Episode III: “Moderation”
We know you’ve been waiting a long time, but it’s finally here! The MAS Tarbiya Lighthouse Project is excited to bring you its third episode on the challenging topic of Moderation in Islam.
This episode will inspire in-depth discussions and challenge you by exploring the issue of moderation and how we in MAS approach this key theme of Islam. Many questions will be raised, some will be answered, but more importantly, MAS members all over the country are invited to answer many of the crucial questions asked in this episode.
MAS members are encouraged to share this episode in all of their circles and throughout their communities. There are in-depth articles and reading lists, exciting case studies as well a chance to design your own, and two interactive webinars that you do not want to miss!
Check out the introduction for an overview of the episode and a suggested timeline on how to use the material.
The first beam “Moderation Unleashed” approaches moderation from a theoretical and scholarly perspective, also underlining some of the popular misinterpretations of moderation. “Moderation Applied” explores the theme in the daily lives of MAS members, taking a very practical, day-to-day approach. And finally, “Moderation in Society” raises questions about how we can create a message of moderation to be advocated by the greater society.
Click here to access the episode pdf! We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. A special thanks to the LHP team and all of the contributors to this episode.
MAS Tarbiya 2010 National Objectives – OBJECTIVE 1: C over C
Objective 1: To increase the contribution of MAS members to the tarbiya effort and resources – Contribute over Consume – C over C
What is this objective about?
This objective seeks to encourage MAS members to become contributors to tarbiya resources and programs rather than mere consumers of them. The national team has decided to leverage the power of the MAS membership and its experience to build a strong and relevant tarbiya offering on the local and national levels. This signifies a shift from programs and resources prepared by a central team to programs and resources prepared by a larger proportion of MAS’s membership. The shift aims at utilizing the power and talent of the membership to create, share, transcribe, translate, edit, publish, and filter tarbiya material. This effort utilizes the tremendous experience MAS members are gaining on a daily basis and makes it part of what MAS can offer to its members and community at large.
Why this objective?
- Leveraging the experience of MAS members. Tarbiya is mainly about sharing experience. People develop by interacting with others and learning about their experiences. MAS members, on the ground and active in many areas of Islamic work, are constantly exposed to opportunities for learning and development. They interact with great mentors, listen to lectures, engage in discussions, work in committees, and go through exciting life experiences within and outside MAS. This experience SHOULD NOT be kept to themselves. It must be shared. This model will make MAS members aware of the importance of sharing and contributing what they have gained to the tarbiya of others, both locally and nationally. (more…)
Introducing the MAS Tarbiya Mini Guides
In their quarterly meeting on April 1st, 2010, the local tarbiya directors requested that we share some of the projects we have help in accomplishing them. Our national team will start sharing some of the projects in the make and demand input and help on them isa. Let this email and post serve as the first. One of these projects is creating a set of practical guides to help all of us in our tarbiya work. Please read this long introduction below. We request you do the following.
- Read carefully and critically
- Think of any general feedback you would like to give our team
- Think of specific input you would like to see in EACH of these guides
- Share this post with your local team or anyone who can contribute to this project and encourage them to contribute
- Contact us to be part of the mt-guides team and we will use your help
As you will see below, the guides will serve all of us from individuals to the local and national leadership. We are sending this email to the tarbiya coordinators, chapter presidents, and my-directors to solicit input and recruit the team who will own this project with us isa.
Please sent an email to mt-guides@googlegr..com if you want to be part of this team, general feedback, or give specific input on what exactly you want to see on these guides
For those who will be part of the team we will send them more information on how to view the tarbiya guides wiki and we will get them in ISA
MAS National Tarbiya Team
Coming up next, MAS Tarbiya Standards Map (TSM) …Why this guide?
