Community News (V9-I27)

Hoover Muslim center faces opposition

HOOVER, AL–Opponeents of an Islamic center in Hoover organized a meeting to stall its plans to build a place of worship.

Residents from several neighborhoods near the 4.7-acre site at the intersection of Sulphur Springs and Al Seier roads said they oppose the project because of the traffic it would bring.
Lee Strickland, who lives in the Village at Highland Crest, said hundreds of new houses already planned in the area will cause traffic congestion that a church would make worse.

“You’ve got a traffic problem you can’t resolve if you just keep adding to it,” Strickland said.
No one at the hour-long meeting spoke in favor of the worship center.

On Friday, the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission postponed until Aug. 13 its consideration of the project. The commission, which meets the second Monday each month, had been scheduled to consider the proposal on July 9.

‘Takin’ It to the Streets” festival in Chicago

CHICAGO, IL–The Inner-City Muslim Action Network organised a one of a kind festival in Chicago which was attended by thousands of people from Greater Chicago Area. The festival was intended to show the diverse face of young and vibrant Muslim America and engage society in an effort to improve their communities and show solidarity among all races and culture.
This year marked the sixth year of holding the festival which featured talks on Islamic topics as well as presentations by socially conscious rappers.

“People need to be brought together because we live in a society that continues to be segregated, and I think that segregation is something that Muslims suffer from in a way that became ever more apparent after 9/11,” said “Streets” organizer and IMAN Director Rami Nashashibi in an interview to Chicago Tribune.

Looking out over the mix of people at Sunday’s event, Nashashibi said that Muslims could set an example of how to peacefully bring together and improve communities.

“What’s most lasting for me is not just the fact that you have all these people here from all these different backgrounds, but that the Muslim community has something to offer not just Muslims but the larger society.”

Annual Muslim conference in Dallas on Saturday, June 30

DALLAS, TX–The Islamic Society of North America will be holding a day-long conference in Dallas, Texas on June 30th. There will be a press conference on Saturday, June 30 at 12 p.m. in the Chinaberry Room of the Crown Plaza Dallas Galleria.

The conference will center on Prophet Muhammad as a role model and how the prophetic tradition can be incorporated into modern daily life. The program will include many prominent scholars and leaders including the keynote speaker by Dr. Merve Kavakci, former member of the Turkish Parliament.

“We want to share and educate people of all faiths, the entire life of Prophet Muhammad whose whole life was to promote peace and justice,” says Conference Chair, Azhar Azeez.

Bohra Muslims celebrate their leader’s birthday

The Bohra community in Chicago celebrated the 96th birthday of their spiritual leader Dr.Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin’s birthday at a glittering ceremony at their Willowbrook mosque. A reception was hosted with the Indian and Pakistani Consul Generals and other political dignitaries from Chicagoland. The event featured songs by children in praise of their leader.

Dr. Nasrullah Khan named distinguished professor

Dr. Nasrullah Khan, a faculty member of Chicago’s Truman College, has been named as the college’s distinguished professor. He is a professor in Biology Department and served as Chairman of Biology, Biotechnology and Physical Education for two years.

He received Ph.D. and M.S. from Louisiana State University and graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine in India. He received a research fellowship from Ford Foundation for training in reproductive physiology and had been a recipient of research assistantships, teaching excellence award and the Nizam’s educational grant.

He practiced veterinary medicine as Government Veterinarian in India.Because of his clinical educational background and experience he had been associated with different hospitals as Adjunct Professor for several years, teaching Nursing and Radiology students. He taught at Michael Reese Hospital, Little Company of Mary Hospital, South Chicago Hospital and Ravenswood Hospital. He also taught at two Veterinary Colleges, Livestock Inspector Training Center, National College of Education, Northeastern University, Central YMCA community College & Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.

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