Ramadan Mubarak - Thebcma · Ceremony. We wish all the graduates the best of luck as they continue...
Transcript of Ramadan Mubarak - Thebcma · Ceremony. We wish all the graduates the best of luck as they continue...
June 2016 The BC Muslim Association | Serving for 50 years |www.thebcma.com 1
Contents
Foreword ..................................................1
Ramadan Mubarak ...................................1
Student Awards at Masjid ArRahmah .......2
Maghrib Times ..........................................2
Halal Certification .....................................2
BCMA FoodBank .......................................3
Looking Back in History .............................3
Profiles ......................................................3
Open House in Richmond .........................4
Burnaby School .........................................4
Food Drive for the BCMA Food Bank ........4
Pancake Breakfast and Staff Appreciation 4
Grade 7 Graduation Potluck .....................5
Grade 7 Graduation Ceremony .................5
Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony ........5
Awards Assembly ......................................6
Surrey Muslim School June Parent
Advisory Council (PAC) Fundraiser ...........6
Surrey Muslim School Sports Day .............7
Surrey Muslim School Kindergarten and
Grade 7 Graduation Ceremonies ..............7
Surrey Muslim School Annual Awards
Assembly ..................................................8
Community Appeal ...................................8
Foreword
The BC Muslim Association has
great pleasure in presenting its
newsletter, The BCMA Gazette to
keep its members properly
informed on current matters.
Efforts have been made to keep
this medium simple so most of our
membership can understand and
appreciate it. All of our divisions
and fiduciaries are requested to
contribute towards this
publication by emailing their
materials to
Members wishing to receive an
electronic copy of this newsletter
please go to our website and
provide your info
http://www.thebcma.com/Email/
Newsletter.html.
Ramadan Mubarak
Assalamu Alaykum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh brothers, sisters,
and elders On behalf of the Executive Council, Executive Board and various divisions of the BC Muslim Association, I extend to you and to your families warm greetings of Ramadan Kareem. I hope and pray that you and your families will make the
best of this sacred month with Taraweeh prayers, fasting, compassion for the hungry and less fortunate and increased devotion. This Ramadan brings hot and long days but I am sure we will find courage and strength to fulfill our religious obligations. Alhamdulillah, we are blessed to have another opportunity to benefit from the month of Ramadan. This is an opportunity to strengthen our Emaan and willpower to fulfill the mission that Allah has charged the believers with- the task of conveying His message and establishing His deen. This requires total submission and complete obedience. Fasting enables us to rise above all needs of our body and willingly endure the pressures only to please Allah SWT. Our path in this world is a thorny one with hardships, temptations and all types of enjoyment calling us to change our course and abandon the message. But as true believers and Allah’s vicegerent we ought to stay focused on our spiritual journey and be successful in upholding the principles of Islam and spread the
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message of Islam, which is belief in and worship of only one God without partners-- the principle of Tawheed (Divine Unity). Ramadan helps us inculcate fear of Allah swt in our hearts and change our lives significantly so that it is in conformity with the divine injunctions. Ramadan is the time to dig deep into our hearts and reflect if the heart, mind and soul are in the right places. Are we doing the right things? Are we doing what Allah expects from us; are we sincere in our intentions and deeds and are we living Islam in our daily lives? Truthfulness combined with sincere effort will make this journey in Ramadan rewarding and go long way in making us a better believer and a better Muslim. I pray that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala to bring us together as a community; as the Ummah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). May He make our intentions and actions sincere for the sake of our deen. May He help us leave any differences, egos, pride and arrogance, if any, aside for the sake of the Ummah and empower us to focus our energy into
meaningful things so that Islam can flourish. Ameen! May Allah swt bless you, your families and the loved ones during this blessed month. May He accept all our prayers, good deeds, forgive our shortcomings and embrace us with open arms. Ameen! Daud Ismail, President
Student Awards at
Masjid ArRahmah On June 2, madrasah students of
Masjidur Rahmah were hand to
receive their annual awards. There
are about 140 students who
receive valuable education at this
center in Surrey.
Maghrib Times Many of you will notice that the Maghrib times on the BCMA Ramadan Timetable are different from those on the published twelve month timetable.
