UMF Sponsors Poetic Vision Tour in ORLANDO!
Featuring Dawud Wharnsby and more!
United Muslim Foundation is proud to bring Poetic Vision Tour back to Orlando this Fall with Dawud Wharnsby Ali, Raef, Latifah, and much more!
Join UMF for this unique fusion of poetically rich & spiritually uplifting Folk-Rock music & Hip Hop poetry
Performances in Detroit, Toledo, Orlando, Gainesville, Miami, Tampa, Washington-DC, Princeton-NJ, Chicago-IL
Seating is now determined by when you buy your tickets so buy now to get the best seats, at the cheapest rates! Part of the proceeds will go towards the Pakistan Flood and Disaster Relief Fund.
Get your Discounted Tix here
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UMF Response to Qur'an Burning Threat -Working
with the Gainesville Muslim Initiative (GMI), a
vision to educate the general Gainesville
community about the religion of Islam and its virtues including peace,
generosity and tolerance.
- Appearing on Thursday 9/9 on Spanish Radio Station
WOTS 1220am at 1pm and on Sat 9/11 on WORL 660 at 4pm with our interfaith
partner to voice solidarity on issues such as this Qur'an Burning and Ground
Zero mosque
-Donating $1000 to Al Furqaan to sponsor 500
Qur'ans
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Donating 100-150 translations of the Holy Qur'an along with Discover Islam brochures to the Rollins MSA to
hand out to interested student and staff, combating ignorance with
education. The Qur'ans and brochures were made available to people walking by the campus center along with dates, Islamic bookmarks, and apples and honey in celebration along with Hillel - who also helped with the event - of Rosh Hashanah.
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UMF FL HungerTeam Report
I have been blessed to
be given an opportunity by the United Muslim Foundation to be an Officer of
their Hunger Team. After my recent move from Toronto, Canada
I have had an urge to give back to the world and do something to make a
difference around me. I joined the team a month ago and it has been the best
decision I have made at least in Florida
so far! My first day on the job, I was accompanied by Sr Zainab Alidina to
Panera bread where she informed me that every night a lot of food was thrown
out because it was regarded "not fresh". The hunger team has been picking up
bread from two different Panera bread locations and dropping it off to the
homeless shelters in Sanford.
I was impressed to see such initiative. Moreover the UMF Hunger Team has shown
support and commitment to fight hunger on a Sunday morning along with Project
Downtown Orlando
to feed the hungry in the homeless shelter downtown. No doubt waking up on a
Sunday morning at 7 am during Ramadhan was not easy but feeding the homeless
was by far the best experience my Husband and I had. At the end of it, there
was a sense of accomplishment however small it might have been. We felt that
was the true essence of living; to live for the purpose of fighting hunger and
poverty in the world. To make our world a better place for everyone to live in.
The floods in Pakistan
have been dreadful and for the most part unattended to as needed. Unfortunately
the media and mass public around the world have a lot of negativity towards Pakistan in
general and hence there has been a lack of aid or a slower process of it.
However UMF and its hunger team once again joined in with other organizations
around Orlando to help the people of Pakistan. An
immensely quick response was shown by Orlando in
terms of donations and we were able to donate plenty of clothes, baby food and
medicines that Pakistan
is in dire need of in their current situation. All donations were moved to a
central location in Orlando and Lake Mary
where volunteers attended to help sort the donations. It was certainly
inspiring to see the dedication and commitment the volunteers had on a hot
Saturday afternoon. I am very pleased to be part of this team and I thank
Allah(swt) for giving me this opportunity to serve. I hope that the HungerTeam
will continue to strive to even greater heights in being the change in the
world.
With Regards
Zainab Suleiman
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UMF proud to be a
part of MSA Knight's Annual Fastathon
UMF co-sponsored this
year's fastathon at UCF. The turnout was phenomenal! It was attended by over 500 people, including representatives from the United Church of Christ and Campus Peace Action. And to top it all off MSA collected over $2,000 for Pakistan, Masha-Allah! UMF would like to thank all the volunteers who bought or baked delicious home-made cakes and those who went the extra mile to buy and tirelessly help load and transport drinks and desserts.
And, we'd like to especially thank UCF MSA for letting us be a part of this very special annual tradition that helped to promote unity through the iftar (fast breaking meal), education through the fantastic speakers and charity for disaster relief in Pakistan.
