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Answered by Sh. Abdisalam Adam

1.  Can you give us a brief description of this organization (ICSA?

ICSA is an Islamic educational and social organization with the mission of serving the Muslim community in Minnesota while at the same time bridging understanding and collaboration with Minnesotans of all faiths. The organization passed through different stages in its 12 year history. It started as Riverside Islamic Center in 1998, then the name changed to Dar Al-Hijrah Cultural Center to Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Civic Center, and finally to the current Islamic Civic Society of America

2. What is your role within this organization?

With the blessing of Allah, I was one of the founding members in 1998. I have served as the Executive Director for 11 years, and I am currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

3. In knowing Dar Al-Hjrah within the community for such a long period of time, what has led you to come up such as a big organization like this?

That is a legitimate question since most people are familiar with the name Dar Al-Hijrah. The Board feels that Dar Al-Hijrah is the name of the masjid (mosque) and that does not encompass the multi-purpose work of the organization. So, the new name was chosen to reflect the bigger picture and growth of the organization. The mosque part will still be called Dar Al-Hijrah.

4. What is the significance of “Civic” in the name of the organization?

The vision of the organization is to develop active citizens who serve for the common good of society while at the same time upholding Islamic principles and the principles of democracy. Islam is living faith whose teachings adapt to every age and location. We will therefore maintain the core values of the religion and benefit from the organizational structure of leadership development to improve our services.

5. As an umbrella organization, I have seen the identity of the organization of both Islamic and civic principles, in our community Islamic principles are known although that generic name of core Islamic principles are not well known to most people let alone civic principles, so can you give us a brief summery of what Islamic and civic principles are mean here?

We can summarize Islamic principles in the following three areas:

a) Six Articles of Faith – to believe in One God (Allah), Angels, Divine Books, Prophets, the Day of Judgment, and Divine Fate

b) Five Pillars of Islam – declaration of faith, pray five times a day, pay charity to the needy, fast in the month of Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime.

c) Five Essentials of Life – All human beings have the right to the protection of religion, life, intellect, property, and family dignity.

Democratic values on the other hand call for Faith communities should be about developing the moral capacity of the people to produce a just society.  Human beings are created as God’s representatives on earth and have the capacity to know what is good, to grow in that knowledge, to co-create justice, and to govern for the common good. We believe that Muslims have an obligation to be active citizens both in their congregations and in the larger society. In order to build the common good, faithful citizens have an obligation to come to the public square to deliberate with others of diverse opinions.

6. I see the fact that this organization is ahead of many other organizations, in Muslim communities, the word democracy is seen as a foreign, un-Islamic, can you explain to the general public how democracy is compatible with Islam?

Muslims should not be afraid of the word “Democracy” as this concept is not far from “Shura” or “mutual consultation” as a way of getting input and choosing leadership. The main point is to understand that human beings are God’s representatives on earth and they must strive to be constructive agents in this worldly life.

8. There are many Islamic organizations and institutions in our state and there is a immense need for unity, and I see that this organization carries all of them together and even those in other states, what would you tell to these organizations in order to join the organization?

ICSA believes in cooperation and collaboration for the common good. The needs of the community are huge and there is no harm in many institutions working on the different needs of society. There should be respect and appreciation of what each organization is doing. ICSA will always welcome coordination of activities and exchange of experiences among organizations.

9. Even me as an individual, I feel like I get a sense of belonging to this organization, is there a way that individual people can join this organization and if yes what are the requirements?

There are different levels of involvement in an organization or institution. The greatest needs are contributing your knowledge, time, money, and resources. Another level will be to become a direct member to benefit from ICSA’s services and expertise.

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