Think Tank
“…So establish regular Prayer, give regular Charity, and hold fast to Allah! He is your Protector – the Best to protect and the Best to help!” —Al-Qur’an, Suratul Hajj, 78
“Think for surely thinking profits the thinker….G-d did not create anything more valuable than intellect.”
—Prophet Muhammed (s)
“G-d made Prophet Muhammed (s) as a light to all the world and in him is the excellent model. As believers, we are supposed to be witnesses with our behavior…the Prophet is not here in one body, but in one billion minds and each of us should have the Prophet in our hearts.”—Imam W. Deen Mohammed (ra)
Getting one’s arms around chronic social, economic, and other problems affecting our families and institutions, and the broader communities we serve is no easy task. There is strength in numbers, especially intellectual strength to face challenges too complex for one person or institution to tackle alone.
While an intelligentsia brings us closer with concern and empathy for our families and communities, to apply solutions we must go beyond feeling, to the technical and practical demands of nurturing one’s community—and that requires the power of thinking, and more importantly the power of the group thinking and then the power of work.
Writers, bloggers, published authors, researchers, or statisticians, your skills will be especially needed to help translate the group intellect’s thinking into documents that help inspire change. Moreover if we want Qur’anic-based problem solving, then we must use our intellectual synergy and leverage our ability to apply the best solutions.
When we come together as an intelligentsia, we’re not just looking for answers; we’re looking for the right answers. Our greatest help always comes from Allah (SWT). We don’t know what portion of His Grace comes to us by way of the group intellect.
Yet if every good act is one of worship, then thinking in a group with faith for the benefit of the community must bring greater reward than thinking alone.
It is important to note too that a think tank doesn’t just solve problems; its work can can lead to discovery of untapped opportunities, especially economic opportunities that are urgently needed to help fund projects and programs.
The CWSC Think Tank serves as an intellectual clearing house researching ideas to improve any aspect of community life. No single institution has the human resources or capital to effectively take on this challenge, yet together we can remake the world. Through CWSC, you’re offered a unique opportunity to bring an idea forward and tap into the group intellect for assistance in getting to the most excellent design, process and implementation. Even if you don’t have the time or perhaps the skills personally to lead your idea, still submit it. You can find others to network with through the Model Communities National Resource Directory (MCNRD). Stop and visit too at the CWSC Volunteer Library & Reference Center.
FLASH! CWSC Issues Call for Papers for National Intelligentsia Interfaith Cruise
NATIONAL – As part of the Intelligentsia Presentations being planned for the Cruise, in coordination with the CWSC National Think Tank and the Board of Directors, the CWSC 2020 Event Planning Team announces a $750 Award for the best Paper submitted on a designated topic of concern that affects American Muslim Communities and/or the broader society…continue reading here.
CWSC Publications
International Resolution on Global Drug Policy & Criminal Justice Reform, U.N.
International Statement to Commission on the Status of Women, U.N.
Strategic Planning Assessment & Organization Development Questionnaire (NP)
Coming soon…National White Paper: Focus on Senior Services & Support Guide
Winning Scholarship Essays
“Scholarships help us demonstrate to our students that we care about their future and need their voice and intellect at the table of shuraa baynahum for the community’s future…”―Thomas Abdul-Salaam
CWSC is pleased to present the essays of our annual scholarship winners; their fresh perspectives and new ideas on how we should see the world can help us remake the wold.
Aliyah Cathey-Akbar Essay for Twin Servant of Peace College Scholarship
Haseena A. Sabree Essay for Words Make People (WMP) College Scholarship
See Scientific Thinking in Islamic Thought: Concept and its Importance by Alias bin Azhar, College of Law, Government & International Studies (UUM COLGIS) Universiti Utara, Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia.