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Passion: One Word to Describe Alameen Post
8-23-2017
One word that sums up the people behind AlAmeen Post. Passion to selflessly serve the community. Passion to learn. Passion to educate the community. Passion for safeguarding our community’s interests.
By the grace of Allah (SWT) – Now for more than 15 years the people behind AlAmeen Post has Been Serving the Muslim Community. Putting the communities interest First, it has allowed us to be objective – as well as critical when needed – without fear.
This is what allows us to take a stand which we feel is a better course of option for the community and its future. This is what allows us to be objective!
Who is Alameen Post?
Overtime, the initial brothers who started the paper left for number of reasons, but stayed connected with Alameen, some moved away, some had other family and professional obligations. Our notable board members whom have in past, lend a helping hand in shaping our policies are Imam Ziad Delic, Qari Abdul Wahab Br. Musa Ismail, and Dr Ghazali.
It’s not the managing Editors, Jafar Bhamji and Shahzad Mansoory, or our past editorial boards members Musa Ismail, Dr Ghazali Ismail, Br Omar Feyoun Khan, Br Hany Al Gawad and countless others whom have helped us guide our policies for editorial content. It’s everyone, first and foremost, our readers, who provide us with the reason to continue.
It’s our advertisers, who contribute financially with their advertisement dollars to maintain the expense.
It’s our content writers and contributors, who work diligently and tirelessly, often without compensation by ensuring their piece is delivered week after week. Its brothers like Mohammed Yasin, Sister Zainab Dhanani, Br Aleem Kamal who contribute on regular basis and other volunteer writers.
What is Alameen Post?
It is more than just your average bi-weekly community’s newspaper.
Over the past fifteen years it has established itself into an institution, from advocacy to charitable trust, and everything in between.
The editorial board members – all of them involved with local mosque boards – from BCMA’s Past President, to Local BCMA Chapters, BCMA’s Flagship Mosque – Richmond’s past Secretary, to current Surrey East’s Director and Constitution Review Secretary to Iqra School Board of Education serving member.
It has evolved into a single source for mainstream media to turn to in regards to Muslim Community’s Issues, featuring, speaking, on community’s behalf on number of issues, with prominent media outlets, such as: CBC television, and CBC Radio, CTV, Vancouver Sun, Le Source, Winnipeg, just to name a few …
The history of Alameen Post is not very complicated. In the aftermath of 9/11 and media backlash against the Muslim community it became imperative for the local Muslim Community to have an avenue to get their message out – have a voice of their own to counter the propaganda fueled by the mainstream media against the Muslim community, as well as, unfortunately, and sadly by our own community papers.
Few local brothers, most of them praying regularly at Masjid Al-Noor, who were passionate, dedicated, self-motivated, and vocal to create and develop a local Muslim community’s narrative. A narrative that could eventually engage the wider Canadian society.
There is always two sides to the story, and our goals and objective has always been to ensure people have access to both versions of truth.
Everyone knows that, however, as someone once said, “If you repeat a lie over and over again, it becomes the established truth.” This summarizes western media’s approach towards anti-Islam, anti-Muslim propaganda.
From day one – Alameen team’s goal has been to serve the local Muslim community’s interests, become their voice, by countering the narrative wrapped in fear. At all times, keeping in mind the wider Canadian audience: To disseminate correct information from an Islamic perspective. To demonstrate to wider audience that Canadian Muslims are not what it is being projected by the media. To highlight fallacies in western media’s hateful, baseless, self-serving, and misguided propaganda against Islam and Muslims.
To a degree we believe we have achieved that, however we are long way away from conquering it. nyone can make noise – is it effective? At AlAmeen Post we know that we are simply more than just a voice for Muslims. We realize that we have to project a positive image of our community. Our writers, and contributors are well educated professionals in their respective fields.
Alameen Charitable efforts
In addition, between 2010 until now AlAmeen Post has also formed partnership with the HCI, a Muslim NGO, based in Ottawa. Our biggest and single largest charitable project was in Pakistan during the 2010 Floods. The AlAmeen Charitable appeal was in infancy, and the floods ravaged interior Pakistan and people were fleeing to the main center Karachi.
Immediately, we mobilized our friends and family members, and on a donated piece of land we immediately established AlAmeen Flood Relief Camp, which has now become a sprawling little community.
This was all made possible by once again as we say it – by Allah (SWT) and our readers.
We made an appeal on behalf of the people and our readers and local community members responded well beyond our expectations.
Our notable achievements over the past 7 years are: Pakistan Relief: Somalia, Burma, Syria, Thar Pakistan, Palestine, Srilanka, Fiji, Afghanistan, Blaine Masjid Appeal, in total, approximately $135k and more than 2000 families.
Each year we allocate a dollar amount as a write-off for free advertisement for local Muslim organizations. When it comes to getting the message out on behalf of the local Muslim organizations: Mosques, schools, Charitable cause we go the distance.
We’ve travelled the distance for milestones in the Community to the far North BC, Prince George Mosque opening, Masjid Al Iman in Victoria opening ceremony and Kewlona Masjid Ground Breaking ceremony.
We have taken political awareness within our community to another level by holding all candidates debates during federal and provincial elections.
We criticize politicians if required without any fear, and we praise them if they do so deserve it, including Former PM Harper who became the first Canadian PM to hold an Iftar at his home.
We passionately fought the case if Rehman Children. A family whose children were taken away by the MCFD citing children’s safety.
We have undertaken the cause of the Somali brother whose house was raided by the RCMP and the police dog had bitten the brother severely.
These are just some of our achievements and our contributions to our community.
However, the hard work is yet to be completed. It’s a long battle where we are constantly going two steps forward and one step backwards. We believe that as long as we have the support of our people, and our community, no one can shake us from our position to be the voice for our community. Thank you for your continued support.
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