Archive for December, 2011

By: Soha Yassine 

On January 8th, the Academy of Islamic Thought will begin the third module of the 2011-2012 year titled “The American Muslim Family.” The class will co-taught by Necva Ozger and Noha Alshugairi. Both of these women have extensive knowledge with social and family issues. Ms. Ozger, one of the founding members of the AIT, serves on the Educational Council which governs the New Horizon Schools, while Ms. Alshugairi is an experienced marriage and family therapist. Together, they will focus on parenting and tackling the issues that modern American Muslims face.

The Academy of Islamic Thought was founded in 2009 to “offer a cutting-edge educational program to develop a balanced American Muslim community that is empowered with authentic, solid, and relevant knowledge and a modern understanding of Islam.”  Above all, the goal of AIT is to bridge the gap between knowledge of Islam and the practical application of it in our daily lives.

The Academy functions under the guidance of the Educational Council with Dr. Maher Hathout, Dr. Gasser Hathout, Mr. Jihad Turk, Ms. Noha Alshugairi comprising the faculty. Past classes have been offered by guest lecturers such as Sh. Mohammed Faqih, Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, Dr. Hamid Mavani, Sh.Yasser Fazaga, Dr. Yahia Abdul-Rahman and others.

As in past years, this academic year has been met with a large, committed group of students. When asked, one student said “I have not been this intellectually challenged and stimulated since I was in college!”

 

By: Shirin Karoon 

In 1991, the Islamic Center of Southern California initiated an awards dinner series whose purpose was to acknowledge and recognize exemplary American Muslims who have made outstanding contributions to their work and to the society at large.  Through their successes, these individuals have shown us that American Muslims can excel in any field, and that they can significantly contribute to the betterment of mankind.

 Click here to register

Previous recipients, among many others, include:

Dr. Ahmed Zewail – Nobel Laureate, professor of Physical Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology

Mr. Moustafa Akkad – Accomplished Film Producer and Director

Dr. Omar Alfi – The Genetics Institute in Pasadena, California

Mrs. Azmeralda Alfi – Al-Deen Foundation, New Horizon School

Dr. Afaf Marsot – Professor Emeritus of History, University of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Suraiya Rasheed – Professor of Virology, University of Southern California

Dr. Mohammad Fathi Osman – Professor Emeritus and Islamic Scholar, Islamic Center of Southern California

Mr. Sohaib Abbasi – Senior Vice President, Oracle Corp. Redwood Shores, CA

Dr. Hassan Hathout – Director of Dawa, Islamic Center of Southern California

Dr. Maher Hathout – Spokesperson, Islamic Center of Southern California

Professor Mohamed Abdou – Director, Institute of Plasma and Fusion Research, University of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Farouk El-Baz – Professor and Director, Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University

Mr. Shabbir Mansuri – Founding Director, Council on Islamic Education in Fountain Valley

Ms. Talat Hasan – CEO, Sensys Instruments, Santa Clara, CA

Professor Sulayman S. Nyang – Professor of African Studies, Howard University, Washington D.C.

Mr. Mohammed Zakariya – World Renowned Islamic Calligrapher, Washington D.C.

Professor Ahmed K. Noor – Eminent Scholar and Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Old Dominion University

Dr. Cherif Bassiouni- Professor of Law Emeritus and President Emeritus of  the International Human Rights Law Institute,  Depaul University College of Law.

 Click here to register

Recipients of the American Muslim Achievement Award not only create role models for our youth, they demonstrate the contributions of American Muslims to the greater American mosaic and offsets Islamophobia. Above all, the importance of this event is that recognizes the values that the ICSC has always stood for:

1. Engagement with greater American society

2. Cultivation of the American Muslim identity

3. Reformation of Islamic thought

 

This year, the Islamic Center is pleased to announce Omar Hamoui (Founder of Admob) and Dr. Osman Shinaishin (National Science Foundation) as this year’s recipients of the award. We will honor them Saturday, January 21, 2012 and hope that the entire community can join us.

 Click here to register

 

 

 

By: Editor 

Last Sunday, a historic event took place at Saddleback Church in Orange County, California. Saddleback is known for its famous pastor, Rick Warren, who delivered the prayer at President Obama’s inauguration ceremony. The Church hosted a number of Muslim communities in based in Southern California for its second annual celebration of Jesus (pbuh). This event is significant because Saddleback is a large evangelical church with over 22 thousand members. Although only a select number of individuals were invited to this dinner, it demonstrates the new theological position of Saddleback. At the celebration, a document one year in the making was presented which encourages Christians and Muslims to appreciate the similarities of our faiths.

The document encouraged that our communities work together towards the common good and to combat bigotry in a 1-2-3 plan. The first step in the plan identifies the belief in one God. The second step acknowledges God’s commandment to love God and your neighbor. Finally, step three is for our communities to commit to three things: making friends, building peace, and serving the world at large together.

 

This relationship with Saddleback Church was initiated over a year ago with a friendship between one of the pastors, Abraham Meulenberg, and the ICSC’s Jihad Turk. Pastor Meulenberg reached out having heard about the Center and our interfaith work. From this friendship developed an institutional link between their respective organizations.

 

Click here to view more photos of the event. 

 

By: Editor 

Dating back to 2002, the ICSC has compiled Dr. Maher Hathout’s Friday khutbas.

To view this impressive volume of knowledge, click here.