I am a strong advocate of education. I have always emphasized the importance of education, in fact the focus of American Muslims should be more towards community building and education rather than politics and advocacy. Majority of American Muslims are first and second generation immigrants, we should have a three phase approach to develop. The first generation should focus on community building and education, the second generation should focus on entrepreneurship and only third generation should go in politics and advocacy.

You must be thinking why am I writing about a phase approach of building our generation because I feel that not much emphasis is paid on education by our community leaders, I have not come across a single initiative in  our community which promotes advancement in education. This year, in the 40 finalists of the Intel Science Talent Search, I did not come across a single Muslim Student. Each year the Intel Science Talent Search, through a national contest, identifies and honors the top math and science high school students in America, based on their solutions to scientific problems. Majority of the 40 finalists were South Asian, almost 50% of the Muslims in America are from South Asia, and if there was not even one American Muslim in the 40 finalists, then we have to wake up.

Excerpt from the article below:

The 40 Finalists of the 2010 Intel Science Talent Search: Linda Zhou, Alice Wei Zhao, Lori Ying, Angela Yu-Yun Yeung, Lynnelle Lin Ye, Kevin Young Xu, Benjamin Chang Sun, Jane Yoonhae Suh, Katheryn Cheng Shi, Sunanda Sharma, Sarine Gayaneh Shahmirian, Arjun Ranganath Puranik, Raman Venkat Nelakant, Akhil Mathew, Paul Masih Das, David Chienyun Liu, Elisa Bisi Lin, Yifan Li, Lanair Amaad Lett, Ruoyi Jiang, Otana Agape Jakpor, Peter Danming Hu, Yale Wang Fan, Yuval Yaacov Calev, Levent Alpoge, John Vincenzo Capodilupo and Namrata Anand.

No, sorry, it was not a dinner of the China-India Friendship League. Give up?

O.K. All these kids are American high school students. They were the majority of the 40 finalists in the 2010 Intel Science Talent Search, which, through a national contest, identifies and honors the top math and science high school students in America, based on their solutions to scientific problems. The awards dinner was Tuesday, and, as you can see from the above list, most finalists hailed from immigrant families, largely from Asia

Please click to read more about the America Real Dream Team. An article by Thomas Friedman

 

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Last year we hosted American Muslim Consumer Conference in New Jersey. In attendance were two Muslims from Hollywood; Kamran Pasha and Faran Tahir. I had the opportunity to meet both of them, what was surprising to know that although both of them have been working in Hollywood for many years, both are from Pakistani origin but they had never met each other before. Next day I picked both of them from the hotel to drop to the airport and during the ride to the airport i enjoyed their conversation of how they were already planning to work together on a script which Kamran Pasha had written and sold to Disney five years ago. The copyright on that script was due to expire and Kamran was looking for an actor who can play the role of Shah Jahan, the script was written on Noor Jahan, wife of Shah Jahan.

I wanted to publish their profile which shows that their hard work and their educational background helped them to achieve the success. Their profile should give a strong message to all the young Muslims who are striving to get in Hollywood.

During the ride back to home i felt good that i was able to connect two Muslims working in Hollywood. May be their collaboration can initiate to portray positive image of Muslims in Hollywood.

Faran Tahir (born February 16, 1963) is an American film and television actor. Faran Tahir was born in Los Angeles, California, where his Pakistani parents had been studying acting and directing at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Growing up in Pakistan, Tahir returned to Los Angeles in 1980. In 1985, he appeared as Bolshintsov in U.C. Berkeley's production of A Month in the Country. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a BA in Theatre before acquiring a graduate degree from Harvard University's Institute for Advanced Theatre Training.

He made his film debut playing Nathoo in the Disney's 1994 live-action version of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. He has since appeared in such films as Picture Perfect (1997), Anywhere But Here (1999), and Charlie Wilson's War (2007). He also played the male lead in the 1999 independent film ABCD. In 2008, Tahir played the role of the villain Raza in the Marvel Comics-based Iron Man. He played Starfleet captain Richard Robau in the 2009 film Star Trek.

