Islamic Society of North America 54th ANNUAL ISNA CONVENTION June 30- July 3, 2017 Donald E. Stephens Convention Center – Rosemont, IL Hope and Guidance Through the Quran VERILY, this Qur'an shows the way to all that is most upright, and gives the believers who do good deeds the glad tiding that theirs will be a great reward; -17:9 Featured Speakers Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir w Laila Al-Arian w Abdalla Idris Ali w Shamsi Ali w Wajahat Ali w Zainab Alwani w Nihad Awad w Azhar Azeez w Zahra Billoo w Alia Bilal w Colin Christopher w Dalia Fahmy w Yasir Fahmy w Jaime Mujahid Fletcher w Tamara Gray w Mehdi Hasan w Altaf Husain w Ameena Jandali w Jamillah Karim w Nouman Ali Khan w Ghazala Khan w Khizr Khan w Mohamed Magid w Ingrid Mattson w Cyrus McGoldrich w Dalia Mogahed w Yasmin Mogahed w Laila Muhammad w Precious Rasheeda Muhammad w Rami Nashishibi w Linda Sarsour w Yasir Qadhi w Zaid Shakir w Hassan Shibli w Muzammil Siddiqi w Omar Suleiman Friday, June 30, 2017 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE 1:30 - 3:00 PM Juma’ah Salat Prayer Hall Khateeb: Azhar Azeez, ISNA President 3:30 - 4:45 PM Opening Session Session 1 ISNA Welcoming Address • Welcome Address Recitation from the Holy Qur’an • Welcome address from Azhar Azeez, ISNA President • Messages from government and interfaith leaders • Brief remarks from leaders of American Muslim Organizations • Recognition of dignitaries and guests • Recognition of Program, Steering and Convention Committee Chairs, volunteers and staff Moderator: Fatima Salman 5:00 - 6:00 PM ISNA Sessions Session 2A The Witness of Religion in an Age of Fear Speakers: Sayyid M. Syeed Session 2B News Makers While we see and hear from Muslim newsmakers, we rarely have the opportunity to hear their insight about those news stories, what they want to express beyond the sound bytes and especially their personal experiences being thrust into the spotlight. Join us for a discussion with our community activist who are on the front lines, making the headlines. Speakers: Abdul Syed, Biliqis Abdul Qaadir, Laila Al-Arian, Moon Khan, Linda Sarsour 6:00 – 6:30 PM Prayer Prayer Hall Asr Salat 7:00 – 8:00 PM Main Sessions Session 3A Cultural Ingenuity (Part 1): The Sleepers of the Cave God, through the Quran and prophetic narratives, recognized many different communities throughout history. In each of these communities there are lessons to direct and inspire each of us both in our daily lives and our daily devotionals/ spiritual growth. The story of the sleepers of the cave is shared among Muslims and Christians. Despite finding persecution overbearing, these youth were unwilling to denounce their faith. Their awakening from a cross-generational sleep has them re-enter into a very different community. Speakers: Abdalla Idris Ali Moderator: Safaa Zarzour Session 3B IslamInSpanish & The Latino Muslim Wave IslamInSpanish was established after the tragic incident of September 11th and after 16 years has become a trending leading wave featured by CNN, BBC, L.A. Times, NPR, Univision, Telemundo, and others who understand this segment’s growth implication in America. Join us to find out why Latinos and Muslims are the two demographic groups changing the narrative within the Muslim Community and in society as a whole in America and worldwide. Speakers: Jaime Mujahid Fletcher, Wesley Abu Lebron Host: Alma Campos Session 3C Ask the Scholars: Open Q&A Join Islamic scholars to discuss various issues which each of us face in our daily lives. Come prepared with your questions for our panel to address. Scholars: Muzammil Siddiqi, Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Zainab Alwani Moderator: Ihsan Bagby Session 3D I Am a Proud Muslim: or Can’t You Tell To be a minority among minorities is a privilege very few are able to claim. We will take a look into the narrative of Muslims who do not fit the "standard" traditional look of a Muslim. Can't grow a beard? Skin too pale? Dress a certain way? This session will take an in depth look at why many Muslims feel the need to constantly prove their Muslim identity even among other Muslims. Speakers: Shamsi Ali, Yunus Khaerisman Session 3E Water is Life “We made from water every living thing.” (Quran 21:30) As both a means of survival and a means towards spiritual cleansing, current events have placed the use and abuse of water at the forefront: DAPL, Flint, water shortages, refugees escaping by sea, ongoing droughts, etc. What is the relationship between Muslims, water, and climate change? This session will focus on developing faith based awareness campaigns and provide solutions to take back to our families and communities regarding our responsibilities and encouraging proper stewardship of the Earth. Speakers: Ameena Jandali, Zaid Shakir Moderator: Saffet Catovic 8:30 PM Prayer Prayer Hall Maghrib Salat 9:00 – 10:30 PM Plenary Session Session 1 Allah: The Quran’s Purpose, Primacy and Promotion The singular message of the Quran transcends