IlmFest 2009: Generation Islam

Guest Writer: Mobeen Vaid, Ameer Qabeelat Nurayn

It is now almost universally acknowledged that the majority of Muslims who came to America in the exodus of the 70’s and 80’s articulated a brand of Islam that was not only influenced from within by their immigrant background, but was also shaped from without by a foreign socio-cultural context. In doing so, obscure notions of what was truly ‘Islamic’ took hold and concretized an imported articulation of Islam as an indigenous, irrefutable understanding of Islam itself.

As a result, the second generation of Muslims born and raised here reacted in different ways. Some of them believed that Islam in America should undergo a process of complete assimilation. Their basic philosophy was ‘We needed to become as American as apple pie!’ Others felt that the very term ‘American Muslims’ was invalid; that in order to be righteous Muslims we had to reject everything about ‘America’, including the continuation of our lives on it!

It is sad but true to state that this conflict has not fully been resolved. Our mosques are riddled with youth who lack a truly Islamic identity, and we ourselves are often-times confused at how to instill that identity in their lives. Many problems that existed ‘back home’ are now being compounded in the American experience, such as divorce and spousal abuse, but because of cultural taboos, communities are reluctant to publicly discuss them. There is also the very real concern, post 9/11, that our religious loyalties are being viewed with extreme suspicion, and our very allegiance to America is being questioned.

These conflicts require solutions that emanate not only from our Orthodox tradition and understanding of Islam, but also by taking into account the modern realities that we experience. AlMaghrib Institute is proud to be at the forefront of such dialogue, and plans to discuss these and many other issues in its upcoming program in Baltimore, MD, at its annual IlmFest convention. The theme of this year is aptly entitled Generation Islam, and the convention will take place on the weekend of October 3rd-4th. Session topics include:

• Generation Islam Meets the World
• Raising Generation Islam
• A Model Community in the 21st Century
• Domestic Violence
• Generation Islam at the Crossroads
• Reclaiming Islam from the pseudo-Jihadists
• Divided Loyalties or Imagined Conflicts?
• …and more.

Speakers include all of the American-based Instructors, such Shaykhs Yasir Qadhi, Yaser Birjas, Waleed Basyouni, AbdulBary Yahya, Riad Ourzazi, and Muhammad Faqih, in addition to local speakers such as Shaykh Safi Khan and Hassan Amine. There are also special guests appearing, such as Sr. Dalia Mogahed and Baba Ali. For those in the area, this is an event you do not want to miss – and for those far away, it is surely worth a trip if you can manage to come.

Find more information and registration details, please log to the following site: www.ilmfest.com

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kf471xQGac[/youtube]

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi speaks about Ilmfest:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjOaGAcYspU[/youtube]