MSA West

Speakers: Yassir Fazaga & Yasmin Mogahed

Throughout history, every culture and society has crafted their ideals for manhood and womanhood. The 14th century sociologist, Ibn Khaldun, noted that the common denominator of all cultures is that they usually take their rich and powerful as their archetypes for manhood and womanhood. For us living in a pluralistic society these "powerful" are overwhelmingly defined by pop-culture, the music industry, the sports industry etc and this reality coupled with the deterioration of ethics and morals poses an immense problem. A cursory look back into what the role of men or women in America entailed 100 years ago compared to what it entails today will exhibit a stark contrast. As a result, when a society is wavering and/or degrading in its conceptualization of manhood and womanhood, many injustices and breaches occur in normal social conduct, mannerisms, and relationships-- inevitably leading to a dysfunctional society. Reassuringly there is a solution. This session will discuss manhood and womanhood from the Islamic narrative.

Speakers: Nouman Ali Khan & Amir Abdel Malik

The national perception of Muslim-Americans is seemingly unfavorable. Our broader American context is imbued with issues such as: liberal ethics, moral relativity, abandonment of virtuous principles, hypersexualization and pervasive promiscuity. Moreover, terms such as: Traditionalists, Shariah, the Prophet, Mosques, the Quran, etc are substantially mischaracterized. This perhaps is an embellishment and simply fomented by fringe, agenda-driven media outlets or can be due to a relatively inaudible Muslim population. All of this is occurring while the material world is becoming more accessible thus subliminally cutting off everyone's dependency on Allah (swt). This perilous context demands that we tenaciously attach ourselves to Allah, reinstate our Islamic purpose, and take control of the language of this national and transcending discourse.

Speakers: Shaykh Junaid Kharsany & Imam Mustafa Umar

Despite the early Muslims' dismal social and political circumstances, the years preceding the hijrah were characterized by intense spiritual cultivation. The Makkan period was a critical step in the development of the early Muslim population, and enabled them to be effective agents of positive change in their community. In fact, this trend recurs across the span of Islamic history. This session will discuss spirituality and how to connect and remain connected to Allah (swt), while highlighting examples of Muslim historical figures whose enduring legacies were derived from the spiritual dimension.

Speakers: Imam Zaid Shakir & Imam Siraj Wahhaj

Sometimes bland and general criticisms of the Muslim ummah (global community) can be unproductive so to counter this and inculcate more efficiency, it may help to contract the frames of analyses and engage in introspection of our local community and -even deeper- our hearts. The benefit and harm that resonates within our communities certainly stem from the pure and/or blemished states of our hearts therefore identifying and curing the inner states of our hearts is at the essence of global prosperity. Our local communities have very diverse sensitivities and sometimes when issues within the communities are not addressed it leads to very harmful repercussions especially when hearts harbor hatred, spite, and self-centricism. Moreover, issues such as: sexism, racism, and ideological fragmentation are quite undermined to the detriment of our communities. When we look at the first Muslim community, we see that they had differences of opinion and that sadly escalated to levels of combat; however, they never hated each other. This session will take the early generation of Muslims as an exam

Speakers: Imam Mustafa Umar & Ali Ataie

The Arabic word for 'youth', shabaab, comes from an origin meaning 'a wild flame'. That meaning communicates much about the nature of the youth. Perhaps the most influential constituents in any society are the youth. Indeed it was the youth who responded to the call of the Prophet (s) and aided him throughout the Prophetic mission. The power of this influence has not been restricted to people of faith. The pop-culture trends and behavior of the mainstream youth in America has a vastly pervasive effect on the youth and cultures of the rest of the world. This reality coupled with the fact that we are at the peak of our physical capabilities and have resources at our disposal demands immediate scrutiny and response. We must learn how to reconcile our Muslim-American identities, explore the histories of other minority groups, and elevate our principles above the current convoluted atmosphere. Our generation's role necessitates bridging the gap with the wider American society and fully integrating our communities - distinguishing between integration and assimilation.

Speakers: Imam Siraj Wahhaj & Amir Abdel Malik

Some scholars say that if the Prophet (s) didn't demonstrate any miracles, simply the impact that he had in transforming the Sahaba would suffice as evidence of his prophethood. This is amazing. This is our legacy-- to leave an immense impact. When the Prophet (s) passed away, the entire community was in a state of shambles. He (s) was that much of a daily impact on the community that they almost could no longer function or even walk because of his absence. If we die, will anyone notice? Will people's lives be affected? How can we claim to follow the Prophet (s) and not embody this legacy of his?

