Dear Brothers and Sisters, السالم عليكم,

Eid Mubarak to all of you and I wanted to extend a Hajj Mubarak to all of the Haajis who were able to complete the 5th Pillar of Islam suc-cessfully. May Allah (S) bless you and may He accept your Hajj. I pray all your duas are answered, and as you return home, I hope that this reinvig-orates your life and your commit-ment to be a better Muslim as well as a better person. Ameen. We had another auspicious Eid on the Field at Niles West High School as thousands gathered to pray on a beautiful and sunny day. The follow-ing week we had another successful Fun Fest where families and friends gathered to enjoy the day. I want to commend both the Eid and Fun Fest committees doing such an excellent job in being able to organize such a large number of people to work to-gether for a common goal. I heard nothing but praise from all the at-tendees. The credit goes team leaders to work together with youth and sen-ior volunteers bringing joy to our community. Lastly, I would like to remind you once again to culminate the summer and the year of 2019 this fall by at-tending our 50th Anniversary Gala on September 21st at the Holiday Inn. We want to share with you the histo-ry of MCC and our accomplishments. Insha’Allah we see you all there! Wassalam. Any questions or comments or

(Continued on page 3)

President’s Report

Alhamdulillah, MCC has seen fifty years and shares this anniversary with other momentous events. So our staff decided to commemorate those events as well, MCC-style!

Vol. 50 / No. 9 / Muharram—Safar 1441/ September 2019 A Publication of the Muslim Community Center, Chicago, IL

The MessageThe MessageThe Message

The Beatles: Abby Road album

NASA: Moon landing

MCC portrayal courtesy of Br. Yusuf Umar, Br. Hashim Ali Al Sahary, Br. Maher Al-

Zoukani, & Br. Mahmoud

“But waste not by excess: for Allah loveth not the wasters” (Quran 6:141, Yusuf Ali translation).

In fifty years much as changed about the world we live in. This change affects all of us at MCC as well. Communication needs have changed to reflect these changes. We need to be conscious of how we are living and make every effort to be environ-mentally responsible. It is, therefore, a pleasure to announce The Message’s online

(Continued on page 3)

Publication Committee’s eNewsletter Launch

50th

Anniversary

The Youth of MCC BBQ was on Sunday, Aug

4th. 60 High School and College youth attended and en-joyed live grilling, volleyball, football, and a talk on the importance of Hajj. Nine community youth volunteers led the parking logistics and assisted elders with wheelchairs during the Eid Al Ad-ha prayers. Family Night at MEC was successful, with approximately 150 community members enjoying some cupcakes and social time. Ongoing Youth of MCC meetings occur every Sunday morning at the MEC youth room from 10:30am-12:00 pm. Upcoming Events: Please visit our Insta-gram or Facebook (@mccchicagoyouth) for all event information. End of Summer Potluck - Ladies ages 14+ @ Gillson Park in Wilmette, Sept 7th. MCC Innovate! A Community Youth Prob-lem Solving Competiton open to middle school, high school, and college. SoulFood Sisterhood Circle for High School, College, and Young Professional sisters starts Aug 24th. MCC Youth is hiring after school and weekend tutors. More information at www.mccchicago.org/youth-council Many more exciting events and activities coming soon. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at @mccchicagoyouth for regular updates. If you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, or com-ments, please reach out to our youth coordinators: Sarah Kadir, skadir@mccchicago.organd Aminah McBryde-Redzovic, aminah@mccchicago.org.

MCC Youth In ActionMCC Youth In Action

July/August Events

Women's Committee arranged

many successful events this July/

August for its community members.

On July 21, a special speaker from Du-

bai, Alma Fariha Rahman, addressed

the importance of the first ten days of

the Dhul-Hijjah. On August 3rd Sr. Fari-

ha Shakeel spoke about women of Jan-

nah. Sister Fariha Shakeel discussed

the many traits important for women

to enter Jannah. MEC WC's Mommy &

I group took a field trip on August 15

with its young members to Emily Oaks

Nature Center. The young members

made new friends and had fun taking a

nature walk.

MCC Election Day: December 8, 2019 from

10 am - 3 pm at MCC & MEC.

Candidates Forums: November 10th & 17th

(Location TBD) 10 am - Noon.

November 30th: Deadline to renew

your membership to vote. Masood Bijapuri

MCC Election Committee Chair

Election Committee

Announcement

We are blessed by Allah SWT to have had another Hajj seminar here at MEC Morton Grove IL held by the Imam of MEC - Hafiz Iklas Ansari and Shahjehan Baig.

The seminar covered the Islamic re-quirements as well as the logistics and preparations for Hajj. Masha'Allah over 100 guests came to benefit from this great gathering.

Eid Youth Volunteers- L to R bottom: Mohammed Musani,

Ahmed Irfan, Ammar Gaffar, Tahmoor Taher

L to R top: Nabil Saiyed, Asjad Husain, Mohammad Manzoor

Sultan Memon

Religious Affairs Committee

Hajj Seminar

MCC Publication Committee:

Shabnam Mahmood—Chair/Editor-in-chief Syed Mahmood—Co-Chair

Hafiz Ikhlas Ansari—Prayer Timetable

Mohsin Bhatty—Distribution

The Message is a monthly publication of the Muslim Community Center that informs members of admin-istration, organization and committee activities of MCC/MEC. Submit your questions and comments editormccpublications@gmail.com. The opinions ex-pressed in The Message do not necessarily represent those of the Publication Committee. The editor reserves the right to edit all material.

Since this is an Islamic publication, please

dispose of it in a respectable Islamic manner.

Disposal bins available at MCC Elston.