race, gender, nationality and even time. We know about Allah, but do we know Allah. We believe in God, but do we believe God’s indisputable omnipotence. How do we translate our love of God into commitments and actions? How do we transform ourselves by exploring the evolutionary nature of Iman (faith) and bring the Divine effectively to our lives? Speakers: Nouman Ali Khan, Yasmin Mogahed, Zaid Shakir Moderator: Mamoon Syed 10:30 PM Prayer Prayer Hall Isha Salat Saturday, July 1, 2017 4:30 AM Prayer and Spiritual Talks Embassy Suites Fajr Salat Hyatt Regency 10:00 – 1:00 PM Special Event Master Chef 10:00 – 11:00 AM ISNA Sessions Session 4A Relationship Real Talk: Building Marriages That Last Finding love as American Muslims can seem hopeless when so many are without spouses and those who are married struggle to avoid divorce. But are we really as helpless as we think? By asking difficult questions and highlighting the most important aspects of compatibility, we can empower ourselves to attain healthy relationships--a marriage reality check. Join a professional matchmaker for a workshop addressing how best to match oneself addressing your needs over your wants. Speakers: Mohamed Ali, Yasmin Elhady Moderator: Afshaan Abdul Session 4B Effective Local Political Engagement in Red and Blue States State and local political engagement is as vital as ever. Our experts are experienced in political engagement in blue states with relatively little Islamophobia in local and state government, and red states where Islamophobia by public officials is common. How can civilly engaged Muslims be effective in both environments? Share your successes and learn from others in this participatory roundtable. Speakers: Zahra Billoo, Sherif Zaafran Facilitator: Cyrus McGoldrick Session 4C Masjid: Sanctuaries for Women in the Age of Islamophobia Women face increased threats to their security and safety, especially those who are more easily identified as Muslim. Simultaneously, our community tends to deny women access to masajid; the primary communal hub where religion and Muslim culture are transmitted. How can we transform our communities into safe havens for women providing comfort, security, and support grounded in the teachings of the Quran and the Prophetic example? Speakers: Tamara Gray, Omar Suleiman Moderator: Aisha al-Adawiya Session 4D Saving Rohingya Muslims: Saving a Life is as if Saving Mankind Crimes against humanity are being committed in Myanmar through various forms of atrocities and summary execution of Rohingya men, women, and children. Thousands of lives have been lost and over a million people have been displaced internally and externally. The Muslim Ummah’s efforts to save the Rohingya is like saving all mankind – as it says in The Holy Quran: “…if anybody saves a life, it would be as if he has saved the life of all mankind”. (Surah Al-Ma'ida 5:32) Speakers: Wakar Uddin, Derek Mitchell Facilitator: Simon Billenness 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Main Sessions Session 5A Ask the Scholars Join Islamic scholars to discuss various issues which each of us face in our daily lives. Come prepared with your questions for our panel to address. Speakers: Mohamed Magid, Tamara Gray, Yasir Fahmy Moderator: Asma Mirza Session 5B Cultural Ingenuity (Part 2): The Children of Israel God, through the Quran and prophetic narratives, recognized many different communities throughout history. In each of these communities there are lessons to direct and inspire each of us both in our daily lives and our daily devotionals/ spiritual growth. The most-referenced community in the Quran is by far the Children of Israel under the tutelage and guidance of multiple prophets, most notably, Moses. The linkages and commonalities are many, the lessons, landmines and opportunities abound. Speakers: Abdul Nasir Jangda Moderator: Safiah Choudhury Session 5C Black, American, & Muslim: Negotiating Race, Class, and Gender Black American Muslim women have been leading voices on the struggle for social justice in America. Why then is there constant erasure of their experiences? Join an honest conversation negotiating race, class, and gender with an educator and daughter of a historic American Muslim movement; an artist, activist, and professor of African American Studies and Anthropology; an award-winning scholar on race, gender, and Islam; and an outspoken Sudanese American activist as moderator. Speakers: Jamillah Karim, Su'ad Abdul Khabeer, Laila Muhammad Moderator: Hind Makki Session 5D Uniting for the Common Good: Supporting Minority Groups Minority coalitions have been largely overlooked and often persecuted. This session will examine the ways in which Muslims can collaborate with minority groups to create effective and long-lasting dialogues and relationships. Speakers: Dalia Mogahed, Linda Sarsour Moderator: Mariam Sobh Session 5E Finding al-Furqan: Truth, Lies, and Alternate Facts Despite an abundance of information, we have become distanced from the truth.