A volunteer run Islamic conference came to Washington DC on November 21, 2015, bringing unity and knowledge to rise as the Best of Nations. That was the theme of this conference hosted annually by Mercy Mission.
Speakers came from across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom for the event which attracted about 500 attendees. Hamza Tzortzis, Alaa Elsayed, Daood Butt, Mohammad Elshinawy, Imam Zia Sheikh, Imam Karim AbuZaid, and Imam Okasha Kameny all came from outside the area, while Haroon Baqai from Dar-us-Salaam & Al-Huda School in College Park, Maryland was the only local speaker.
Twinning of knowledge and action is the focus of this religious conference. Each one of the speakers spoke about a particular prophet and connected their lives to the issues relevant to Muslims today.
Adam Sbita, a youth leader from the DC Metro was the master of ceremony. In these tough times, the audience which comprised primarily of youth and young professionals, need a dose of heavy duty spirituality.
Imam Karim AbuZaid shared wisdom with audience, many of who grew up listening to him at PGMA where he was an imam, before moving to Denver. "You may think you have status in this world, if you want to know your true status wait until the Day of Judgment," he said. Don't disobey creator while obeying the creation. And if you have to refuse the creation to obey Allah, be gentle. Do it with kindness.
"Challenges come sometimes from those closest to us--that's where the 'Best of Nations' quality should come out, stated Haroon Baqai, the principal of Al Huda School.
We need to use our understanding, refer to revelation and establish its source. We must go straight to the Quran, it is from Allah; then establish hope and peace, urged Ustadh Hamza Tzortzis, who is famed for his dawah techniques and Islamic apologetics.
Haris Qudsi handled logistics, Ibrahim Khan, Anam Tariq, and Saleh Hady managed the hospitality, Maysa ElSheikh led Programming, Ismaeel Faridi was in charge of the Bazaar, Muhammad Ishaq managed sales, Zakiya Sadeq did a great job running social media for the event. This entire team was lead by Arif Kabir and Zaynab Faizan.
Organizer Fatimah Hoque, who was in charge of the Audio Visuals, said, The awesome energy and barakah from TOF stays with me." There's something about the speeches, sincerity from the volunteers and speakers that just screams success... a means for us here in duniyah and in sha Allah in akhirah.
Attendee Tayyibah Khan said that she loved the way the conference was set up and the thought, effort and material that was put into it. This experience was amazing and I learned so much from everybody there. Shout out to the heads and organizers who not only do work themselves but actually take the time to teach the volunteers and help others improve and get better. So thankful to have been a part of it! she said.
There were some concerns by women right activists and other sisters about the all male panel and lack of representation of women scholars. Kabir responded that they were not able to secure women speakers for 2015. We hear your message loud and clear. If you're able to help us book speakers in 2016 with an academic background in Islamic studies, please email us at washington.dc@twinsoffaith.com, he noted.
In a reflection shared on Facebook, Wakar Khan, ADAMS Youth Group leader as well as speaker buddy noted, "After a week of nonstop mainstream media and social media negativity, it was an amazing feeling to get away for a day to learn and serve at the Twins of Faith conference today. [We have] so much to be proud of and [will continue] working towards progress and helping others. Sometimes it's important to disconnect virtually and connect to real efforts. May Allah bless the organizers, volunteers, and scholars and continue their efforts for His sake."
Attendee Bilal Tariq shared "Twins of Faith DC conference is in session and the organizers have done a terrific job, [alhamdulillah]."
The conference was sponsored by ICNA Relief, Mishkah University, and WhyIslam, Pizza Roma Restaurant, and 315 NISA - Muslim Women's Helpline.
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