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Radio Show – Man Means Mind and Mystical Insights of Imam Mohammed

Imam Mujahid Ramadan’s Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue Radio Show aired its newest episode on January 8th, 2022. The topic was titled ‘Man Means Mind and Mystical Insights of Imam Mohammad.’ As always, the show was aired on KCEP 88.1 FM and sponsored by Silver Sage Foundation.

This month’s esteemed guests were Imam Earl El-Amin (Resident Imam at Muslim Community Cultural Center of Baltimore Masjid in Baltimore, MD), Imam Faheem Shuaibe (Resident Imam at Masjidul Waritheen in Oakland, CA), and Aneesah Dawan (Advocate for the future generation. Member of the Progressive Leadership Legacy Association).

Imam Ramadan opened up the discussion with happy new year wishes as we greet 2022 together. After that he immediately delved into the topic of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed’s importance on the North American Muslims. While coming from the Nation of Islam origins, Imam Mohammad managed to take the Black community’s Islamic belief from nationalistic bases to a universal environment as it should be. Ramadan supported the idea that Imam Mohammed showed that being an American is compatible with being a Muslim.

Imam Shuaibe made a remarkable analogy as he claimed that the Nation of Islam’s journey resembles that of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) as he searched a god in the Moon, then the Sun and through series of contemplations finally came to the correct conclusion of the existence of an omnipotent and all-encompassing God.

Sister Dawan echoed Shuaibe’s sentiments and stated that the Nation of Islam’s evolution was completely natural and expected as when someone is in sincere search of truth, they ultimately reach to it after passing through some other variations and near misses. She lamented that it was a tough journey for some, but also thankfully stated that it brought most of the Black Muslims into a proper Islamic mindset eventually.

Imam El-Amin spoke about how Imam Mohammed paid attention and special importance to the US constitution and democracy. He emphasized that the Imam’s teachings encouraged dialogue, co-operation and defending the basic human rights. He also remarked that the Founding Fathers definitely had Quranic influences.

There were many more topics touched during the show and one would miss a lot by not listening to it completely. Topics ranged from Islam in the USA, slavery, politics, ideological evolution, equality, and contemporary social issues.

We would like to thank Imam Ramadan for yet another great discussion. Special thanks to the honorable guests for their invaluable contributions. To get the latest updates on the future episodes, please follow our social media channels.

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The Holy Night – Remembering the Virgin Mary

We held an online meeting via Zoom on the 19th of December. The topic of the meeting was ‘Holy Night – Remembering the Virgin Mary.’ We had esteemed guests and a colorful program filled different activities and performances. The meeting was hosted by Mukaddes Kocabiyik who also organized the previous Christmas’ interfaith event on Jesus and Mary.

The meeting started with a recitation of Quran. Fatima recited Surah 66 At-Tahrim which talks about Maryam’s (Mary) spiritual importance as a devout follower of God.

The meeting continued with Dr. Zeki Saritoprak’s short lecture on Mary’s birth and her childhood. It was remarkable to see how she was able to keep herself strong in a community dominated by patriarchy. Her faith was something to behold.

Melike Durmaz recited a poem from Patty Griffin titled ‘Mary.’ It filled our hearts with love as we once again remembered the devotion of Mary. Dr. Glorius Fealing kept uplifting our spirits with a beautiful performance of ‘The Song of Mary Medley.’ Her beautiful voice washed our ears from all dirty sound stains.

One of our regulars and the host of the Interfaith and Intercultural dialogue radio show, Imam Mujahid Ramadan also joined to the meeting. He contributed with his beautiful remarks on the importance of Mary. He emphasized how the love of Mary and of her family can bring Muslims and Christians together. Our long-lasting friend and scholar, Dr. Rosalie Marinelli took the microphone to make some very important remarks on the Virgin Mary and her role. She praised the meeting as a great opportunity for dialogue and understanding.

Unfortunately, Dr. Craig Considine couldn’t able to participate in the meeting as was planned. But he sent a very valuable video in which he gave some very important remarks on the role of Mary and the vital significance of co-understanding between Christianity and Islam. You can find Dr. Considine’s video on our Instagram account.

After several remarks from our participants, we ended the meeting with smiling hearts. We enjoyed this short celebration of Mary a lot. It was a meeting of both pleasure and learning. We hope to repeat such meetings in future, preferably onsite as we miss our dear friends a lot. We wish everyone a blessed and merry Christmas. May it bring joy to everyone.

