Looks like I’m heading to Chicago in September for the ISNA convention. I know people here have been before, so what should I expect? Who else is going this year?
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
I've heard so much about the ISNA convention, and unfortunately, most of it bad. Hope you make good use of it, and learn something.
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
What is ISNA convention?
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
this year its gonna be a Naseeb/ISNA joint venture.
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
Me too. If anything, it will be a weekend getaway.
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
so what exactly happens there? there are guest speakers n stuff?
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
It's a big mela - that may be an understatement, and yes there are lots of scholars and speakers present - but they are the least of the attraction. (apparantly, I've never been to an ISNA convention, but heard from reliable sources)
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
I am hoping Femme will be there this year fingers crossed.
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
Like any convention with thousands of participants, people get out of ISNA what they go their to get from it.
There are many highly acclaimed scholars who deliver lectures there, and if this is what you go there for, you will get a lot of knowledge. Then again, many people go their to find their spouse, or just normal flirting; and this is precisely what they get out from there.
Here are more details about ISNA Convention 2005.
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
I've heard some pretty skanky stuff abt ISNA...girls wearin hijab coz they feel pressured to and then partying in teh clubs later that night, guys n girls making out in the lobbies, smoking, alcohol etc etc..... add to it Naseeb, the Islamic "dating/socializing" website.. yeah... that's just wonderful..
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
ISNA is a moral disgrace. You are absolutely right. These people have done more damage to Islam than anyone else. They distort, bend, twist and malign everything that is right and proper, and then justify, rationalize and tailor it to their needs. I remember attending one such “islamic” seminar where they invited kids and parents to have “open dialogue” in the middle of a masjid. As is the case with dopey, ignorant spoilt teenagers and impressionable college kids, “open dialogue” encompasses everything from sex to video games. Lo and behold, a few kids did start asking immodest and immoral questions (a few aunties were turning red), almost as if this was their only chance of rebelling against their parents.
Unbeknownst to me, this was also a furtive attempt for parents to indirectly rate “potential” mates for their kids. And this was happening in the middle of a masjid. On hearing one kid ask " why is it improper to have a girlfriend and pre-marital sex?", I threw my hands in the air and stormed out (silently).
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
Help us understand your thought process here. Were you upset because the kid asked the question, or were you more upset because the kid asked it in a masjid? And how is the question a symptom of rebellion as opposed to showing off negligent parents who had not imparted necessary basic knowledge to their kids at home, or a kid’s attempt to understand the basic principles of Islam?
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So apparently all the opponents of the decent chai ceremony (desi fixing arrangements) find ISNA the perfect way for muslim men and women to find a spouse. Hmmmmm
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
i was obviously upset because it happened in a masjid, where men and women of all ages were mingling freely without adhering to the most basic form of purdah.
Also, I dont think Islam prescribes these kinds of free mingling in a masjid. Believe me, i have no problem with parents and kids getting together and arguing about social and sexual issues, as long as they do it at some city hall. But the problem occurs when you do it under the guise of islam, in a masjid, while not follwing even the most basic etiquettes(sp?). A Masjid afterall is Allah'shouse, ain't it?
I can't sit here and intelligently deduce for what purpose the question was posed by the kid; whether he was creating a prodigious racket, or it was a bonafide attempt to point out the parents' "failure in imparting basic knowledge." I frankly dont know and dont care. I would just rather that the kid asked these pertinent, yet sensitive questions in the confines and privacy of his own home.
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We had Islam week at our school a yr ago. What we did was the guys sat in the front, girls in the back. We could all see the imam giving the lecture. One particular lecture was abt men and women and relationships. The Q&A session was pretty good in teh sense that it was all anonymous. You write your question down on a piece of paper and pass it up and he answers it. That way, ou get the answers you need/want, and you dont’ get embarrassed by it. Funny thing was though, teh majority of the questions were about bf/gfs, in a room full of 90 percent hijabis and daari-walay guys 
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
A masjid, most definitely is a House of Allah. Though, in my humble opinion, in modern times we have seriously limited its role. In the original days of Islam, masjid was the centerpiece of Islamic social fabric. A place for dawah* and *to meet other muslims, a place to have serious deliberations, even war planning, and talk about all issues facing the community. Today, we consider masjid just a place to offer our salah and then get out as quickly as possible.
Having said that, other than your valid point about apprpropriate *pardah *between men and women, I am still not clear why are you so upset if a muslim child wants to know the Islamic ruling about a valid social issue from a, I am assuming, knowledgable scholar.
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
You hit the nail…
If you read my post again carefully you will see that was my only grievance.
There wasn’t any valid islamic scholar. This was an “open discussion” among the attendees. That’s what made it so farcical.
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
While I agree that we should attempt to follow Islamic ways of life in all spheres of our lives, if you live in the west, where men and women study, work and socialize together, to get upset by lack of segregation so much so to walk out of a community gathering seems rather harsh. May be you are very sensitive about this issue.
Having an open and unmoderated discussion where no one is actually taking responsibility to answer questions in an authoritative manner does seem rather farcical. Amusing actually. Seems like the folks just wanted to have some fun venting out.
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
aap loog kya batain lai kar baith gaye.. anyways I may be going to ISNA convention this year.. So we should definately have a grant guppy meet there..
Re: ISNA Convention - 2005
ISNA is a fantastic opportunity for people to learn, to network, or to pick people's pockets if they so choose. Its is a large gathering of muslims, and people go there with different motivations and different expectations. Make what you want to make of it. stereotyping attendees just shows people's own insecurities.