IAGD Community
IAGD Community Blog (No affiliation with IAGD Organization)
Sunday, November 10, 2019
A Message of Appreciation and Hope
The past two months have been challenging for our community.
I have witnessed the community members organizing themselves, putting tremendous time and effort towards the reinstatement of the imam movement. Throughout the community has illustrated a high level of talent, civility, creativity, intelligence and team work. To my community there are no words that I can express for how much I appreciate your dedication and the tireless work that you put into this campaign. Your overwhelming support has been a constant motivation for me and my family.
I want to make it clear that I did not choose to leave my position as the Imam of IAGD. For me, it was not merely a job, it was the fulfillment of the trust that Allah swt has entrusted scholars to spread His word and introduce His guidance to people. Although I have received many generous offers in the past years, I preferred to continue to work with my community that I always considered my extended family.
The outcome of this campaign may not appear to be the best, however, we should never forget that our ultimate goal should always be pleasing Allah swt in everything we do in our life. There are unlimited opportunities to serve good causes and stand for justice. We should not cease to use our talent to serve.
I will always be available for you, pray for you and hope to be together in Allah’s paradise.
May Allah swt continue to bless you and your families and may He strengthen our genuine brotherhood.
Imam Aly Lela
November 10, 2019
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Spoken from the heart
Dear luminaries and leaders of IAGD
Once upon a time we enjoyed conformity
We laughed together with great harmony
We prayed in-sync with tranquility.
Dear founders and leaders of IAGD
There was a time you enjoyed great dignity
We looked forward to new possibilities
We embraced each other on festivities.
What just happened that made us estranged
Broken, empty, reclusive, deranged.
As if the lights went out in our hearts,
The rituals remain but the essence departs.
For twelve years serving us with dignity
He bonded as family with the community
You turned to him to pray for our loved ones
Whenever our families faced adversity.
You prayed behind him you cried with him,
In Ramadan or tahajjud when lights were dim.
For interfaith meets he spoke for us.
You counted on him to raise funds for us.
We can't fathom what made you come to it,
Trampling on imam -- once your favorite.
Yes, he was not perfect in every sense
We thought you were humane to forgive offense.
And now we're at each other's throat,
"It's fitna you create", as someone wrote.
If I didn't mention I would be remiss,
Our mothers raised us better than this.
We hate to fight it out against our brothers
We dislike very much to accuse the others.
Without any choice, you left us tattered
We looked up to you, but all that's shattered.
Heartbroken as we are, we long to return
To the life of peace that's all we yearn
Is there any compassion left in your heart
to reinstate the imam despite slipping apart?
Please take a deep breath and you may blink,
Our Prophet could be proud if you just think.
Set aside differences and form great vision
A thriving community with love, no division.
Pleasure is derived by pleasing someone
Your community would be the grateful one
We all have bigger challenges to face
We can't get ahead by dividing our base.
When you would come to the end of your life,
And the death would call your affairs aside,
Would you be able to turn from your life with a smile?
Would you still think it was all worth the while?
Kindly reflect before it's too late
Make bold amends that would dissolve hate
Show your generous side to your community
Surprise them with display of your humanity
Your magnanimity would mean so much to them
They would look at you with new admiration
Trust me you would not lose your face
But you would become heroes in grace
Dear luminaries and leaders of IAGD
You must avail this opportunity
Bring back imam, your brother in faith,
It's not too late, it's not too late.
-Zaki Akmal
Listen to your conscience
IAGD leaders look into your hearts and reflect on your actions
What hearts beat in your chests that let you humiliate and hurt a scholar?
What justice do you adhere to that says it's fine to end the livelihood of an Imam just as he returns from the birthplace of Prophet (PBUH)?
What mercy allows you to put children’s sustenance in peril?
Where is your intellect which lets you make decisions that creates so much disillusionment in your own community?
Is there a place for unity in your world?
Why such a haste?
Where are you running to and what are you running from...
By Dr. Jukaku Tayeb
What hearts beat in your chests that let you humiliate and hurt a scholar?
What justice do you adhere to that says it's fine to end the livelihood of an Imam just as he returns from the birthplace of Prophet (PBUH)?
