A Special Ramadan Appeal

It has been over 10 years and Imam Jamil Al-Amin is still locked down in a cage for a crime he didn't commit--a crime that someone else has actually confessed to. The U.S. judicial system remains adamant upon detaining an innocent man. Not only that, they transferred the Imam to even more oppressive living conditions in 2007, when he was sent from Georgia State Prison in Reidsville to the maximum-security, underground federal penitentiary in Florence, Colorado, known as “Florence ADMAX”, despite his not having any federal charges.

While Imam Jamil is stuck underground looking at the same walls every day for 23 hours, we enjoy the sun's light, seeing nature, and breathing in fresh air; moving about freely from place to place as we like.

While Imam Jamil is denied all human contact--rendering him unable to touch even his wife or son when they visit--we embrace our families, our children, and feel their warmth nearly every day of our lives.

While Imam Jamil remains ever-concerned about the Muslim community, but powerless to help (of course, he still inspires us through his writings and talks, and his spirit of resistance), many of us have the ability and capacity to actually make a difference.

With the above in mind, please exercise your ability to help Imam Jamil. When Imam Jamil was out here with us, he worked tirelessly for the Muslims in the U.S. and abroad. Now, what will we do for him? We encourage you to donate whatever you can--even if it is just $5--to help Imam Jamil and his family. Sis. Karima, Imam Jamil's wife, recently confirmed that under these harsh and unjust circumstances, the Imam has managed to keep his struggling spirit alive, masha'Allah. (To read a July interview with sis. Karima, click here and scroll down.) Rather than considering himself a "prisoner of war"--for his years of outspokenness and activism against U.S. injustice and oppression--he considers himself a "prisoner at war." Let's show our Imam that we care for him and we haven't forgotten him.

Imam Luqman's family is also experiencing hardship. They've lost a husband, a father, and a breadwinner to U.S. government oppression (may Allah accept him as a martyr). Currently, the family simply wants to purchase a grave marker to mark Imam Luqman's grave, but needs some assistance to do so. A portion of the funds collected from the flier below will be applied to this cause. This is a month of mercy and multiplied blessings--take advantage of this opportunity to give to a worthy cause!

If you would like to contribute to our Ramadan Appeal, simply mail in your donation to our DC address (listed below). If you are interested in having Imam Musa visit your masjid or Islamic center, contact us via phone or e-mail and make arrangements with your local leadership.

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(Click flier to enlarge)

RAMADAN APPEAL
On Behalf of the Forgotten in Our Ummah

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "Every Muslim is a Muslim's brother. He should neither harm him nor leave him alone when others treat him unjustly (but try to help him). Whomever will fulfill the need of a brother, Allah (swt) will fulfill his need, and whoever will remove a distress of a Muslim, he will find a distress of his removed on the Day of Requital, and whomever will hide the shame of a Muslim, his sins will be hidden by Allah (swt) on the Last Day." (Sahih Muslim)

My name is Abdul Alim Musa. I am the imam of Masjid Al-Islam, which has locations in Washington, DC, and Oakland, CA, and the Amir of As-Sabiqun, an Islamic movement based in America which aims to establish self-sustaining Islamic communities across the country (for more info, visit www.sabiqun.org).

As Muslims, we are prescribed to look after one another, especially when our fellow believers are facing serious hardship or difficulty. Many of us have forgotten about the toll that U.S. government oppression has taken on our community. In recent years, a countless number of innocent Muslims—men and women—have been unjustly harassed and jailed on account of false charges. Each of their families has suffered tremendously, facing the loss of a breadwinner, a life companion, or even a loving parent who once filled their lives.*

This reality can no longer remain ignored. It is our collective duty to support our brothers and sisters who are facing unjust oppression. For this reason, I am respectfully requesting from you an opportunity to make a short presentation or brief announcement after the Maghrib, ‘Isha, or Jumu’ah prayer at your center—whichever is most feasible—with the purpose of raising funds for our imprisoned brothers and sisters, both for their legal defense and their families. I am also available to give a Jumu’ah khutbah. Our ultimate goal is raise $1 million for this purpose, as well as to form a legal review committee that can take steps toward liberating our brothers and sisters from their current conditions.

To grant my request, please call me: 202.904.1152, or e-mail me: imammusa2009@hotmail.com. To learn more about our community, please visit our website (listed above). We would also like to welcome you to visit one of our locations: Masjid Al-Islam / 4603 Benning Road SE / Washington, DC 20019, or Masjid Al-Islam / 8210 MacArthur Blvd. / Oakland, CA 94605. Our community is based on the institutional cornerstones of: 1) masjid, 2) full-time Islamic school, 3) businesses, and 4) geographical integrity (living close together). We are dedicated to concentrating our efforts, activities, and energies on building strong Islamic institutions which will serve as lighthouses in the inner-city environment; struggling against manufactured societal ignorance and misinformation; and defending the rights of Muslims and all right-minded fellow human beings.

We are a strong and independent community that receives no funding from overseas financiers. We have made it to where we are only because of Allah’s (swt) grace and the generous contributions of supportive Muslims. We now ask you to help us in our endeavors to provide assistance to the less fortunate in our Ummah. You can send a check or money order to our DC address, listed above.

“If ye disclose (acts of) charity, even so it is well, but if ye conceal them, and make them
reach those (really) in need, that is best for you: It will remove from you some of your (stains of) evil. And Allah is well-acquainted with what ye do.” (2:271)

Please consider us for your Zakat donation! Of the eight categories of people to whom Zakat can be given, there are three categories which your donation will directly serve:

• Muwallafatil Qulub: Needy persons and individuals who’ve recently embraced Islam, to whom Zakat is given with the intention of solidifying their hearts, easing their hardships, and bringing them closer to the Deen.
• Ar-Riqab: Those who are enslaved, held captive, or unjustly imprisoned, to whom Zakat can be applied to bring about their freedom (i.e., via legal bail).
• Fisabilillah: Those who are away from home, striving on the path of Allah (swt).

* One of the families which we would like to support is simply in need of a grave marker to mark their father’s grave. His death was the direct result of U.S. government oppression.