November 2023 | Rabi ul Awwal 1445 AH

Salam alaikum,

Our heartfelt condolences to our North American community on the untimely loss of renowned Maulana Sayyid Asad Jafri who was laid to rest on Monday, October 30 after an outpouring of grief and one of the largest funeral ceremonies in living memory at the Jaffari Islamic Centre.

Please read NASIMCO's obituary here: https://conta.cc/3SlJFYg

In this Issue:

NASIMCO at Mainstay ENGAGE Conference 2023

NASIMCO participates in Advocacy Day on Parliament Hill

NASIMCO sponsors Minnetober 2023

WF Youth Committee

CIL (Center of Islamic Learning) Update for October 2023

Member Jamaat Visits: ISIA Ottawa, Anjuman-e-Asghari and IHIC

NASIMCO was honored to attend this year's ENGAGE Conference. Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Shifa Abbas, represented NASIMCO, alongside Executive Councillors Br. Kazim Mehdi and Br. Abbas Bandali at the recent ENGAGE Conference hosted by the Mainstay Foundation in Dearborn, Michigan last weekend. Our participation in this event underscores NASIMCO's commitment to engaging with organizations and initiatives that promote unity, education, and community empowerment.

Sr. Shifa presented an overview of NASIMCO's activities during the conference's Open Forum.

The conference provided a valuable platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange, further strengthening the bonds of our community

Stay tuned for news about NASIMCO x Mainstay Foundation collaboration projects, inshAllah.

Last week, NASIMCO CAO, Shifa Abbas, joined 65 leaders of Canada's Muslim and Palestinian communities on Parliament Hill to participate in NCCM (National Council of Canadian Muslims)'s Advocacy Day. Leaders met with dozens of Members of Parliament, as well as Amira Elghawaby, shown here, who serves as Canada's Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia.

Meet The WF Task Force!

At the first WF Youth Conference in June 2023, a dedicated Youth Task Force was selected from across our six Regional Federations, a group deeply committed to understanding the unique challenges our youth face. 

We congratulate our very own, Br. Talib Hussayn Lila of Toronto, Canada for being selected for this prestigious position and support him in the work he will do as part of the WF Youth Task Force.

Calling all youth to fill out a survey to make a difference - fill out the survey to make your thoughts and opinions heard!

Alhamdulillah, the weekend of October 21st and 22nd marked a dual milestone for Al-Husseini Madressa. We had the privilege of the largest Teacher Skills Program (TSP), led by the honorable Sayyid Ali Raza Naqvi of Birmingham, UK and the facilitators were four of our very own teachers who presented alongside Sayyid. 

 Zameena Jivraj-Moorji, Fatemah Dedhar, Farzana Khalfan, and Sausan Merali-Salehmohamed were inspiring to their colleagues and did a phenomenal job in delivering the content to the participants. 

The feedback from our participants was nothing short of amazing. We heard remarks such as:

"I didn't realize how valuable Madressa teachers are until now."

"As a student, I now understand the effort Madressa teachers invest in their lessons and the genuine care they have for their students."

Another TSP was held in Minnesota the weekend of 28th and 29th October with 37 teachers participating in the training. The training was extremely successful and they had their very own sister Mehtab Walji co facilitating the program with Sayyid Aliraza Naqvi. 

The journey continues as they guide this large group through the remaining phases of the TSP, where teachers will participate in Microteach sessions to implement what they've learned during the two-day program.

NASIMCO CIL now looks forward to the Teachers EmpowerED Conference and the TSP Masterclass on November 4-5. You do not want to miss out on a unique event weekend! See you all in person or virtually.

It was a weekend filled with sportsmanship and camaraderie as NASIMCO President, Arif Jacksi, and several Executive Council members, including Br. Hilaal Virji, Br. Ebrahim Rehmtulla, Br. Kazim Mehdi and Br. Mohamedraza Lakha joined the enthusiastic athletes and teams at Minnetober, the annual sports tournament hosted by Jaffery Sports of Minnesota. The event, dedicated to fostering unity and healthy competition, saw our esteemed representatives actively engaging with participants and supporters, embodying the spirit of community and sports.

Br. Arif Jacksi addressed the crowd of participants as one of the tournament sponsors. NASIMCO remains committed to supporting initiatives like Minnetober that promote physical fitness and unity within our community.

Our NASIMCO family continues to strengthen its bonds with Member Jamaats as we concluded two Member Jamaat visits this month.

Sr. Shifa Abbas, Chief Administrative Officer, had the pleasure of visiting the Islamic Shia Ithna-Asheri Association (ISIA) of Ottawa, fostering connections and sharing insights with the community during their Thursday programming.

Br. Arif Jacksi, President, brought his warm presence to Anjuman-e-Asghari and the Islamic Hussaini Association of Minnesota (IHIC), emphasizing the importance of unity and collaboration.

These visits exemplify NASIMCO's commitment to supporting and engaging with our member Jamaats, building stronger connections across our vibrant community.