Milad
Nabi programs seeks to unite!
One of the essential teachings of the Prophet
Muhammad, on whom be peace, is to unite the divided. The Arabs were once
divided as to who will have the honor to place the Black Stone on the Kaba.
Muhammad was not even a Prophet then but his integrity in the community earned
him the quick opportunity to solve this issue that could have lead to war. He
said just select one representative from each tribe and they each held the end
of a cloth where the black stone will be placed into. They hoisted the wrapped
revered item unto its place in the wall of the Kaba and he, owbp, did the final
placement, making each tribe happy.
February saw many masjids celebrating the birth
anniversary of the beloved Prophet with lots of speeches, singing and great cuisine.
However, different to that was the celebration at the Brampton Halfway House
that offered a brief synopsis of the life of the Prophet of Islam, of whom many
of the Non Muslim inmates hardly knew of. Imam Ahmed also made a reference to
Prophet’s life in the siege of Abi Talib and that of prison challenges.
TARIC Islamic centre hosted the Ahl Byt Assembly,
where both Sunni and Shia scholars and members shared an impressive array of thoughts
on the subject of unity. Dr Hussein Khimjee spoke eloquently, quoting from the
Quran, the paradigm of unity and Imam Imran Ally alluded in his timely MCing
the importance of respecting each other.
The Ismaili Jamat Khanna in Scarborough held their
function, inviting key leaders from the Sunni community and interfaith leaders
to their remarkable architecture at Middlefield. The speakers included Dr Shema
Khan, well known Harvard graduate and columnist in the Globe and Mail, who
spoke of creativity from the Muslim perspective and another Jan Mohamed who is
a theatre director that brings Muslim epics to the stage.
A unifying Milad indeed!
Diabetes
awareness essential to soulful Muslim experience
Being sweet and sugary is one thing and so was the
character of the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, who liked sweets. However,
controlling one’s diabetic condition and creating awareness of good health is a
wajib and is referred to as the Kingdom of God on earth by the Bible.
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands centre has been,
like others, promoting diabetes awareness in the local communities in past two
years. Recently several leaders were trained to become Ambassadors and they
subsequently organized seminars in their respective neighborhoods and centers.
One such was held at the P4E centre at 421 Nugget Ave Unit 8. Scarborough. With
Habeeb Alli and Nurse Vivia from WHIWH, the attendees were shown for videos
explaining the symptoms of diabetes and how to eat right and exercise regularly.
Many evaluations were conducted before and after and with some healthy snacks
after, nurse Vivia advised them how to fast and control your insulin intake
during Ramadan- do it at your biggest meal.
Walkathon
raised funds for echogram at Centenary hospital in Scarborough
Most Ontarians are not aware that the Government
only funds the hospitals through a quota system through the respective medical
wards called LINS. Equipment is one of those things that need funding and the
many hospital Foundations fundraise towards this. The brothers and Sisters of
ICNA RELIEF and the many masajid in Scarborough recently organized a walkathon
in the cold Family Day Feb 18th, around the Scarborough Civic
Centre. The well attended event drew many political leaders from all parties
like Rathika Sitsabaiesan, Brad Duguid, Margaret Best, Raymond Choo, Jim
Karrigiannis sent his wishes, as well as religious leaders like Imam Yusuf
Badat from the Islamic Foundation. The children sang the national anthem while
waving their Canadian flags and the hospital volunteers received the many
checks and pledges with great appreciation or the Muslim community. The group
has pledged to raise 50,000 for these echograms that help doctors read the
heart situation immediately when patients are raced to the emergencies. Already
on that cold day $13000.00 was raised and the march continues accordingly to coordinators
Irfan, Syed and Rizwan.
The Muslim communities in GTA ay raised already near
2M for various hospitals including the Stoufville Hospital that Khalid Usman
continues to fundraise for, The William Osler hospital that Imam Slimi recently
held a gala for and the two Scarborough hospitals that many masjids raised over
300,000 for and now the East York hospital that Madina masjid is behind. This
is indeed the way of Islam- helping humanity with the health of our Iman!
