Greater support needed for new Muslims

Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick told the audience at the recently concluded ISNA Canada’s 38th Annual Convention in Mississauga that there needs to be a change in attitude on how new Muslims are received within mosques and in the Muslim community.

“We need an attitudinal change on how we receive new Muslims,” he said. “People need to be sensitive to their needs.”

Dr Quick was addressing the topic of “New Muslim Experience: The Joys and Struggles” at the Convention that was held over the Victoria Day holiday weekend at the ISNA Canada headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario.

Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick is a well-known historian, social activist and religious leader who resides in Toronto. He is the Head of the History Department of Al Maghrib Institute and the Director of Outreach of the Canadian Council of Imams.

He proposed a number of services that mosques should develop to assist new Muslims, such as having a mentoring system to help new Muslims integrate into the community;  organizing ‘Understanding Islam’ classes to separate Islam from cultural practices; and organizing socialization events.

Dr. Quick said that dawa is for “people who are ready to give leadership to those who need it.”

This year’s convention theme was “A New Era Unfolds: Rising to the Challenge.”

“This theme was chosen to provide an opportunity to reflect on the dramatic changes which took place at ISNA Canada, in Muslim countries and all over the world,” said Mohammed Bekkari, President of ISNA Canada. “These changes reflect a new way of thinking and behaving.”

The organization is one of the country’s largest national Islamic organizations with a stated mission of ‘establishing a vibrant presence of Muslims in Canada.’

According to the organization’s website, “ISNA exists as a platform for all Muslims who share its mission and are dedicated to serving the needs of Muslims and Muslim communities.”

The convention included lectures by a number of well-known international personalities including Yasmin Mogahed, Mufti Ismail Menk, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Sheikh Bilal Phillips, Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick, Fazlun Khalid, Elder Cat Criger, Imam Mohammed Magid, Safaa Zarzour, Dr. Katherine Bullock, and Shaykh Salman Al-Nadwi.