With Allah’s Name, the Merciful Benefactor, the Merciful Redeemer

“If Allah assists you, then there is none that can overcome you, and if He forsakes you, who is there then that can assist you after Him? And on Allah should the believers rely.” (Al-Qu’ran, 3:160)

“The most beloved people to Allah (swt) are those who help and benefit others the most, and the most beloved actions to Allah (swt), is pleasure and happiness that you cause to enter the heart of a Muslim, or to solve one of his problems, or to pay off his debt, or to prevent him from being hungry, and working to help my Muslim brother is more beloved to me than making I’tikaf in this masjid for a month, and whoever controls his anger, Allah will conceal his faults, and whoever controls his ill feelings, Allah (swt) will fill his heart with contentment on the day of Judgment, and whoever strives to help fulfill a need for his Muslim brother, Allah will make his feet steadfast on the day of Judgment, and bad manners ruin good deeds just like vinegar ruins honey.” —Prophet Muhammed (S)

 We must define ourselves on paper, in print (mission statement, vision statements, by-Laws, operating procedures, organizational structure, etc.) We need documents to hold ourselves in check. We’ve been too busy to do things properly, but we can’t function any longer without proper documentation. We are too big to continue without it…this is unfinished business. We must put what we should conform to on paper and in print.”
―Imam W. Deen Mohammed (ra)

Organizing for Excellence in Community Service

PRESS RELEASE:
March 24, 2015

Contact: Aisha Waheed
cwsconline@gmail.com

NATIONAL ― On March 18, 2015, Mukhtar Muhammad became the second executive director for the Community Wide Shuraa Conference (CWSC). A dedicated volunteer and one of its principal architects, Mukhtar previously served as CWSC’s corporate secretary and director for strategic planning and development, and was a close advisor to former director, the late Imam Thomas Abdul-Salaam (ra), founder of the American Muslim 360 Radio Network.  Imam Thomas passed away after a prolonged illness on March 2.

Transition to new leadership has been smooth and steady for the organization founded in 2013. In under two years,  CWSC has institutionalized beyond its founding members, expanded its board of directors, and implemented operating guidelines to complement its bylaws and other governing documents to help leaders continue steering the organization towards its goal of building a national working intelligentsia comprising a think tank, volunteer human resources network, and broadcasting platform. With only two years of operations, CWSC has begun providing support to others as part of its charter and expects to expand its support with re-granting opportunities for outstanding community service projects.

The board of directors unanimously confirmed Mukhtar as executive director after receiving overwhelming support by nomination from CWSC volunteers across the nation.

“I am honored to have been confirmed to take the helm and to work with the board of directors, staff, and our committees and teams and other organizations in carrying forth the vision of our leader Imam W. Deen Mohammed (ra),” states Mukhtar.

“Imam Mohammed asked us repeatedly to build a national working intelligentsia to improve the life for all American Muslims and the broader American society for succeeding generations, and that’s what we’re doing with Allah’s (SWT) Help and the talented group intellect we have in this country.  We are finding ways to better connect our intellects to leverage our capacity for progress across the country.”

Mukhtar was born in the community identified with the leadership of Imam W. Deen Mohammed (ra) and is an alumnus of Philadelphia’s former Muhammad University. A third generation Muslim, his parents are Muslim pioneers as well as his late grandmother and great uncle. Mukhtar brings a wealth of experience to his new leadership role as a former member of the Islamic Affairs Council appointed by Imam W. Deen Mohammed, a convener majlis ashura, Muslim Student Association president, former enlisted and commissioned naval officer and current vice president for FAMACO Publishers, LLC. Read his biography here.

At the recent 4^th Sunday Joint Leadership Teleconference, a special du’a for Imam Thomas and his family preceded the announcement of a new executive director and expansion of the board of directors. The board now includes:

Imam Abdul Azeez, associate imam, dawah and education director of Masjid Yusuf Shah Mt. Vernon,  New York and vice president of Westchester Coalition Against Islamaphobia, associate imam of Interfaith Associates, Imam, president and founder of Ash Shifaa Inc, chaplain and  5th semester BA student at Islamic open University. Read his biography here.