Peace
building in the Quran and Bible event held in Waterloo
A packed audience with plenty of questions and
applause for two world renown scholars on the topic of peace building told me
that people are still committed to these ideals and it’s not only a Beetles phenomena!
Dr David Shenk USA has an impressive bio of writings and
speaking in 100 countries on peace and Dr Shabbir Ally is well educated and
articulate on the Muslim Christian debate and dialogue scenario. The questions
included verses of war in the Quran and stories of war in the Hebrew Bible- how
to reconcile these with peace. The Intercultural Dialogued Institute co sponsored
the event with Turkish baklava and coffee!
It was indeed thought provoking, when one
participant asked the Christian speaker if he would lead an apology on behalf
of the Church to the descendants of African slaves during the slave trade and
he said it’s needed.
Black
History month celebrated and observed with a Muslim perspective
What would a Muslim have to say about Black History
month? It’s not seen as a religious thing let alone a Muslim concern. But the Muslim
community in Canada has a huge African presence. Their history has been mired
with slavery and injustice. Today we enjoy the freedoms in Canada to
congregate, express ourselves and practice our religions because persons of the
African continent transported to North America and the Caribbean died for
freedom. Their blood and sweat is not lost and cannot be lost by the passage of
time. The Civil Rights movements are an outcome of that struggle and the celebration
of a Black President of the USA is a testimony that the march of the likes of Harriet
Tubman during the Underground Railroad was not done in vain.
Muslims gathered as well as non Muslims, since 40%
of the slaves were Muslims, to observe this event of history at the GVI women’s
institution and Imams Yassin Dwyer and Habeeb Alli spoke to this history,
reminding all that the spiritual strengths of the African slaves enabled them
to survive the brutality of their greedy masters and today that genetic
characteristic can only be realized when their descendants will continue to take
the wings of life with the sturdiness of education and forgiveness.
Students of World Religions class at Cedarbrae in
Scarborough were also presented this inclusive spiritual perspective about the
African contribution of civilization when Habeeb Alli presented there. He
showed the class slides of the rich Mali civilization, that there over 120 000
manuscripts written in the 16th century that are still preserved.
Persons at the Keele Street Halfway house were
treated to a sumptuous dinner with a documentary and discussion on Timbuktu
after. This is a study completed years ago as part of Dr Abdullah Hakim Quick,
a black history expert and Islamic scholar, journey from South Africa to the
gates of Timbuktu, West Africa.
Too little is known of our history and too little
pride is placed in our culture ; so we look to others as superior than what we
are. Allah Bless Mother Africa!
Imams
received training on counseling and social skills
How many times will we complain that Imams do not
listen actively to persons of domestic violence abuse or youths suffering a
drug abuse habit? How many times will we hear Canadians complaining that Imams
in Canada do not speak the Canadian language of inclusivity and respect of
women? And for how long will we depend on organizations that manage Imams or
employ them to come forward and train Imams?
Imam Ahmed Ibrahim, a member of the JamiatulUlama
and Canadian Council of Imams, after serving 5 years in Canada, hailing from
Barbados and graduated from the UK and India ,realized that he had to do
something about this. He organized the young Ulama and long standing Imams of
various backgrounds last Saturday at Masjid Abu Bakr for one day training on
counseling and active listening. AbdurRasheed Taylor, a known chaplain and
counselor, who trains Chaplains through the Ontario Multifaith Council was
quite adept and personal in providing the workshops and on role playing issues
of active listening and confidentiality. Imam Rasheed had trained Imams before,
including Ahmed, and given the lack of coordinated programs that meets the
Imam’s cultural sensibility, many of them are left on their own experience and
self taught techniques. Imam Habeeb presented on the Islamic perspective on
confidentiality and empathy and many Imams wanted a legal perspective on these
issues of abuse and reporting abuse which will be the next session. It was a
wonderful day of enlightenment and networking with Imams that came as far as
Chatham and Mississauga. As Moulana Imran Khan, a member of the Halal
Monitoring Agency, said, it was the first time he experienced such an enriching
time among his colleagues! Stay tuned!