Maghrib time begins with the setting of the sun. However, Maghrib should be delayed a few minutes from the time of sunset as a precaution. Currently the BCMA twelve month timetable delays the time for Maghrib by seven minutes from the time of sunset. The Imams of the BCMA felt that seven minutes was a considerable delay and therefore voted in favour of decreasing the time between sunset and Maghrib to three minutes. We feel this is more aligned with the prophetic injunction to hasten in the breaking of the fast. And Allah knows best.
Halal Certification Notice to all purveyors: Please be advised that effectively April 4, 2016, it is a requirement by the Government of Canada and Canadian Food Inspection Agency that all Halal Food must be approved by a certified body to label and sell the products as Halal. The Halal Inspection Certification Committee of the BC Muslim Association (HICC) comprises of representatives from some major Islamic organizations of British Columbia. The committee obtains its guidance from the Board of
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Religious Services. HICC is also affiliated with Halal Monitoring Authority of Ontario In order to help you carry on the Halal business, please call us and we will guide and assist you to follow the criteria set by HICC, actions required by the vendors and how to obtain approval to use Halal sign on your product. For a nominal fee, you will be allowed to display HICC logo to identify your Halal product. Since we have a limited staff to visit Halal establishment on short notices, please call and book for an inspection time. We will try our best to help you out. We are hoping to be of service to
your establishment.
BCMA FoodBank
Please deliver non-perishable food
items into the bins provided at
various BCMA centers. Cash
donations are also accepted on
site or through PayPal on our
website.
Looking Back in History 1972 – First salat time-table in BC
was printed.
Profiles Last month it was Mohammed Janief’s idea of starting and help fund an annual inter-Islamic schools sports tournament. This event turned out to be huge success. Br. Janief is not a stranger in our community and he also serves as a BC licensed soccer referee. These are his comments with regards to sports:”I always wanted to be involved in the Olympics and running with the 2010 Olympic Torch was being the closest. This was once in a life time
opportunity and an amazing experience for me. I always admired the boxing champion Muhammad Ali and he was my sports hero. On, Jan 31, 2010 at Dawson Creek, BC at about 10.53 am, it was by the grace of Allah that I was the first Muslim Torch Bearer, I did not know until the morning of the event. The funny part is I come from Fiji which is a hot tropical island and I ran with the Torch in Dawson Creek which is in the interior and extremely cold. The temperature that day was minus 15 !” Br. Janief also contributed to the BC Muslim School as the Treasurer and a member (Secretary/Treasurer) of the Construction Committee for the BC Muslim Secondary School construction and a served towards the Burnaby Al Salam Masjid.
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Open House in
Richmond The City of Richmond once again
organized an open house for two
days on the weekend of Jun 4-5.
The Richmond masjid always
participated in this informational
event and this year was no
exception.
Burnaby School There was another successful year
at Masjid al Salaam Weekend
Islamic School. The children made
presentations. Program concluded
with BBQ.
Food Drive for the
BCMA Food Bank Throughout the month of June, the students at the BC Muslim School have been collecting non-perishable food items for the BCMA Food Bank. The food donations will help those who are in need and will provide them with a basic necessity of life that many of us take granted for. Please donate generously to the BCMA Food Bank especially during this sacred month of Ramadan and help our brothers and sisters in the community.
Pancake Breakfast and
Staff Appreciation Every year, all the students at the BC Muslim School wait in anticipation for the Pancake Breakfast hosted by the Parent Advisory Council (PAC). And when it finally arrived on June 2nd, everyone could not help, but enjoy all those delicious pancakes spilling over with sweet syrup. This communal feast brought endless smiles and giggles to everyone, thanks to the numerous PAC members who were able to keep up with the demand.
While busy with the Pancake Breakfast, on the same day, the PAC members also organized a Staff Appreciation Breakfast in the School Library. Everyone at BCMS was amazed at how the PAC had transformed the library into a beautiful eatery with a display of culturally diverse and delicious food. The experience was truly enjoyed and appreciated by all the teachers and staff. It was a quiet moment for everyone to reflect upon the wonderful school community that we have all built together. Thank you to our
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amazing BCMS PAC!
Grade 7 Graduation
Potluck The Grade 7 students and their families enjoyed a joyous potluck together to celebrate their impending graduation in June. There was an abundant variety of different food dishes from around the world that was brought by each family to enjoy with each other. The room was adorned with beautiful decorations and added to this special day for our Grade seven students.
