Islamic Association of North America

A united and vibrant Muslim community that upholds the universal Islamic values of unity, collaboration and community service

Mission

To transform Islamic Association of North America into an effective grassroots organization that builds its capacity, enhance strong collaboration with key stakeholders, and better serve and represent Islam and its universal values through quality community services.

Strategic Goals

1. To develop and maintain advocacy platforms to advance the goals and agenda of IANA.

2. Developing next cadre of leaders with strong ethics, morals and citizenship

3. Helping bridge the understanding gap of Islam and Muslims within the society at large by presenting the true face of Islam

4. Strengthening the human and financial capacities of member organizations

5. Representing Muslim communities on national levels and speaking on behalf of member organizations on all matters concerning Muslims

Key services:

IANA’s key services include but not limited to the following:

 Provide faith-based, culturally and linguistically relevant social services

 Provide religious guidance to uplift the spiritual needs of people.

 Strengthen the cross learning and support among the member organizations

including expertise, resources and services to augment growth and long

lasting sustainability.

 Coordinating Da’wah activities on a larger scale

 Issue authentic and relevant Islamic fatwas on religious matters

IANA Major Da’wah Activities

 Works tirelessly in the advancement of Islamic Da’wah in the light of the

Qur’an and Sunnah

 IANA provides and facilitates professional development activities for Imams,

Organizational leaders, and Islamic Studies instructors

 Promotes the sustainability and the wellbeing of Muslim families by

providing counseling and conflict resolution services

 Facilitates national Islamic conference to revive the spirit of Islam in the

conscience of Muslims

 Organizes youth programs and activities to promote Islamic values,

leadership skills, and commitment to community service

Da’wah Guidelines

Assisting member centers with setting Da’wah goals and developing guidelines for activities that guide the Muslim community in the light of Qur’an and Sunnah is the foremost principal and the underlying goal of the council. Therefore, the council sets the general guidelines for the methods of effective Da’wah in North America.

Educational Curriculum

Our organization sets educational curriculum for Islamic Weekend Schools, provides general standards and benchmarks for these schools. The council also publishes unified curriculum for Qur’an memorization and Islamic studies. The education sub-committee of the council meets regularly and provides improvement measures for the existing curriculum.

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Family Counseling

IANA provides family counseling with extensive workshops and training for the center staff members to effectively serve the Muslim families when conflicts arise. This is an effort to reduce the recent trends of family problems stemming from changing roles and expectations of the two family members mainly spouses

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Arbitrations & Conflict Resolutions

Providing arbitration services and conflict resolutions for the Muslim Somali community in the United States. The Muslim families, businesses, and individual groups have access to trusted scholars with solid base of Islamic knowledge and thorough understanding of the community to resolve any conflicts and disagreements. The member centers have always sought the opinion of the council in difficult matters and at sometimes transferred the whole contentious issues altogether to the council

Health awarness

Provide information to the young adults and elders about various health risks, or focus on disease prevention. Prepare Health and wellness seminars / discussions – with guest speakers. Educate the people about alcohol and substance use, general health and well-being, healthy eating, physical activity, smoking, stress and mental health

General Fatwa Hotline

Setting up general fatwa hotline for general inquiries about all aspects of the Islamic religion especially with inquiries that require further research and deep understanding of the Islamic jurisprudence.

Establishing New Centers

Creating new Islamic centers and mosques where significant numbers of the Somali community resides. Although, it is over fifteen years since the first wave of the Somali community arrived the North American continent, yet there are regions in the United States where large numbers of the community reside without enough mosques/centers.

Representing Member Centers in the National Arena

Islamic Association of North America attends all national level meetings and conventions regarding the Muslim and Somali communities in America.

Islamic Holidays Announcements

Announcing general Islamic holidays such as Eid-ul-adha, Eid-ul-fitr and the sighting of the moon for both the beginning and the ending of the Holy month of Ramadan. All the member mosques or centers communicate with us for a unified timing of these Islamic holidays.

Islamic Conferences

Organize and execute annual Islamic conferences. The Muslim community in North America is in dire need for enlightenment and intellectual growth which contribute preserving its Islamic identity and heritage. In an effort to meet that need, IANA organizes annual Islamic Conferences that attract thousands of Muslims across the United States. These conferences function as the main get together of the Muslim and Somali Communities of North America. The most popular and highly attended conference is held in Minneapolis, Minnesota which attracts more than five thousand attendees per year.

Fundraising Activities

The organization arranges and assists with fundraising activities for the centers. Due to the late arrival of the Somali Muslim community to America, most of the communities have been in the early stage of establishing mosques, centers, facilitating and assisting with these fundraising activities is the main services provided by the IANA. Up to date, more than half of the current members of the council own the buildings they are housed in with combined assets of millions of dollars. Every year, IANA decides what mosques will be given the permission to hold fundraising throughout the member centers with prioritization based on need and urgency. The council also appoints professional and well respected fundraisers to assist with the fundraising activities from among the member Centers.