What mercy allows you to put children’s sustenance in peril?
Where is your intellect which lets you make decisions that creates so much disillusionment in your own community?
Is there a place for unity in your world?
Why such a haste?
Where are you running to and what are you running from...
By Dr. Jukaku Tayeb
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Sticks and Stones
It seems that some members of IAGD’s BOD are upset about things that are being said about them on this site. They think that they are being unfairly attacked. The words expressed on this site have hurt their feelings. To those fragile victims, step outside of your personal misery and ask yourself the following questions:
These are questions that you failed to consider before “not renewing” Imam Aly’s contract. By the IAGD President’s own admission during the September 8, 2019 BOD meeting, the decision to terminate the Imam was being considered for several weeks. Yet, not one word about his imminent termination was uttered to him by any of you. No effort was made to inform him that he would be out of a job without notice, warning, or the opportunity to find another position before being dismissed. Had he been told at least as early as April of 2019 that he would be let go at the end of August, both he and the community he served for 12 years could have made a more smooth emotional transition. He could have saved face and sought another position without the negative perception that he was fired. His family could have relocated during the summer with less disruption to his children's education.
I sincerely hope that your response to this is NOT: “We didn’t do anything! He’s the one who signed the contract and he should have known that it expired at the end of August.” If you expect us to believe that, you insult us in a way that is far worse than anything we could ever say about you on this site. If you yourselves believe that, ask the man whose orders you follow these questions:
Do you see the problem yet? This is not how you treat people. You've convinced yourselves that it is we who are not behaving up to the standards of our faith while you conveniently ignore the irrevocable facts recited above. You do not have the luxury to regard us as a “cult” of Imam Aly. Many of us know that he is not perfect. We know that his return to IAGD is untenable. We know that people change jobs and that no position is permanent. The one thing that unites all of us who are supporting Imam Aly--each in his/her own respective way--is that we stand against injustice.
There is a way that this could have been done. A way that would have preserved Imam Aly’s dignity and respected the connection that he shared with the community. Your desired result could have been achieved without this mess, but that wasn’t enough for one of you. I’m talking about the one from whom the rest of you take your orders. This individual, who thinks he is so clever, needed to see Imam Aly suffer. This individual needed to see Imam Aly humiliated. This individual has a long memory. He needed to punish Imam Aly for taking a principled stance against this individual’s dictatorial actions from three years ago. This individual created the present situation and, without a sense of irony, dispatches you as his loyal foot soldiers to accuse others of causing fitna. This is where it is helpful for you to know your history because we are repeating it.
There was a meeting in the social hall six years ago that marked a low point for the community. The individual mentioned above was forced to deal with a BOD and a GB majority that he did not control. The BOD attempted to conduct the meeting with civility, but several in the audience, including some of the founders of IAGD, screamed at them. The individual sat in silence and let his unhinged allies scream for him. When chaos took over and people had to be restrained from physically attacking one other, I looked at this individual expecting him to step in and bring order and be the leader that his minions believe he is. The individual said nothing. He looked upon the chaos and smiled. I am not making this up. Only after it was too late and the social hall devolved into a fighting pit did he take the microphone in a meaningless gesture to speak empty words that were drowned out by the mayhem.
I do not doubt that this individual has the capacity for good, but being surrounded by "yes" men who agree with his every bad decision prevents him from being his best self. It was not uncommon for the Prophet's (SAW) companions to challenge his decisions. They would ask if his decision was based on his opinion or revelation. If it was the former, the companions would offer an alternative course and our beloved Prophet (SAW) had the humility and wisdom to hear and heed their counsel. What is it that prevents the companions of IAGD's leader from helping him make better decisions? When those who think of themselves as his friends stand silent and say NOTHING in the face of his behavior they are not truly his friends. A true friend would tell you when you err. A true friend would try to help you do what is just. Those who stand in silence saying nothing or assist in carrying out unjust orders are, at best, enablers and, at worst, accomplices.