Speaker: Amir Abdel Malik

The Muslim activism spectrum has 'lethargy' on one end and 'burnout' on the other end. Oftentimes, we find ourselves polarized toward one of these two problems. On the one end, those dealing with depression, anxiety, paranoia, fear, helplessness etc find themselves suffering from lethargy when it comes to activism. On the other end, those who completely hit the wall at some point of their activism find themselves with no ability to manage their time (personal, spiritual, family etc). This workshop will -insha'Allah- work toward combating those problems and equipping the attendees with tools to rectify those problems individually and with their communities insha'Allah

Speaker: Taher Herzallah

The last academic year was a milestone year in the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction) movement. Berkeley was able to pass a divestment bill 16-4 in their student senate but it was vetoed by the President a few days later. UCSD drafted and proposed a divestment bill in a very tense meeting which ended unfortunately. Although divestment was not achieved completely last year, the momentum that those bills produced was tremendous. Also, an initiative to divest two major CA pension funds has started and has set the standard for many other states across the country. This is the year to augment that momentum and learn from their strengths and weaknesses in order to be even more effective insha' Allah.

Speaker: Maryam Amir-Ebrahimi

Have unrealized dreams? Want to study overseas? Want to get that perfect job or get into your first choice school? Want to get hitched to that one special person or make your parents finally understand you? Have you felt frustrated at the lack of success you feel you've achieved? Are you making du`a, but somehow feeling it's not being answered? Come check out some phenomenal tips on making your du`a cutting edge bi'ithnillah and with Allah's Will, making your dreams into realities.

Speaker: Ali Ataie

The first and last description that's given in the Quran about the people of Al-Firdaws (highest station of paradise) is their relationship with their salah (prayer). Sometimes salah becomes purely mechanical and a cardiovascular workout. Salah reinforces one's heart, mind, and body. Allah has given us the gift of communicating with Him every single day, five times a day, for a profound spiritual enrichment. Worshiping Him strengthens our ability to fight off the emptiness many feel in this worldly life. The aim of this workshop is to imbue the audience with utter love and reverence of the salah.

Speakers: Reem Salahi & Ahilan ArulanRaRantham

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Muslim communities in the United States have become the most recent victims of xenophobia and the newest communities of suspicion. For the past decade, the government has treated Muslims as suspects. The FBI has disproportionately and discriminatorily targeted Muslims for voluntary interviews and secretly surveillanced Muslims in their houses of worship. The Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have profiled against Muslim travelers. And the Treasury Department has shut down Muslim charities. This discriminatory treatment has now trickled down into the private sector. Employment discrimination against Muslims is at an all-time high as are incidents of hate crimes. In these difficult times, it is important to know your legal rights as students and as Muslim youth. In this workshop, ACLU of Southern California's Director of Immigrants' Rights and National Security Ahilan Arulanantham and civil rights attorney Reem Salahi will go over your rights from the school ground to the airport. Join us for this interactive and informative workshop!

Speaker: Omar Hamoui

IIn our current economic context, creativity and business skills are absolutely essential toward prosperity. During our college years, we may come across inspiring and visionary ideas however implementing them may seem abstract and unattainable. As an undergraduate at UCLA, Omar Hamoui found himself to have an aptitude for technology and business ventures. His career after the undergraduate years was devoted toward developing his business idea. Through the help of Allah (swt) and diligent and persistent commitment toward progress, Omar's company developed and became a leading contender with the business elites-- culminating into a $750 Million buyout by Google. In this workshop Omar will share his experiences in the business world and will give advice for those who are interested in starting their own venture. Come to this workshop and learn about applying your ideas one step at a time and upholding key principles such as ambition, persistence, efficiency, networking etc

Speaker: Yasmin Mogahed

The Prophet (s) said: "If Allah wills good for someone, He subjects them to hardship." How could that be? How can hardship ever be good for us? What is the purpose of trials and why does Allah promise that we will face trials and tribulation? In what way does hardship purify and develop us? When is tribulation a punishment? When is it a blessing?

Speaker: Zahra Billoo

The internet is the new arena for the battle of hearts and minds. The internet has democratized the media in that some articles get more viewers than prominent media broadcasts and publications. Wikipedia, Huffington Post, personal blogs, etc are all immensely powerful tools to influence public thought. This workshop will provide insights and essential guidelines for taking advantage of this profoundly influential tool and establishing proficient foundations for the Muslim community to take control of this pervasive discourse.