MEETING OLD FRIENDS & MAKING NEW ONES

A good book begins with much apprehension and much anticipation, sort of like the opening of the 51st Annual Convention of the Islamic Society of North America held August 29 – September 1, 2014, in Detroit, MI. This was the first year in a number of years that Children of the Qur’an Islamic Institute (COQII) attended and participated in the bazaar activities and provided the attendees with many new dawah pamphlets and much information regarding dawah.

We first felt like we were coming back home after a long absence, but our fears and giddy feelings were quickly overcome when we began to see and meet many old friends: brothers, and sisters; plus we started to make new friends. In its absence COQII has increased its dawah pamphlets to almost one hundred pamphlets for distribution and use. Not only has the streets programs been increased, but the COQII prison dawah program has been greatly increased and has become very vibrant. The COQII prison dawah program is known as BROTHERS BEHIND BARS and this year has not only increased in the pamphlets for this series, but has been expanded to where one brother has been providing his artistic talents by hand drawing of masjids from around the world in pencil. These drawings were enthusiastically greeted and accepted, and zakat donations were made for their purchase. One attendee also offered the artist a possible job in graphic arts upon his release from prison.

The COQII booths were visited by more than hundreds of attendees and visitors, with each of them taking some dawah pamphlets as samples for future orders when they return home to their dawah committees and begin to do their own dawah work. Because many years have passed since our last participation at conventions, we have to admit that many of the children of the brothers and sisters have grown into fine young brothers and sisters, many now attending college and/or starting their own families. When this convention ended, we have to admit that we were very sad, but our emotions began to brim over when we learned that the next convention (the 52nd) will be held (Inshallah!!!) in Chicago.