Tarbiya is an essential concept and a very important core value in the Muslim American Society, MAS. MAS believes that its success and the success of American Muslims rely on how effective we are in applying this concept in our lives. Developing ourselves in all aspects and enriching our skills and talents are key to our success. We also hold similar responsibility towards people around us and the society at large. Tarbiya can be viewed as the art of dealing with people and helping them to get better and closer to their creator, and to equip them with the needed physical, spiritual, and intellectual requirements to attain success in this life and the life after. “To move people to strive for God-consciousness, liberty and justice, and to convey Islam with utmost clarity,” is a mission that can only be held by people who are in a constant development effort and with an ability to change people around them.However, the concept of tarbiya is quite general and often misunderstood or partially understood to say the least. In addition to that, most of what is written about tarbiya addresses it from an intellectual/theoretical point of view and lacks the practical and the implementation aspect. MAS national tarbiya team believes there is a dire need for a practical guide that helps individuals and teams to incorporate tarbiya in their respective work and make the tarbiya effort more organized and effective. These simple guides are a living document that aims at incorporating people’s experience along time. It is by design that these guides change and grow based on the experience added to them by those who are involved with the tarbiya effort on the ground. As its initial version may be incomplete and lacks a lot of crucial components, it will grow into a very practical and very comprehensive set of guides in a relatively short period of time insha’Allah.
Who should read this guide?
Everyone should read this guide. This guide has tips and suggestions for all. It will guide you through your endeavor of developing your own self. It will also help you while developing a small number of people around you such as your family, your halaqah, your MAS Usra, your MY Connect. It will help you become people’s oriented while dealing with your youth committee or with your chapter council, and even with your colleagues at work. The guide will also focus on helping people who are in charge of providing tarbiya programs to others such as the local tarbiya committee members, the local tarbiya directors, and chapter presidents. It will also help people who will join the national tarbiya team and sub teams. It can even go as far as helping the national leadership of MAS to effectively incorporate this concept in the national MAS strategies and operation.
Therefore, our target audience are: (more…)
A Peek into our First MTD Exec Team Meeting
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh!
Introduction
On the weekend of the MLK holiday, Jan 16-18, five MAS members converged in Totowa, NJ to lay out the foundation, planning, and execution for 2010 for the MAS Tarbiya Department (MTD). After a month of virtual planning and discussion, we left our families and homes to come together for the sole purpose of planning for 2010, in light of the 2008-2012 term strategies. The meeting was the first physical meeting of the term. This memo serves as a summary of the meeting and open communication of what took place.
MAS Tarbiya needs YOUR input
The MAS Tarbiya team will be meeting next week to evaluate the previous year and energize for an exciting term isa. Your input will help the tarbiya team better understand how to move forward.
All those ideas you have about MAS Tarbiya but don’t know who to tell? The projects or approaches you wish MAS Tarbiya would adopt? Please take five minutes to share your thoughts on the priorities, objectives, and specific projects for 2010. Click here to participate in the *quick* survey!
Your feedback is invaluable to MAS Tarbiya–don’t keep your ideas to yourself! Your help will allow us to better address the needs and dreams of MAS members. The survey will close on Thursday, Jan. 14 (less than a week).
May Allah reward you for your time and support.
TAM ’09 Wrap-up Package
We’ve developed for you a comprehensive package with presentations, surveys, and other useful materials from TAM 2009. Please take advantage of these materials to stimulate discussion in your usras, to refresh the ideas and concepts, to review a session you may have missed, and to spread the TAM’s benefit to members who could not attend.
TAM ’09 Package
General Materials
Presentations
Beyond TAM: A Letter to All MAS Members
TAM 2009 concluded this past weekend, with close to 700 MAS members attending the four TAMs in Washington DC, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Detroit. The goal of TAM was to create a mission-centered mindset in all MAS members, and many attendees emerged energized and excited about the work ahead. A comprehensive wrap-up package, including the full-length powerpoint presentations, results of surveys, and other TAM ’09 materials, will be available shortly. Meanwhile, we wanted to draw your attention to a special letter, “Beyond the TAM.” Please take the time to read it.
The letter is directed to all MAS members and leaders, whether they attended TAM or not. It serves to remind all of us of the high commitment needed to fulfill our mission and make sure, after our return from TAM, that we’ve already started on the road ahead. You can read the pdf version of the letter or scroll down for the complete text.
Beyond the TAM
A Letter to all MAS members and leaders
Dear members and leaders of the Muslim American Society,
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmtullah wa Barakatuh. I ask Allah that this message reaches you, your families, and your communities in the best of health and iman. Alhamdulillah, TAM has concluded, with close to 700 MAS members attending four regional meetings in Washington DC, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Detroit.
A Transforming Experience
As many of you expressed in your own words, TAM 2009 was a transforming experience. (more…)
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