Muslim American Society 1st Annual Conference—New Orleans, Louisiana
Salaam alaikum,
So yesterday was the conference. Unfortunately, I did not make a lot of money on the paintings. Even tough they were ten dollars, my main competition was a table that sold machine-made Qur’anic/Arabic stuff for about five dollars. There were these neon blue Kaa’ba lights that were selling like hot cakes. I thought they were a little tacky but that’s just my taste. So many people complimented on my work but I just didn’t make the amount I expected. Maybe another conference in another city will be more profitable. I have to give credit to the brothers who pulled it all together. All the sessions and food was free so I know they put a lot of time and money into the project. The speakers were Dr. Souheil Ghannouchi, Imam W. Mahdi Bray, Dr. Mahmoud Sarmini and Dr. Main Al-Qudah. Some of you may not know the last two names because Dr. Sarmini and Dr. Main are based in New Orleans and have served as imams at various masajid.
Dr. Ghannouchi gave a great talk about leadership and how Muslims need to get in the game and stop standing on the sidelines. He made some wonderful points. What’s the point in getting all excited and riled up about the injustice that our brothers and sisters are facing overseas but you don’t lift a finger to do anything about it. Or why complain about the media bias against us while you won’t write an article for your local Islamic newspaper. I know that if every Muslim in this nation would put forth at least 5% of their efforts towards Islam, we would not be in this condition. I pray that I am not a whiner but a participant in the improvement of this umma and this nation that I love, despite its problems. Mahdi Bray was excellent as usual. I heard him speak some years back and was impressed by his optimism and dedication. He had talked about interfaith dialogue and how Muslims can make alliances with other faith groups without compromising the deen.
Of course, not everything is perfect. One of the speakers displayed a general lack of adab that gave me a splitting headache that I am still trying to overcome. He went on about how Muslim women should only leave the house when there is a strong need. So what does he consider a “strong need”? Going to school or when your house is on fire? And why only women? I know it’s not proper for a woman to just hang out all night but a man shouldn’t either. Shouldn’t a man come home after work and other important places to be with his wife and children? It’s that general heavy handed emphasis on women that angers many people. This speaker managed to annoy both the men and women in the audience. One sister tried to express her opinion to which he replied that she was wrong and that she needed to read more. Goodness, you don’t have to agree with a person but you don’t insult them in front of an audience. But it was very nice to see the brothers AND sisters taking issue with his opinions and attitude. And all this stuff about Muslim men and women not being able to interact on campus—well, sorry MSA, I guess we’re gonna have to disband since MSA has been rendered haram. Oy! Sisters please guard your modesty but let’s not address some of these brothers who fornicate with their non-Muslim girlfriends. Last time I checked, modesty was incumbent on both genders…but maybe I need to do more reading. One angry brother came to my table and said, “That man has no idea what he is talking about!”
One of the events that made the day so nice was that someone became a Muslim. Of course, I missed the whole thing. I came back and they said, “Yo, someone just became a Muslim”. Everytime I see it, it amazes me. Allah subhana wa ta’ala is great. Mahdi Bray informed us that so many people are converting that the dawah centers are running out of Qur’ans and they are desperate need of Qur’ans in Spanish. With every conference, you’ve got your membership forms. Am I joining? Probably not. The guy who gave that awful lecture is the president of the local chapter. Their magazine is okay but they need to change some things first before I give them anymore of my money. Insha’allah, next year’s will be better…and maybe they’ll have a female speaker next time.
