#nycmuslims

[kha-tees]

Just sold another "Eid Mubarak" signed limited Print.G-d is good, especially on this holiday lol . Go to www.kha-tees.com if you want to aquire very unique Islamic inspired artwork by yours truly.We still got some left. . . #eidmubarak #nyeid #khatees #nycmuslims #muslim #blackmuslim #themuslimmale #eidoutfits2020 #eidpopup #eidday #dopeart #muslim #khatees #nycartist #nycdesigner #ArtGallery (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAlRLd-jRxU/?igshid=el2jl5j4pflg

[kha-tees]

1st look at the black "Afro-Naut" Dad hats being sold only at the " EID PARTY/POP UP SHOP " on Sunday June 17th 2018 from 3pm to 10pm. At the @thevchouse on waterbury st. In the republic of Brooklyn. Kha-Tees will have a small collection of merch and art pieces at the event, come thru and socialize, mingle and pick up some goodies from all the vendors. #blackouteid #khatees #popupshop #nycmuslims #bilalianmuslims #bilalian #artist #art #ArtGallery #dopeart #muslimcrearives #muslimartists

[punkandpiousmuslimah-blog]

NYC MUSLIM LIFE

When I first returned to NYC as a Muslim, it was like travelling in murky water. I was trying to find some community where I belonged, yet there was so many of them! Each had their own quirks, their own members, their own cliques, and ups and downs. One of the greatest things about living in NYC as a Muslim is that you are never bored--every week there's a plethora of events at Masjids featuring with scholars all over the world. There's always organizations to get involved in, with at least 4 huge MSAs that outreach to community members as well. Here's a list of some of the organizations and Camii's that I've personally interacted with and tend to have "young professional" members.

M.E.C.C.A Center

This is the third semester I've taken classes at this center and I absolutely adore the people and the environment. It's located in a building right in Times Square. The building sponsors interfaith dialogue, so even though the center is only 3 rooms on the 4th floor, the entire building is beaming with praise of God. Every month they have a sister's circle with a theme. In the past it's been on hijab, purification, fitness--all kinds of subjects pertinent to our society and daily lives. As for the classes, they change every semester. My absolute favorite are with Hafidz Abdel-Rahman al-Khattab and are Hadith classes. The center was specifically founded for converts by converts but not everyone who attends is a convert. Brothers and sisters are on separate sides of the room, representing every country and every walk of life you can imagine. 

ICNYU

This is the Islamic Community of NYU, located in Washington Square. I was hesitant to join this community initially because I have no affiliation with NYU, but there's tons of community members who go because they like the environment and don't have a university affiliation. Most of the members are younger-ish. Every Friday they have a Khutbah and every week during the school year they have lots of activities. Their org, mashAllah is HUGE, featuring everything from fitness clubs to professional to women-only groups. I am a member of ICP, Islamic Community Professionals that meet once a month to discuss building your spirituality in the work place. I am also a member of their women's group that meets once a month to discuss different subjects. For some reason ICNYU's website never works properly for me, so the best way to be aware of events is to get on their weekly mailing list--it's worth it. 

MAS YOUTH CENTER

I just recently became involved with the MAS Youth Center in Brooklyn. SubhanAllah they do a lot of late night Friday events that are geared particularly towards late teens and early 20s. Every week they seem to have events. In the past they had a halal prom (whaa?!! so cool!) as well as camping trips. In addition, they sponsor events and classes geared specifically for 3-14 year olds, which is pretty awesome. How many Muslim organizations do you know that are SOLELY dedicated to youth? In addition, they are very much involved in the local community. Next month the organization they umbrella under (MAS, Muslim American Society) will be holding a "Take Back our Streets" Initiative to target Hookah bars in the Brooklyn area that sell drugs to teens (9 community members were killed in drug overdoses in the last few months). These are the kinds of orgs you want to be involved in, those most passionate about the area they live and their community members. 

YUSRA DAWAH and COMING OF FAITH 

These two organizations are dedicated towards building empowerment in Muslim American Women's lives. Both are relatively newish. YUSRA focuses on dawah workshops for females. What the board noticed is that Muslimahs didn't feel welcomed to give Dawah with orgs run by males. Instead of being put on the back burner, they are taking the initiative to create their own space to bring other women to Islam. The entire month of Ramadan this year they plan on giving dawah EVERY DAY! How awesome is that! Yusra also has an empowerment lecture series going on this summer for sisters only that specifically caters to topics we care about: fitness and health, civic engagement, deconstructing identity, navigating non-profits, and much more. I'll be holding a writing workshop iA and will provide details later.

Coming of Faith is not NYC specific but it's an org dedicated to compiling real and raw coming of age and faith stories by Muslim women in college and young professionals. inshAllah there will be a few workshops coming up, but in the meantime there are Summer internships available. 

The Lighthouse Initative

I've met members of this org and they seem fantastic. This was founded by a group of converts who felt ostracized by members of other orgs and that the lecture approach to learning was too didactic. If you've ever seen the movie UnMosqued, some of their members are featured in there. They have Quran classes every Sunday and monthly events in Long Island. Unfortunately since it is in Long Island and their events are usually at night, I've never been able to go due to a 2 hour commute each way :( InshAllah I plan to try this summer as it seems like a really awesome community.  

MSAS

Here's a list of "most" active MSAs (aka those who utilize social media like a beast so I see advertisements for their events 20x). Again, they are open to the wider community and you don't have to be a student at the university to participate. I've not attended a lot of these organizations' events simply because they are usually during the day or too far for me to travel to. Best way is to join their email list or to add them on facebook to keep in the loop on events.

John Jay MSA 

City Tech MSA 

NYU-POLY MSA

So there you have it! If you are in the NYC area, you have no excuse NOT to reach out to other Muslims. Go get busy!

Next time, inshAllah, I will post recommendations for those who don't live in NYC and specifically for those who don't have easy access to in person communities or feel ostracized. With the help of technology, there's many different ways to be apart of an Ummah and iA I hope to show you how to expand your knowledge for the sake of the most magnificent, Allah.