Dear friends and Elders,
As-Salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu ! Peace be unto you and the mercy of Almighty Allah and His blessings. I pray and make duas that this letter of mine finds you in the best of Iman and Taqwa,moods and spirits, health and wealth !
The specific purpose of writing this letter is to put some "feelers" out there to gauge if there is any interest in WE, as American citizens, marching as a small contingent here in the local Olympia parade. Then, we can make a Proposal - Muslims kids'/ teenagers participation in 4th of July parade.
Yesterday, I participated in the "Procession of the Species" parade with my OMJP, PMR, Green Party and VFP / FOR friends. It is was a nice community experience. What I understood is that - doing the march or parade is NOT the important thing; but, the whole experience of preparing for it, practicing, costumes, meeting people, building bridges and exchanging views is what makes the accomplishment far more sweeter.
Advantages of participating in the 4th of July parade:
1- Kicking our Iman in higher gear and greater visibility.
2- Helping our kids - teenagers be comfortable " in their own skin" as muslims.
3- Helping them articulate what they believe in and why by means of symbols, placards, costumes, art, dress, song and gestures.
4- Transitioning the parents in the community to civic engagement.
5- To have fun.
6- Low cost of $50.00 per contingent for non-profit organizations.
7- Acceptance / normalcy of our teenage daughters who wear hijaab by their American counterparts.
8- demonstrating our patriotism or loyalty to our country at a time when it is suspect.
Disadvantages or Objections:
1- Some of the floats / other churches have music playing.
2- Some cheerleaders of some high schools' are scantily dressed (not in accordance with Islam).
3- It is haram to have inter-mingling of sexes (per some parents).
4- Beer may be sold by some vendors at the "bazaar" that is there at the end of the parade.
5- We may not be ready for such higher exposure; more comfortable to be within our own seclusive protective shells.
6- We may have to "salute the flag"; that is a form of idol-worship.
( There may be a better way to summarize what we discussed- plz excuse my "Indian English" grammar and discuss content rather than word-smithing. smiles!)
So, kindly click " reply all" and let's discuss the pros and cons. After that, if we have any substantial interest, we can give a proposal, choose some parents to lead and get the ball rolling. If no discussion, that's okay too ! Perhaps, next year or after that !
I guess the more important portion of this endeavor is the discussion leading up to it ! Allah bless you all for the purity of motives! Aameen !
--
Respectfully,
Muhammad Ayub
Cell - 360-489-2830.
I bought all my Heirloom veggie seeds for $ 2.00 here - http://www.bountifulgardens.org/
Join me @ Master Gardener Conference - http://mastergardener.wsu.edu/mgfws/
Raising Chickens again this year - http://www.backyardchickens.com/
As-Salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu ! Peace be unto you and the mercy of Almighty Allah and His blessings. I pray and make duas that this letter of mine finds you in the best of Iman and Taqwa,moods and spirits, health and wealth !
The specific purpose of writing this letter is to put some "feelers" out there to gauge if there is any interest in WE, as American citizens, marching as a small contingent here in the local Olympia parade. Then, we can make a Proposal - Muslims kids'/ teenagers participation in 4th of July parade.
Yesterday, I participated in the "Procession of the Species" parade with my OMJP, PMR, Green Party and VFP / FOR friends. It is was a nice community experience. What I understood is that - doing the march or parade is NOT the important thing; but, the whole experience of preparing for it, practicing, costumes, meeting people, building bridges and exchanging views is what makes the accomplishment far more sweeter.
Advantages of participating in the 4th of July parade:
1- Kicking our Iman in higher gear and greater visibility.
2- Helping our kids - teenagers be comfortable " in their own skin" as muslims.
3- Helping them articulate what they believe in and why by means of symbols, placards, costumes, art, dress, song and gestures.
4- Transitioning the parents in the community to civic engagement.
5- To have fun.
6- Low cost of $50.00 per contingent for non-profit organizations.
7- Acceptance / normalcy of our teenage daughters who wear hijaab by their American counterparts.
8- demonstrating our patriotism or loyalty to our country at a time when it is suspect.
Disadvantages or Objections:
1- Some of the floats / other churches have music playing.
2- Some cheerleaders of some high schools' are scantily dressed (not in accordance with Islam).
3- It is haram to have inter-mingling of sexes (per some parents).
4- Beer may be sold by some vendors at the "bazaar" that is there at the end of the parade.
5- We may not be ready for such higher exposure; more comfortable to be within our own seclusive protective shells.
6- We may have to "salute the flag"; that is a form of idol-worship.
( There may be a better way to summarize what we discussed- plz excuse my "Indian English" grammar and discuss content rather than word-smithing. smiles!)
So, kindly click " reply all" and let's discuss the pros and cons. After that, if we have any substantial interest, we can give a proposal, choose some parents to lead and get the ball rolling. If no discussion, that's okay too ! Perhaps, next year or after that !
I guess the more important portion of this endeavor is the discussion leading up to it ! Allah bless you all for the purity of motives! Aameen !
--
Respectfully,
Muhammad Ayub
Cell - 360-489-2830.
I bought all my Heirloom veggie seeds for $ 2.00 here - http://www.bountifulgardens.org/
Join me @ Master Gardener Conference - http://mastergardener.wsu.edu/mgfws/
Raising Chickens again this year - http://www.backyardchickens.com/
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