History of MYNA - Part 6 Structure Change

The Winter Conference Grows, but Loses its First Peg, MYNA Election/Term Structure Changes for the first time

Dec. 24-31,1986 – MYNA’S 2nd Annual National Winter Conference (or just “Second Annual Winter Conference,” or “MYNA winter Conference” as its called in the Jan./Feb. 87 issue), themed “MYNA: Choice of a New Generation,” takes place at ISNA Headquarters. Dawood Zwink is listed as the “Convenor.” It’s $35 per youth, and open to youth grades 7-12 or ages 12-18. 300 youth come to the conference as opposed to 78 at the Summer Conference before it. The conference also featured a Newsletter production workshop conducted by Amer Haleem for 65 of the participants.

-There is an election process, featuring nominations, screening, and voting, is overseen by an election committee headed by Eastern Zone Advisor Baha Ahmed as Election Coordinator. (2) Hasan AlTalib, 17, [son of Hisham AlTalib and brother of Omar AlTalib] is elected the MYNA president for 1987. Mukhlis Balbale, 15, [son or daughter of an MSA/ISNA leader named Balbale, have forgotten his first name] is chosen as Vice President. Hibba Abugedeiri, 17, is elected secretary [not know if she’s related to the other Abugedeiri’s, probably is]. And Maseer Bade, 16, [first MYNA President Sameer Bade’s brother] is treasurer. But the officers are elected for shorter terms than the usual Dec.-Dec. year, with the explanation that: “This year is an exception…officers will only serve a term of office from Jan. 1, 1987 - Aug. 31, 1987 as provided by the constitution [which constitution?]. From then on officers will serve a one-year term from Sept. 1-Aug. 31. Elections will be held during the MYNA national summer conference.” So, MYNA Elections now held at Summer Conference. The Advisory council is, meanwhile, said to be elected and voted in by the “Alumni Association” and there is a process of screening and secret ballot voting used for it. The Islamic Horizons’ Jan./Feb. 1987 article on the conference reads: “Some 300 Muslim boys and girls aged 12-18 from the United States and Canada attended the Second Muslim Youth of North America’s Second Annual Winter Conference, held at the Islamic Center of North America, Plainfield, Indiana./p/The entire conference was planned and organized by the MYNA members themselves and their co-ordinators, assisted by the adult liaisons from ISNA, MSA, and other organizations./p/the conference had a full day’s program running from fajr to well past ishaa, and included lectures, workshops, business meetings, prayer, and recreation./p/Reflecting MYNA’s commitment to Islam, a number of the programs had a strong Islamic content, from Islam as a definite choice for the Muslim youth, to the ‘political theory of Islam,’ and fiqh./p/The workshops dealt with useful topics such as producing a newsletter, planning for MYNA and forming local youth groups, the media as political tools, time management, public speaking, tajweed, and economic development./p/there were business sessions dealing with zonal problems, the election process, national committee, election of regional officers, and the executive council./p/the conference elected 17-year-old Hasan al-Talib as President for 1987. Quized by one of the electors during the introduction of candidates, about his knowledge of Islam in leading the organization, Br. Talib said he has studied Qur’an, fiqh, sunnah, and tajweed./p/When asked about MYNA’s future, Br. Talib said, “We have to get to the communities and spread the message of Islam.”/p/Others elected to the executive council are: Mukhlis Balbale, 15, Vice President: Hibba Abugedeiri, 17, Secretary; and Maseer Bade, 16, Treasurer./p/MYNA also organized fund raising sales of various items and an outing for the out of towners to a shopping mall in Indianapolis.” The April 1987 issue of Islamic Horizons also features a write-up on the conference by outgoing president Sameer Bade. “ ‘What a Conference!’/p/these three words best sum up the MYNA Second Annual National winter Conference. For the first time in the history of Muslims in North America has such a large youth conference been held. For seven days between Dec. 24-31, 1986, more than 300 Muslim youth from all over the United States and Canada came together to develop leadership and Islamic Daw’wah skills. They also Alhamdulillah, created and strengthened the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood amongst themselves./p/Gathering at the Islamic Center of North America in Plainfield, IN, the youth attended a conference whose theme was ‘MYNA: the Choice of a New Generation.’ After a brief multi-media introduction to MYNA and the conference rules, the youth were prepared to address the problems they faced in their communities at a zonal meeting. They were also briefed by their zonal representative about the activities of their zones. After an exciting recreation break which included football and basketball, the youth returned to a lecture on ‘the Political Theory of Islam.’/p/It was this lecture that provided the basis for a group project that was heavily emphasized in the program – ‘The Quest for Unity.’ Organized by Sr.s Hoda Badr and Uzma Unus, this simulation was designed to provide the youth with an opportunity to apply the knowledge and leadership skills that were gained in the workshops. Despite initial confusion due to the excitement generated by this activity, the final goal was reached. Disunited and warring Islamic nations, represented by the youth, cam together, compromised, developed and Islamic constitution, and gained unity. Hopefully, this experience will help the youth contribute more to the growth of MYNA./p/For the next four days, the youth attended two workshops of their choice. The most popular workshop, Newsletter (assisted by Suhaib al-Barzinji and Amer Haleem) was attended by so many enthusiastic youth that it could only offer one session a day. Workshops which developed vital leadership skills included Public Speaking (run by Br. Umar Hasan and myself) and Time Management. As with all workshops, the development of MYNA was also stressed in the Planning (run by Br. Baha Ahmed), Economic Development, and Local Chapter workshops. Islamic development was also emphasized by the Tajweed and Basic Islam workshops. Some youth were even introduced to ways to use the media as a positive political tool for Muslims. Those attending the workshops with a desire to accomplish something were the ones who benefited the most. Insha’Allah, with their new skills, the youth returned to their communities to establish or promote a local Muslim youth group in their community./p/Addressing the problems that Islam’s new generation faces was a major goal of the lectures. Such notable speakers as Brs. Mushaq Ali, Steve Johnson, Dawood Zwink, Abdulhamid Abu Sulayman, and Sr Ilham Altalib delivered thought provoking presentations which were followed by enthusiastic audience participation. ‘Is it Okay?’ was a panel discussion on the Islamic views concerning drug abuse. Another lecture focused on the Seerah and how, w as Muslim youth can benefit by following the example of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). A topic that is usually not discussed was also addressed—Shirk, the Michael Jackson Syndrome.” The major speaker here was Br. Da’ud Adib. The panel and the youth raised many interesting Islamic issues concerning the “hero-worship’ of rock and movie stars that many of their Muslim peers participate in./p/The Fiqh session was, as usual, a smashing success. The moderator was flooded with questions concerning prayer, fasting and marriage. Sheikh Omar Soubani, after delivering a short talk on each subject, answered the questions. Almost half of the audience insisted on staying past three end of that day’s program to continue listening. Sheikh Soubani was happy to oblige./p/It was a feeling of great satisfaction to see the active participation of youth in the election process. After a careful screening by the election committee, the candidates for the positions of president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary, were questioned by the youth on their experience, knowledge, and other issues. When it was completed, the youth voted for the new officers of MYNA. During the zonal meetings, the following day, the remaining zonal and regional representatives were elected into office./p/Although strict discipline and an atmosphere of seriousness was maintained during the conference, the youth were allowed to enjoy themselves. In addition to the recreation breaks, the youth had the unforgettable opportunity of seeing ‘Late Night with Umar Hasan’—an Islamic alternative to American comedy. [This is the second, and it unfortunately appears, last, appearance of the Late Night with Umar Hasan. It was first done—probably with different material—at the 1986 Summer Conference]. Several rounds of Allah-u-Akbar were shouted by joyous youth who watched a mock debate between a Christian evangelist and Ahmed Deedat (Br Steve Johnson and Br Ismail Abdul Raheem). Other highlights of the program included watching a video tape of the actual debate./p/Shaykh Ahmad Zaki presented a summary and slide show on Muslim history./p/the accommodations, though far from a ‘Five-Star’ rating, were the best that could be offered. There were some problems, but we tried our best to deal with them. Some did get sick, but they were nursed back to health by Dr. Ilham Altalib. Sometimes, the steak was tough or the toast was burned, but overall, it was delicious! These were common complaints about the Conference, but there were many more things to be thankful for./p/As participants, we should each thank Allah (SWT) for giving us the opportunity to even have a Conference. We should be thankful to ISNA for allowing us to use their facilities at no charge [Implies that MYNA and ISNA are separate orgs]. We should be thankful to our parents for sending us. We should be thankful for having the opportunity to meet so many fellow Muslim youth at one time. Insha’allah, each of us will express his or her thanks by putting more work back into MYNA so that other youth can also benefit.”

Late 1986 - MYNA Pittsburgh Chapter (MPC) has 15 active members by this time, a liaison with the local masjid, and two volunteers from the masjid acting as coordinators for the MPC. They have an elected President, Hossam El-Sai, 521 Scott Lane, Venetia, PA 15367. Phone: (412) 941-19068. VP, Secretary, Treasurer, PR Coordinator and a MYNA representative appointed by the committee. Their activities include Islamic studies, attending lectures, watching videos, and two hour meetings every Sunday. They have trips to a local amusement park and occasional sports for the brothers and raise funds through donations, bake sales, Islamic item auctions and balloon sales at the annual Eid picnic. They opened an interest free bank account at a local bank, acquired a tax ID number, wrote up, and passed and made resolutions and amendments to a 12 page constitution made up entirely by the youth.

People to talk to: Sameer Bade, Dawood Zwink, Hasan AlTalib, Mukhlis Balbale, Baha Ahmed, Maseer Bade.