A Space For Us
Speaker: Shaykh Trenton Carl
“O believers! When you are told to make space for one another in your gatherings, then make space. Allah will make space for you.” Qur’an 58:11
Mosques have historically been the centers of our communities and prominent sources of our Islamic knowledge. But communities in North America have faced many challenges in recreating such a role and relationship for our mosques. This workshop aims to discuss how we can build and activate our mosques today to serve as anchors for our communities, addressing the complex needs of our time and providing an encompassing space for all.
Equitable Economies
Speaker: Dr. Masoud Movahed
"Those who spend their wealth in Allah's way by night and by day, secretly and publicly - they will have their reward with their Lord. And no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve." Qur’an 2:274
Wealth takes on a multiplicity of forms and can act as the material foundations for community. This workshop will highlight the various economic difficulties facing our communities now and the unequal distribution of resources within them. This session will try to answer the questions: What causes these inequities, and who creates them? How can we rely on and activate our Islamic principles to address these inadequacies and their spiritual roots?
Sustainable Sustenance
Speaker: Farwa Zaidi
“Eat of the fruit they grow and pay the dues at harvest, but do not waste.” Qur'an 6:141
This workshop will tie the broader concept and importance of food into the way we build and organize within communities. This can encompass food from the meals we share at the dinner table with our family to the systemic way we all interact with food production, consumption, and distribution. The workshop aims to answer questions such as: How do we think of our food beyond halal and haram? What is the importance of distributing and sharing meals together? How does hunger function as something created, against promised rizq?
The Places Before Us
Speaker: Philly Muslim Freedom Fund
“On the Day of Judgment, the Earth will recount everything because your Lord commanded it.” Qur’an 99:4-5
Join us on a walkthrough of the streets and buildings of West Philadelphia to learn about the various ways the city as a physical space can become a communal space of gathering, organizing, and taking care of one another. This workshop will discuss how spaces have also historically been weaponized to divide and exclude. What principles drive the creation and use of place? How can places be reclaimed, and how do people give life and community to the places they reside in?
Building Shared Futures
Speaker: Laila Tauqeer
“Indeed, they were the young people who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.” Qur’an 18:13
Youth organizing in North America holds an important place in community development, whether it is done through MSAs, ABSAs, mosque organizations, non-affiliated organizations, or individual means. This workshop aims to map out the history of Shi’a youth organizing to bring about what our current role is as young people today: What are our contributions to our community’s history and what impacts can we have in the future? We will brainstorm ways of building upon all the work before us in order to envision our shared futures together.