Facts and history matter. The anger over Imam Aly’s dismissal did not occur in a vacuum. It has been brewing over the past few decades in an ongoing cycle of injustice after injustice. You would do well to educate yourselves to better understand which side of history you are on instead of wasting time feeling sorry for yourselves over being told the truth. Perhaps then you may understand why it is absurd for you to feign innocence and claim that you were not part of a history when the author of that history has made you his instrument.
- Did anything written on this site jeopardize your livelihood?
- Did anything written on this site jeopardize the health insurance coverage for you and your family?
- Did anything written on this site require you to face the prospect of uprooting your children from their schools days before the new school year?
These are questions that you failed to consider before “not renewing” Imam Aly’s contract. By the IAGD President’s own admission during the September 8, 2019 BOD meeting, the decision to terminate the Imam was being considered for several weeks. Yet, not one word about his imminent termination was uttered to him by any of you. No effort was made to inform him that he would be out of a job without notice, warning, or the opportunity to find another position before being dismissed. Had he been told at least as early as April of 2019 that he would be let go at the end of August, both he and the community he served for 12 years could have made a more smooth emotional transition. He could have saved face and sought another position without the negative perception that he was fired. His family could have relocated during the summer with less disruption to his children's education.
I sincerely hope that your response to this is NOT: “We didn’t do anything! He’s the one who signed the contract and he should have known that it expired at the end of August.” If you expect us to believe that, you insult us in a way that is far worse than anything we could ever say about you on this site. If you yourselves believe that, ask the man whose orders you follow these questions:
- Were the Imam’s previous contracts seamless where one expired the next would immediately begin?
- NO? Did gaps occur between contracts more than once?
- YES??? How long were the gaps between his contracts?
- Up to 18 months??? Did he continue receiving a salary and benefits during the periods where he had no contract?
- He did??? Was it ignorant of us to take issue with his characterization that he was ambushed when we told him on August 21, 2019 that as of THAT DATE--without prior notice and 10 days before the expiration of his contract--that he was no longer Imam at IAGD?
Do you see the problem yet? This is not how you treat people. You've convinced yourselves that it is we who are not behaving up to the standards of our faith while you conveniently ignore the irrevocable facts recited above. You do not have the luxury to regard us as a “cult” of Imam Aly. Many of us know that he is not perfect. We know that his return to IAGD is untenable. We know that people change jobs and that no position is permanent. The one thing that unites all of us who are supporting Imam Aly--each in his/her own respective way--is that we stand against injustice.
There is a way that this could have been done. A way that would have preserved Imam Aly’s dignity and respected the connection that he shared with the community. Your desired result could have been achieved without this mess, but that wasn’t enough for one of you. I’m talking about the one from whom the rest of you take your orders. This individual, who thinks he is so clever, needed to see Imam Aly suffer. This individual needed to see Imam Aly humiliated. This individual has a long memory. He needed to punish Imam Aly for taking a principled stance against this individual’s dictatorial actions from three years ago. This individual created the present situation and, without a sense of irony, dispatches you as his loyal foot soldiers to accuse others of causing fitna. This is where it is helpful for you to know your history because we are repeating it.
There was a meeting in the social hall six years ago that marked a low point for the community. The individual mentioned above was forced to deal with a BOD and a GB majority that he did not control. The BOD attempted to conduct the meeting with civility, but several in the audience, including some of the founders of IAGD, screamed at them. The individual sat in silence and let his unhinged allies scream for him. When chaos took over and people had to be restrained from physically attacking one other, I looked at this individual expecting him to step in and bring order and be the leader that his minions believe he is. The individual said nothing. He looked upon the chaos and smiled. I am not making this up. Only after it was too late and the social hall devolved into a fighting pit did he take the microphone in a meaningless gesture to speak empty words that were drowned out by the mayhem.
I do not doubt that this individual has the capacity for good, but being surrounded by "yes" men who agree with his every bad decision prevents him from being his best self. It was not uncommon for the Prophet's (SAW) companions to challenge his decisions. They would ask if his decision was based on his opinion or revelation. If it was the former, the companions would offer an alternative course and our beloved Prophet (SAW) had the humility and wisdom to hear and heed their counsel. What is it that prevents the companions of IAGD's leader from helping him make better decisions? When those who think of themselves as his friends stand silent and say NOTHING in the face of his behavior they are not truly his friends. A true friend would tell you when you err. A true friend would try to help you do what is just. Those who stand in silence saying nothing or assist in carrying out unjust orders are, at best, enablers and, at worst, accomplices.
