Thursday, September 08, 2005

History of MYNA - Part 9 The 80s 1989

1988-89 - A separate 1988-1989 MYNA Annual Report is prepared, focusing primarily on 1989: “MYNA Representatives successfully organized summer recreation camps in three zones this year.” A summary of the programs follows. It explains that “MYNA conferences are scheduled to coincide with ISNA zonal conferences wherever possible. Programs are developed to share sessions on appropriate subjects, but to insure that topics of special concern to youth are included. This year MYNA held a conference of program in all five zones, and three at the national level.” Summaries follow in the document. Islamic Scouting is included as a separate section of the report (so it was probably treated as a program. It says there was an ISNA Scout Camp-ground.)

1989-1991, or -1994 - the MYNA “Connections” Central Zone single page-double sided newsletter is printed regularly informing on dozens of MYNA events and activities, which happen. Adnan Mir is the editor.

1989-90 (guess) - The MYNA structure of how to organize camps and conferences-with chairs and program chairs and etc-is set out in official documentation. This system of organizing conferences is present through 2003 (present) at the Annual Convention MYNA conference. There is also a letter explaining MYNA structure to be sent to people interested in MYNA without date, on MYNA letterhead (in the cabinet). Iqbal Unus resigns as General Secretary of ISNA and is replaced by Amer Haleem. ISNA wishes Unus well in their annual report. MYNA emphasizess development on the local level through youth groups and local units. A MYNA local unit is a youth group affiliated with MYNA, but working under the auspices of its own local community or school. It supports MYNA’s program on the local level through activities such as bake sales, fund-raisign dinners, and seminars. Parents of the youth and the community’s directorshp are essential elements in the local unit’s progress. The following is a list of communities with recently formed MYNA local groups. East Canada has groups in Windsor, London, Burlington, Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Mississauga, and Brampton. West Canada has units in Calgary, winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver. The Central Zone has units in Cincinnati, OH, Franklin, MI, Aqsa School, Chicago, Toledo, OH< Kansas City, MO, and Akron, OH. The West Zone has units in Los Angeles, CA, Phoenix, AZ, and Salt Lake City, UT. The East Zone has units in Westchester, NY, Orlando Florida, Buffalo, NY, Herndon VA, and Miami Fl. (and also maybe Miami, IL). The New Dawn is published once during this year due to a lack of capital. It has a circulation of over 1,000 in the U.S. and Canada. It publishes original work by youth, and addresses youth concerns. PAIX zonal newsletter was published three times during this year. It serves youth of East Canada, but extends its circulation across Canada into parts of the U.S. Central Expressions, zonal newsletter is published twice in the last year. It serves youth of the U.S. Central Zone. Pillar regional newsletter was published six times in the last year. It serves youth of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Connections zonal newsletter was published fifteen times in the last year. It is a MYNA News Bulletin that serves both youth and adults in the Central Zone. ISNA’s staff is growing in this period, with new departments springing up. It will all crash in 1990-1991.

1989 - (3) Mehmood Kazmi is president of MYNA There is a pamphlet on “organizing a fundraising dinner,” and dummy press releases and fliers provided to local members. MYNA has been a part of ISNA for 4 years.

March 1989 - The Next Generation Muslim Association (NGMA) exists and has a newsletter put out. It’s run solely by young Muslims, it says. Hussain Sattar is the president and Zubair Farooqui is the Vice President. It’s out of Morton Grove, Il. Their publications “Outreach” issue 1 is put out.

May 20-22, 1989 - East Canada Zonal Conference. 50 youth attended. “IN the Footsteps of the Prophet.” Brock University, St. Catherine’s, ON. Topics discussed include Afghanistan, war and peace, the Quran.

May 27, 1989 - West Canada. “Islam in Focus.” Held at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC. About 30 youth attended. “This was the first youth program for West Canada. It’s two sessions introduced MYNA to those youth attending and presented some interesting topics in a workshop format that encouraged critical thinking. Topics included Scientific facts in Quran,” “Problems of youth in western society” and moral values in Islam.”

May 25-27, 1989 - East Zone US Conference. “100 youth attended from as far away as Miami.” “The Poor education of Muslim Youth in the U.S.” theme. Took place at Smith E. Lothrop Environmental Education Center, Rockville, MD. “The conference sessions focused on the difficulties of surviving as a Muslim in the U.S. educational system. Discussion encouraged the sharing of youth experiences and older resource people interacted to add the Islamic perspective.

June 1989 - Tariq Hisham and Waheed Mustafa are the MYNA advisors for the upcoming Summer Conference at the convention. Jawaad Abdul Rahman is the conference chair. Uzma Unus is the chairperson of the program committee and can be reached at 317-839-UNUS. Hisham sends a letter in June 1989 telling the youth how the organizational process for the conference will be and that they have to report to him with bi-weekly reports throughout. In his letter Tariq Hisham says “Let’s make MYNA a coherent, efficient organization, not a collection of individualistic side-shows.” He says that at the end of the conference a report is to be given to Dawood Zwink. At this time, in 1989, there is a MYNA office in Plainfield. Ibrahim Abusharif, Amer Haleem, and Ahmad Zaki Hammad are in charge of ISNA at the time. Maryam El Said does the MYNA budget and lists expenses as $1,795.00.