Faran Tahir has guest starred on many television series, including Alias, The Practice, Family Law, The Agency, NYPD Blue, Lost, 7th Heaven, The West Wing, JAG, Judging Amy, The D.A., 24, Monk, Justice, Cold Case and Chuck. He also co-starred with Robert Beltran and Chasife Masterson in the 2005 Sci Fi Channel original movie Manticore.


Kamran Pasha is a screenwriter and director.  He recently partnered with Wonderland Sound and Vision, producers of TERMINATATOR: SALVATION, CHARLIE’S ANGELS, THE O.C., CHUCK and SUPERNATURAL, to sell his first television pilot to Warner Brothers.  Previously he served as a writer and producer for NBC’s television series KINGS.  His other credits include serving as writer and producer on NBC’s remake of BIONIC WOMAN, and on Showtime Network’s Golden Globe nominated series SLEEPER CELL, about a Muslim FBI agent who infiltrates a terrorist group.  Kamran directed the short film MIRIAM, which won the Gaia Award at the Moondance Film Festival in 2008.  He is represented by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment and Untitled Entertainment.

Kamran is a published novelist as well.  Simon & Schuster recently published MOTHER OF THE BELIEVERS, a novel showing the rise of Islam from the eyes of Prophet Muhammad’s wife Aisha.  His next novel, SHADOW OF THE SWORDS, follows the conflict between Richard the Lionheart and the Muslim leader Saladin for control of Jerusalem during the Crusades.  And Kamran has also made strides in the video game world.  He recently wrote BLOOD ON THE SAND for Vivendi Universal, the sequel to hip-hop mogul 50 Cent’s bestselling game BULLETPROOF.

Kamran’s career launched when he sold his first feature script to Warner Brothers Pictures, an historical epic on the love story behind the building of the TAJ MAHAL.  He has also adapted the Japanese anime KITE, about a teenage girl who works as an assassin, into an action thriller for Rob Cohen, the director of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS and THE MUMMY 3.

He is currently writing an epic film entitled THE VOYAGE OF IBN BATTUTA, which follows the adventures of the famous Arab traveler who journeyed to China in the 14th century.  This feature is being financed by the Moroccan government and produced by French production company Forecast Pictures.

Kamran holds a BA and an MBA from Dartmouth, a JD from Cornell Law School, and an MFA from UCLA Film School.  He spent three years as a journalist in New York City, interviewing prominent international figures such as Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, and Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

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In my quest to write about American Muslims who are either entrepreneurs, social workers, educationists or activists, I am always on the lookout for an inspiring story. The work done by Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy also falls in this category and Muslim Youth should learn from the work he has done. We all know the power of the internet; Social Media sites like Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin are some of the sites which have ridden the popularity curve. These sites can be used for your advantages or could be used to just waste your valuable time. Salman Khan has used the power of YouTube to provide education to anyone, anywhere free. He has created and posted 1000's of videos on YouTube which cover basic arithmetic, biology, chemistry, banking, finance, algebra, calculus, and physics. The quality of these videos and the instruction style used by Salman Khan is comparable to any good school classroom style of teaching.

His 1100 videos has already gotten 8 Million views from suburbs of America and London to villages of Uganda and Eritrea. Every month 70,000 students watch 35,000 videos every day which translates to 2 Million minutes of instructions delivered every week. Salman Khan has used the power of the internet and the free services of YouTube to provide education to the children who cannot afford to get one to one learning instruction. The Khan Academy and Salman Khan have received a 2009 Tech Award in Education. The Tech Awards is an international awards program that honors innovators from around the world who are applying technology to benefit humanity.

Salman Khan has a very impressive background. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He also holds a Masters in electrical engineering and computer science, a BS in electrical engineering and computer science, and a BS in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He could be working for any Hedge Fund and making millions, but his passion to provide free education to the world is quite inspiring. Every Muslim household in America and the world should be proud of his work and should do everything to support his effort. We should produce many Salman Khans so that we can eradicate world illiteracy.

