THE NAIT TIMES

Volume 68

A woman waves a Syrian opposition flag as she celebrates at Umayyad Square in Damascus on December 8. Photo Credit - Bakr Al Kassem/AFP/Getty Images

إِذَا جَآءَ نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْفَتْحُ ١

وَرَأَيْتَ ٱلنَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِى دِينِ ٱللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًۭا ٢

فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْهُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ تَوَّابًۢا ٣

"(O Prophet,) When there comes Allah’s help and the Victory

and you ˹O Prophet˺ see the people embracing Allah’s Way in crowds, then glorify the praises of your Lord and seek His forgiveness, for certainly He is ever Accepting of Repentance."

Al Quran, Surah An Nasr (110:1-3)

ALHAMDOLILLAH! Syria is liberated! An absolutely stunning victory!

Exactly after 50 years of brutal and bloody dictatorship, persecution, torture and oppression, Syrian people toppled the Basher Al Assad's regime and reclaimed their freedom. What is even more astonishing is how the historic revolution unfolded and completed within just two weeks.

We are truly overwhelmed with joy, and no words can fully capture our gratitude to Allah for this momentous victory of Syrian people. Our hearts are filled with happiness for Syrian people, the Syrian American community, the entire ummah and all who care about freedom, justice and peace.

It has been profoundly moving to witness the release of innocent prisoners, their faces alight with tears of joy and gratitude. Equally touching are the stories of Syrian American families among us, reminiscing about their home country—its streets and mosques and hills and shops and food and flowers—brought back to life by the promise of a new beginning.

The Syrian people proved to the world that no tyranny can last forever. And it is only with Allah's plan and His wisdom that we can truly attain victory and freedom; we just have to remain patient, steadfast and committed.

Just as Syria has found freedom, may Allah liberate Palestine and all Muslims and nations around the world enduring genocide, ethnic cleansing, persecution, oppression, and brutality. May He grant strength to our Ummah to remain united in the fight against injustice and tyranny. Ameen.

It is time for us Muslim Americans to hold on to hope, and roll up our sleeves to help the Syrian people to rebuild their lives and thrive in freedom.

It is time to say the Takbeerat -

Allah o Akbar Allah o AKbar Allah o Akbar Laa Ilaaha Illalaah Wallaah o Akbar Wa Lillaahil Hamd ...

As the last yet large gathering of the North American Muslim community, MAS-ICNA Annual Convention provides a great opportunity to celebrate our community's needs and accomplishments, set new goals to nurture it better, discuss and carve new opportunities for, gear up for new and more collaborations, review our weaknesses and devise plans to address them, support Muslim businesses and halal economy, have some fun with art, halal music and entertainment together.

So if you are in Chicago, don't forget to join us in celebrating and supporting your community.

🎉 We are so proud of our subsidiary, the American Halal Institute (AHI) to be honored as the 2025 Makkah Halal Forum's (MHF25) exclusive marketing partner of the organizers, the Islamic Chambers Halal Services in Saudi Arabia for North American region. 🎉

What is Makkah Halal Forum? 

MHF25 is a groundbreaking 3-day event that marks a new era in Halal Events worldwide — a convergence that offers a comprehensive showcasing of the finest in Halal services and products from around the world, featuring workshops, keynote sessions, discussion panels, live halal cooking shows and demonstrations, as well as opportunities for partnerships and collaborations across multiple sectors.

Share this invitation with your Muslim business community in case they want to participate.

A joint effort by NAIT's subsidiary, American Halal Institute (AHI), IslamiCity, and Human Assistance and Development International (HADI).

HalalX brings a vast array of products and services provided by Muslim businesses, institutions, and professionals—all in one place with a robust search tools and listing categories.

We received a lot of requests from the community to share guidance on how to deal with the increased scam and hacking issues especially of the Muslim community WhatsApp groups/individual accounts and email accounts as well.

Though it seems like Muslim community is being affected a bit more recently but this has been an ongoing problem even in general. We advise caution at all times and using some common sense rules to ensure you don't fall prey to these scams. You may also announce your congregants to stay more cautious or print this article and circulate or simply share this email with your congregants, friends and family to help them stay safe.

Rule of thumb #1 for calls/texts

Never answer a call from an unknown number. If they really need to get in touch with you, they will leave a voicemail or text. If not, it was not important anyway. Never call back at such numbers. If they are legit, they will find another way to reach you or call again and leave voicemail.

Rule of thumb #1 for emails

ALWAYS first look at the "Sender Details" and "Footer" in the emails that seem to come from a bank or organization that deals with or stores any of your financial or personal data. Do that BEFORE you take any action on the email EVEN IF YOU HAVE OPENED IT. Mostly, it is any further action after opening the email is what harms you.

If it comes from an individual then just see how the email address looks like and other suggestions listed in the WhatsApp section below.

This is how legit email looks like.

This is how spam and scam looks like.

This is how legit footer looks like.

This is how scam footer looks like.

WhatsApp Scam and Suspicious Activity:

Here is what WhatsApp suggests:

1. Pause and think

Look out for suspicious behavior:

Are they using an unknown number?

Are they rushing you?

Are they being threatening or asking you to trust them?

Are they asking you to transfer money or share a password, pin, or personal information?

2. Stop the conversation

Hang up a call or stop replying to the user. If you can’t verify the contact’s identity, do not share any personal or financial information.

3. Block and report

Block the user to stop them from contacting you, and report them to WhatsApp. Learn how to block and report in this article.

4. Update your privacy and security settings

Adjust your privacy settings to control who can see your personal information and contact you. You can also enable two-step verification to better secure your account.

WATCH THIS VIDEO TO GET MORE SPECIFIC TIPS

Hate crimes increased since Oct 7

Stay Vigilant POST ELECTION

& Watch Your Surroundings

Security Tips & Guides

• Apply for Nonprofit Security Grants

• Active shooter situation response. Download

• CAIR Mosque Security Handbook. Download

• Church Mutual Risk Reporter. Download

• Suspicious Mail And Bomb Threats checklist. (State of Illinois general guide and checklist. Check your respective state's website for more localized assistance.)

Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency

(CISA) Guides

• Faith-Based Community Preparedness 

• Keeping Faith Based Communities Safe

• De-escalation Guides

• List of Free Security Trainings

• Know Your Rights: https://www.cair.com/know-your-rights/

• Report an Incident: https://www.cair.com/report/

Please contact local police and then Council of American Islamic Relations if you notice any suspicious activity or need legal help. You may also reach out to NAIT at +1 630-789-9191.