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Muslim Personalities
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Shaheed Baqir al-Sadr and Shaheeda Aminah Bint al-Huda
"8th April every year is commemorated by the Islamic Ummah as the anniversary of the martyrdom of the super genius personality of Islam, Ayatullah al-Uzma Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, who was born in Kazemain (Iraq) on Ziqa-adah 25, 1353 AH. He belonged to a religious family which has been the cradle of Islamic learning for about a century by now.
In 1365 AH, when he was 12 years old, he settled in Najaf (Iraq) and began studying as well as teaching the principles of Islamic Jurisprudence and other branches of Islamic learning. He possessed such an extra-ordinary acumen that he could fully comprehend the lessons of the level of his own studies without the help of his teacher. Eventually he was elevated to the position of 'Ijtihad' (jurisprudent) and also began writing books. He has written 26 books on various subjects. Some of these books have been translated into Persian, English, Urdu and Turkish.
...Ayatullah Sadr's support of Imam Khomeini (RA) and his opposition to the atheist Ba'thist regime in Iraq led by Saddam shook the foundations of the atheist Ba'thist regime of Saddam. Ayatullah Sadr as the leader of the Islamic movement had gained popular support from the Muslims in Iraq and emerged as powerful force in Iraq.
...The atheist Ba'thist Saddam arrested Ayatullah Sadr and his sister Aminah Bint al Huda in February 1980 and were imprisoned in the notorious Abu Ghuraib prison in Baghdad. He and his sister were severely tortured by the Ba'thist agents in the prison and were shot dead directly by the hands of atheist Ba'thist Saddam on April 8, 1980.
...Aminah Bint al Huda was great Islamic scholar and an advocate of women rights in Islam and single handedly recruited hundreds of women into fold of Islam. She was prolific novelist, and political speaker that mobilized masses to struggle against tyranny of Ba'thist Saddam."
To read more, click here.
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Islam in the News
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Utah Church Offers Free Korans in Easter Gesture
" A Utah church is giving away free copies of the Koran in an Easter season ecumenical riposte to the recent burning of the Islamic holy book by a controversial Florida pastor.
The Wasatch Presbyterian Church has ordered 50 copies of the Koran to be distributed at a local bookstore starting on Monday.
'We're not promoting Islam, we're not saying the Koran is the Bible,' said Scott Dalgarno, the church's pastor. 'We're just saying that if people are curious, if they want their consciences informed on this issue ... then let them pick up a copy on us and read it and decide for themselves what to think.'
Dalgarno says each Koran, which the world's nearly 1.6 billion Muslims believe is God's final testament, will have a bookmark insert that reads: 'This book was donated by the leaders of Wasatch Presbyterian Church who are not afraid of truth wherever it can be found.'
He said the giveaway was a response to Terry Jones, the leader of a fringe, fundamentalist church in Gainesville, Florida.
...'When we found out that Terry Jones had actually carried through on this and 20-plus people had died as a result we thought we can't stay silent here,' said Dalgarno."
To read more, click here.
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Salaam Alaykum!
As part of its vision and mission, the NASIMCO Post serves as a tool by which to bind our community together and promote a unified and caring environment for all. If you have anything you would like to include in this newsletter, contact us at info@nasimco.org.
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Qum Summer Camp 2011
| The application deadline for Qum Camp 2011 has been extended until May 8th. We are also pleased to inform you that the cost of the camp has dropped after securing cheaper airfare.
Revised Prices:
- $3,100 (full price)
- $2,500 (subsidized price)
The Qum Summer Camp unites Muslim youth from all over the world in the holy cities of Qum and Mashhad for three weeks. It is an experience of a lifetime. This year's camp is particularly special as students will get the unique opportunity to spend eleven days of the month of Ramadhan in Mashhad. Click here to read one participant's experience of last year's camp or click on the poster for more details.
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| NASIMCO Assistant Administrative Officer |
NASIMCO is pleased to announce that Sr. Salma Ceizar has joined NASIMCO in the post of Assistant Administrative Officer as of April 18th, 2011. Salma has worked in administrative positions in the past and will be a great asset to the growing organization and to the member Jamaats of North America. The NASIMCO Executive welcomes her to her new role with NASIMCO.
Salma can be contacted at the NASIMCO office at (905) 763-7512, Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (EST) or via email at secretariat@nasimco.org.
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Leadership Development Program (LDP) - Toronto
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NASIMCO, in coordination with the Islamic Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat of Toronto (ISIJ) and the Jafferi Education Board of ISIJ, held a three day Leadership Development Program (LDP) from March 18th to March 20th. The goal of the program was to "Unlock your Potential to serve your community and humanity". The program was facilitated by Dr. Akber Mohamedali and Sr. Siddika Jessa.
