First Quarter 2016 Special Report: Achieving a Balanced Approach
Isma continues its dakwah initiatives in 2016 with a balanced approach in ensuring the objectives and benefits reach all layers of society. Throughout January to March 2016, Isma has arranged a variety of programs and activities at its national and regional levels. Isma was also active in sharing its views and ideas to guide the public in response to various current issues.
National unity
The unity of Muslims in Malaysia remains as Isma’s top aspiration for this year. To support this agenda, Isma maintains its active participation at the national level through Majlis Amal Islami Malaysia (MAIM), under the auspices of Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (YADIM). The recent MAIM congress, held in February, saw the Deputy President of Isma, Hj Aminuddin Yahaya who is also the Chairman of Perpaduan Ummah dan Siasah Cluster of MAIM, giving a presentation that touched on the efforts to achieve unity and methods to resolve related issues. In the same event, President of Isma, Ustaz Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman contributed as a panellist in the forum entitled ‘Dilema Perpaduan Politik Melayu di Malaysia, Apa Penyelesaiannya? (The Malay Political Unity Dilemma: What is the Solution?). The congress was attended by more than 1000 participants from 80 local Islamic NGOs.
Apart from the active participation in MAIM, Isma also involved in another such initiative when President of Isma was invited to the first meeting of Majlis Perundingan Islam (Islamic Consultative Body, or MPI), chaired by Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. MPI is a body given the task to promote the unity of the Muslims through its seven exclusive clusters. Its membership consists of Islamic scholars, academicians, public figures, corporate leaders and politicians from various parties.
All these efforts are truly in line with the President’s vision of Tawafuk Am (National Unity) as espoused in his keynote address during the Isma’s 14th Annual General Meeting last year. In the speech, he emphasized on the need for reconciliation among the Muslims groups, between the rulers and Muslims groups, and among the community in general. This is to guarantee the prosperity of Muslims in Malaysia is preserved especially in the current unstable political environment.
Duty towards the identity of ummah
Apart from participating keenly in the current transitional phase of the country political landscape, Isma is primarily involved in the efforts to strengthen the identity of the society especially among the Malays. Agencies and bureaus of Isma have been specifically vocal of the current social issues such as the spreading of the vaping culture, proposal to legalizing marijuana and street racing by publicly voicing out concerns and also providing alternative solutions. Grave concerns regarding the future of the youths led Isma to strongly urge political parties against proposing solutions just for the sake of gaining short term popularity.
Environmental problems too have not escaped Isma’s attention. The prolonged mismanagement of bauxite-mining in Kuantan has brought about severe environmental and economic consequences to its residents. Isma has taken initiatives to provide in-depth news coverage aside from joining the public in voicing out protests.
Defending the sovereignty of nation
Isma also gave attention to global issues that have direct impact towards Malaysians. Since early 2015, Isma has been seriously involved in objecting to the participation of Malaysia into the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). This came to its culmination during Himpunan Bantah TPPA which was held at Padang Merbok Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 23, 2016. Throughout this period, Isma has been publishing articles and posters, and campaigning to help raise public awareness and exert pressure on government to discontinue the trade negotiation.
In his speech during Himpunan Bantah TPPA, Vice President of Isma, Abdul Rahman Mt Dali, denounced TPPA as a capitalism agenda of the United States that will bring bigger harms than benefits. This message was consistent with Isma’s demand for Malaysia to repulse all forms of foreign hegemony that seeks to threaten the sovereignty and stability of the nation.
Unfortunately, the agreement was eventually endorsed by the government on Feb. 4, 2016 in a ceremony in New Zealand.
Caring for the people
Isma gives special attention to the welfare of the people especially the needy and the less fortunate. Yayasan Ikhlas and I-Medik, two agencies under Isma, were among those at the forefront when they ran the Sarawak Flood Relief Mission throughout the months of February and March this year. They helped in distributing vital necessities such as food, clean water and medicines besides conducting mobile clinics at rural villages that were worst hit by the flood.
Yayasan Ikhlas also collaborated with I-Guru, another agency under Isma, in providing school necessities to the needy students around Sabah and Perak early this year.
Apart from relief missions, Isma has also been continuously engaging the community in a wide range of activities via its branches. Biro Dakwah Isma, in collaboration with Isma Kuala Lumpur, initiated Jom Baca Al-Quran program recently by setting up booths at public parks for visitors to assess their recitation of basic chapters of the Quran. Hoping to promote regular practice of reading the Quran, the program garnered positive response and participation from the public.
The spirit to serve while conveying the message of dakwah to the community is also shared by Isma members overseas. In a program on March 18, 2016, Isma Ireland activists paid a visit to an elderly care center in Dublin to spend time carry out activities with its tenants. They were also introduced to Malay tradition such as batik drawing and ketupat weaving. The intrinsic relationship between the Malay custom and Islam was also explained.
Taking dakwah mainstream
In effectuating the President’s call towards a more mainstream approach of dakwah, Isma launched the inaugural Isma President’s Cup football championship along with Isma Football Club. The tournament, which was held on March 5-6, was participated by teams from every state and several from the private sector.
Promoting a more Islamic approach towards the sport with observation of acceptable attire, prayer times and overall discipline, the tournament was a huge success. Apart from the youthful players and the excited supporters from all over Malaysia, the tournament also witnessed several former national players giving their support as coaches and also sharing tips and experiences.
