Esteemed Sisters and Brothers:
As-salāmu ‘alaikum
The Muslim community in Houston is facing many serious challenges. ISGH is taking the initiative to address the most crucial of these challenges in a systematic, sustained and professional manner. Your donation/contribution during the upcoming ISGH Fundraising Dinner will be used for the following purposes:
Over the years highly paid professionals have worked systematically to build a grossly negative image of Islam. Their effort have led to the current atmosphere where manifestation of hostility against Islam and Muslims has become an increasingly acceptable norm. Situation is further exacerbated by extremists who are changing the true narratives of Islamic teachings and views.
We all realize that random and uncoordinated volunteer responses to incidents are no match against the professionally run anti-Muslim campaigns. Therefore, it is both obligatory and urgent that ISGH should develop a professionally designed program to systematically project and sustain accurate and positive image of Islam.
Such campaign will involve public engagement through all channels of communications media – Internet, TV, radio, newspapers, and other forms of public communication. We need to recruit a task force of professionals who specialize in and have expertise in modulating public opinions and public image building. Any undertaking of this nature and scope requires commitment of substantial funds.
1) The tremendous talents of our sisters and youth are most valuable but under-utilized resources of our community. ISGH intends to reach out to the widest spectrum of people in these two groups, encouraging them to create new and relevant programs, and providing the financial and other resources to ensure vibrancy and success of these new programs.
2) ISGH currently channels a very large amount of funds to support Zakāt/Sadaqah recipients. There is a growing need to create and implement training programs that will help many of the current Zakāt recipients to acquire marketable skills. Allah willing, this would transform recipients into donors. Such training programs would also require sufficient funding.
3) ISGH Shura is keenly aware of the fact that all Shura members do not necessarily have specific professional skills to manage such projects. Therefore, ISGH Shura plans to delegate design and management of these programs to those donors/members who already have proven track record of success in design, implement and operate such complex initiatives.
Clearly, these initiatives exact a greater demand on your generosity, and we believe that you would respond graciously, hoping for repayment from Allah, according to His oft-repeated promise. In each area ISGH will reach out and empower top donors and those who are actively involved in such activities to come up with proper plans and ideas for the use of these funds.
M. J. Khan
ISGH - President
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