To learn more about Khan Academy please visit www.KhanAcademy.org

 

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Last week I came across a news item which reported the arrest of 11 students protesting during the speech of Israeli Ambassador at the University of California at Irvine. The article was published in a small newspaper Orange County Sentinel, what was interesting to note was 600 comments by readers. I enjoy reading comments posted by users, it gives you a perspective as to what kind of newsreader does the paper has. As always the comments were biased, unbiased, neutral, full of hatred, ignorance, journalistic etc. However most of the comments were made against the Muslims in general and that Muslims are always troublemakers and historically they have not contributed anything to mankind. I fail to understand that how could this incident be related to Muslim contributions of mankind and the ignorance of readers who took an effort to post their comments.

Interestingly a few days later I received an email about the various inventions Muslims have contributed which shapes the modern world. I wish, I could change the view of the reader who had posted a comment accusing that Muslims have not contributed anything to mankind.

 

Muslim inventions that shaped the modern world

London, England (CNN) -- Think of the origins of that staple of modern life, the cup of coffee, and Italy often springs to mind.

But in fact, Yemen is where the ubiquitous brew has its true origins.

Along with the first university, and even the toothbrush, it is among surprising Muslim inventions that have shaped the world we live in today.

The origins of these fundamental ideas and objects -- the basis of everything from the bicycle to musical scales -- are the focus of "1001 Inventions," a book celebrating "the forgotten" history of 1,000 years of Muslim heritage.

"There's a hole in our knowledge, we leap frog from the Renaissance to the Greeks," professor Salim al-Hassani, Chairman of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation, and editor of the book told CNN.

"1001 Inventions" is now an exhibition at London's Science Museum. Hassani hopes the exhibition will highlight the contributions of non-Western cultures -- like the Muslim empire that once covered Spain and Portugal, Southern Italy and stretched as far as parts of China -- to present day civilization.

Here Hassani shares his top 10 outstanding Muslim inventions:

1. Surgery

Around the year 1,000, the celebrated doctor Al Zahrawi published a 1,500 page illustrated encyclopedia of surgery that was used in Europe as a medical reference for the next 500 years. Among his many inventions, Zahrawi discovered the use of dissolving cat gut to stitch wounds -- beforehand a second surgery had to be performed to remove sutures. He also reportedly performed the first caesarean operation and created the first pair of forceps.

2. Coffee

Now the Western world's drink du jour, coffee was first brewed in Yemen around the 9th century. In its earliest days, coffee helped Sufis stay up during late nights of devotion. Later brought to Cairo by a group of students, the coffee buzz soon caught on around the empire. By the 13th century it reached Turkey, but not until the 16th century did the beans start boiling in Europe, brought to Italy by a Venetian trader.

3. Flying machine

"Abbas ibn Firnas was the first person to make a real attempt to construct a flying machine and fly," said Hassani. In the 9th century he designed a winged apparatus, roughly resembling a bird costume. In his most famous trial near Cordoba in Spain, Firnas flew upward for a few moments, before falling to the ground and partially breaking his back. His designs would undoubtedly have been an inspiration for famed Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci's hundreds of years later, said Hassani.

4. University

In 859 a young princess named Fatima al-Firhi founded the first degree-granting university in Fez, Morocco. Her sister Miriam founded an adjacent mosque and together the complex became the al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University. Still operating almost 1,200 years later, Hassani says he hopes the center will remind people that learning is at the core of the Islamic tradition and that the story of the al-Firhi sisters will inspire young Muslim women around the world today.

5. Algebra

The word algebra comes from the title of a Persian mathematician's famous 9th century treatise "Kitab al-Jabr Wa l-Mugabala" which translates roughly as "The Book of Reasoning and Balancing." Built on the roots of Greek and Hindu systems, the new algebraic order was a unifying system for rational numbers, irrational numbers and geometrical magnitudes. The same mathematician, Al-Khwarizmi, was also the first to introduce the concept of raising a number to a power.