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Pakistan Disaster Relief Report
UMF
volunteers have been working hard this Ramadhan to collect, pack, and load
boxes filled with clothing and other goods for victims of the recent,
devastating floods in Pakistan. Donations were gathered by United Muslim Foundation in conjunction with Project Downtown Orlando from members of the local community, and Alhamdulillah the
response was tremendous! It took many dedicated volunteers long hours of
sorting through the clothes, organizing them into age groups, boxing the
supplies, and loading them for transportation - all while fasting in the heat
of Florida! - But Alhamdulillah in the end the drive turned out to be a success
worth all the hard work. UMF was able to collect enough donations to fill
an entire container with supplies, which will inshaAllah be shipped out via Miami to those in need.
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Interfaith Feeding Report.. On Sunday August
22nd, as Muslims began their 2nd week of fasting
United Muslim Foundation and United Church of Christ joined hands with
Project Downtown Orlando on a sock drive for the homeless and to feed
the local needy. This was an event that truly reflected the goals of
united Muslim Foundation in it's essence - Promoting unity, education
and charity all in one event. Working together with brothers and
sisters of faith from mosques all over Orlando,
children, elderly and
youth of all ages and with our fellow church members was just
spectacular. The event was also attended by Syed Ali Hur Kamoonpuri,
visitng Alim from India,
Congressional Candidate Todd Long and Circuit
Judge candidate Shayan Elahi. There was lots of food to go around and
extra food was sent to the men's and women's shelter in Downtown and
soup kitchen in Sanford.
After the event, everyone sat around in a
circle to share their experiences and what they had learned from not
only feeding the homeless, but talking to them as well about their
needs and difficulties. It was heartwarming to hear stories about
people who had lost everything in the hurricanes and were left
homeless and to see how even little children were out on the streets
with barely anything, but faith in God and hope in the loving spirit
of humanity.
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Discover Islam DVDs
United
Muslim Foundation is distributing free Discover
Islam DVDs to
churches, and
other religious and educational institutions to help promote a better
understanding of Islam. If you would like a DVD set for your local
church, synagogue, library,
etc. please contact us at [email protected]. Please keep in mind that DVDs can only be
mailed within the United States. Recipients are strongly urged to share
their impressions with Discover Islamafter viewing. |
Young volunteers take initiative to help the needy
UMf Volunteer Sarrah Virjiand her friends have had bake sales for the past couple of years during Ramadhan, all in the spirit to help the needy. Whilst only 11 years old, Sarrah has taken such a noble initiative, demonstrating that no matter how young or small, they always have a way of teaching us valuable lessons. These are her words.
"We have been doing a
bake sale every year in Ramadhan to help the needy. My friend and I have worked
hard on the Bake Sales. Our brownies are the best! This year we decided to
raise the money for the cause of the Pakistan Flood. We raised a total of $200
Mashallah!"
Also volunteering their time were Zahra Kermalli, Mehrin Juma, Mumtaz Abdul, Zahra Abdul, Marium Abdul, Masuma Somji,
Siddiqa Kermalli, and Yasmeen Virji. Mujahid Jaffer and friends took care of the bake sale on the men's side, selling an assortments of goods, including cake, cookies, brownies, fruit, and ice cream.
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Quranic Arabic Classes in Masjid Rahman
Arabic classes are being offered at Masjid Ar Rahman, in the Center for Peace (Media Room), 1021 N.
Goldenrod Rd. Orlando, FL 32807. Orientation for the first set of classes will take place on
Saturday, September 18th from 9:00am to 10:30am. The first class
starts from the very beginning with the letters and learning to read. If
you already know how to read, you can either get a great refresher or
wait a couple of weeks into the class when they start memorizing words
and learning sentence structures. Level Two starts on book one of Arabic
Course for English-Speaking Students by Dr. V. Abdur Rahim. Level Three will be
getting heavy into verbs, more advanced grammar rules, and with all of
the classes, there's lots of vocabulary. In level Two and especially
level Three, we memorize hadiths in Arabic. The cost of each class is $150, and students must pass the prior course with at least 70% in order to proceed to the next level.
Level 1: Starts Tuesday, September 21th, 2010, Ends Saturday, January 8th, 2011 (Tuesdays 6-8 pm; Saturdays 12-2 pm)
Level 2: Starts Monday, September 20th, 2010, Ends Saturday, January 8th, 2011 (Monday 8:30-10:30 pm; Wednesday 6-8 pm; Saturdays 10-12 am)
Level 3: Starts Saturday, October 23th, 2010, Ends Saturday, February 12th, 2011 (Monday 6:30-8:30 pm; Wednesday 8-10 pm; Saturdays 8-10 am)
Level 4 Arjumiyyah (Arabic grammar text) will go if there is enough interest. To see what level you will go into, talk to Imam Abdul Atheem on Saturday.