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Radio Show – Rumi and Mysticism in the 21st Century

Imam Mujahid Ramadan’s Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue Radio Show aired its newest episode on November 6th. The topic was titled ‘Rumi and Mysticism in the 21st Century.’ As always, the show was aired on KCEP 88.1 FM and sponsored by Silver Sage Foundation.

This month’s esteemed guests were Reverend Gard Jameson (President of the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada), Dr. Zeki Saritoprak (Professor and Director of the Bediuzzaman Said Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies at John Carroll University), and Ibrahim Anli (Executive Director at Rumi Forum).

The discussion began with Gardner’s remarks on Rumi’s importance as someone ‘who is beyond all faith.’ As he is the most read poem all around the world, his influence transcends the Islamic communities and compel everyone’s hearts. Gardner emphasized on the importance that Rumi tried to open a way to heal this damaged and broken word through unconditional love. He also remarked how Rumi could read the God’s language which is a ‘silence’ for our naked ears.

Saritoprak shared a striking fact that Rumi’s funeral was attended by the people of 7 different faiths. He was a man who managed to see ‘good in everything.’ He loved the creation due to its creator and was able to see love and unity in all beings.

Ramadan put forward an interesting coincidence that while we celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas in this late 2021, another celebration takes play among the followers of Rumi as they ‘celebrate’ his death. It is celebrated as he saw his own death as a ‘migration’ to the afterlife where you meet with the creator.

Anli contributed to the show with his extensive academic knowledge on Rumi as he gave the names of all his writings. He said that his magnum opus, ‘Mesnevi,’ can be described as a ‘Persian Quran’ as it translates the Holy book’s spirit and meaning into the Persian language beautifully. He also talked about the positive influences of Mysticism as it stripped people away from a politicized and legalized Islam to a restorated and pure one.

Unfortunately, the show ended abruptly due to the time limit given by the radio station. There were so much more to discuss and we hope that Ramadan will continue to deal with this subject in the upcoming months.

We would like to thank Imam Ramadan for yet another great discussion. Special thanks to Rev. Gard Jameson, Dr. Zeki Saritoprak, and Ibrahim Anli for their invaluable contributions. To get the latest updates on the future episodes, please follow our social media channels.

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Thanksgiving Dinner – 2021

We returned to our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner tradition after giving a break in 2020 due to the pandemic. The dinner event was hosted at our location on 20th of November. We had dozens of guests from a variety of different backgrounds of Las Vegas.

Our dinner program started with an interfaith prayer by Keith Thomas from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Shamsuddin Waheed from Masjid Ibrahim Islamic Center.

After the opening prayers and remarks by the two honorable men of religion. Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue Radio Show’s host, Imam Mujahid Ramadan gave a speech on the importance of thanksgiving and interfaith dialogue. His speech was significant as he spoke as the vice president of Interfaith Council of Nevada.

Then we distributed wish cards among our guests and everyone wrote their new year wishes on them.

The event continued with a musical performance by the talented pianist and vocalist, Scott Nicholson. His 30 years of musical experience really mesmerized the crowd as we didn’t realize how quick the 20 minutes passed listening to his music.

Our next speaker was Kevin McMahill, the former Under-sheriff at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD). He gave a speech on the importance of understanding others as a way of maintaining order in the society. He specifically requested people to keep an open heart and don’t dehumanize the police force as they are also human beings who try to keep civilians safe.

The final speech of the evening was given by Brin Gibson, the Former General Counsel to the Governor’s Office and the Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. After a short speech on the importance of the meeting, she had the honor of reading the wish cards written by the guests. There were very touching and warm wishes and we say amen to them all.

We would like to thank to all guests, especially our esteemed speaker guests. Also, a special thanks to Scott Nicholson for his fantastic musical performance. Finally, an important thanks to our catering volunteers who prepared delicious meals for the event.

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Radio Show – Wisdom and Insight of Said Nursi’s Risale-i Nur

Imam Mujahid Ramadan’s Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue Radio Show aired its newest episode on November 6th. The topic was titled ‘Wisdom and Insight of Said Nursi’s Risale-i Nur.’ As always, the show was aired on KCEP 88.1 FM and sponsored by Silver Sage Foundation.