For information regarding these and

any of our events please visit us at

www.mccchicago.org.

eNewsletter launch which will now be available as of September. A majority of community members have requested this change, and it seems the right time to do so. As a member you will receive an email version of the newsletter. Please be sure to update your email information with MCC’s office manager. It is the 50th anniversary of our insti-tution, along with our presence on so-cial media we are heading for the fu-ture environmentally conscious. How-ever, we are keeping our community members who wish to receive the hard-copy newsletter in mind. You will con-tinue to receive the mailed hardcopies. In Sha Allah, we hope this will be the beginning of many such innovative communications for MCC going for-ward, Ameen. Also, to celebrate our launch Publi-cation Committee is partnering with the Library Committee to bring a cross-word puzzle contest. The eNewsletter will feature a link to a crossword puzzle related to various individuals who have been an integral part of MCC’s history. Unscramble the names with the help of clues and complete the crossword puz-zle. The first three correct completed puzzles will receive prizes! Winners will be announced in the next issue! Members of the MCC Administration and Committees are not eligible to participate. Good luck! Publication & Library Committees

(e-Newsletter Launch: Continued from page 1)

concerns, please feel free to contact me. Regards, Kamran Hussain president@mccchicago.org 847-452-5811

MCC Elston and MEC masjid locations are requiring your generous contributions to support the security program for both facili-ties. With your generous support, you will play a part in enhancing a safe and secure environment for our community. The goal is to raise $60,000 for this initiative. Please visit our website to contribute. Jazak Allah Khairan.

50th Anniversary Wishes

“Happy 50th Anniversary to the largest and oldest demo-cratic Muslim organization in the Chicagoland area! Get out and vote 12.8.19!! The MCC Election Committee”

The Rehab & Welfare Committee of MCC would like to wish MCC a happy 50th anniversary and In-sha’Allah many more years to come.

Happy 50th birthday MCC! As we stand on the thresh-old of half a century, I look forward to innovative ways of communicating with you.—Shabnam Mahmood, Publication Committee Chair.

On behalf of the IT Committee I would

like to extend heartfelt congratulations

to MCC on this milestone, 50th anni-

versary.

Here’s looking forward

to the next century!

Syed Mahmood,

IT Chair

A very happy 50th birthday to MCC. We are proud to be its mem-ber. MCC has given us a platform to come together to organize ef-forts and activities to promote women involvement, women’s de-velopment, and strengthen and build relationship among the wom-en of various walks of life. — MEC Women’s Committee

Alhamdulillah, on Sunday, August 11th, MCC celebrated Eid on the Field at Niles West High School. All gathered to hear Maulana Yousuf Abdullah's Eid khutbah and to pray Eid salah, a truly fulfilling moment. Appropriate accommodations made for every-

one ensuring comfort and ease, especially for our seniors and special needs members. Children enjoyed bouncy castles and other fun activities. Everyone who participated and supported this event guaranteed its success, and MCC could not have been more thankful. MCC would like to send a special Thank You to the members of Niles High School, Skokie Police Department, MCC Executive Team, Eid Committee, Youth Committee, Building Committee, Rehab & Welfare team and Alhamdulillah many more that came together on Eid Day. The day of festivities would not have been possible without our food vendor Ziyad Ice Cream. Those that provided services included Alleviate Central Inc, House of Rental, Beegiggles Entertainment and ISAVE Audio Visual. Alhamdulillah, with the grace and bounty of Allah (swt), we were able to accomplish another successful outdoor Eid event. We pray that Allah accepts all our good deeds, guide us to what' best, and plant our feet firm on this religion.

Photos courtesy of Br. Syedullah

Sunday, August 18th, 2019 was MCC’s 28th Fun Fest at MEC’s grounds with plenty of sunshine, the event was a success bringing an estimated 1500 people throughout the day. MCC’s traditional and staple event the Fun Fest is an annual communi-ty event bringing family, friends, and neighbors together. This year the Fun Fest was chaired by Faizah Syed and her team, we also had several youth volunteers led by Sarah Kadir staffing booths and children’s activities throughout the day. Special shoutout to Br. Habib Abbasi for being a mentor and team member. Uncle Abbasi has been one of the original chairs of the Fun Fest and continues to be involved with the team. We love his commitment and dedication. Highlights included MCCA Superintendent Habeeb Quadri jousting with our young ones! Our donut eating contest was an-other hit attracting all age groups as well as our ice cream eating contest. We had our President Kamran Hussain sitting in the dunk tank along with other community leaders being good sports as fairgoers lined up to take three tries at dunking them. Each year our food vendors bring something new and exciting for our community to experience. We were delighted to have Kona Ice truck serving a tropical-flavored shaved ice to keep our guests cool. Our delicious handmade burgers flying off the grill were the talk of the fair. Not to mention Indonesian Noodles and Satays with their peanut sauce was mouth-watering. Our many thanks to Sr. Nafisa Sattar for her famous grilled Chicken Tikka and Bihari kabobs. Special shout-out to our Women’s Committee for helping graciously with cholay and dahi bade. The Morton Grove Fire and Utility departments brought trucks for the kids. We thank Allah (swt) for another successful event and to all of our sponsors for their generosity that helps offset the cost. Thanks to all the volunteers (almost 90 of them!) who worked very hard to put the fest together. Insha’Allah, we look forward to seeing everyone at the Fun Fest next year.

Photo courtesy of Laura Frisch

& David Hoffman

Photo courtesy of Laura Frisch

Photo courtesy of Laura Frisch

Photos courtesy Br. Syedullah

Send address corrections to: Muslim Community Center 4380 N Elston Ave Chicago, IL 60641 Phone: (773) 725-9047 Fax: (773) 725-1616 Membership Questions Kahmed@mccchicago.org

Muslim Community Center 4380 N Elston Ave Chicago, IL 60641 www.mccchicago.org