Ramadhan Relief Fund 1434

Making The Switch: An American Woman's Journey To Islam 

Karen Danielson converted to Islam three decades ago, was she was 19. She was raised Catholic, and then later became a Baptist and enrolled in a Baptist college, where she picked up the Koran. Now, she's the director of outreach at the Chicago chapter of the Muslim American Society.

Her experience is not as unusual as it may seem; some 20 percent of American Muslims are converts. Leaving one religion for another can be a complicated process for anyone, but in the United States converting to Islam can mean making some especially difficult personal choices, at least for some people. That was the case for Danielson.

"Islam is not about converting culture. It's about converting faith and spirituality and understanding. And I can still be American, through and through, even if I'm wearing a headscarf and even if I'm dressing in what might appear to be something foreign."

This year's Ramadhan Relief Fund is already in motion. Volunteers are on the ground in countries around the world, preparing for the aid distributions that are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks. 

Ramadhan Relief provides assistance to families, widows, orphans, seniors and the disabled who are affected by poverty, natural disasters,and conflict. This aid can be in the form of food rations, iftaars, debt relief as well as other basic necessities.

This year, NASIMCO and The World Federation will be working in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Gaza, Haiti, Iraq, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Madagascar, Myanmar, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Uganda.

More information will follow in the upcoming weeks, but with the holy month of Ramadhan only 4 weeks away, please begin to donate to the Ramadhan Relief Fund so that we can make sure that struggling families are taken care of this Mahe Ramadhan.

"The worth of every man is in his attainments." - Imam Ali (AS), Nahjul Balagha

The achievements of the youth of our communities are a tremendous honor for us all, not only in light of the above hadith but also because the youth are the lifeblood and future leaders of our communities. Their achievements and successes deserve to be recognized and congratulated. It is with this in mind that NASIMCO recognizes the youth of our community who have graduated or are graduating from post-secondary education every year. 

Students who are graduating in North America this year, as the Class of 2013, should send the following information to secretariat@nasimco.org by July 15th, 2013 so that their achievements can be recognized:

· Full name
· Email / Mailing address
· Home address
· Program they are graduating in
· Institution from which they are graduating