Grade 7 Graduation
Ceremony The Grade 7 students have traveled on a long journey to finally reach the moment they have been waiting for: Graduation. It was a day of celebration for students, parents and teachers to commemorate this important milestone for the graduates of 2016. Each graduates hard work, achievement and dedication to the school were recognized through the various awards presented during the Graduation Ceremony. We wish all the graduates the best of luck as they continue their studies in high school and Insha Allah that they will continue to persevere and commit to excellence in the years to come.
Kindergarten
Graduation Ceremony Amongst the several end of the year events, on June 21st, 2016 the BC Muslim School hosted an event for its youngest learners- the Kindergarten Graduation ceremony. Parents, family, and friends attended this event in which the proud students, dressed in formal graduation gowns and caps, marked the end of their first formal year of school. The ceremony included speeches, performances, and certificate presentations and closed with a slideshow highlighting moments from the students Kindergarten year. Insha
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Allah, we make dua that Allah (SWT) bless our students with success grounded in a love of and value for learning in their lives.
Awards Assembly On June 23rd, 2016, the BC Muslim School came together for this year’s Awards Assembly. This was the time to recognize and celebrate students who had made extra efforts in specific areas of their school lives. It was only fitting that in a learning community like ours that we took pride in what we accomplished and contributed individually, and took pride in what others had done, as their accomplishments served as both inspiration and motivation. Certificates of recognition were awarded for: Excellence in Qur’an; Excellence in Arabic Language; Best Islamic Personality; Academic
Excellence; Athletic Award; and, the Principal’s Award. This Awards Assembly was also about coming together to recognize the contributions of the BCMS Parent Advisory Council (PAC). Their tireless effort to fundraise for the school has truly enriched the quality of our learning community.
Surrey Muslim School
June Parent Advisory
Council (PAC)
Fundraiser The Surrey Muslim School's
Parent Advisory Committee
(PAC) held a very successful
fundraiser for school sports
equipment this month. The
school community came
together to support the students
in enhancing PE activities at the
school. As a result of the PAC's
hard work, the school received
donations of cricket, soccer,
baseball, tennis, and hockey
equipment. The students and
teachers are grateful to the
community's support and are
looking forward to using the
donated equipment in
September.
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Surrey Muslim School
Sports Day The Surrey Muslim School held
its annual Sports Day at Newton
Athletic Park. With the support
of the school's many parent
volunteers, the students were
able to play a variety of games
and sports on the turf fields. This
was a fun and memorable event
for all the students.
Surrey Muslim School
Kindergarten and
Grade 7 Graduation
Ceremonies
The Surrey Muslim School
would like to recognize and
congratulate its Kindergarten
and Grade 7 Students.
Students are first enrolled at
the school in Kindergarten. The
completion of the students first
year of school is an important
milestone for many families as
it represents their child's first
major academic
accomplishment.
Similarly, Grade 7 graduation is
an important milestone for our
senior students. The end of
grade seven represents the
completion of the students'
elementary schooling. It is also
the students' final year at our
school. The students have
worked hard and have shown
tremendous growth in both
academics and deen.
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Surrey Muslim School
Annual Awards
Assembly The Surrey Muslim School
recognized over 100
outstanding students at our
Annual Awards Assembly in
June. Each and every one of the
award achievers worked hard
throughout the year. The
Award Achievers’ hard work
and dedication continues to
inspire the other student to do
their best. The school's Parent
Advisory Committee also
presented the senior girls
soccer team with certificates of
merit for achieving a second
place ranking in their division at
the BC Muslim Schools' Cup in
May.
Community Appeal The BCMA management is
making an urgent appeal to the
community to help alleviate the
$3.7 million consolidated debt
against the Surrey Muslim
School. Out of this $1.95 million
is owed to Royal Bank of
Canada that is coming up for
renewal next month. We are
hopeful that with large
generous donations we will be
able to reduce the principal at
the time of renewal thus saving
the Association loan costs.
The SMS was purchased a few
years ago to serve the ever-
growing population in Surrey.
Today there are 250 boys and
girls who obtain Islamic and
secular education at this
institution. There is also a large
number on wait list.
For several decades we have
been successfully building
Islamic centers and Masajid in
BC to serve the community
irrespective of location. Our
brothers and sisters were in the
forefront whether we needed a
center in Prince George,
Victoria or Burnaby. We hope
the same fervor and attention
is paid towards our schools too
as these institutions will help
mold our future leaders and
generations. Please visit our
website for details.
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