Wanita Isma also provided the avenue for sports by organizing the National Women Badminton Carnival on Jan. 16, 2016 with the theme ‘Saya Nak Sihat’. The event received participations from all Isma branches in Malaysia. In fulfilling the needs for spiritual input for Muslim women of the community, Wanita Isma has conducted Usrah Wanita, a regularly held program in all its branches, covering various aspects that include health, Quranic lessons and children upbringing.
Kelab Remaja Isma (KRIM) in collaboration with Persatuan Belia Islam Nasional (PEMBINA) had organized Karnival Lepasan Sekolah (KLS) throughout the month January this year in 18 locations around Malaysia. About 4000 participants attended this program that provided guidance to youths in planning their future as well as discussing options in pursuing studies after secondary school.
Biro Luar Negara had also taken the initiative to organize a program that provided introduction to life studying abroad which catered for those who were interested or achieved excellent results for SPM. The program, called ‘Bright Stars’, was held on March 13, 2016 through collaboration between KRIM, PEMBINA & I-Guru.
In ensuring that dakwah efforts are done efficiently and its delivery fulfil the needs of the targeted group, Isma put extra attention in managing the contents of all of its online social platforms. The hours invested in this effort paid off when the official website of PEMBINA won the ‘Best Blog of the Year’ by Malaysia Social Media Week 2016 in an award ceremony in March.
Building network
Strategic networking is important in helping our dakwah efforts achieve maximum impact with worthy results. Therefore, in the first three months of the year, several visits were arranged to establishing working relationship with government agencies, other NGOs and other relevant bodies.
In January, Biro Dakwah Isma made a formal visit to the Mufti of Federal Territories, Sahibus Samahah Dr Zulkifli Al Bakri, to discuss current issues especially related to Muslims in Malaysia. Yayasan Ikhlas also paid a visit to the Director of the Department of Islamic Affairs of Kelantan (JAHEAIK) on Jan. 24, 2016 to deliberate on collaboration in various community programs, the economy of the indigenous people and initiatives to address growing influence of Syiah in Kelantan.
Wanita Isma was invited as the guest of honour in the 4th National Musyawarah of Muslimat Hidayatullah, an influential Islamic organization in Indonesia. Wanita Isma sent two representatives to the event, held in Eastern Java on Feb. 7-9, as part of the effort to further strengthen the bond between the two Muslim women organizations in the region.
Later in March, Isma’s representative participated in the International Covenants Training Sessions of Civil Rights and Political (ICCPR), Human Rights Council of United Nations (UN), held at the UN Human Right Training Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. Nursabihah Mohtar, who is also the Chief Editor of Isma Information Bureau, took part in the four-day training session along with representatives from CENTHRA, IKIM, YADIM and several others.
Isma also took part in the widely debated topic of TPPA. On its own initiative, Isma organized a round table discussion between parties of opposing views on the trade agreement. Representatives from both the Malay Economy Action Council (MTEM) and the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) joined in the discourse with Ustaz Abdullah Zaik which served to enhance the understanding between the opponents and proponents of the issue. This was another proof that Isma is always open to meet and discuss with any party on issues that are important to the people such as economical welfare, the sovereignty of Islam and welfare of the Malays.
Developing members
Isma continues to develop its members through diligent implementation of the development module at all of its branches, with the aim to equip all members with the characters as mentioned by the President during the previous annual general meeting.
Apart from the routine program held on a weekly and monthly basis, there are also annual activities held on a larger scale. Late in January, Isma Jordan held its annual outdoor camping called Odyssey. The program received support from the Malaysia- Jordan Education Department. The program emphasised upon the need to prepare oneself in facing global challenges and taking central role in a society and country with predominant Islamic background.
The effectiveness of Isma’s development module is one of the main contributing factors for the excellent achievement of its members. Through the first quarter of 2016, several Isma members received awards and recognition for their outstanding accomplishments. PEMBINA Penang Secretary, Syahida Farhan Azha, was awarded with The Best Post-Graduate Research Project and The Best Post-Thesis for Engineering & Technology category in the Majlis Persada Kencana at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) recently. Meanwhile Zainab Husna, from Isma Gombak, completed her Masters in Usul Fiqh from Madinah International University at the young age of 23, adding on the her earlier achievement of completing a degree in Syariah from Al Azhar University three years ago.
Isma South Korea member, Nur Amalina Ahmad Nasir, was the Inha University’s Best Student in Electrical Engineering and given the honour to deliver a speech during the convocation ceremony representing other graduates. Another member of Isma South Korea, Nur Sayhida Suyot also brought fame to Malaysia when she was awarded as Sungkyunkwan University’s Best Student in Material Science Engineering.
The passing of the first quarter of 2016 saw Isma executed and a variety of programs that aim to develop a community vibrant with Islamic aspiration. All Isma members, as well as members of the public, are encouraged to participate in many more activities that are already planned to be conducted throughout the remaining of this year.
Keep updated with Isma and its agencies upcoming programs via the official website www.isma.org.my or http://ift.tt/25wkCBG.
Prepared by Isma Information Bureau
(Translation provided by Mohd Fauzan Md Fuad from Isma Kuala Lumpur)
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