Blessed by Your Support

Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatu Allahe Wa Barakatuh (Peace be with you and God Blessings and God’s mercy),

Dear Supporters, on Saturday January 21, 2017 TMWF hosted our 12th Annual Fundraising Gala. We cannot find the words to express to all of you how grateful and blessed we are by your support. We had 500 attendees from different faith communities, nationalities, denominations, affiliations, stages in life and professions. Among us we were blessed with Rabbis, Pastors, Imams, men, women and youths. They all were and – are – true faithful and true believers, putting the teachings of their faith into action. Each one made the statement that they supported TMWF’s work.

Peace in the Home

First and foremost the Peace in the Home domestic violence (DV) program:

  • To look after the needy and less fortunate, and empower them  to pick up their lives after experiencing devastating trauma, and move on.
  • Since 2009, we’ve served close to 2,000 victims – women, men and children
  • We’ve answered 5,000 hotline calls
  • We’ve sheltered 600 victims in Peaceful Oasis and transitional housing
  • We’ve represented over 300 cases in court – both in immigration and family law
  • We partnered with our Masajids and Imams since 2008 in annual Ramadan DV Awareness Campaigns, dedicating full Khutbahs (sermons) about DV, and reaching at least 100,000 people with the message that Islam honors women and condemns violence, definitely within our homes, but most assuredly everywhere else.

Goodwill and Friendship

TMWF and supporters were and – are – acknowledging that “All people are created equal” by the one All Mighty creator. Although we come in all races, all ethnicities, all genders, we are meant to know one another and to care for one another and live peacefully together on God’s good Earth. This is the integral vision in our Interfaith and Outreach program. The tremendous interfaith audience were the fruit of the constant work over the years – visiting, partnering with all faiths and denominations, speaking in schools, colleges and groups and establishing goodwill and friendship in the process.

Building Cultural Bridges

We all know that all of us are not given the same starting points or means in life, but all of us have the right to be educated and to improve our future and that of all our families. This highlights TMWF’s Education program. What is a better and more effective way to connect people and bring them together than art with our Islamic Arts Revival Series program? Art has always been a universal language to build cultural bridges.

Children are our future 

Last but not least, we all realize that our children are our future. They are the ones who will hold the reigns of our society, our country and our world. What we plant in their minds early on is what we will reap in the future years to come, and this is our focus in the Youth Leadership program. Since 2008, when Farhana Ali established the program, over 500 youth have volunteered over 3,000 hours of service to food pantries, homeless shelters, hospitals and senior homes. On Saturday we saw them the fight against Domestic Violence with Mayor Rawlings and our Imams.

Our programs showed that TMWF is a living, breathing, mini world, that nurtures all the values that faiths and real humanity promote: compassion, love, friendship, support, generosity, respect and care for every single individual within this world. We respect and value of all the resources and expertise that each one brings, whether they are young or old, men or women, black or white, Mexican, South Asian, white, Arab, African, European, or Latin American.

Thank you to our gala sponsors, program advertisers, silent auction donors and to the wonderful ladies who donated the delicious treats for all our guests!

On the second day after the inauguration, we all witnessed the women’s marches all over the country, and witnessed the fear and the worry that many people were experiencing in light of the anticipated new changes in government. For us at TMWF, these are even more scary times. We fear for our women, community, our men and children. We fear for the poor, all refugees and immigrants.

We fear the anticipated cuts in federal programs and grants. The news today are that the Office of Violence against women, the source of funding for major DV providers around the country, as well as the National Endowment for the Arts, and other critically important programs will be eliminated. We pray that our coming together will be the assurance that the people of this country will continue the work to look after one another and support one another, and in light of potential cuts in funding from the government, each and every one of us will reach out more within his own ability and will be even more generous in his donations today and onward.

None of the current programs helping the homeless, the victims of DV, the people with disabilities, poor, refugees the LGBTQ can continue without our combined effort and generosity.  So please continue to donate to TMWF and your favorite charities.

And I am reminded here by the verse from the Quran, that a good deed is like a corn that gives 7 corns:

مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنبُلَةٍ مِّئَةُ حَبَّةٍ وَاللّهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَن يَشَاء وَاللّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
Quran Chapter 2 Verse 261

The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.

Thank You

Lastly, thank you to ALL our brothers and sisters who stood with the Muslim Community and came out in droves to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to make a stand and state that refugees are welcome.

Thank you to Dallas Mayor Rawlings, Judge Clay Jenkins, Dallas Faith Leaders: Rev Michael Waters, Pastor Erik Folkerth, Imam Omar Suleiman, the untiring and dedicated and relentless Alia Salem, CAIR Executive Director, the countless Pro Bono lawyers who worked unselfishly. Thank you to the generous volunteers who brought food and water and cleaning supplies for the thousands of protesters who stayed there till the detainees were released. We thank the gracious Police Officers who attended to the peaceful crowds and to the news agencies such as WFAA, Dallas Morning News for covering all the events.

Together we stand
I know I’m missing a lot of wonderful people who are definitely deserving of recognition, please forgive my memory! Please know that we are sincerely grateful and appreciative of your presence among us. God Bless the great American spirit and our wonderful American brothers and sisters who always uphold the values and constitution of the USA, and do not let fear and hate push them away. God Bless the already great USA.

Thank you for your generosity and supporting our mission.

Sincerely,
Hind Jarrah, Ph.D.
Executive Director

PS: If you were unable to join us at the Gala, please consider making your gift today. We need more #PeaceChampions to stand with us to bring “Peace in the Home”.