6. Optics

"Many of the most important advances in the study of optics come from the Muslim world," says Hassani. Around the year 1000 Ibn al-Haitham proved that humans see objects by light reflecting off of them and entering the eye, dismissing Euclid and Ptolemy's theories that light was emitted from the eye itself. This great Muslim physicist also discovered the camera obscura phenomenon, which explains how the eye sees images upright due to the connection between the optic nerve and the brain.

7. Music

Muslim musicians have had a profound impact on Europe, dating back to Charlemagne tried to compete with the music of Baghdad and Cordoba, according to Hassani. Among many instruments that arrived in Europe through the Middle East are the lute and the rahab, an ancestor of the violin. Modern musical scales are also said to derive from the Arabic alphabet.

8. Toothbrush

According to Hassani, the Prophet Mohammed popularized the use of the first toothbrush in around 600. Using a twig from the Meswak tree, he cleaned his teeth and freshened his breath. Substances similar to Meswak are used in modern toothpaste.

9. The crank

Many of the basics of modern automatics were first put to use in the Muslim world, including the revolutionary crank-connecting rod system. By converting rotary motion to linear motion, the crank enables the lifting of heavy objects with relative ease. This technology, discovered by Al-Jazari in the 12th century, exploded across the globe, leading to everything from the bicycle to the internal combustion engine.

10. Hospitals

"Hospitals as we know them today, with wards and teaching centers, come from 9th century Egypt," explained Hassani. The first such medical center was the Ahmad ibn Tulun Hospital, founded in 872 in Cairo. Tulun hospital provided free care for anyone who needed it -- a policy based on the Muslim tradition of caring for all who are sick. From Cairo, such hospitals spread around the Muslim world.

For more information on muslim inventions go to: muslimheritage.com. For more information about the exhibition at London's Science Museum go to:science museum.org.uk

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We love football in America, it is a great game and is synonymous with American culture, pride and a great sporting spirit. NFL (National Football League) which promotes the game is the most successful franchise and is a close knitted family. Getting in NFL and owning a football team in America is every business person dreams. This is the firt time in the NFL history that a owner of the football team will be a Pakistani American, an Illinois based business man, Shahid Khan, who will be buying the St. Louis RAMS. The news has travelled faster than anything in the US media and especially within the Muslim American community and South Asian Americans.

For those who do not live in America, it will be diifficult to understand the frenzy associated with football, during football season, it is discussed everywhere, at work, at parties, at home, betwen father and son, between friends etc. This year the superbowl between Colts and New Orleans Saints was watched by 105 millions. Imagine next year if RAMS goes to superbowl and 105 millions watching the game finds that the team is owned by a Pakistani American. I love this game!

READ MORE .............. RAMS will be sold to Illinois business man Shahid Khan

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Mentoring is commonly defined as an interactive professional development relationship in which both mentors and those they mentor gain career support. The reciprocal aspects of this relationship - mentoring is true partnership. Many people seem to think that mentoring is one sided, mentoring gives and mentee receives. A true mentoring is not one sided.

Having the support of mentor has long been regarded as a crucial determinant of career success. A mentor is traditionally someone with advanced experience and knowledge who is willing to provide upward mobility and career support as well as to enhance the mentee's competence, sense of identity and effectiveness. For the mentee, engaging in a mentor relationship is associated with career advancement, personality development and broadening opportunties. Mentors get satisfaction when mentee succeed, they also learn a lot in this process so it is reciprocal.

The “mentor as authoritarian” model is no longer a viable way of approaching mentoring relationships. These days, the mentor is more likely to be the “guide on the side.” In the past, the person being mentored was more of a passive receiver of information who was chosen by the mentor to engage in this relationship. Today, the mentee actively seeks out and develops such relationships.

