Nazias
04-01-08, 09:12 PM
Mercy Mission
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our beloved Messenger and upon His companions and all those who follow the guidance until the Day of Judgement.
The Muslims of the world today live in a very unique time. For the first time since the Spanish Inquisition, Muslims living in non-Muslim majority lands, numbering over 250 million, make up a significant portion of the total population of Muslims worldwide. As the second and third generation children of Muslim migrants to the West mature into adulthood, we are faced with a crisis of identity, problems of integration, an inability to be self sufficient and a growing community that is becoming increasingly impatient with our inability to rectify our own problems.
Much of this is a legacy of the reality that past generations did not fully establish themselves, and were often more focused on the basics of survival rather than on becoming fully engaged and productive citizens of their adopted country. Further to this, these earlier generations of Muslim immigrants were often not made to feel very welcome, and to in order to be accepted, many of them mimicked, without thought or wisdom, the cultural norms of their new country. This led to a strong counter-reaction from their children, who were dissatisfied with a life that had no firm religious or cultural anchors, and they began searching for their true identity.
Many organisations sprang forth to fill this void and to give young (and older!) Western Muslims the opportunity to feel part of a community, to learn more about their deen, and to express their distinct identities. The result has been a plethora of organisations and groups that all seek to perform da'wah and provide services, but there is little or no cooperation between the groups, and often, they appear to be working against each other. All this has been happening against a background of rapid technological and societal change and the negative impact of world events on perceptions about Muslims and Islam, further exacerbating the general feeling of apprehension in the minority Muslim community, and leading to a growing sense of alienation. This is not to say that these organisations have not provided immense benefit to their communities - they have, and continue to do so. I am grateful, thankful and appreciative of their achievements.
However, the time has come for Western Muslims, for Australian Muslims, to make a unified and concerted effort to address the problems in our communities, to make positive da'wah to Muslims and non-Muslims alike by setting a good example, and to contribute to the betterment of society through community service. What is needed is a broad based grassroots organisation that will appeal to all segments of the society, that will build bridges and opportunities for cooperation between the different groups, and that will leverage the strengths in the Muslim community to deliver a program of good works in every major portfolio of community development.
I am pleased to present to you: Mercy Mission - a not-for-profit, broad based community development organisation that seeks to raise a community that is God fearing, confident, self-reliant and selfless - a community of contributing and beneficial citizens. I trust that you will find our services professional, interesting, visionary and challenging.
I look forward to working together in this challenging endeavour and I appreciate your every support and advice towards achieving our goals for the betterment of all.
Yours sincerely,
Tawfique Chowdhury
Director
www.mercymission.org.au (http://www.mercymission.org.au/#)
Jazakallah khair!
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our beloved Messenger and upon His companions and all those who follow the guidance until the Day of Judgement.
The Muslims of the world today live in a very unique time. For the first time since the Spanish Inquisition, Muslims living in non-Muslim majority lands, numbering over 250 million, make up a significant portion of the total population of Muslims worldwide. As the second and third generation children of Muslim migrants to the West mature into adulthood, we are faced with a crisis of identity, problems of integration, an inability to be self sufficient and a growing community that is becoming increasingly impatient with our inability to rectify our own problems.
Much of this is a legacy of the reality that past generations did not fully establish themselves, and were often more focused on the basics of survival rather than on becoming fully engaged and productive citizens of their adopted country. Further to this, these earlier generations of Muslim immigrants were often not made to feel very welcome, and to in order to be accepted, many of them mimicked, without thought or wisdom, the cultural norms of their new country. This led to a strong counter-reaction from their children, who were dissatisfied with a life that had no firm religious or cultural anchors, and they began searching for their true identity.
Many organisations sprang forth to fill this void and to give young (and older!) Western Muslims the opportunity to feel part of a community, to learn more about their deen, and to express their distinct identities. The result has been a plethora of organisations and groups that all seek to perform da'wah and provide services, but there is little or no cooperation between the groups, and often, they appear to be working against each other. All this has been happening against a background of rapid technological and societal change and the negative impact of world events on perceptions about Muslims and Islam, further exacerbating the general feeling of apprehension in the minority Muslim community, and leading to a growing sense of alienation. This is not to say that these organisations have not provided immense benefit to their communities - they have, and continue to do so. I am grateful, thankful and appreciative of their achievements.
However, the time has come for Western Muslims, for Australian Muslims, to make a unified and concerted effort to address the problems in our communities, to make positive da'wah to Muslims and non-Muslims alike by setting a good example, and to contribute to the betterment of society through community service. What is needed is a broad based grassroots organisation that will appeal to all segments of the society, that will build bridges and opportunities for cooperation between the different groups, and that will leverage the strengths in the Muslim community to deliver a program of good works in every major portfolio of community development.
I am pleased to present to you: Mercy Mission - a not-for-profit, broad based community development organisation that seeks to raise a community that is God fearing, confident, self-reliant and selfless - a community of contributing and beneficial citizens. I trust that you will find our services professional, interesting, visionary and challenging.
I look forward to working together in this challenging endeavour and I appreciate your every support and advice towards achieving our goals for the betterment of all.
Yours sincerely,
Tawfique Chowdhury
Director
www.mercymission.org.au (http://www.mercymission.org.au/#)
Jazakallah khair!