Statement against predatory gambling on the issue of having
a casino opened in Toronto
Gambling is one of the many cardinal
sins that destroy the root foundations of human family structures and undermine
the critical foundations of human civilization. Canada was established on the
spiritual values pioneered by hard working citizens of all colors, races and
religions- that to eat from the sweat of thy brow and not gamble away the sweet
labor of one’s earnings at the expense of family and societal loss, while the
owner of casinos enjoy the predatory sum of the game.
Faith grants us faithful hope while
gambling encourages false hope among already suffering masses with only one
winner. While some of those goes to charity it is still not comparable to the
immense loss of family ties, human dignity, livelihood and the influence of
criminal and indolent lifestyle that gambling leads to.
Today more than ever the opportunity
has arisen for religious persons, spiritual people and morally conscious
citizens to have their ethical position join the debate on whether another
casino should dot the beautiful landscape of Toronto or smear the lives of
generations t0 come.
Following are some scriptural,
conscientious and moral statements of our Interfaith leaders in Toronto on the
matter.
Quran 2:219 They ask thee concerning
wine and gambling. Say: "In them is great sin, and some profit, for men;
but the sin is greater than the profit." They ask thee how much they are
to spend; Say: "What is beyond your needs." Thus doth Allah Make clear
to you His Signs: In order that ye may consider-
“Canadian Council of Imams hereby appeals for a
reconsideration of granting licenses to a Casino. We suggest, that the City
Council exercise due diligence in all its investments for
creating job opportunities and channeling tax dollars and avoid revenue
sources, that would negatively impact lives of people.”
Habeeb Alli, Secretary.
WHAT IS
CHAPLAINCY?
Chaplaincy
originally is a term coined by Christian pastors serving
the wounded in battle centuries ago and nowadays it refers to
the Religious & spiritual-caregiver service to any person,
whether they are patients in a hospital, inmates incarcerated in
any prison, soldiers in an army, employees in workplace or students attending
University.
Chaplaincy
has grown to become an accredited profession with
necessary credentials required to
serve those vulnerable within the laws of the nation as well as
the respective authentic tradition the Chaplain represents. A chaplain may
facilitate persons of other religious persuasions by
arranging to have the Representative attend to the needs of
the person in need through a mutually respectful
and knowledge based process.
WHY
DO MUSLIMS NEED A CHAPLAIN IN THE PRISON?
In
Canada there has always been Catholic and Protestant Chaplains, providing
religious and spiritual care to the inmates. In the history
of some prisons the pastors were the wardens because they saw the
need
to reform the inmates through religious teachings
and hence established their own institutions.
Chaplaincy
in Federal Prisons:
The
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, paragraph 2(a), guarantees everyone
the fundamental freedom of conscience and religion.
The
importance of the spiritual dimension of life is also incorporated in the
Corrections and Conditional Release Act, Sections 75 and 83, and in Regulations
98 and 101, stated as follows:
Sections
75 – An inmate is entitled to reasonable opportunities to freely and openly
participate in, and express, religion or spirituality, subject to such
reasonable limits as are proscribed for protecting the security of the
penitentiary or the safety of persons".
Correction
Canada employs Chaplains for Federal Institutions, outsourced to Faith
communities, based on number of Inmates. Contracts are given to Faith communities
to serve the religious and spiritual needs of the Inmates. For every 175
Inmates, one full time Chaplain is available.
Provincial:
Chaplaincy
service in Ontario is delivered differently. Institutions are responsible to
hire full and Part time Chaplains. Ministry of Community and Social Services
until last year had a department for Chaplaincy Services. Through this
department, under an Memorandum of Agreement(MOA) signed in 1991 with Ontario
Multifaith Council (OMC), provided core funding with a mandate to ensure access
to religious and spiritual care in Institutions.
