Demanding Professionalism in our Masjid

Demanding Professionalism in our Masjid Yahiya Emerick compares American mosques to the well organized way churches and synagogues are run and finds them wanting. Where do you go if your son is rebelling? What do you do when your daughter wants to marry someone against your wishes? Your uncle is feeling depressed lately. Who can help him recover? Your spouse is too materialistic and is neglecting the spiritual life of your family? Who can help? If you have ever been faced with issues similar to these, then you have probably tried to get help in the one place where you would expect to get it: the Masjid. Perhaps you called or paid a visit to the Masjid office in the hopes of finding a sympathetic ear, or maybe you met with the Imam or director to discuss what’s ailing your life. But if your experience is like most people in most places, you wound up having to look elsewhere for assistance. You just couldn’t find the support you needed in your local house of worship. Maybe no one answered the phone; maybe your calls were never returned or, if you did manage to get a personal meeting, perhaps the Imam or director spoke little English or merely used the opportunity to lecture you on fiqh issues. Hardly a solution to real life problems! If we say the Masjid is the focal point of the community and open its doors five times a day for prayer, shouldn’t the Masjid be open for other needs the believers have as well? But what I’ve seen all too often is that those who build and operate the Masajid have little expertise in organizing a life-giving institution. Just because someone can make a million dollars living off medical insurance billings doesn’t mean he can run a spiritual and communal project! What I’m telling you is not the disgruntled ramblings of an emotional person. I’m quite happy being Muslim no matter what the strengths or weaknesses of my community are. After having visited countless Masajid across the country, I wish merely to call your attention to a most pressing issue; that of the need for professionalism in the Masajid. I don’t know how many of you are converts to Islam, but if you are reading this, do you remember what going to church or the synagogue was like in earlier years? Put aside for a moment the faulty theology and mistaken notions that were taught in those places. Remember what the structure was like. If you needed counseling, the minister or rabbi was well qualified and available. If you had children there were fun and interesting youth activities throughout the week. If you were poor you may have received help. If you merely needed a good book on your religion, there was a wonderful, staffed library on premises. Do you see where I’m going? Nearly every single Masjid built and operated in North America has been built, funded and operated by immigrant Muslims. (With the exception of a large number of African American Masajid.) After extensive interviews with immigrant Muslims, it seems the perception of the Masjid “back home” is of a place to make salah, do janazah, ‘Eid celebrations, etc… Family and personal matters are handled through other channels: relatives, friends, youth clubs, etc… After all, everyone’s a Muslim so the Masjid is just a small feature in the spiritual and social life of the community. Enter the new world: the immigrant builds a Masjid with the good intention of having a place for the community to gather and make Salah and do Eid, etc… But when members of the community have needs that only a Muslim would know how to deal with, bingo! There are no Muslim relatives in great abundance. The few Muslim friends one may have are all busy making money and there are no Muslim youth clubs or community activities beyond dinners once a month or fundraising events. So where does the community member go? He or she seeks out non-Muslim help at best or leaves the problem unsolved at worst. The Masjid has no place in their life. Even if the Masjid has a few pitiful programs to enhance the life of its members, more often than not, they’re staffed only sporadically by people who just came from a village back home. They are not professional in their manner according to Western standards- they may not even show up on time to anything- and they are not equipped to deal with the issues confronting the Muslim minority experience. I’m not saying all volunteers in the Masajid are similar to this description. Don’t get me wrong. But in all my time as a frequenter of Masajid, I’ve only met about nine or ten truly competent people. Contrast the above scenario with the average church or synagogue. The institution is built to serve as a community center right from the start. Youth programs are a priority and are well-planned and fun. Women are represented on the board and on all committees. Volunteers are chosen for their trustworthiness and reliability. They are made to feel that their job means something and they are well-coordinated and friendly. The minister or rabbi speaks English fluently, even if they are an immigrant, and knows Greek, Hebrew or Latin on the side. In order to be the leader of the community, the minister or rabbi had to undergo extensive training which included, besides the religious subjects, counseling, administration, management, music and singing, public speaking, research, etc…. culminating in the award of a D.D. (Doctorate of Divinity). I’m sorry, but the little certificates from madrasahs (schools) all over the third world do not prepare an Imam for the task of leading the Muslim community in North America. Before you take offense at this statement, consider this: what is your definition of an Imam? Islamically, the Imam is supposed to have some authority over the community. He is to be elected by the Muslims and given respect and listened to. But in every Muslim community I’ve been in, the Imam has no authority, little respect and merely leads the prayers and recites some du’as. At the most he may teach some classes here and there on Qirah or Aqeedah. Even if he is a hafiz the situation is still pretty much the same. If this is your definition of what an Imam means, then you need to remember all the complaints we have about why the Muslim world has declined in the last five hundred years. Islam was relegated to the Masjid. Imams were prayer leaders and little more. Islam had little hold over a person’s personal or social life. This is how Islam is viewed in Muslim countries; this is one reason why the immigrant Muslims had to leave their countries to begin with. Their homelands are, by and large, screwed up. So why do we want to set up our Masajid here on the same model that caused our destruction over there? I can’t figure it out. Ministers and Rabbis are considered authority figures in their respective communities and generally have the allegiance of most members. Our Imams are usually under-educated and have no authority with little backing from anyone. Some wealthy patron, pretending he knows how to be a Masjid director, is almost always the real power in the Baitullah. And it’s real hard to tell such a director that his local Muslim community is drifting away from the faith when he lives in a mansion and drives a Mercedes. He’ll say to himself, “I made a fortune, therefore, I know what’s best for the local Muslim community.” Meanwhile, all around him, the youth are becoming kuffar, the women are forgetting Islam, the elderly are being abandoned in homes, the people who want to convert are disillusioned and the men are ‘Eid Muslims only, if that. Everyone turns to the non-Muslim society for support, help, entertainment, money and even spiritual meaning. Until and unless we inject professionalism in our Masajid, then our community will continue to shrink even though pundits cry about there being six million of us. We need trained staff, even if you have to pay them. We need Imams with professional training in many subjects related to human relations and we need a process of inclusion that would make women, the youth and the luke-warm Muslims feel a part of the over-all life of our Masjid. In short, the Masjid is not just a place of prayer that we can build to heal our guilty feelings of doing haram business dealings- it’s a place for Muslims and their lives. By its very nature and what it must mean for the community, it must be run professionally, and not like a club.