The
Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam said, "The preference or merits of
the one who seeks knowledge over the worshipper, is like the brightness
of the full moon over the stars." (Abu Dawud) |
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The Rules of Engagement: Islamic Code of Ethics Shaykh Mohammed Faqih
Cost: $165 Register online here.
When: September 24-26 & October 2-3, 2010 Fridays: 7pm-10pm Sat & Sun: 10am-7pm
Where: 1st Weekend: (Sep. 24-26): Regal Sun Resort 1850 Hotel Plaza Blvd.,
Orlando, FL 32830, 2nd Weekend: (Oct 2-3): UCF (College of Sciences
101)
I.C.E.
also stands for Integrity, Compassion, and Endurance, the three primary
elements of noble character. The seminar will focus on these three
qualities, in addition to many other magnificent values. A
wise man once said, "Endurance is one of the most difficult
disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory
comes. "
This seminar is for those who are ready to confront
their weaknesses and overcome their shortcomings. It is for those who
want to break free from the shackles of laziness and the prison of moral
impotency. Whether you are ready to take a stand or not, this
seminar is going to give you both the motivation and the tools you need
in your quest to gain control over your rebellious soul.
What You will Learn in this Seminar: By the end of this seminar you will be able to... * Know the Sunnah of Rasulullah, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, and his example in dealing with people * Understand how to deal and interact with one's parents * Understand how to impress the ethics of Islam onto your children * Deal with a hostile work environment and frustrating people *
Impress upon your own self a tightly-knit foundation of morality; in
the pursuit of success in this temporal world and the Hereafter.
Give your excuses a black eye! Enroll Now! |
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Care Package for Pakistan Flood Victims Report
We would like to extend our
sincere thanks to all those who donated Relief boxes and supplies for
the Pakistan flood victims. Alhamdulillah, we have accumulated well over
200+ boxes from MALV, al-Manarah Foundation, Easton Masjid, and
neighboring Muslim communities
of the Lehigh Valley Area. The response has been very heart warming.
May Allah greatly reward all of you, ameen.
Upon PIA's request, our shipment of supplies will be delivered to PIA
this Friday insha'Allah. If you would still like to drop off a completed
relief box to be added to the shipment, you may do so by dropping it
off by Thursday at MALV. If you would like to
donate money to go towards relief supplies with this shipment (about
$20 a box) please send it in a marked envelope "Pakistan relief box" and
give it to Br Eihab. You can also donate for a box at this link http://www.ru-msa.com/relief.php which
will go towards Rutgers University's Relief Efforts. This will be an on
going effort on the behalf of many communities insha'Allah and we may
also continue to collect supplies at a latter date.
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Day of Dignity 2010 Thank You Letter to All Volunteers and Supporters
Assalam u alaikum
I pray this reaches all of you in the best of faith and health. The Philadelphia
chapter of Islamic Relief held its fourth annual Day of Dignity event on
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010. The purpose of Day of Dignity is to assist homeless
and low-income individuals and families. This year, beneficiaries received a variety
of items including sweatshirts, t-shirts, hygiene kits, blankets, gloves,
boxers, knit caps, socks, dental floss, deodorant, chapstick, toilet
rolls, reusable bags, school supplies, pizza, snack items, milk,
water, and juice. Services included medical and dental screenings. Similar to
previous years, this year's event was held during the month of
Ramadan. Given that Ramadan is a month of reflection upon one's blessings,
there couldn't be a more opportune time for the Day of Dignity as this event
aims to serve the less fortunate. This year's event brought together over
100 volunteers from various affiliations and exceeded its goal of
serving 450 beneficiaries.On behalf of the Philadelphia
Day of Dignity steering committee, I would like to thank
you for your support! Your donations helped make Day of Dignity a success
this year. May God reward you for your generosity and we look forward
to working with you again in the future.
Sarah
Haque Food
& Registration Coordinator Philadelphia Day of Dignity 2010
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Fair 4 Care ReportOne
week before the commencement of the blessed month of Ramadhan, Muslims in the Lehigh Valley
convened at Lone Lane Park to play soccer and raise money for a worthy cause.
This event constituted the fifth annual Fair 4 Care fundraising carnival
and was sponsored by UMF, Al-Ahad Islamic Center, Islamic Education Center
(IEC), and Muslim Association of the Lehigh Valley (MALV). Hundreds of
Muslims from the Lehigh
Valley and surrounding
area gathered for the "Fair for Care and Soccer Tournament" on
Saturday August 7th. The event attracted soccer players and entire
families for a day of fun and raised awareness about an important cause.