Facts and history matter. The anger over Imam Aly’s dismissal did not occur in a vacuum. It has been brewing over the past few decades in an ongoing cycle of injustice after injustice. You would do well to educate yourselves to better understand which side of history you are on instead of wasting time feeling sorry for yourselves over being told the truth. Perhaps then you may understand why it is absurd for you to feign innocence and claim that you were not part of a history when the author of that history has made you his instrument.
Friday, November 1, 2019
Losing Imam Aly Lela would be a HUGE loss to IAGD
- A scholar who speaks with authority, knowledge, wisdom and eloquence.
- An imam who's cool on the outside, but who burns for the community on inside.
- A leader who's not afraid of telling the truth even if it hurts.
- A scholar with traditional roots with courage to critique our dark history.
- A likeable imam who engages people from various races, ethnicities and nationalities.
- A rare imam among few in US who combines knowledge of Islamic traditions and understanding of the western context.
- A distinguished imam with rare academic credentials from al-Azhar, Cairo University, Wayne State University and Oxford combined.
- An imam who's active outside the masjid as well, well respected by all imams and Muslim communities.
- A visionary who understands the real challenges faced by American Muslims, especially the youth.
- An aalim with empathy who prefers making things easy for folks within shariah.
- Our trustworthy bridge to the vast legacy of Islamic thoughts and Arabic literature.
- A pleasant face of our faith you could be proud of for interfaith dialogs.
- An affable personality liked by non-Muslim visitors and dignitaries.
- A professor not afraid of speaking on controversial side of Islam.
- The privilege of listening to beautiful qira'a with tajweed every day.
- A self-motivated leader who created useful activity programs.
- The privilege of short enlightening discourse after every maghrib/isha salah.
- The popular Hearts and Minds program preparing our youth for their times.
- The tradition of morning azkaar in Ramadan you probably memorized thanks to the imam.
- The prospect of learning tajweed from an expert with 3 ijaazaat of high reputation.
- The prospect of useful workshops and seerah conference every year we have taken for granted.
- The enlightening jumua and eid khutbahs that have been uniquely relevant and creative.
- A teacher who enlightened us with fiqh classes, making understanding of ibadaat easier for us.
- A teacher who tried bringing us closer to Allah through Imam Ghazali lecture series.
- An aalim who's not shy of saying "I don't know" when he doesn't know.
- A counselor who spent hours and hours of personal time settling disputes within community.
- A community healer, who didn't carry aspirations for power in community politics.
- An imam you always felt comfortable approaching, asking to pray for your loved ones.
- An excellent soccer player who plays with our youth regularly despite his distinct religious status.
- A sincere leader who went extra mile without getting due appreciation.
- An imam who went beyond the contractual responsibilities of an employee.
- A compassionate man who embraced this community despite its shortcomings.
- A humble person who never presented himself as superior to others.
- A PhD scholar who could go and be welcomed anywhere, but prefers to call this community home.
- An imam who always spoke against injustice, but was denied due process himself.
- An imam who served at IAGD with dignity and generosity for 12+ years.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
THE COWARDS OF IAGD
What do you call people who know and see the truth and are blinded by selfishness, self-importance and bigoted self-interest and deny it? Cowards and deniers, of course!
What do you call people who fire a highly respected Imam and do not give him any reasons for their actions when directly asked by him in a face to face meeting and then venture to slowly leak the presumed fabricated reasons for their unjustifiable actions by assassinating his character in public, while making every effort to hide the real reason which was revenge for the positions that Imam Aly Lela took, in the past three to four years, calling them out for their bad behavior when he contradicted and challenged them for their unjustifiable actions? They had no defense for themselves, so they fired him.
What do you call people who do not hesitate to conceal and hide the truth and mislead the community and hide from facing the community, like the BOT, who refuse to face the community and talk to and listen to the community and insist on holding closed door secret meetings and make secret decisions, which are often unknown even to the BOD. Why are they scared to face the IAGD community?