Life is an Open SECRET

Take a minute to thinking about above Figure. Its totally about us !! I just read one nice  article, just want to share with any readers…

happy reading !!

MENGHARGAI SEBUAH KEHIDUPAN

1. Gagal merancang bererti merancang untuk gagal. Hidup kita sudah terbiasa dengan pelbagai rancangan, sama ada apa yang dirancang untuk kita, atau kita sendiri merancang dengan pelbagai harapan.
2. Hidup berjalan dengan pelbagai perancangan dan jangkaan. Kita melepasi peringkat sekolah rendah – sekolah menengah – universiti – kerja – kahwin – anak – tua – pencen.  Setiap peringkat itu berjaya ditempuh dengan kejayaan mengatasi kebarangkalian ia tidak berlaku. Tidak semua yang bersekolah rendah sampai ke sekolah menengah. Tidak semua yang di universiti berjaya menggenggam segulung ijazah. Belum tentu semua yang berijazah mendapat kerja. Bukan semua yang bekerja bertemu jodoh, berkahwin, beranak pinak dan mencecah usia tua.
3. Semuanya sentiasa dengan kebarangkalian harapan tidak tercapai
4. Hanya satu yang pasti berlaku iaitu MATI! Fikir mati pun mati, tak fikir mati pun mati. Bersedia untuk mati pun mati, tak bersedia untuk mati pun mati.
5. Justeru janganlah dipanggil bakal Datuk kerana mungkin tidak jadi Datuk. Jangan dipanggil bakal Puan Seri kerana mungkin tidak jadi Puan Seri.
6. Sebaliknya, WAHAI BAKAL-BAKAL JENAZAH sekalian! Itulah saya dan anda semua.
7. Islam tak mengajar kita takut dengan kematian tetapi menyedari adanya kematian di hadapan maka HARGAILAH SEBUAH KEHIDUPAN
8. Teringat kepada perbualan saya dengan ibu bapa yang anak mereka sakit jantung – jangan difikir ajal anak itu kerana mungkin doktor mati dulu kemalangan. Mungkin ibu bapa mati dulu. Mungkin saya mati dulu berbanding anak kecil yang sakit itu. Justeru janganlah dibimbangkan tentang kematian. Sebaliknya hargai setiap detik yang ada.
9. Nabi SAW bersabda:  صلِّ صلاة مودِّع كأنك تراه ، فإن كنت لا تراه فإنه يراك yakni “bersolatlah kamu dengan solat perpisahan seolah-olah kamu melihat Allah. Jika kamu tidak dapat merasakan yang kamu melihat-Nya, sekurang-kurangnya rasakanlah bahawa Dia itu melihat kamu”.
10. Kita akan mati di antara dua solat. Tiada jaminan selesai solat Asar, kita sempat sampai ke Maghrib. Justeru setiap solat, lakukanlah ia sebagai solat terbaikmu.
11. Wal-‘Asr (demi masa)

Six things to believe, Five things to do everyday all night

Kenali 9 syuhadah Mavi Marmara

KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Jun: Pada 31 Mei lalu, seramai sembilan sukarelawan dari Turki telah syahid sewaktu dalam perjalanan menghantar bantuan kemanusiaan kepada saudara seagama di Palestin.

Mereka dibunuh oleh tentera Israel laknatullah ketika angkatan kuffar itu menyerang kapal Turki M.V. Mavi Marmara yang sedang dalam misi menyampaikan bantuan kemanusiaan kepada penduduk Gaza, Palestin yang sedang dikurung dalam sebuah penjara yang sungguh besar.

Berikut merupakan senarai syuhada yang telah gugur sepanjang misi menyampaikan bantuan tersebut sebagaimana laporan laman web Haluan Palestin:

1. Ibrahim Bilgen, 61, seorang jurutera elektrik dari Siirt, Turki. Ahli Chamber of Electrical Engineers di Turki, berkahwin dan mempunyai enam orang anak.

2. Ali Haydar Bengi, 39, dari Diyarbakir. Graduan Universiti Al-Azhar, Kaherah, Mesir. Telah berkahwin dan mempunyai empat cahaya mata.

3. Cevdet Kiliçlar, 38, Seorang wartawan dari Kayseri, Turki. Telah berkahwin dan mempunyai dua orang putera.

4. Çetin Topçuoglu, 54, dari Adana, Turki. Pemain bola amatur dan jurulatih taekwondo yang melatih atlet taekwondo Turki. Berkahwin dan mempunyai seorang cahaya mata.

5. Necdet Yildirim, 32, dari Malatya, Turki. Berkahwin dan mempunyai seorang anak perempuan berusia tiga tahun.

6. Fahri Yaldiz, 43, seorang ahli bomba di Adiyaman, Turki. Telah berkahwin dan mempunyai empat orang anak.

7. Cengiz Songür, 47, dari Izmir, Turki. Berkahwin dan mempunyai tujuh orang anak.

8. Cengiz Akyüz, 41, dari Iskenderun, Turki. Berkahwin dan mempunyai anak berusia 14, 12 dan 9 tahun.

9. Furkan Dogan, 19, as-syahid termuda dalam kalangan yang syahid, merupakan pelajar Kayseri High School. Anak kepada Dr. Ahmet Dogan, seorang professor di Erciyes University. Warganegara Turki-Amerika dan mempunyai dua adik beradik.

Sumber :- Fadjridil & Haluan Palestin

Wavin Flag…

Last we have been loaded with The GAZA issues ….due to that …some friend has uploaded this clip on you tube regarding the world cup

Click This –>  Wavin Flag

but a week after that so suddenly a new theme come out which from shakira which is for me is meaningless and even shakira was an american !!…video clip worst !!

Click This –> Waka Waka

Then compare by yourself ….

I support the wavin flag campaign !!

Let wave this flag during WC 2010 to show the suffering of Palestine !!

I share because I Care

http://sheikhfirdaus.blogspot.com/

Training Wartawan at World 2010 Expo

Yu Shiyao, seorang gadis berusia 12 tahun belajar di sekolah rendah tahun ke-6. Yu Shiyao kini diberi tugas sebagai wartawan Akhbar Tuan Rumah Kecil Shanghai. Mereka dibawa oleh guru ke Taman Eskpo Dunia 2010 Shanghai untuk membuat wawancara dengan pelancong asing.

–“Belgium is famous for chocolate. What do you think people like them so much?”

–“Black chocolate, Belgium is do it best in the world.”

Demikian wawancara yang dibuat oleh Yu Shiyao di Pavilion Belgium

Menurutnya, dia sudah “bekerja” di Akhbar Tuan Rumah Kecil selama tiga tahun. Biasanya, mereka membuat wawancara dalam bahasa Mandarin. Yu Shiyao dan rakan-rakannya membuat persiapan untuk melakukan wawancara dalam bahasa Inggeris dalam Ekspo Dunia Shanghai. Sam Lynn, warga Australia yang bertugas sebagai guru Inggeris Akhbar Tuan Rumah Kecil satu tahun yang lalu. Beliau membantu para wartawan kecil tersebut membuat persiapan. Selari dengan tema Ekspo Dunia kali ini, iaitu “Bandar Berikan Kehidupan yang Lebih Baik”, Sam mengemukakan beberapa topik mengenai pembangunan bandar supaya wawancara wartawan kecil itu lebih teratur.

