signature Projects
Embodying the Spirit of Service in Islam
KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR
Interfaith Dinners, Community Events and Collaborations
“An opportunity to share the beauty of our message.”
The Know Your Neighbor Project was built from the need to be able to better share own narrative as Muslims and to create opportunities for further collaboration with our surrounding communities. Our hope is that more and more of these opportunities lend to the ability for our Muslim community to work even more closely with other faiths and cultures on issues affect us all.
Interfaith & Community Dinners
Our interfaith and community dinners are an opportunity to share the beauty of our message. It is a time where we can break bread and share stories with the local community and faith leaders. Great food and great company allow for an opportunity to break down walls of misunderstanding, and to instead give room for not only lifelong relationships, but conversations that can lead to meaningful community collaboration projects. We intend to increase these projects year by year by joining with other community members, leaders and politicians who share our same vision and mission.
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Open Mosques
Our Know Your Muslim Neighbor Project consists of several open mosques throughout NY. Local neighbors, organizations and politicians will be invited to participate in short, educational presentation and guided gallery walks on Islamic topics and themes. These events give our neighbors an opportunity to get to know our rich history and religion and to have an opportunity to ask questions and engage in meaningful discussions. Local police and leaders have a chance to address the community and share their visions on what being a great neighbor could mean in the area. There is also be fun, interactive experiences and refreshments for all to enjoy.
Street Da'wah
This part of our project involves weekends where trained Dawah Leaders, like our collaborating partners, Grassroots Dawah, take to the streets to engage with the local community first hand. They discuss Islam with local passersby and guide youth volunteer groups on how to explain their deen (religion) through modeling and coaching. It is an excellent opportunity for our youth and rising leaders to reaffirm what they learn in Useras by explaining it to others in a guided setting.
People of other faiths and denominations appreciate this opportunity to get answers to burning questions and to meet a ‘Real Muslim’. This program ends up resulting in two to six conversions a weekend. These reverts are then directed to our Revert Reconnect Program, giving them a great opportunity to learn more about their faith and meet with their new Muslim community.
MANY MEALS FOOD PANTRIES
Many Meals is the first citywide food pantry run by an Islamic organization in New York. According to a Feeding America analysis that identified the meals missing from the home of families and individuals struggling with food insecurity, New York City missed 224.8 million meals in 2015. That’s just too much.
MAS believes that every community should have access to healthy and sustainable meals for their families and, to face this challenge, we have set up Many Meals food pantries in Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens. These pantries are feeding over 10,000 patrons per year. This is just a drop in the ocean and there is a lot of work to do, but we’re ready to take on the task.
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Opportunities to help
The Many Meals Pantry also provides opportunities for the community to volunteer and help their neighbors in need. Our volunteers help ensure that good food doesn’t go to waste. Whether you have experience in teaching and nutrition, are interested in working with local farmers, or simply want to give back to your community, your passion and time are important resources in the fight against hunger.
The Numbers are Staggering
339k
Approximately 339,000 NYC children don’t know where there next meal will come from
1.4 Million
An estimated 1.4 million New Yorkers rely on emergency food programs.
11.9%
11.9% of New York State Residents are Food Insecure
REVERTS RECONNECT
Reverts Reconnect Project was created to give those interested in Islam, new Muslims, or Muslims looking to revive their faith, a way to connect and grow. Currently, we have been open mostly to sisters, but we are working on expanding our brothers wing.
Our programs and services prioritize our sisters and brothers by providing the specific emotional, spiritual, and social support needed within their journey. The MAS leaders behind this Project use their twenty plus years of community service, to ensure that the program is designed and maintained in a way that is consistent with the growing needs of the Muslim community. We understand that coming into a new religion or returning to one can have its challenges. We are dedicated to ensuring that all sisters and brothers have a place to be heard, ask questions and look for answers. Our goal is to help our brothers and sisters become better integrated into the Muslim community and flourish.
