organ Donation. this honor, Mr. Quadri spoke of his
gratitude for his parents' influence and http://mccchicago.org/recipe-form/
The II&M delivered educational pro- support in pursuing a career in Islamic
grams on end-of-life care and organ education. He also thanked his wife
Mrs. Aisha Siddiqui for her unwavering
donation in March. These workshops encouragement and support over the
involved guest lectures and group dis- years. He holds a seat on the Harvard
cussions to help our community make University Graduate School of Educa-
informed healthcare decisions. tion Principals' Advisory Board where
he is also a part-time staff member
The program will repeat in June fea- and student taking continuing educa-
tion courses. He is on numerous Is-
turing balanced information and an lamic organization boards and is an
exploration of the various religious author of five books on parenting and
views. Participant surveys help test the other social issues relating to Islam
effectiveness of such religiously- and Islamic education. He has had
tailored programs. Thank you to all the blessed opportunity to deliver
hundreds of lectures and workshops
who helped host the program. For across the country and abroad on
more information: https:// Islam, society, and social problems
voices.uchicago.edu/ confronting Muslim youth and the
islamandmedicine/ community at large.
organdonationandeolc/
Without a doubt, Mr. Quadri has
contributed a lifetime's worth of ben-
efit to the Muslim ummah. Moreo-
ver, we pray, In Sha Allah, he has an-
Project Rizq other lifetime's worth to give.
Project Rizq hosts its bimonthly food Masha'Allah, this Lifetime Achieve- Since this is an Islamic publication, please
drive to help the refugees and the less for- ment Award is a much-deserved honor.
Mr. Quadri has served MCC Academy dispose of it in a respectable Islamic manner.
tunate in Chicago. Along with 300 food box-
as our stalwart leader for nearly 17 Disposal bins available at MCC Elston.
es, we packaged 500 Ramadan gift bags years now, Masha'Allah. He helped
and 350 toys. transform MCCA into the top-
performing, nationally accredited insti-
tution it is today. He has spent endless MCC Publication Committee:
Contact projectrizq@gmail.com for weekends and evenings serving the
questions and to learn about our schedule. broader Muslim community here in Shabnam Mahmood—Chair/Editor-in-chief
— Anas Gandhi Chicago, nationwide, and international- Syed Mahmood—Co-Chair
ly, mentoring youth and guiding par- Shahjahan Baig—Advertising Manager
ents, giving his time and competent Hafiz Ikhlas Ansari—Prayer Timetable
counsel. Mohsin Bhatty—Distribution
The Message is a monthly publication of the Muslim Com-
munity Center that informs members of administration,
organization and committee activities of MCC/MEC.
For information regarding these and Submit your questions and comments editormccpublica-
tions@gmail.com. The opinions expressed in The Message
any of our events please visit us at do not necessarily represent those of the Publication Com-
mittee. The editor reserves the right to edit all material.
www.mccchicago.org.
Muslim Community Center
4380 N Elston Ave
Chicago, IL 60641
www.mccchicago.org
Send address corrections to:
Muslim Community Center
4380 N Elston Ave
Chicago, IL 60641
Phone: (773) 725-9047
Fax: (773) 725-1616
Membership Questions
pkashif1@gmail.com
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