What do you call people who, we definitely believe, understand simple language such as “Special General Body Meetings can be called by the BOD or not less than one-third of regular members”, and yet deny the right of the members when they have faithfully completed all requirements of the IAGD constitution, and even instituted more honest and strict regulations to obtain signatures for the online petition and call for a SGBM at the time and location of their choosing with an agenda that they have determined, that is their constitutional and moral right? This simple language is clearly understood by even the young children, yet they deliberately misinterpret and misrepresent statutes of the IAGD constitution, by citing unrelated clauses and harass the community to promote a self-serving agenda.
What do you call people who fraudulently amend at least one portion of the constitution, without the due process, and display it on their website, which they have exclusively controlled for many years, and do not have the decency to even remove the fraudulently added clause, when clearly warned in writing?
They promised before the IAGD community on October 13, 2019, they will give to the membership committee the authority to reach a consensus between the BOD and the petitioners, to have an equitable method of verifying and validating the online petitions. When the membership committee by a majority decision, disagrees with the BOD’s insistence to send by mail letters to all online petitioners, which was considered unacceptable to the representatives of the petitioners, they proceed unilaterally to impose their self-serving terms on the petitioners, completely bypassing the membership committee that the BOD themselves appointed. What do you call such people who reject all the fair, equitable, sound and justifiable methods offered by the petitioners, who did everything by the rules truthfully?
What do you call people who repeatedly make promises and commitments and never make any effort to deliver those, leaving the members of this community to indeed doubt and question their intentions?
What do you do when such people impugn the honesty and integrity of law-abiding good Muslims and consider them as liars and fraudsters for signing the petition online, simply because they cannot accept the reality that indeed the community has taken a righteous stand against their arrogance and despicable behavior? They have to know that the reason that some of them are seated in the BOD is purely as a result of buying votes, which is illegal in this country and indeed in any civilized modern society? What do you call such people who think that they are “holier than thou”, yet openly break the laws and all norms of decent Islamic behavior and see all the good people around them in their own reflection as transgressors and dis-obeyers of laws?
What do you call people who harass innocent people and sue them to gratify their own delusions of grandeur, of being rich and powerful? What do you call people who bring in armed security guards into a Masjid in 2016, to evict the youngsters of this community, who decided that they have seen and heard enough and want to put an end to their distasteful methods? They then change the locks and lock up the social hall to stop a perfectly legitimate SGBM that was prearranged to be held there. They sign an MoU and deliberately fail to deliver most major commitments, and show no remorse, 3 ½ years later.
What do you call people who transfer all assets and properties of an Islamic religious association to a foundation that they secretly create and name themselves as its lifetime owners? What do you call people who consider themselves as owners of a Masjid, a house of Allah SWT.
What do you call people who blatantly break the laws that they themselves wrote in the IAGD constitution and do not feel any obligation to abide by the laws that give IAGD the 501(c)(3) nonprofit status that they are required to follow, thereby exposing IAGD, a non-profit religious organization to serious peril? That despite being warned in writing. They certainly consider constitution and all applicable laws as an unnecessary impediment in their most important agenda, which is to keep complete control of IAGD, for the balance of their lives and then pass it on to their hand-picked successors. Do they ever feel the need to tickle their conscience and evaluate themselves and feel accountable for their transgressions and unethical practices?
What do you call people who do not abide by any constitutional mandates and accepted long standing procedures of this organization and create self-serving rules to falsely claim authority to govern a religious Muslim institution, which claims to be guided by the Quran and Sunnah?
What do you call people who consider themselves as the only people who can do and have done good for IAGD while completely disregarding the services of many sisters and brothers, who quietly served and supported IAGD, “Feesabillah”? These are definitely signs of ungratefulness and self-promotion.
What do you call people who behave like fascists and dictators, and completely disregard the wishes and desires of a community that they claim to represent, trampling on the process of “Shura”, that is required in governance of Muslim societies? What do you call people who are willing to compromise their conscience to please other human beings, who they consider as their mentors, and indeed displease Allah SWT, in that bartering of favors?
The Prophet Mohammad SAS said “When honesty is lost, then wait for the hour”. How will honesty be lost O Allah’s messenger? The Prophet said “When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the hour”.