OMC,
a 33 year old organization with 30 Faith communities as members, has been
actively fulfilling this mandate by helping to meet the religious and spiritual
needs of the Inmates in Jails and Hospitals and Senior Homes. OMC is seen as
authority on faith matters, by the various level of Government, Employers in
public and private sector, Schools, Colleges and Universities.
As
of March 31, Government of Ontario will no longer provide funding for OMC.
Faith communities are asked to deliver chaplaincy service at their own expense.
Since Number of Hospitals have closed the Chaplaincy Office in the last two
years.
WHAT
HAPPENED TO THE MUSLIM FEDERAL CHAPLAINS?
The
Federal prison system has established over thirty years ago
an Interfaith Chaplaincy Committee to attend
to the needs of other religious
denominations. Across Canada many Imams have served as
Muslim chaplains, mostly part time and with a growing
Muslim inmate population - almost 6%- there is
a need to provide for every 150 Muslim inmate one
full time chaplain. With the inmate population
in Ontario alone growing towards 25% of inmates being Muslims, there
is a need for two full time chaplains, presently
represented by one full time and two part times. The
Provincial prison system has had volunteer chaplains from
the Muslim community under the auspices of Ontario Multi-faith Council. With the ending
of funding to the Council that service will soon
be disrupted. Federal Prison chaplains are represented in
the national body of Interfaith Chaplains by one Imam, who along with
other Chaplains are members of the Canadian Council of
Imams. The Federal Chaplaincy for Muslims will continue, however, the
challenge is to serve the Inmates even if the funding dries up
and provide needed items and programs for which there is no funding.
WHAT
ARE SOME OF THE TASKS THE CHAPLAINS PERFORM?
Chaplains perform the accreditation of Islamic teachings through correct literature
and classes, ensuring halal meal is provided, provide
guidance for Iftar and Sohoor in Ramadan, attest to the new Muslims
shahadah, lead the prayers of Juma and Eid, provide
all necessary items for worship and education, ensure radicalized thoughts are
counteracted, provide service to
all denominations of Islam and other faiths is required,
answer questions on Islam to new Muslims, provide support for
parole, attend meetings and conferences about
enhancing Chaplaincy in the diversity paradigm and
ensure their presence are felt and a
secured environment is maintained at all times.
WHAT
ITEMS DO THEY NEED FOR THE INMATES?
Hijabs,
tasbeeh, books, Qurans, prayer mats, turba, calendars, Salah time tables,
dates, food for Eid and Ramadan celebrations, DVDs and cds,
lectures, documentaries, news papers, magazines, nasheeds,
head scarves, hats, attar, children Islamic books, Tafseer,
HADITH Collections, Fiqh books, comparative religion literature, cultural
news papers, cultural spices, etc
These
items are usually donated by Muslim Businesss, Mosques, Organizations,
Individuals and by the Chaplains. Very few institutions allow purchase from
approved book stores only. It depends on the security level of the institution.
These items amount to a few thousands per year if all the institutions and some
thousand odd inmates is taken into account.
WHAT EVENTS
DO THEY DO IN THE COMMUNITY TO CREATE AWARENESS?
Many conferences are
held every year to address, locally, provincially nationally and
globally the challenges and solutions to chaplaincy. Chaplains attend these and
talk on behalf of their community. They also attend
local Initiatives, like when the 44 Somalians youths died in
gun battle a special conference was held in Toronto and the
Muslim chaplains had to present as to what he does in the prison system to
help these youths who are incarcerated.
Universities request speakers on the same as well as the media
and researchers. The local
Ambition newspaper carries articles regularly for past 4
years as to some of the events that Chaplains do to make it a
community affair and help prevent crime.
Even hosting youth circles and events help
to provide means to prevent crime and show youths a better way out. One example
is the working partnership Chaplains have with
Muslim Liaison Committee at
the Toronto Police Service that aims to help the
community ensure a safer place called home.
WHAT'S
THE COST TO RUN A CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM?