June 30-July 2, 1989 - West Zone US Conference. “Islam, Humanity and the Future.” Hyatt Regency, Phoenix, AZ. 30-40 youth attended various sessions. “Joint sessions, workshops and lectures composed the program for west zone youth. Topics included youth leadership, characteristics of a Muslim, education and involvement in Islamic activities, and experience sharing. MYNA programs were introduced and active involvement solicited.

June 30-July 6, 1989 - West Canada Zonal recreational camp. Clear Lake at Riding Mountain, Manitoba. Theme: “Islamic Revival.” 80 youth attended. “The camp was billed as the ‘Ismail Faruqi Memorial Camp’. It focused on societal issues that Dr. Faruqi addressed. Discussed experience of colonization, the problems of adjustment in public schools and the struggle for Muslim identity were topics for workshops. Activities also included nature hikes and recreation.

July 7-9, 1989 - East Canada Summer Recreational Camp, Long Bay Camp, Ontario. About 70 youth attended. “The program was for the most part highly interactive and emphasized simulation exercises.” “Build Islamistan was an exercise with the difficulties in achieving practical peace with Islam as the foundation.” Life in a Shanty Town illlustrated competition for scarce resources and the consequences of interaction between first, second, and third world countries.

July 27-29, 1989 - IMA Convention. About 55 youth attend the first youth program to be MYNA sponsored during the IMA Annual Conference. Topics presented included “Careers for Muslim Youth”, “Experiences in schools: Adjustment and Identity”, “Psychoanalysis of Salman Rushdi”, “Finding a Spouse” and a Fiqh session.

July 28-Aug. 3, 1990 – The first ever MYNA Field Youth Training Program (FYLTP) takes place at ISNA Headquarters in Plainfield, IN. Themed “Identity and Responsibility of Muslim Youth.” The program was designed for active youth and youth leaders and focused on the skills needed for participating in the Islamic movement in the future. The program also offered lessons in hadith, Quran, and the biography of the Prophet, upon him be peace.

1989 - Summer 1989 issue of New Dawn published.

Aug. 6-10, 1990 – A MYNA Counselor Training Program takes place at ISNA Headquarters in Plainfield, IN. This program trained adult members of MYNA to act as counselors or advisors for future MYNA activities. This program consisted of issues of communication skills, group dynamics, facilitation skills, introduction to counseling, psycho-pedagogical profiles, leadership skill development, and camp or conference program planning and evaluation.

Aug. 6-12, 1989 – East Zone Camp at Camp Big Pocono, East Stroudsburg, PA. Themed “Lean On Me: Experiencing Brotherhood and Sisterhood in Islam.” The program of this camp was divided into two sections: Ideological and Social. The ideological section covered the areas of Tawhid (the Oneness of Allah), the prophethood, worship, and the Hereafter. The social section addressed both the ideal and practice of Islamic brotherhood and sisterhood.

Sept. 1-4, 1989 - Summer Continental Conference, Indianapolis Convention Center, IN. Themed “Islam: A Step in the Right Direction.” 150 youth attended. Sessions on “marriage Rules & Responsibilities”, “Making Islam an Effective Force for Change in North America”, “Careers & colleges”, “Conflicting Expectations”, “Global Muslim Concerns”, “Heaven and Hell and Things in Between”. There is also an Entertainment Session included. (Conflicting report: in pre-convention letters by Jawaad, it says the conference took place in Dayton Ohio and that the theme was “Islam: A Step in the Right Direction” and then changed to “Islam and the Future.” Elsewhere it says ““Islam it Works” is the theme.) Mehmood Kazmi and M. Altaf Kaiseruddin do a documentary presentation entitled “The Making of MYNA.” Participants’ info is kept on computer-printed sheets which also list such information as their “personal hobbies.” One of the attendees lists “computers and collecting baseball cards” as hobbies, another “making string bracelets,” another “talking on the phone and listening to the radio,” another “read, making friends.” Jawaad was 17 by now. Coinciding with ISNA’s Annual Convention, MYNA’s program was harmonious with the main convention theme, but adapted to the needs of young Muslims. Some of the sessions were Positive Contributions of Muslim Youth to Society, Muslims in Contemporary School Systems, Muslims Reaching Out to American Minorities, Creating the Model Muslim Family, and Muslims in Politics. There were also debates on issues from Islamic and non-Islamic view points. The topics for these debates were The Position of Women in Islam and Jihad in Contemporary Society.

Sept. 19, 1989 - the First MYNA Regional Seminar for Memphis Tennessee is held, organized by Asma Khandekar. It attracts youth from the Memphis-area, Time Bluff, and Little Rock, Arkansas.

Nov. 24-26, 1989 – The East Zone Conference takes place in Rockville, MD. The theme is “Unity Through Diversity.” This program focused on the development of the Muslim community in the United States, with a heavy emphasis on the basic fundamental teachings of Islam. The program was an experiment using a different approach, which relied heavily on debates, skits, short-talks, discussions, and workshops that proved to be very informative and exciting to the youth.

Dec. 24-31, 1989 – Continental Leadership Training Conference takes place at ISNA HQ in Plainfield, IN. Themed “Networking One: Making the Connection.” This program was based on a network to motivate youth to start a strong base from which they would build. The program included the production of The MYNA Connection, an eight-page newsletter, a video workshop, and simulation exercises.

1989 - MYNA Conference Connections 89 conference newsletter comes out.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home