This month’s guests were Dr. Zeki Saritoprak (Director of Said Nursi Chair at John Carroll University), Dr. Hakan Gok (Research Fellow at Leeds Beckett University) and Hakan Yesilova (Editor-in-Chief of the Fountain Magazine).

Imam Ramadan opened the discussion by asking about how Said Nursi got the nickname ‘Bediuzzaman’ (‘The best of his time’ in Turkish). Yesilova explained that he was a prominent figure even during his teenage years as he was able to debate with adult scholars and imams. His rational approach to religious matters was revolutionary. He earned the respect from different scholarly circles of the late 19th and early 20th century.

Then Ramadan started another topic on how Said Nursi emphasized on interfaith dialogue in his works. It was discussed how Nursi claimed that the Muslims should come together with the true people of the book (Christians and Jews) and stand against the problems of the modern life together.

Saritoprak delved into the matters of how calamities and sickness can be a blessing in disguise as Nursi written in his works. It helps us get out of the hectic daily life routine and know ourselves better. Such troubles work as a reminder for us that we are mortal and we have an obligation in this life. Gok said that the humankind’s primary duty is to uphold the trust given by God.

As the discussion evolved, the topic went to the fact that how Nursi claimed that without willpower, every soul would become a part of the natural laws dictated by God. So that means humankind is a unique creature on earth as we have the option to choose.

We would like to thank Imam Ramadan for yet another great discussion. Special thanks to Dr. Zeki Saritoprak, Dr. Hakan Gok, and Hakan Yesilova for their invaluable contributions. To get the latest updates on the future episodes, please follow our social media channels.

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Ponderosa Planting Event

Our volunteers participated in the Ponderosa Planting event held at Mount Charleston and organized by Southern Nevada Conservancy. The families came together and enriched their Saturday by planting trees and enjoying the fresh mountain air.

Silver Sage Foundation volunteers planted a total of 62 saplings. Our volunteers had to work hard digging the ground with shovels and plant the saplings by themselves. It was a fantastic opportunity to teach our kids how to support our beautiful nature as they were involved in the whole process. Especially after a long season of wildfires, this kind of restoration efforts are vital.

We would like to thank Southern Nevada Conservancy for allowing us to be a part of this meaningful event. Their organization and guidance was perfect and it allowed us to plant our saplings efficiently. And a special thanks to our volunteer families who took time from their weekend holidays and participated in such a physically demanding event.

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Green Up Event

Silver Sage Foundation volunteers spent their Saturday afternoon in Warm Springs Natural Area to help with the tree planting efforts. Despite a very warm day without any clouds to cover the hot sun, the volunteers planted trees happily and enthusiastically.

We believe that every individual has an obligation to preserve nature as much as they can. Especially under the shadows of a looming climate crisis, we must do whatever we can do minimize our impact on the environment. In this light, our volunteers and a dozens of other nature-friends joined to the tree planting efforts.

This Green Up event organized by the Southern Nevada Water Authority was also a great opportunity to teach our kids how to respect nature. They learnt how to plant trees under the supervision of Warm Springs Natural Area officers.

We would like to thank our great volunteers for working hard for a noble cause and the Southern Nevada Water Authority for organizing such a crucial event. Follow our social media channels to have a chance to join such future events.

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Radio Show – Social Justice and Criminal Justice System

Imam Mujahid Ramadan’s Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue Radio Show aired its newest episode on October 2nd. The topic was titled ‘Social Justice and Criminal Justice System.’ As always, the show was aired on KCEP 88.1 FM and sponsored by Silver Sage Foundation.

Ramadan hosted three esteemed guests on the show: Christopher Chiou, the acting US attorney for the District of Nevada, Athar Haseebullah, Local attorney and executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nevada, and Captain Carlos Hank, bureau commander at LVMPD’s Office of Internal Oversight. Hank was very kind to accept our last minute call to join to the show to replace Aaron D. Ford, the 34th Attorney General of Nevada, who couldn’t make it due to a delayed flight.

Imam Ramadan opened the discussion with the fact that the social justice issues we had during the terrible Tulsa Massacre are still prevalent in a smaller sense even though there have been huge steps taken towards a better justice system. He asked his guests on to reflect what are the current issues, and what can and are being done about those.