There were slides, an obstacle course, and trackless train, as well as
games and food. All in all, it was an exciting day of activities that
helped instill the spirit of brotherhood and bring the community together.
This year about $4000 was collected and these proceeds were sent to aid
victims of the floods in Pakistan,
and were channeled through Islamic Relief.
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Interfaith Iftar PA Report
On
Saturday August 14th, Al-Ahad Islamic Center in conjunction with MALV and UMF,
hosted an Interfaith Iftaar. The Interfaith event was well attended by
members of Churches, Synagogues, Universities, elected officials and residents
of the Lehigh Valley. The program commenced with
the recitation of Qur'an, and then speakers from each of the monotheistic
faiths were given the opportunity to talk about hospitality. The
interfaith event manifested the similarities and highlighted the connections
that exist between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The program
concluded with a question & answer session with each of the speakers as
well as a delicious iftaar dinner that was enjoyed by all!
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The Beauty of Ramadhan Celebration is in 'the colors of the crowd'
Iftar tops off the evening event
August
14, 2010|By Arlene Mart�nez, OF THE MORNING CALL
On
Sunday evenings, a group of Muslim women, some with children, head to Swim-In
Zone in Center Valley where they spend an evening
socializing and swimming. The women do so without their Islamic headscarves,
called a hijab, because there are no men around.
That
includes Swim-in Zone co-owner Jim Pantano, who makes himself scarce at the
weekly United Muslim Foundation's outings.
So
when members of UMF invited Pantano and his wife, Penny, to an Interfaith Iftar
Saturday night to learn more about Islam and celebrate an evening during
Ramadan, the couple quickly agreed, thinking it would be "a lot of
fun," Jim Pantano said. Admittedly, he knows little about the occasion but
came "to learn something."
The Pantanos were among 75 or so people who attended the second annual
interfaith Ramadan event at the Al-Ahad Islamic Center in South Whitehall
Township. Members of the
community were invited by the organizing groups - UMF, the Muslim Association
of Lehigh Valley, the Islamic Cultural Center of Allentown, Peace and Justice
Across Borders and Al-Ahad Islamic Center - to celebrate similarities between
religions and cultures and to get to know one another, UMF's events coordinator
Tanveer Walli said.
Ramadan, which started here Thursday, lasts 29 to 31 days depending on when
the moon shows itself as the narrow crescent, which signals the end. During
that time, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, at which point they eat an
evening meal called Iftar. Fasting is an important part of Ramadan, but so is
frequent praying, giving to those who are less fortunate and appreciating the
good in one's life, Walli said.
"You're cleansing your soul. It's a time to reflect on yourself and
look inwards," she said. "You're looking at yourself, and how you can
improve yourself."
Organizer Nagi Latefa welcomed the crowd, remarking on the pleasant night.
"It's beautiful not because of the weather but because of all the
colors in the crowd," Latefa said, referring to the diversity among the
guests.
"Islam is the most misunderstood religion nowadays," he continued.
"We are determined to continue to reach out ... to spread the word about
Islam."
The Koran not only encourages Muslims to reach out to and get to know
neighbors by hosting events like the one on Saturday, it commands them to do
so, Latefa said.
After remarks by several speakers, the crowd planned to sit down for Iftar
at 8:45 p.m. to chicken, pasta, salad and other dishes organizers spent the day
preparing.
The event was open to the public, and organizers reached out to churches,
synagogues, universities and politicians, and invited them to bring friends and
family. U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15th District, independent congressional
candidate Jake Towne and Allentown Councilman Mike Schlossberg were among the
attendees.
[email protected]
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Article Excerpt: Exclusionary Practices at Islamic Centers
...The landscape of Arabia before the advent of Islam was riddled with tribal
warfare. Clan affiliation carried high
value, and those without family ties often found themselves alone and
vulnerable. Into this scene, the Holy
Prophet (pbuh) came with a message of equality and brotherhood, a message which
stressed the importance of a person's faith over the kinship bonds which had
ruled during Al-Jaahiliyya.
New connections were thus formed on the basis of faith, and believers were
exhorted to stand united. As the Holy
Qur'an states in Surah Ale-Imran, verse 103:
"And hold fast all together
by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you) and be not divided among
yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favor on you; for ye were
enemies and He joined your hearts in love so that by His grace ye became
brethren...." The same idea of
the Muslims being one brotherhood is also mentioned in Surah Al-Hujraat, verse
ten...
