Chairman
Bismahi Ta'ali
Dear Members of the Community:On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Center
of America, I wish the best for you and your family. We
also want to thank you for the continued support you have
given to help make our new Center a reality. Your donations
and pledges continue to exceed our utmost expectations. With
you moral and financial support, our dream has been fulfilled.
It is indeed an honor for us to applaud your efforts as
you represent the best that our community has to offer through
your inspiration and unwavering dedication. The Islamic
Center of American is a very important part of the philanthropy
of our lives, and the dividends received from such generosity
are to see our children grow up to be excellent examples
of what Muslims should be. How wonderful it is to see
our children benefiting from the outstanding educational,
religious and youth programs at the Center and from the magnificence
of our religious and Board of Trustees leadership.
We are the mosaic of the future – it’s up to us – ours is
a “pearl” at great price. Yes, we have accomplished
much with the help of our congregation and community. Let
us see how best to continue what work has begun. We
must move forward. Our survival depends largely on
us! We have to lay the foundation for the next generation,
the foundation of peace and understanding with ourselves
and with others and to continue a positive interfaith dialogue
with all religions of God. We have to commit ourselves
to the growth of our new Islamic Center. This growth
will be proportionate to our witness – and we will be proud
of what we are!
With the dawning of a new era, we have entered an exciting
period of giving and sharing. As we move forward, we
are achieving milestone after milestone in the history of
our community and our Islamic Center. Let us challenge
each other to do the right things that will raise the level
of excellence. We would not make this challenge unless
it was something that we believed in strongly, and something
we would hold ourselves to.
That challenge means that we can no longer be satisfied
with saying – “oh well, what’s the difference – we are all
Muslims.” There is a difference. Islam is not
something we think about an hour a week – it is a way of
life – our whole life. The way we see ourselves as
peaceful people. The way we relate to one another as
brothers in Islam, and relate to others as brothers in humanity. The
way we make decisions. The way we raise our children
to love one another and love their neighbors, and make sacrifices
for our family. And how wonderful it is to worship
and praise Allah in a place that was built with every ounce
of our courage and hard work. Yes, there is a difference!
As we have forged a solid identity in our American society,
we must continue to grow in our Islamic faith and in our
understanding of our heritage. We have so much to give
of ourselves, and to others, Muslims and non Muslims alike,
and our Center affords us the opportunity to do so. We
all recognize that as volunteers we choose to give of our
time, of our energy, of our knowledge, to show solidarity
with our fellow human beings. By carrying out a myriad
of small tasks, taken together they constitute a great work.
Again, on behalf of the Islamic Center of America, we honor
you and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Best regards,
Hajj Nassib Fawaz
Chairman
The Islamic Center of America
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