Chiou started his remarks by stating the fact that there have been many improvements in the economical, criminal, educational and social justice systems. But while all of these fields have huge issues, the criminal justice system is on the spotlight because that is the end result dealing with the injustices originating from the other areas as well. He said that the law enforcement should work together with the communities to deal with the issues. He also put forward a very important point that while people focus on the criminal injustices the most, the main cause of those problems arise from the economic, health, education and housing issues which don’t have visible results as much as the law enforcement’s dealings.

Haseebullah lamented that the law enforcement’s reforms and initiatives are not effective as the police unions are strongly preventing officers who commit serious misconducts to get a fair punishment. He said that there are officers who are promoted even though they have a history of racial and social misconducts in their records. He believes that with the visibility provided by the social media, good steps will be taken in terms of making the law enforcement more fair and transparent. But he warned that the current actions are not enough for a necessary change.

Captain Hank talked about the developments within the police departments as they have been starting more and more initiatives to bring the community closer to the law enforcement. They are pushing for more engagement and transparency in all fields. He warned that police officers also feel an immense pressure as they are always in the spotlight and it creates an unnecessary tension. He believes that there should be an understanding on both sides.

All in all, it was a great discussion to hear about the evolution of the criminal justice system towards a more fair and transparent structure. While there are still very important issues in our society, it is quite hopeful to see that we can overcome these with constant dialogue. All we need is to have an understanding for both sides. It should be also noted that the issues about the police officers and criminal justice system that we see on the social media are the end result of a deeper social divide arising from the lack of social equality, lack of healthcare, lack of quality education and lack of fair housing.

We would like to thank Imam Ramadan for yet another great discussion. Special thanks to Christopher Chiou, Ather Haseebullah, and Captain Carlos Hank for their invaluable contributions. To get the latest updates on the future episodes, please follow our social media channels.

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The 4th Annual Green The Mountain Event

To celebrate the National Public Lands Day on September 27th, Southern Nevada Conservancy organized a volunteer cleanup and celebration event. We participated in the event with our Teen Project youth.

Littering in the national parks is a serious issue as it affects the wild life negatively and might cause forest fires. As part of the Southern Nevada community, we couldn’t miss an opportunity to help make Spring Mountains cleaner. With our nature loving volunteer team, we signed up for the 4th annual ‘Green the Mountain’ event. We were among a total of 400 volunteers.

After a day of hard working and celebrating nature, a total of 4500 pounds of garbage was collected. While that’s a huge relief and happiness to know that much harmful substance were removed from the mountain, it is a bit sad to see how much people litter the area.

We would like to thank the USDA Forest Service & Southern Nevada Conservancy for this great event. It was a priceless opportunity to participate in such a noble act of cleaning our beautiful nature. We also would like to thank our kind volunteers who worked hard and smiled all day.

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Radio Show – Disparity and Economic Equality

Imam Mujahid Ramadan’s Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue radio show series (Sponsored by Silver Sage Foundation) continues with its September episode. In this discussion, Ramadan and his esteemed guests delved into the matters of disparity and economic equality.

The discussion started from the economic equality in Christianity and Islam. From that point, it moved into the contemporary issues in the United States of America regarding injustice, economic disparity and lack of education.

Reverend Gard Jameson emphasized on the importance of education in the United States to get people aware of ongoing inequality issues. He said that an extensive historical education would teach young people to be more aware about the economical problems of the minorities. He laid his concerns about the rise of white supremacy which would undermine the progress the USA has taken in the last 2 centuries.

Dora D. LaGrande talked about how Jesus gave importance to the justice and equality. She claimed that a true believer would never take someone else’s rights away. She supported activism and raising awareness in the current social issues.

Dr. Hakan Gok joined to the discussion from London and he started his points by narrating how Islam was able to spread so fast around the Middle East due its stance on economic justice and equality. He believes that the word should follow the Islamic examples and the recent developments in Germany is a good step towards achieving economic equality. But he expressed his concerns that the USA is falling behind in these development. According to Gok, the lack of affordable health care and housing is a primary issue which prevents a parity among the Americans.

It was a fruitful discussion on how can our societies eliminate the barriers putting people into separate economic levels. In terms of Abrahamic religions, maintaining economic equality is one of the first steps in establishing a sustainable community.

Imam Ramadan’s Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue radio shows will continue airing on the first Saturday of each month. Stay tuned! Subscribe to our Youtube channel to get notified about the future episodes.

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