To
provide cost for one full time chaplain with travel
and human resources is almost 50,000. Per annum. A full time
chaplain travels to at least ten institutions in the region, ministering to
their needs within a 40 hour work week
and making considerable time doing administrative as well as spiritual work
within his portfolio. The wide range of
prisons spread across the Province makes that job improbable at times
and part time chaplains and volunteers have to complement this work with a
growing population of Muslim inmates and their issues becoming more complex,
especially conflicting theological issues.
WHAT
IS ISLAMCARE ROLE?
Islamcare
is a nonprofit organization that runs a centre and chaplaincy programs for many
years in Ottawa. When the Federal government publicized the contract for the
first full time chaplain some 8 years ago they were successful in being chosen
to mange this contract with their prior experience and integrity in the
community. They have continued to do so without any additional cost and
provides the necessary management and leadership to ensure these contracts are
up held accordingly. Islamcare has larger budget for its Centre activities and
the chaplaincy is small part of its annual budget that is funded by Corrections
Services Canada.
WHAT ARE
THE THINGS A HALF WAY HOUSE PROVIDE?
Residence
in a half way house depends on the types of crime and how
long a person needs time to reintegrate fully in society. Among the
services an inmate receives there is
housing, employment opportunities,
counseling, assistance with getting his/her documentations
counseling programs against addictions education
opportunities to go back to school, visiting of places of worship and
families visitations on weekends as well as need to prove
one's security risk as nominal through
approved associations Many Muslim inmates go to the mosques as well
as maybe classes and observe celebrations as part
of their diversity-unique reintegration program.
Many minimum
security institutions allow Muslims to attend nearby mosques an
escorted visit for Juma in order to help in their reintegration
program. Kingston mosque, Kitchener and Barrie have seen
such inmates.
HOW
ARE NEW MUSLIMS GETTING SUPPORT IN THE PRISON?
Through
a support system between the local Chaplains who are in full time positions and
manage Muslim volunteers and part time chaplains and
through the locally established Muslim inmate groups many New
Muslims get to show their willingness to learn Islam, placed on
a halal diet and are taught Islam and encouraged
to practice Islam. There is a growing desire to
become Muslim in prison as Islam provides the hope and care to anyone
who is vulnerable and fearful and incarceration does that.
WHAT ARE
THE RIGHTS OF MUSLIM INMATES IN THE PRISON?
To
have their religious requirements fulfilled within a reasonable
framework and have their Faith respected.
WHAT ARE SOME INTERESTING
STORIES OF HOPE FROM INMATES?
Ahmad
is one such example of a beautiful transition. He
first remembered Sura Asr while awaiting his trial and through his
four years of incarceration for drug related offences he
made good of his Islam. Today he is working, giving back to the
society by speaking at many conferences and reminding youths that there is
a better way out. Samira is another example. She did not
want to practice Islam but when one day she realized that
the reason she was in crime was because her son was kidnapped from
her some 20 years ago and she will only get closure when she finds
him. Well she found him in prison Another woman from her community
made friends with her and in speaking realized that her
ex husband was actually this sister's cousin
and when she finally located him in London
and her son she was relieved Her husband had told his
family and son that his mother is dead! She said she waited
for twenty years to hear Mommy I love you! Today she rejoined to
her son and Islam!
ZAKAT IS STIPULATED FOR PRISONERS AND THEIR
MINISTRY
Helping
inmates secure services and regular supplies and assisting them to be released,
legally, is critical and the Quran allots a portion of Zakat on their behalf as
much as the Quran categories the administration of the same as a category and
the helping the poor and needy as another category of recipients.
Quran
9:60 Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the
(funds); for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to Truth); for
those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah. and for the wayfarer:
(thus is it) ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.
WHAT
IS THE CONTACT ADDRESS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND SUPPORT
Islam Care
Centre
312
Lisgar St.
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 0E2
CANADA
Email: mail@islamottawa.com, muslimchaplaincy@gmail.com www.islamcare.ca
Tel
(613) 232-0210
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 0E2
CANADA
Email: mail@islamottawa.com, muslimchaplaincy@gmail.com www.islamcare.ca
Tel
(613) 232-0210
Fax
(613) 232-0210
(613) 232-0210
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