Aisha Waheed of St. Petersburg, Florida, veteran educator who presently serves as director of CWSC’s strategic planning committee and corporate secretary. Aisha brings a wealth of experience in both education and civic leadership.  She has served as director and co-founder of  One  Nation  Academy  for  Peace,  a private  Islamic  Academy, president and co-founder of United  Muslim  Association  of  Tampa  Bay  Women;  a CERWIS president; co-founder and coordinator for the Tampa  Bay  Coalition  for  Justice  and  Peace; co-founder  of  100  Vibrant  Experience  Teachers; and a Special  Projects  Consultant for the International  Museum  of  Muslim  Cultures; and producer/host  of  One  Nation  Under  G’d’s  Rule  Islamic  Education television program.

Imam Adam Beyah, director of treasury operations and registered agent for CWSC, has served as a directing officer since CWSC’s inception. He was a principal planner for the first Conference in Fayetteville and the St. Louis Townhall.  He earned his B.A. in Accounting from Winston-Salem State University and worked as a Senior Tax Accountant at Price-Waterhouse providing global accounting services in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He was also comptroller with Shaw Foods Services Inc. before founding Beyah’s Accounting & Tax Service, a firm specializing in small business accounting and individualized tax planning.  A local radio personality, Imam Adam’s civic leadership includes serving as resident Imam of Fayetteville’s Masjid Omar Ibn Sayyid in North Carolina where he oversaw the construction of the masjid, and service on several local boards including Democracy North Carolina; Fayetteville Urban Ministry; Faith Dialogue Team and Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce’s Business Ecumenical Partnership. He was a part of a delegation of forty persons accompanying Imam W. Deen Mohammed (ra), to Italy for the Congress of the Muslim Friends of the Focolare Movement. Read his biography here.

Also joining the board is St, Petersburg, Florida’s Martha Naliah Williams, founder and director of KNOW ME / No Me, LLC, an institute focused on health, education and youth empowerment. A long time advocate of civic involvement, the blog talk radio host is passionate about involving youth in our community. She is formally trained in personal health care and brings that compassionate caring and attentiveness to all her professional responsibilities. She has performed administrative management in both commercial transportation and food production industries and is pursuing studies in psychology. She also serves on the strategic planning committee for CWSC.

All of the newly appointed officers gave the oath of office in accordance with the CWSC operating guidelines.

Among the top priorities will be to launch the MCNRD or the Model Communities National Resource Directory to give institutions and communities access to a talented national human resources network; and launch of the CWSC Speakers Bureau to take our voices to academic, government, other faith-based, political, business and cultural institutions.

On the new director’s agenda too is continuing to build focus teams that can study the chronic issues affecting the Muslim and broader American communities and offer Qur’anic-based problem solving. Growing the financial operating base for CWSC and the American Muslim 360 Radio Network so more dawah and learning can be accomplished is also a priority.  American Muslim 360 is now part of CWSC and changes are underway to shore up its finances, so we can have the professional media presence the community needs and deserves. CWSC will also be expanding its scholarship programs and launching internship and leadership development initiatives. On the front burner is encouraging greater collaboration, synergy and elimination of duplication of efforts by encouraging formal shuraa among national organizations through the National Leadership Advisory Council…such collaboration is essential for working smarter and preventing the “needless waste of human and material resources.”

“We will be making our Operating Guidelines, Participant Information Guide, 501(c)(3) filing and other governing documents available to help individuals and organizations understand the community service resource center we are building and to encourage them to get involved.  CWSC is built more for strategic planning than for event planning, and while it may take a little more time in the beginning, we want to do the right things and we want to do things right. We are building a new type of institution that has never existed before; transparency will continue to be at the heart of CWSC’s operations which will endear support from the broader non-Muslim community for our model community vision. We have to model the best organizational excellence―that alone will be a big help for our community life.” stated Mukhtar.

Meet the new director on air Friday morning at 9 a.m. EST, March 27, 2015 or dial in at (646) 716-4478, when AM360 Executive Producer William Kareem will host a special interview with Mukhtar Muhammad.

Click here to read:
* From the Executive Director
* Letter to the Board of Directors

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Community Wide Shuraa Conference, Inc. (CWSC) is a tax exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is qualified to receive bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under sections 2055, 2106, or 2252 of the Code. Contributions are fully tax deductible as allowed by law. Federal Tax Tax ID: 46-3505809. Please consider including CWSC in your estate planning.  To make a contribution by U.S. Mail: Make check payable to CWSC and mail to CWSC, 2620 Bragg Boulevard, Suite D, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28303.