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Reverts Reconnect Project creates a sisterhood and brotherhood that allows people of all cultures to come together, to celebrate and to enjoy their acceptance or rediscovery of Islam. Our carefully designed events, programs, and services provide the space and support to talk about what it’s like to transition into a new way of live. Our Project is answering the thoughts, questions, and concerns our sisters and brothers may have about family, work, marriage, and beyond.
We can’t wait for you to become a part of our MAS family!
Revert & Revival driven events
Eid Extravaganzas
Reverts Reconnect Project organizes annual Eid Extravaganzas for reverts, open to the whole community. We do this to give reverts a fun space to enjoy the two annual Eids and never have to celebrate them alone. We provide top notch entertainment, prominent speakers, food, vendors, and break out sessions led by trained professionals on various revert related topics of interest.
SHAHADA BOX
Shahada is the Islamic declaration of faith (I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad P.B.U.H is his messenger). Upon accepting the declaration of faith or shahada, Reverts Reconnect Project provides a shahada box full of items supporting the needs of new Muslims. Some items include: A welcome letter from Reverts Reconnect Project, prayer rug, hijab or kufi, prayer beads, instructions on how to pray, list of when MAS-NY centers have brothers or sisters knowledge circles, and more!
BIG SISTER, LITTLE SISTER MENTORSHIP
Reverts Reconnect Project pairs new Muslims with long-time reverts or a supportive Muslim sister to form long lasting friendship. Our “Big Sisters” go through a screening process to ensure they are the right match for any “Little Sister.” This mentorship provides new Muslims with social, religious, and emotional support to endure the many transitions brought about by reverting.
Our brothers wing will include the same.
Revert Brothers Wing
We are hard at work to provide even more revert-brother focused events, programs, and services, so that all new Muslims in the New York City and tri-state area can find a place at Reverts Reconnect Project.
Monthly Sisters Meet-ups & Seasonal Hangouts
Monthly, Reverts Reconnect Project hosts potluck meet-ups for revert sisters and supportive Muslim community. We share food, give emotional support, and talk about the monthly meet-up topic chosen by attendees. Past topics have included “Sharing our Stories”, “Dealing with the Holidays as a Revert” and “Responding to Tough Questions. ” We also plan seasonal hang-outs outside of our centers to engage in activities, food and fun that will give opportunities for our community to relax and connect with other Muslims in various settings.
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One of our main goals is to give reverts and Muslims coming back to the faith exactly what they feel they need. We survey our community to ensure that any events we chose are of high interest and cater to their specific areas of growth. More recently, many of our members have expressed more events on how to deal with family, how to get help to get married in an Islamic way, how death and burial is different in Islam and having more of a voice. For that reason, their input is directly reflected in the events that we put forth. We will continually include their input in all areas of our program.
All of our events have babysitting with trained individuals and activities for all ages.
New Muslim Classes & hALAQAS
We have created a curriculum that is tailored to what organize ongoing classes for reverts, those interested in reverting, or those who grew up Muslim in a non-practicing family, to know the basics of Islam. Our classes focus on aqeedah (Islamic creed), the pillars of Islam, the pillars of Iman (faith), how to perform salah (prayer), fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) issues for daily living, and an introduction to Islamic vocabulary.
All sisters who enter Islam are offered to be placed in a halaka with a qualified teacher. Days and times vary by center.
MAS EN ESPAÑOL
YO SOY MUSLIM!
MAS En Español seeks to foster positive relationships between Latino Muslims and the greater American Muslim community. By organizing special events and providing much-needed support and educational resources, we're hoping that the impact of Latino Muslims in America grows exponentially. Some of our activities include:
Hajj Trips
Study Circles
Special Events
Ramadan Programs
Eid Activities
MAS PACE & MY VOTE, MY VOICE CAMPAIGN
Our MAS-PACE initiatives seek to connect the American Muslim community with society at large through a comprehensive empowerment process which includes public relations, civic engagement, political involvement, interfaith collaboration, coalition building, and media outreach.
MY VOTE, MY VOICE
The My Vote, My Voice campaign seeks to empower the Muslim Community by stressing the importance of voting and ensuring that every single person that is eligible is registered to vote. Without our votes, our voices can never be heard.
