You Are Not Alone!
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PRAYER TIMINGS Effective 09/26 MCA NOOR Fajr 6:10 6:20 Dhuhr 1:30 1:30 Asr 4:45 5:30 Maghrib Sunset Sunset Isha 8:30 8:30 Juma 1 1:30 1:30 Juma 2 2:00 2:00 Newsletter Juma 3 2:30 2:30 Published Weekly by the Muslim Community Association of San Francisco Bay Area www.mcabayarea.org Safar 8, 1442 AH Friday, Sep 25, 2020 Zahir Mosque, Malaysia AL-QURAN “Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah . Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful’” [Quran 39:53] You Are Not Alone! HADITH If you’re struggling with food or rent due to Covid-19, Narated By Abu Hurairah : The we’re offering FREE GROCERY DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR! Apostle of Allah (pbuh) said: If anyone pursues a path in knowledge, Easy Application process! Allah will thereby make easy for him a path to the Paradise; and he who is Yes, I want a delivery! made slow by his actions will not be speeded by his genealogy. Donate Abu Dawud Book 019, Hadith Volunteer to Deliver Number 3636 TO ADVERTISE, Join the MCA Mailing List and Stay Connected VISIT MCA WEBSITE: www.mcabayarea.org/newsletter 1442 Hijri (2020-2021) MCA Elections Announcement Election Results Assalamu-Alaikum MCA Members & Community: The 1442H (2020-2021) MCA Leadership Elections were held on Wednesday, September 16 and Thursday, September 17 via an online balloting process conducted by ElectionBuddy.com. There were approximately 1906 MCA Members eligible to vote in this year’s elections according to a membership list generated by the MCA Membership Committee. Ballots were sent by ElectionBuddy.com to 1873 eligible voters who provided unique email addresses to the MCA Membership Committee. Of those 1873 eligible voters, 1507 members (80%) submitted ballots. On the evening of September 17, 2020, the MCA Elections Committee received the results of the election that were tabulated and audited by ElectionBuddy.com. Our committee vetted and reviewed the results to ensure their accuracy and reliability. The 1442H (2020-2021) MCA Leadership Election Results are: President (1 position) 1487 total votes, 20 abstentions Mohammed Nadeem 828 55.70% Yes Fouad Khatib 659 44.30% No Executive Board (3 Positions) 4396 total votes, 3 abstentions Chafik Ziadeh 809 18.40%, Yes Abdullah Ibrahim 799 18.20%, Yes Abdirahman A Farah 741 16.90%, Yes Shabeena Ahmed 721 16.40% No, Iqra Shaikh 700 15.90% No, Zafar Haq 626 14.20% No Board of Trustee (BoT- 2 open positions) 2845 total votes, 15 abstentions Syed Fahim Ahmed 1,263, 44.40%, Yes Gulled A Roble 820, 28.80%, Yes Azeem A. Syed 762 26.80% No The newly elected board members will start their term on the 1st of Rabi Al-Awwal 1442. Congratulations to the newly elected board members and thank you to them and all candidates for their willingness to serve and sacrifice for our community. We would also like to thank MCA General Secretary Syed Reza and all the members of MCA Membership Committee, chaired by Dr. Towhid Islam, for their hard work and diligence in updating the MCA membership database and communicating with members. We also thank the entire MCA community for their patience, understanding and support as we attempted to conduct our elections for the first time via an online ballot due to a global pandemic and our unique current circumstances. Thank you for participating in the democracy, transparency and legitimacy of MCA. Finally, we thank all the board members who are ending their terms for their service to our community. May Allah bless and guide our newly elected leaders and the entire community. The MCA Elections Committee welcomes all feedback, questions or concerns and can be contacted at election@mcabayarea. org. We will generate and publish a report in the next 30 days, inshallah. Sincerely, MCA Election Committee Sajid A. Khan (Chair) | Altaf Khan | Marwa Ahmed | Christy Chase | Khandaker Azad *Candidate Votes Percent Elected 2 26. As-Sami’ The All-Hearer The Hearer, The One who Hears all things that are heard by His Eternal Hearing without an ear, instrument or organ. “And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them.” [Quran 7:180] 3 Ojalá or Oh, Allah! By Wendy Díaz | Sound Vision of enrichment emerged in commerce, to distinguish an Arab from a Latino or a architecture, art, literature, science, and North African from a South American or an When exploring the topics of culture, faith, mathematics. It was the Golden Age of African from a Caribbean. Not only is the and spirituality in Latin America, many are Islam, and Islamic Spain became a beacon resemblance in physical appearance striking, surprised to find there is an enormous of knowledge and progress. However, but also, the similarities in personalities connection to Islam. The Islamic religion like