Alhamdulilah, we have recently opened our $4.5 M community center, for which we are trying to make it more than a masjid, but a center to meet all the needs of our community.
So if you were part of the community, which classes would you like to see. I’m brainstorming all by myself today, need to have some ideas by this afternoon. please HELP!!!www.adamscenter.org and click scheduled events on the left hand side.
We’re thinking of more than religious classes, craft classes, drawing classes, health seminars, etc.
Thanks a bunch for your suggestions. Mods, I had no clue, whether I should post here or general. Thanks for your understanding.
Sorry I missed this post the first time round but thats great news mashallah :)
It is wonderful to have the local community involved and for something more from the pakistani community than teaching their kids to learn the quran and qaeda by rote with reagular slaps :D. In my local mosque-community centre apart from the regular classes of sports etc you mentioned the comitte concentrates on educating and tutoring the children for some of the most competitive schools in the country and has recieved excellent support and response for it. They don't dish it out for free because they have to pay tutors etc too but because most parents see this as an investment in their children and their future they have been more than willing and always very grateful for it., the scheme has been going for couple of years now and always with huge "waiting lists" for enrollment.
I don't know the dynamics of your community but generally i've noted the general demographics in major US cities is the masjid is usually not really the center of community as it should be. For example locationwise it could be difficult for people attend mosque every other day so if they are the masjid attending type they will make effort to go on fridays for jummah only etc. If that is the case then it would be I think not impossible but a little difficult to get the whole community involved everyday. I think keeping most of the activities to weekends might help. Best wishes for your projects and let us know how you get on. :)
Thanks for your response. Can you give me the url so that I can poke around and see the good things we could emulate from your center.
Below are some ideas for seminar series. We want to have some activity each day of the week between Magrib and Isha.
Practicing Islamic Values in a Pluralistic Social Environment
*Glimpses from Islamic History
*Know the Prophet's Companions
*Manners and Morals in Contemporary Society
*The Qur'an and Society
*Shari'ah and Fiqh: Principles and Practice for Here and Now
*Life Skills: Islamic Guidance for Today's Living
*Understanding and Influencing Public Policy
*Islamic Civilizations: Its essence & place in the world
*Studying Islamic Classics
*Career and Networking
*Caree Series for h.s and uni students
*Famous Islamic Rulers
I'd like to hear some ideas. As an academic, my ideas are aimed at the more acadamic audience. What are some topics which would interest others?
I think seminars are a great idea. Are you intending to have follow up workshops etc?
I’m sorry I don’t have a specific link for the jamaat they do not have an online website of their own as of yet but this is an umbrella organisation which includes the jamaat. Their activities/projects template is usually the same. Just browse through it to get an idea.
The youth section would probably have study skills workshops summer camps with residential islamic learning etc. Other activities include medical awareness seminars etc. I think the more academically inclined might be interested in some sort of research? How feasable is a connection with Al-Azhar? Centre of language learning such as Arabic etc? I know these are all very long term projects and it could be that you are not interested in such things at the moment but it is something to think about.
Other seminar topics of interest to me would be Islamic banking, History of Muslim Philosophers and general islamic philosophy, as well something more contemporary although I don’t know how clever it would be to have this seminar in todays political climate but I would be interested in it, our religious and political future, I’d be interested in hearing people like journalists muslims non-muslims to hear what they have to say about the current situations etc etc. I think i’ll stop rambling on now.
I think seminars are a great idea. Are you intending to have follow up workshops etc?
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Salaam,
Thanks for your rambling and suggestions. Definitely nice to finally get some feedback.
Yes, its a seminar ** series** which means it will be continued for a few months. As we are in the planning stages, we are booking speakers for the first couple of months but the topic series will continue for a few months.
Yup, i'm looking at long-term ideas, something our center can develop over time. My vision is to develop the center in more than a masjid, to have activities for all muslims of all ages and interests. Thanks for your ideas.
Just another quick idea although this is more social-cultural than academic but I had the chance of going to another centre recently and they were showing and screening iranian films. I think it would be interesting to have monthly evenings of this sort for the family atc. Many of these types of films if they are not too abstract are usually in context and worth your while watching.
Before i forget again, i think its wonderful you are involved in such a project with the mosque and the community mashallah. i wish you all the success.