In the past, the mentor set the direction of the relationship. Today, the mentor’s role is to provide a more supportive experience to address the mentee’s goals. The mentor is no longer responsible for the mentee’s learning. Now, it is the mentee who should take the lead in setting and achieving learning goals.
In the past, the mentoring relationship involved a single mentor and one mentee. But today, those seeking guidance often rely on multiple advisors for career guidance. In the past, mentoring was considered an ongoing experience. Today, it is more goal-driven than calendar-driven.

It means that the mentee is responsible for initiating the mentoring relationship and ultimately for the direction and progression of his or her career. It pays to be proactive in initiating a mentoring relationship! But first, you need to think it through. Ask yourself:

1. What specifically do I want to learn from a mentor?

2. What are my goals?

3. Is it career coaching or counseling that I need?

4. Is what I need something that a mentor can help me with?

In short, you need to know yourself first. The next step is to research and assess who would be a good mentor for you. Your future mentor may not be part of your existing network. You should explore your current network of contacts to help you identify individuals who may be a good match for you, such as:

1. Former managers

2. Current or past co-workers

3. Business colleagues outside the firm

4. Referrals from people who know you well

5. Do not underestimate your successful Uncle and Aunt or your distant relative

Next, ask yourself ‘How can I evoke a mentor’s interest in me?’

Certain qualities are particularly attractive to mentors. Not surprisingly, they’re more likely to be interested in helping people who are committed, respectful, and curious. Another strategy is to ask a prospective mentor what they would expect from you. This shows leadership and initiative on your part. It also helps to establish what I call “relational equilibrium.” For a mentoring relationship to succeed, it is absolutely critical to ask about your mentor’s needs and interests so that you can reciprocate when the opportunity arises. Moreover, asking your mentor what he or she would like to get from the relationship is a great way to start to build the relationship. A successful mentoring is all about relationship building, and relationship building is really about trust. You build trust over time:

1. By coming prepared for each meeting

2. By doing what you say you’re going to do

3. By keeping your mentor’s confidence on information that should not be shared

4. By showing respect for your mentor’s time

5. By understanding that the frequency of meetings will depend on both parties’ schedules

6. By listening intently and keeping an open mind to advice and criticism

7. By searching for ways to achieve your objectives prior to discussing them with your mentor so that you can contribute ideas to the discussion

8. By being honest with your mentor and discussing your problems or shortcomings clearly and openly

9. By applying the advice you receive – and discussing the results at the next session

10. By NOT expecting your mentor to manage your career – that’s still your responsibility

11. And finally, by working through any conflicts that arise. In a good mentoring relationship, you won’t always agree. But working through conflict with respect and tact can actually enhance and deepen the relationship.

Once trust is established, you’ll see your relationship will start to grow. So reach out to your friends, colleagues, relatives, associates who are willing to become your mentor. Often we ignore our relatives, assuming that he or she can always be there when you need help. However it is not about getting help on adhoc basis but developing that relationship, remember relationship is built over times.

Here’s one last tip: Feedback is a gift. So remember to thank your mentor for his or her guidance.

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One of the best ways to keep you going in life is to constantly have new challenges. A sure way to do so is to have people open doors for you and provide you with opportunities. To ensure this flow of events, you must constantly expand your network of contacts and think of them as forgotten investments on which you might eventually be able to collect a return.

Remember that networking is a two way process and that honest and trustworthy people will always return the favor. This is best described by the old saying: You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours". This is not to imply that you will give and/or expect a favor from every person you meet, but keep your eyes open.

The key to networking is cultivating relationships and sharing ideas, information and resources. This is a two-step and two way process: the first part is to let people know what you do and the second part is to listen to what others have to share.

The universal law of giving, as referred to by Deepak Chopra in his Seven Spiritual Laws of Success can be seen in action through effective networking. The universe operates through dynamic exchange; giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy. In our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives.

The two key words for successful networking are planning and personal. That means planning and making contacts for professional and personal gain. Networking has to be planned to be effective - it doesn't just happen - and quality networking only happens when supportive personal relationships are built.