Some of the focuses of the program included the difference between tolerance and respect, visioning for the community; on a personal level, it incorporated the impact of perception and individual lenses, the power of emotional intelligence for success and political resources within the self.
 Each morning participants reflected on the learning that had taken place and shared their stories and experiences. Many of the participants had personal moments of enlightenment and a new found drive to pick up where they had left off to experience life to the fullest. NASIMCO awarded the participants with certificates upon completion of the LDP program.
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Election Results - New York
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The Shia Ithnasheri Jamaat of New York recently held elections for their executive committee. The elected positions for the term 2011-2013 are as below:
President: Hussein Kermalli
Vice President: Dr. Riyaz G. Hassam
Joint Secretaries: Munawar H. Kermalli and Faisal Dhirani
Joint Treasurers: Murtaza Nathani and Hasnain Dharsi
Joint Mukhis: Firoz Mukhi and Shabbir Chandoo
Committee Members: Ahmed Alloo, Musadiq Bhalloo, Firoz Dhirani, Mustafa Dinani and Mohsin Meghji
Chair Lady: Gulzarbai Meghji
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Election Results - Vancouver
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The Shia Muslim Community of British Columbia recently held elections for their executive committee. The elected positions for the term 2011 - 2013 are as below:
President: Dr. Akber Mithani
Vice President: Mohamed Jafferali Ladak
Treasurer: Hasnain Dewji
Secretary: Ali Reza Merali Dewji
Director of Programs: Asad Zaidi
Director of Maintenance: Jaffer Nathu
Director of Internal Affairs: Mahmood Rashid
Director of Education: Hameed Jagani
Director of Public Relations: Michael Symons
Director of Operational Transformation: Anwar Nathu
Director of Religious Affairs: Hussein Bhojani
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Rally for Bahrain
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The Shia community of North America showed their solidarity with the oppressed nation of Bahrain on Friday, April 15th along with other human rights and Muslim organizations at the American Council for Freedom in Bahrain's National Rally Against Human Rights Abuses in Bahrain. 
A national rally of this caliber has never been organized before by American Shia Muslims in the USA. Protesters gathered outside the White House to raise their voices against the atrocities being committed in Bahrain.
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| Khojamatch.com Update |
Since Khojamatch.com was launched 4 years ago, it has grown in popularity as an innovative way for members of our community to find a suitable spouse. The system, which also helps matchmakers carry out their work more effectively, is fully compliant with the Islamic Shariah, endorsed by the religious leaders of our community.
The Khojamatch.com team recently launched Phase 3 of the system, on the birth anniversary of our Holy Prophet (SAW). The new phase allows users to have greater control of the matches that are offered by the system, by creating an extensive and more comprehensive profile for each user, while ensuring that personal data stored on the system is only accessible on a "need to know" basis. As a result, the system will benefit users by suggesting more accurate possible matches, faster.
Click here to read more about how the system works.
Click here to visit Khojamatch.com
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Academy for Learning Islam (ALI) Update
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The Academy for Learning Islam (ALI) held its first in-house program for girls from March 15th to March 17th. The program was geared towards teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 with the aim to use the holidays to help the girls increase in religious knowledge and also gain important life skills.
The girls learned about Islam with topics such as Tilawah of the Quran and Tafsir, wisdom from the Quran and "Talking to God". They were also trained on both personal and social levels through sessions on self-esteem and balancing the demands of life. Spirituality and reading were also given importance during the course, as were exercise and cooking skills.
Participants learned many rules of interpersonal relationships, and through the spirit of friendship that pervaded the program, were able to discuss issues that were important to them. Most of all, according to them, they learned to see the Quran in a way they never had before.
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UMAA Convention 2011
| The 9th annual UMAA convention will be taking place in Toronto, Canada from May 27th to May 29th. The theme for this year's conference is "The Quran, Ahlul Bayt & Modern Society: A Focus on Identity, Citizenship and Collaboration".
The conference promises to be insightful and dynamic with high profile speakers, including Dr Hassan Abbas (Professor at Columbia University, Senior Advisor at Belfer Centre, Harvard University), Sheikh Dr Usama Al Attar (Renowned Islamic Lecturer, recitor and accomplished scientist), Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hilli (Renowned Islamic lecturer and scholar from the UK), Sayed Haider Bahar Al-Uloom (Islamic lecturer) and Sheikh Mukhtar Faezi (Resident Scholar, Baitul Ilm Academy, Chicago, Illinois). Click here for more details |
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