Allah (swt) addresses the issue of differing ethnicities in Surah Hujraat,
verse 13, where He states: "O you men!
surely We have created you male and female, and made you into nations and
tribes that you may know each other; surely the most honorable of you with
Allah is the one among you most careful (of his duty); surely Allah is Knowing,
Aware."
Here again we see that taqwa is
placed above issues of pedigree. But
there is also one additional point made: that the purpose of our differences is
not to keep us separated, but to act as a means for us to know each other even
better.
So is it Islamic to keep one's culture?
Of course, culture is an important means of identity, and one which is
given to us by Allah (swt). But
safeguarding one's culture does not mean living within a cultural bubble; then
we would not be getting to know one another.
Rather, we should preserve our own good customs whilst sharing This would allow us not only to enrich
others, but also to learn from and be enriched by them... them with those around us. To read full article, click here: C:\Documents and Settings\qbg494\Desktop\mosque debate.mht
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UMF Scholarship Winners!
UMF awarded three $4,000 scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year to High School Seniors or University Students who volunteered their time to UMF, demonstrated leadership skills and exceptional academic rigor. The winners are:
Kanizeh Fatema Visram I am an international student from Kenya
where I attended a British education system high school before moving to the US about four
years ago. I then attended Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA where I pursued my B.S. degree in Biochemistry, in
addition to experiencing various research opportunities at Harvard University
- Stem Cell Institute and Novartis Pharmaceutical. I am now attending University of California
- San Francisco,
which is currently ranked number one in the world for pharmacy, with the goal
of achieving my Doctorate of Pharmacy with a specialization in
Cancer/Infectious Diseases. I hope with my educational and professional
experiences, I can take my work to the developing world and make a difference
in the lives of those who are most in need of medical care.
Mazaher Kassam
I was born and
brought up in Dar es salaam
, Tanzania. I have an experience of 6 years in the field of Information Technology and
almost 4 years in Security Systems. I'm currently doing my Associates of
Science in Computers and Networking , the scholarship will help me partially
pay up with my loan and help me advance in attaining a degree in Network
Security.
Rizwan Merchant
I
graduated with my bachelors degree in Accounting from the University of Florida.
I am currently pursuing my masters degree in Finance at Virginia Commonwealth
University. I am grateful
to UMF for giving me the opportunity to enhance my education in the corporate
world, thus allowing me to ultimately aid the community with financial
stability and gain new-found knowledge.
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Win two free Poetic Vision Tour Tickets: Test Your Qur'an Skillz!!!
1.
Which surah of the Holy Qur'an begin with "Alhamdu Lillahi"? (1)
2. What is the meaning of "Fattaqullaah wa ati'oon" in Surah Ash-Shu'ara and how many times is this verse repeated in the surah. (2) 3. A
verse of Surah Al-An'aam, which covers all aspects of our existence, is highly
recommended to recite before every salaat. Which verse number is it? (1) 4. This surah has derived its name from
its 25th verse. Name the Surah? (2) 5. In Surah Al-A'araaf the heedless people are likened to which animal? (1) 6. In one of the surah recited on the 23rd night of the month of Ramadhan,
Allah (swt) mentions 'Deeni Haneefa'. What does it mean, and mention the surah
and verse numbers? (2) 7. Verse 41 of Surah Al-Anfal mentions which branch of religion? (1) 8. Which mosque, mentioned in Surah Tawbah, was built by mischief makers to
cause discord among the believers? (1) 9. The daughter of which Prophet was a wife of an Ulul azm Prophet? (1) 10. Name the 7 tyrants mentioned in the
Holy Qur'an. (2) 11. In one of the verses of Surah Al-Anfal Allah (swt) mentions the six
categories of recipients deserving Khums. Who are they? (2) 12. This same verse also mentions the 'day of distinction', the day when the 2
armies met. Which day is this referring to? (1 ) 13. Which Verse of Surah Baqarah is a supplication in qunoot of salaat? (1) 14. Which are the 5 mosques mentioned in the Holy Qur'an? (2) 15. How many angels are mentioned by their name in the Holy Our'an? Quote the surah & verses where they are mentioned? (2) 16.
How many times and where in the Holy Our'an, is the Prophet Muhammed (saww) addressed as Yaa Ayyuhan Nabi? (2)
17.
Which verse in the Holy Our'an refers to the Holy Prophet (saww) taking a highest physical position with Allah (swt)? (2)
18.
Name the personalities unto whom Allah (swt) sends his salutations in Surah As-Saffat? (2)
19.
Which verses are known as Ayatul Mulk? Also mention the surah number? (2) |
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