Networking is a 24-hour a day process. You are always on the lookout for people to include in your network, and on the lookout for formal and informal networks you can join. Understand that networking may not provide immediate benefits. It may take years to see the results of your networking efforts.

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I love technology and specially how it has made our life easy. Technology has helped us communicate better, process faster, transact more, produce more and even when it comes to practicing our faith, tehnology helps us to do it better and more effectively. If you have access to internet, finding Qibla direction or finding a mosque is now only a click away.

As we are becoming more mobile and with cellphone becoming more powerful, these informations are readily available even when you are mobile. In emerging economy and developing countries where the wired infrastructure did not exist, mobile technology is catching up fast. We have given the power of sharing, collaboration and transacting on mobile platform. On the other hand smartphones like iPhones are changing the paradigm of information availability, even when it comes to practicing your faith. Applications like mosque finder, islamic complass, global prayer times, al Quran and iHadith keeps you close to Allah(s).

Now, the most common excuse, because you are travelling is no more applicable. Read more about these 5 Islamic applications for iPhone

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Memeo Connect for Google Apps presents our customers with an attractive option to integrate or migrate all of their files into Google Docs.”
Lets you manage your Google Docs account from your desktop, giving you offline access to your Google Docs and making it easy to sync your files across multiple computers.
More about MemeoConnect

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A day after Thanksgiving is considered to be a Black Day, what it means that most Americans shop on that day for Christmas, it is a win win for both consumers as well as retailers, retailers lure consumers with low prices to their stores and consumers kickoff their Christmas or holiday season shopping. In business term that day is known as black day because retailers hope to go in black on their income statement because of the increased sales.

This year the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha happens to coincide with Thanksgiving. Best Buy with all good intentions wished everyone Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Eid al-Adha in their promotional/marketing material. This created a lot of controversy on the web, and Best Buy was criticized by many to be supporting Muslim festivals. Comments left by many against this article was interesting, many were supportive, many went so far as saying that they will never shop at Best Buy, many wrote it is an act of terrorism since they think all Muslims are terrorist and any act of supporting their festival is also an act of terrorism.

What made me wonder was that a business move by Best Buy to bring Muslim customers to their shop could be politicized and demonized in such a way was reflective of the hatred and ignorance which still exists.

You can view the article and the comments on Brandweek.com

In response to the Best Buy ad, we sent a letter to Best Buy commending their move and exhibiting the importance of multicultural, diverse society which exists and how we have to respect each others religion, belief, opinion, moral and social values.

Letter to Best Buy:

On behalf of the American Muslim Consumer, a project of MLink, and the American Muslim Community at large, I am writing to thank you for your recognition and support of our Eid Holiday.

Best Buy’s commitment to diversity, even in the face of criticism, is a testimony to your company’s reliance on the highest standards of business excellence and customer service. Your decision to stand with our community in celebration of our holidays, as you have with other communities, is at the very epicenter of the spirit of multicultural diversity and the highest ideals of our great nation. I applaud your bold initiative to place principle above profit, and sincerely hope and expect that Best Buy will continue on this path as a way to forge greater understanding and unity amongst your culturally diverse patrons. Best Buy, through this initiative, continues to display its ability to serve as an influential leader in the areas of promoting multicultural marketing.

I would also ask you to convey my sincere thanks to all the people in your company who contributed in any way to this campaign. Please let them know that the sum of their contributions will result in our organization’s effort to encourage our community to support Best Buy by making it the preferred choice for our consumer needs.

The American Muslim Consumer, www.americanmuslimconsumer.com, is committed to serving as a bridge, whereby businesses and executives would be able to understand and access the American-Muslim Market through useful insights, information and opportunities. We are also committed to informing our community members about organizations, such as Best Buy, which are setting new standards of social responsibility, serving as powerful examples designed to inspire other companies and organizations to do the same. We look forward to your continued support and are eager to hear how else we can be of benefit to your organization.

In closing, to those who decided that they will never shop at Best Buy: the December sales for Best Buy topped Wall Street expectations and were up by almost 8.2%

 

 

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