وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُواْ شُهَدَاء عَلَى النَّاسِ

1. وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُواْ شُهَدَاء عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا Witnessing Unto Mankind2:143 And thus have We willed you to be a community of the middle way, so that [with your lives] you might bear witness to the truth before all mankind, and that the Apostle might bear witness to it before you.Being “witnesses over mankind” on the Day of Judgment imposes on us that me must first fulfill our duty to do da’wah on Earth. We should not let fear hold us back from using the mass media in the work of da’wah.

2. Fulfilling the Duty of Da’wah كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ • 3:110 YOU ARE indeed the best community that has ever been brought forth for [the good of] mankind: you enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and you believe in God. • The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) told us to convey what we have learned, even if it is only one ayah.

3. The Obligation of Da’wah • وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ • 3:104 and that there might grow out of you a community [of people] who invite unto all that is good, and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong: and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state! • قُلْ هَـذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَاْ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي وَسُبْحَانَ اللّهِ وَمَا أَنَاْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ • 12:108 Say [O Prophet]: "This is my way: Resting upon conscious insight accessible to reason, I am calling [you all] unto God- I and they who follow me." "Limitless is God in His glory; and I am not one of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him!"

4. The Attributes of a Preacher • Mindful and clear knowledge are two essential attributes of preachers. • The task of da’wah is the responsibility of individuals, man, woman, youth, and scholars. • They all are ordained to invite people to submit to the Oneness and Majesty of Allah, and to enjoin what is right and to forbid what is wrong. • They share the same mission although they will approach it with different levels of expertise, and with a diversity of sure knowledge, skills, concerns, scope, means, and talents.

5. Da’wah a Gift From Allah • وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ • 21:107 And [thus, O Prophet,] We have sent thee as [an evidence of Our] grace towards all the worlds. • The duty of Da’wah is not only an obligation but also a gift from Allah. • It is the opportunity to strive for Allah’s pleasure and to earn His reward. • It is a chance to work for both the worlds’ salvation and our own.

6. Tools of Da’wah Used by the Messenger (PBUH) • Used all the tools of individual and mass communication. • He met with individuals and with groups both of men and women, as well as entire tribes. • He made Da’wah in his home, in the masjid, while traveling, whenever and wherever possible. • Employed to others to spread the word of Allah (SWT) • Allowed poets to defend Islam in their poems. • Permitted immigration to safeguard Muslim life.

7. Our Shortcomings • The focus of our da'wah is for the most part shortsighted and internal, largely confined to those in our own culture, ethnic groups, social circles, campus, Masajids, zone of comfort, and conferences. • Our main da’wah concern seems to revolve around our own community. We are rarely eager to cross over to main-stream American society or even to our next door neighbors to tell them about the message of Allah. • Our interest in public affairs, social activism, as well as local politics seems unfocused and lacks from our community. • We seem unwilling to contribute time or money to participate in the political process at large.

8. Our Shortcomings Continued • We rarely write to encourage them to do what is right or to thank them when they have taken a fair stand on issues pertinent to our theology. • Our activities are largely ignored by the mass media and therefore unknown to the general public, do no serve to educate Americans about Islam. • We stand prisoners of our own self-erected ethnic and cultural walls, immersed in our self, barricaded within ourselves in our Islamic center. • وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن كَتَمَ شَهَادَةً عِندَهُ مِنَ اللّهِ وَمَا اللّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ • We have no influence on public opinion. Our voice is unheard and non-existent.

9. Our Shortcomings • We do very little in the public realm to change these misrepresentations or to educate the public about the truth of Islam. • We write to the prevailing media when we can. We meet, once in a while, with a few media executives. • We protest, we condemn, we denunciate, and we object to unfair treatment by the media. But this is as far as it goes. • We forbid our children to watch television or to go to the movies and yet we provide them with little or no alternatives. We publish Islamic books, a few newspapers, newsletters, and magazines, mostly for our own consumption. • When all is said and done we have not yet fulfilled Allah’s command to enjoin the right and forbid the wrong. • In short, we have not yet fulfilled our da’wah responsibility towards America.

10. Fulfilling our Da’wah Obligation • Practically speaking access to public attention and influence over public opinion is only possible for those who have a regular and persistent voice in the mass media. • Television, radio, and web casting

11. The Need For Our Own Media Outlets • As long as we are dependent upon newspapers, radio and television stations, movie studios and publishers who are not Muslim, our voices will be distorted. • To transform this long-standing ignorance, misunderstanding, and in come cases outright malice into goodwill, comprehension, and acceptance, we must have a loud and clear voice in the media proclaiming the truth.

12. Our Responsibilities As American Muslims • We, as American Muslims, in particular have been entrusted with a great responsibility in the area of Da’wah. • Nowhere else do we have a better opportunity to broadcast the message of Islam than here in America. Nowhere else can we own radio and TV stations and use the Internet freely for da’wah purposes.

13. Allah Will Make It Possible • We have the necessary talents and skills, and the human financial support to make it happen. • Allah will make it possible through the efforts and prayers of sincere Muslims who believe it is their duty to do da’wah through the broadcast media so we can reach as many people possible. • With the help of Allah we will start a mass media project to serve the purpose of da’wah.

14. ICNA N. Atlantic Region PA, NJ, DE • Existing Units- North Jersey, Central Jersey - Family get-togethers, Quranic Studies, Lectures, and Hadith Discussion • Existing Neighbor nets- Philadelphia, Collegeville, Allentown - weekly family Halaqas, Separate YM and Sister Program • Potential Neighbor nets- Harrisburg, Lancaster, Doylestown, Lansdale, Wilmington Delaware • Why Islam- Da’wah Booth, Training Workshops, Bill Board, Literature distribution in Hospitals and Prisons • Co-ordination with local organizations Majlis-e-Alshura, MSA, YM

15. Future Projects • Mass Media Project • Full time Islamic/Hifz school in Harrisburg, PA. • ICNA Relief • Interfaith dialogue • Da’wah work in hospital and prisons