Abusing power and authority is not permissible in Islam. Allah knows all and sees all. Actions speak louder than words. They may think that they are not being observed by other humans or Allah SWT.
Any one that disagrees with them is called a trouble maker, a divider in the community and is creating a “Fitna”. The real Fitna is what they have done for many years. They have treated this organization as their personal enterprise and have bought votes to get elected and evicted our children from the Masjid for peacefully protesting and have harassed and sued people, signed an MoU and disregard it and have deliberately trashed the IAGD constitution, and indulge in self-serving deceitful methods of governance. They have the audacity to call out people who are tired of their immoral behavior and distasteful actions, as Fitna. This has to end, for the good of IAGD in the long run and for IAGD to be successful and flourish in the future, Insha’Allah.
Such are the leaders of IAGD. They lack courage and integrity and indeed are cowards and deniers and sooner or later will be held accountable for their misdeeds. It is never too late for them to make an effort to seek the right path. May Allah SWT guide them and help them in coming to the realization that Allah SWT indeed forgives those who repent and reform themselves and seek His pleasure and not focus on gaining name or fame or power while harming the very fabric of a civilized Muslim community, that is aspiring for unity and fair Islamic governance. Ameen.
Syed Mahmood Ali Khan
October 31, 2019
Monday, October 28, 2019
Oct 27 Letter to BOD: Call for SGBM
October 27, 2019
Subject: General Body Call for October 27, 2019 SGBM
To: Fasahat Malik, Rehmat Awan, Majeed Bhatti
Assalaamu ‘alaykum,
This is official notice that the IAGD GB (General Body) petitioners do not recognize the IAGD BOD (Board of Directors) sham of a petition validation, we will not accept its results and condemn all efforts to date to thwart a valid call for a SGBM (Special General Body Meeting). The purpose for the called October 27, 2019 SGBM was to allow the IAGD GB to vote for Imam Ali Leyla’s reinstatement.
Reinstatement is being requested as the BOD unilaterally decided to not renew Imam Ali Leyla’s contract and the IAGD Constitution provides no process for raising grievances or conflict resolution. Thus, the SGBM is the only remedy available for the GB under the IAGD constitution.
You will recall that the request for SGBM was made on October 2, 2019 when the petition was delivered to you containing 380 GB signatures. 380 signatures represent roughly 38% of the GB which is more than the IAGD constitutional requirement of 33%. The methods used to gather petition signatures far exceed common norms in place today for gathering petition signatures. In addition, petitioner methods far exceed the integrity of the methods currently employed at the IAGD. The petition and call for SGBM are valid. Attendance at the SGBM whereby a 1/3 quorum of the GB must physically present to proceed with a simple vote to reinstate the Imam, is the next step. To a reasonable person, the ability of the GB petitioners to meet the 1/3 quorum requirement at a SGBM is the validation to the broader GB and BOD that the petition signatures were valid.
To date the BOD has stonewalled, questioned the validity of the GB’s ability to call a SGBM and questioned the validity of the online petitioners. The BOD has and continues to assert itself as champions to validate the GB’s petition. The IAGD Vice President, who happens to be the head of the Membership Committee, wants to count the ballots, which demonstrates bad faith because it is riddled with Conflict of Interest.
To remind the BOD a conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates to situations in which the personal interest of an individual or organization might adversely affect a duty owed to make decisions for the benefit of a third party. [Wikipedia].
Not only does the BOD not have any ethical standards to avoid the appearance of a COI, you insist on actively engaging in COI!
As it stands today a paid membership to the IAGD only allows one to participate in a flawed election process and provides no real means to overturn decisions of the Board. The IAGD Board has demonstrated no integrity to date and should resign as they have failed to meet the basic responsibilities of an Officer in a non-Profit, much less an Islamic religious organization.
Dr. Jukaku Tayeb & Anver Aftab, IAGD members
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Petition for Imam Aly Lela: 10/22 Meeting Update
In the October 13th, 2019 BOD meeting, the membership committee was given the task to come up with the details of verification process of online petitioners by BOD President. In an effort to reach the consensus a meeting was held on October 22nd, 2019 between BOD and the petition representatives along with representatives from membership committee.
