İDSB ICNA

IDSB-UNIW was in the USA and Canada between 30 March – 5 April to participate in a congress to be held in the USA and to conduct a series of visits and meetings.

The ICNA-MAS Congress, attended by NGO representatives and stakeholders from many countries of the world, was held in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, between 30 March – 1 April 2018.

At the congress, our general coordinator made a presentation about UNIW and its activities. He held one-on-one meetings with state representatives of ICNA (Islamic Council of North America) and representatives of NGOs they collaborate with in other countries. ICNA USA president Javeed Siddiqi, ICNA Canada president Tahir Alvi, MAS (Muslim American Society) General Manager Mazen Mokhtar and MUNA (Muslim Ummah North America) president Assoc. He met with Mohammad Nakbur Rahman.

IDSB-UNIW council member Dr. Gulam Nabi Fai and Muhammad Abdus Shakoor consulted about the projects on the agenda of UNIW in a private meeting.

After the congress, our general coordinator left Baltimore. He visited the Diyanet Center, built by Turkey on a 60-decare land in Washington DC. There are mosques, Turkish baths, cultural centers, conference halls, cafeterias, bookstores, shops and guesthouses in the complex, meeting the needs of Muslims in the surrounding provinces such as Friday prayers, funerals, Eid prayers and hosting many events.

Following the visit, our general coordinator also visited the Dar aal-Hijrah Islamic Center, built on a 25-decare land in Washington DC, and met with its General Manager, Naeem M. Baig. This complex focuses entirely on Islamic teaching and at the same time meets the religious needs of Muslims living in the region.

On the 5th day of the visit, our general coordinator, one of the representatives of The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) in Washington DC, Prof. Iqbal Unus and Prof. Hisham Al-Talib met with the gentlemen and had a productive meeting.

He then met with Nihad Awad, the General Manager of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which was established to carry out advocacy and public relations activities for the image and rights of Islam and Muslims, and has 35 offices in many states across the country.

On the 6th day of the visit, our general coordinator left Washington DC and went to New York and met with the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the UN. During the meeting, the process of obtaining ECOSOC status was evaluated, consultations were held on how the system works and what kind of support the diplomats here can provide.

Then he visited ICNA's headquarters in New York and learned about its activities.

After the visit, our general coordinator left the USA and went to Canada. He met with Shoukat Hussain, the general manager of ICNA Relief Canada, in Toronto, Canada. Emphasizing the importance of the existence of a structure like UNIW as they can deliver aid to Muslims with other members under the umbrella of a union, Hussain pointed out that joint work should continue under the umbrella of the union and thanked UNIW for taking the lead in this direction.

The 7-day visit to America ended with the ICNA Relief meeting.