Are You Being Counted? #MuslimsCount2020
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Yes, I know you haven't heard from us in a while. That's because we've been super busy gearing up for the new year as we get ready to tackle the upcoming elections as well as the ever more important, Census. MCN is grateful to be a part of the #MuslimsCount2020 coalition in New York City, along with Emgage, APNA Brooklyn Community Center, the Yemeni American Merchants Association, and a bunch of other amazing Muslim serving organizations. Get ready to see our team in your neighborhood to ensure that Muslims actively partake in the Census - our schools, our representation, and our public benefits all rely on the Census.
MCN is also part of the NYC Office of Prevention of Hate Crimes initiative to combat hate in our city. With rising hate crimes both locally and nationally against minority communities, MCN is launching a grassroots level hate crimes survey to understand the depth of how Muslims experience hate in our city. Results from the survey will help us develop solutions and policies that better serve our communities. So, please take a minute to fill it up!
Meanwhile, our regular programming has been going strong. We had a groundbreaking meeting of the Muslim Stakeholder Roundtable series where we introduced Muslims in non-profit with Muslims in city-government. Over 14 city agencies were represented and 20 Muslim serving and Muslim non-profit organizations, demonstrating the power of our community service sector. There are so many things to look forward to this new year. Coming up is our Muslim Women's Day Breakfast on March 27th, an annual tradition of MCN. We are excited to have Prof. Azza Karam, Secretary-General Elect of the multi-lateral international organization, Religions for Peace, who is also the inaugural member of MCN's Advisory Board of Directors. MCN is also gearing up for its annual event, MCN Summit: A Community Action Forum which will bring together Muslim civil-society based organizations to provide thought leadership on the future of our community in this critical year of 2020. Stay tuned for the date announcement.
This work cannot be done without supporters like you. I am so grateful for our donors that supported us during our end of the year appeal and to all the donors who gave in 2019 and continue to give. We are building the Muslim civic sector, and it is with supporters like you that we are able to continue building, improving, and advancing the Muslim narrative.
With gratitude,
Aniqa Nawabi
Executive Director
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MCN Getting out the #MuslimsCount2020
MCN's Census Captain, Ali Kaba, visiting mosques throughout the city to spread the word about the importance of the Census. Some of the mosques we visited were: Parkchester Islamic Center, African Islamic Center, Masjid Muhammad Ali, Masjid Aqua, Masjid Omar, Masjid Quba, and others. We are giving out the Faith Leaders Toolkit, published by the Interfaith Census Coalition, that helps faith leaders speak about the Census to their congregations.
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Hate Crimes Survey
#StopHate
MCN's new Civic Education and Advocacy Program Coordinator, Saad Khaishgi, is spreading the word about MCN's Hate Crimes survey to understand how Muslims experience hate in our city. As the election year looms, minority groups, especially Muslims and Jews among religious communities are at higher risk of being targeted for hate crimes. Take the survey to let us know if you've been a victime of hate crime or have witnessed one.
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Muslim Youth Show Leadership in their Communities
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January 23rd, 2020: Youth from MYNYC program conduct community surveys about Islamophobia.
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January 6th, 2020: MYNYC Youth share a presentation on the dangers of vaping with their peers.
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February 18th, 2020: MYNYC Youth conduct a community clean-up by their school in Brooklyn.
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Educating the Community about Muslims
#EndDiscrimination
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Feb. 10th, 2020: MCN was invited by the Princeton Day School in Princeton, NJ to introduce their middle schoolers to Muslim life in New York City.
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January 14th, 2020: Diversity Presentation at the Young Women's Leadership Academy in Manhattan.
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Building Community
#UnityisStrength
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Feb. 4th, 2020: MCN hosted the 3rd Muslim Stakeholders Roundtable series which brought together Muslims in non-profit and Muslims in city-government.
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Bridge Mentorship Spotlight: Abdulrazzak Abdirahman
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Abdulrazakh Abdirahman is a graduate of NYU's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, specializing in Social Impact, Investment, and Innovation. During his time at Wagner, he focused on honing skills in creating a social justice narrative through data, project management, and advocating for causes he is passionate about. Before his move to New York, Abdulrazakh spent 3 years in the Comoros Islands, working as a Peace Corps volunteer in community economic development.
Abdulrazakh spent the majority of his summer pursuing organizations he was interested in by attending talks, conferences, and leveraging his network. That's when he found out about the Bridge mentorship program and joined. During this time, he was under consideration for a full-time role at Robin Hood Foundation, a New York-based philanthropy dedicated to eradicating poverty. As a member of the Bridge Program, Abdulrazakh understood the importance of networking and sought advice from his mentors on how to impress his potential employer. As a result, Abdulrazakh successfully secured a full-time offer from Robin Hood Foundation.
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