The fact that in Ramadan the whole of the Qur’an is read and the body, mind and soul of each person is turned more than ever to the remembrance of G-d and service to one’s fellow man are why the believers are gathering just days after Eid-ul-Fitr to begin the monumental work of forming a national intelligentsia—a working group intellect to serve our community’s interests and to be a national and global force offering Qur’anic-based solutions to the issues of our time. Just after Ramadan, the group intellect will be at the height of its spiritual and intellectual zenith and will be most equipped to usher in a renaissance borne of a national intelligentsia.

On August 15, 2014, St. Louis, Missouri, aptly the “Show Me State,” a major metropolitan city located near the heartland of the U.S., will be the host city for a national gathering to discuss the future of our community and its role at the table of national and international dialogue and leadership. No topic is off the table of discussion and you and your intellect are the guest speakers. There will be maximum opportunity afforded to hear what you think. This gathering is for the total group intellect, female and males, non-imams and imams, from youth leaders to the most honored of our group, the pioneers. The National Town Hall will be a venue to hear from every believer who not only has a right, but a duty to participate in Shuraa Baynahum.

What will also distinguish the Town Hall is that it is not a standalone event, but rather part and parcel of a major undertaking to establish a sustainable institution to serve every community in our Association and the broader communities they serve. Plans are already underway to build the infrastructure for implementing a 2014-2015 and beyond national agenda emerging from the group intellect in St. Louis.

The Town Hall opens Friday at the beautiful Crown Plaza Hotel Downtown with Salatul Jumah and guest khatib Imam Salim Mu’min, educator and founder of the Muslim American Logic Institute, followed by the opening plenary session, an evening book signing with authors in Association and Movie Night. Fajr Prayer and halaqa and a later morning breakfast are the prelude to Saturday’s day-long session of brainstorming, team building, and sharing. Pofessional conference facilitators are structuring the event for maximum participation and productivity. Saturday evening’s dinner will be complemented with a panel discussion again open to any topic, followed by nominations, ratifications, and oaths of office for CWSC leadership.

Sunday morning is the closing plenary session wrap up of the weekend and focus on the infrastructure needed to continue building our intelligentsia and think tank while simultaneously accomplishing work on the national agenda. Current infrastructure includes an online National Resource Directory to catalog the training and experience of every believer committed to helping build model communities. The Directory will offer all communities access to a national and diverse human resource asset mix.

See Town Hall Central for advanced preparation tools and stay tuned to AM360 for updates. See you soon in St. Louis.

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