Community News (V11-I52)

Muslim women celebrated in new calendar

EDMONTON, Canada–A Grade 3 teacher with a passion for kickboxing is one of 13 Edmontonians featured in a new calendar celebrating local Muslim women.

Noreen Bashir will be seen in the calendar wearing boxing gloves and a sports hijab at the gym where she works out almost everyday. The martial arts champion first took up the sport as a way to exercise while recovering from a car accident.

“I’ve … never been part of any kind of project like that before especially in our community and I’m actually very proud to represent the Muslim women of Edmonton,” said Bashir.

The calendar is the brainchild of local photographer and filmmaker Shazia Javed. The women featured in the calendar were nominated by the local Muslim community and include medical students at the University of Alberta, a local youth worker and a pizzeria owner who raised triplets on her own. Some, but not all, wear head coverings.

“I chose the women which represented a wide spectrum,” Javed said. “To me, it’s all about what they do, rather than for what they wear, and whatever they choose to wear doesn’t hinder them from doing anything.”

Having Bashir in the calendar was important to the project, Javed said.

“This is a very, very important image and a very strong image to send out there, that Muslim women are active. They are fit and you know they’re into sports and they’re strong.

“So I think it’s inspiring to a lot of us in ways if we want to go in sports that yes, we can do it. It’s not against our religion or anything.”

Javed produced the calendar in collaboration with Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA), with the help of a grant from the Edmonton Arts Council. She hopes the stories of the women in the calendar will inspire Muslim girls.

“I hope it works for the youth in boosting their self esteem in seeing, you know, other Muslim women on (a) calendar for their contributions and also I hope to create some role models for them to say, ok, you know, this woman, she’s a boxer, you know, or this woman, she’s a scholar … so I can be too,” she said.

The calendar will be launched on Dec. 18th. Proceeds will go to the IFSSA food bank.

Support for Naperville Muslim Center

NAPERVILLE, IL–The development committee of unincorporated Naperville on Tuesday reaffirmed its support for a conditional use permit for the Irshad Learning Center. The plan as submitted by the center will go as it is to the Dupage Country Board, the Naperville Sun reported.

The committee heard from both supporters and opponents of the proposal. Neighbors of the property expressed concerns about noise, intensity of use and extending the usage of hours.

Dr. Mojtaba Noursalehi, a Naperville resident, Irshad trustee and one of five applicants on the zoning petition, said he and his fellow board members have complied with the county’s requests and urged the committee to consider the petition solely on its own merits.

The request will go before the County Board at its next meeting Jan. 12

Crescent Bancshares to raise $15m for bank acquisition in Chicago

Crescent Bancshares Inc. announces the kick-off for its capital raise process. The bank focused on the needs of minority communities in the Chicago-land area, plans to open doors for operation in 2010. “ We hope to operate our first branch in the City of Chicago in early to mid 2010” said Fawad Butt, the Managing Partner of Zeus Capital Advisers. Mr. Butt’s company is tasked with the overall project management for the Crescent bank initiative.

“The recent economic slowdown and the resulting financial crises created significant asset quality problems for many community banks in Chicagoland and across the country. The Money Center banks (such as) BOA and Citi are riddled with asset quality concerns” said Rohail Khan, an initial contributor in Crescent Bancshares. “This represents an opportunity for locally connected, locally owned community banks, to gain market share, and to differentiate themselves from the larger banks.”

Crescent bank shareholders, board of directors and the management team, will service all customers and carry a specific focus to develop products and services for the South Asian, South Eastern European and Muslim Communities.

The acquisition of the bank asset is underway. The group plans to finalize the acquisition after the end of the capital raise process.

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