all good things, eventually, this age of and traditions. Latinos possess the God- and the societies of North Africa and the enlightenment came to an end. consciousness, strength of family ties, spirit, Middle East greatly influenced all aspects and determination typical of faithful Muslims. of Latinidad, or the Latino identity. For “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue!” more than 800 years, Spain, often called is a rhyme children are taught in grade Hispanics Speak Arabic? the mother of Latin American nations, was school when learning about the explorer, From the 13th to the 15th century, when the inhabited by Muslim North Africans and their Christopher Columbus. What history Muslim rule in Spain was at its height, Arabic descendants, who were referred to as the books fail to mention is that more than just was the official language in many parts Moors. Columbus and his Spanish ships, the Nina, of Spain. Being bilingual, Arabic-Spanish, Pinta, and Santa María, were leaving Spain In 711, the Muslim general Tariq ibn Ziyad, was normal. In those times, Arabic was that year. It was also during this time that a accompanied by an army of 7,000 soldiers, regarded as the language of the elite and the massive exodus of Muslims and Jews was crossed the Mediterranean into Spain. The prestigious. Surprisingly, Spanish was written taking place. North African Muslims found the perfect for a long period of time using Arabic script. opportunity to enter the Iberian Peninsula, In 1492, the Catholic King Ferdinand and This style of writing was called Aljamiado or realizing that the Visigoth government his wife, Queen Isabela, were successful Aljamía. Currently in the Spanish language of King Rodrigo was weak and lacked in conquering the final Muslim stronghold there are more than 6,000 words of Arabic support. Many Spaniards had protested the in Granada, Spain. What followed were a origin. The most famous Spanish expression incompetence of his reign, and their cries series of edicts that sought to criminalize in Spain, “Olé!” comes from the Arabic word reached the ears of the governor of North the practice of Islam, force conversions “Wallah” which means “by God.” Africa. of Muslims and Jews to Christianity, and Arabic terminology was adopted to describe expel the Muslim and Jewish populations It has been reported that when Ibn Ziyad’s the various things that the Moors introduced completely from Spain. Ironically, when the army reached Spain, they burned their to the Spanish. For example, words like café New World was just being “discovered,” the ships, determined to stay there for good and (coffee), alfombras (rugs), jinete (horse descendants of Islamic Spain were searching expand the Muslim empire. The strait that rider), tambor (drum), alcalde (mayor), aldea for a new home. separates the peninsula from North Africa (village), algodón (cotton), arroz (rice), azúcar still bears the name of General Tariq ibn When Spain began to colonize Latin (sugar), aceituna (olive), and almohada Ziyad – Jabal-at-Tariq or Gibraltar – which America, centuries of Islamic influence (pillow) have Arabic roots. means “the mountain of Tariq.” came aboard ships, despite all efforts of The Muslim religion also influenced the use the Catholic rulers to suppress it. Dozens of After defeating the Visigoth army, the Moors of certain words and expressions. One such exiled Muslims, many hiding their religious continued their conquest to Toledo and term is ojalá which means “I wish” or “I hope”, identity, fled to the New World, taking established treaties with the Spanish. The derived from either “insha’Allah,” or “lau sha their culture and faith with them. Likewise, land that was conquered by the Muslims, Allah,” which means “God willing” or “If God Muslim victims of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Southern Spain, was called Al-Andalus, now has willed it.” Trade also found themselves in the New Andalusia. World. Until this day, it is inevitable to travel Latino Muslims in the United States During the centuries that Muslims ruled anywhere in Spain or Latin America and Could it be because of this undeniable Spain, a pluralist democracy existed where not see the influence of Muslim culture. influence that today many Latinos or people of all religions, mainly Christians, In the architecture, street names, artwork, Hispanics in Latin America and the United Muslims, and Jews, lived together in peace. gastronomy, and even in the DNA of its States are returning to Islam as their religion? Despite this, many residents converted people. Latin Americans are walking and The short answer is yes. Many Latino to Islam willingly, as others had done in breathing relics of Muslim empires. Even Muslims are drawn to religion because of the different parts of the Muslim world.