Akhbar Tuan Rumah Kecil merupakan surat khabar yang amat popular di kalangan anak-anak muda. Atas panduan orang dewasa, kanak-kanak yang berusia 15 tahun ke bawah bertugas untuk melakukan wawancara, mengedit dan menerbitkan surat khabar ini. Sejak ditawarkan pada 20 tahun yang lalu, akhbar ini memberikan peluang yang berharga bagi kanak-kanak yang bercita-cita menceburkan diri dalam bidang media pada masa depan.

Tan Tian yang berusia 10 tahun baru sehaja menganggotai pejabat akhbar ini. Dia suka berkomunikasi dengan orang yang berbeza. Tabiatnya yang sebelum ini malu bercakap turut terubah. Dia menanti-nantikan aktiviti wawancara ini untuk mendapatkan pengetahun yang tidak pernah diajar oleh guru dalam bilik darjah.

Zoran Netkovic, seorang pelancong asing dari Serbia berasa amat gembira ketika diwawancara oleh wartawan kecil itu dalam bahasa Inggeris. Menurutnya, aktiviti seumpama ini bukan sahaja membantu memupuk keupayaan kanak-kanak, tetapi juga berfaedah bagi masa depan pembangunan sesebuah negara. CRI/-

sumber

Edited by Banjito

Teringat zaman muda yang berlalu …..kawan2 yg bertebarang di seluruh Malaysia mencari rezeki…..

Ceramah Mingguan

Berehat sebentar dari kerja….luangkan masa anda di depan laptop sambil mngisi ilmu.

Ceramah Mingguan by Ustaz Kazem Elias (ANAK DERHAKA)

Click below image

Free PALESTINE !!

Motivation of the week

Surah Al-Insyirah

Terjemahan :-

Dengan nama Allah Yang Maha Pemurah lagi Maha Penyayang.

1. Bukankah Kami telah melapangkan untukmu dadamu?,
2. Dan Kami telah menghilangkan dari padamu bebanmu,
3. yang memberatkan punggungmu?
4. Dan Kami tinggikan bagimu sebutan (nama)mu.
5. Kerana sesungguhnya bersama kesulitan itu ada kemudahan,
6. sesungguhnya bersama kesulitan itu ada kemudahan.
7. Maka apabila kamu telah selesai (dari sesuatu urusan),  kerjakanlah dengan sungguh-sungguh (urusan) yang lain,
8. dan hanya kepada Tuhanmulah hendaknya kamu berharap.

I’m not an expert person to express the whole meaning, but when I read it SUBHANALLAH… the surah explain the way of life problem solving and what to do after solving it…

LIFE = a list of problems

solve a problem, then will be another problem come…Am I right? but ISLAM has show there are many way to solve it,

when it getting harder pushing u..stop a while and pray to ALLAH seeking for help always…make sure we give 100% effort to solve it !!

InsyaALLAH it will be ok …

WHAT to do after solving it ??

Pray to thanks ALLAH ..sujud syukur…

then move to another problem with 100% effort to solve them !! Enjoy this song

For Humanity, Serving ALLAH

Salam to all,

20 May 2010 has been declared as Muhammad SAW drawing DAY !!!…..

DID we ALL KNOW ABOUT THAT ???

WHAT OUR FIELD on this matter ??

for better viewer please read this…

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Everybody-Draw-Mohammed-Day/121369914543425

http://everybodydrawmohammedday.wordpress.com/

Link for hantar bantahan ….

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ban-groups-related-to-everybody-draw-muhammad-day-20th-may-on-facebook

We always claim that we are muslim….

How you action on this ??
Some our muslim act on this ..

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100519/ap_on_hi_te/as_pakistan_facebook

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/2010/05/201051994155758717.html

SHOW OURS !!

FeRuM

http://sheikhfirdaus.blogspot.com

Ice-Scream

This is an interesting to share…would you like to eat ice-cream on a roller coaster ?? wanna try ?? are you dare to try ??

Cadbury has done this…superb !!

View this vid…you will the feeling…cooolll