Unfortunately, no mutually acceptable, fair, and reasonable due diligence validation plan could be agreed between the two parties because the BOD dogmatically stuck to their plan of mailing letters to all online member petitioners and insisted on only including those people in the 1/3 petition count who returned the letter in a certain time frame. This was totally unacceptable to the petition representatives as it meant that 100% of the online petitioners had to corroborate in a certain time period that they in fact did sign the petition.
Petition representatives explained several checks and balances that were meticulously implemented in the process of collecting online signatures, to minimize the chances of forgery and duplication. Additionally, petition representatives provided examples of how validation could be done statistically with a very high confidence level. However, BOD flatly rejected all these alternate proposals.
The BOD refuses to accept the online petition submissions despite its full legitimacy self evident in 7 different ways:
- Diverse IP addresses
- Unique email requirement
- Immediate confirmation sent by system to the email address submitted
- Collection of home addresses
- Recording of date and timestamp
- Comments freely submitted by 1/3 that were obviously genuine
- 97% of petitioners digitally hand-signed their names using finger or stylus
In collecting the online signatures, the Petitioners went several steps ahead of other well-known online petition systems, such as change.org, that don't even require home addresses or scrawled signature. In addition, about 60 online petitioners have subsequently emailed the BOD further confirming their signatures.
Incongruously enough, IAGD does not enact proper processes and does not even require a signature for someone to become a member or for BOD nominations. In sharp contrast, the BOD suddenly wants to impose unreasonably strict standards and demands on the petitioners.
It is clear the IAGD BOD continues to ignore and disregard the overwhelming will of the community. The BOD continues to defy reason and imposes its own unilateral decisions even if it hurts the community.
Timeline of events: Imam Aly Lela termination and petition to reinstate him
TIMELINE OF EVENTS:
8/22/2019: BOD email informed the IAGD General Body (the membership) of their decision to not renew Imam Lela’s contract.
8/24/2019: An online petition was started requesting IAGD BOD to reinstate the Imam. This petition was signed by over 375 IAGD members and community members.
09/02/2019: Petitioners requested time on September 08, 2019 BOD meeting to discuss reinstatement of Imam Aly Lela.
09/04/2019: A second online petition was started with the demand for an IAGD Special General Body Meeting for reinstatement of Imam Aly Lela to be held on October 27, 2019.
09/08/2019: A clear majority of members at the September 8, 2019 BOD appealed to the BOD to change their minds on this matter. Their voices were ignored.
10/02/2019: Petition submitted by more than 1/3 of the IAGD membership to IAGD President calling for a Special General Body Meeting on Oct 27, 2019 to reinstate the Imam. This action is in full compliance with the IAGD constitution. This founders of the IAGD constitution ensured there is a mechanism in the constitution that allows the membership to override the BOD if they do not “Carry out the policies & decisions of the General Body”
10/04/2019: IAGD BOD Secretary informs the petitioners that BOD will discuss the petition members verification process at the regularly scheduled BOD Meeting on 10/13/2019.
10/04/2019: IAGD BOD VP (also Membership Committee chairman) emails to petitioners stating that final membership list will be submitted to BOD Secretary by 10/13/2019 and will then be shared with the petitioners.
10/05/2019: Petitioners reply back to BOD expressing concerns over unnecessary delay on the part of BOD in moving the SGBM petition process forward.
10/13/2019: BOD President stated that Membership Committee will determine the process of verification.
10/17/2019: Petitioners receive confirmation from Membership Committee that 38% of the membership signed the petition, thus required 1/3 quorum for SGBM is achieved.
10/22/2019: Meeting was held between BOD and Petitioners' representative to reach the consensus on verification process. BOD rejected all proposals by Petitioners' representative and insisted on sending verification by mail to all online Petitioners that has to be returned to BOD in a specific time frame.
ANTICIPATED:
11/3/2019: Community to attend BOD meeting and demand answers and right to hold a Special General Body.
FAQ: IAGD Petitioners requesting an SGBM vote for Imam Aly Lela reinstatement
FACT The membership has the constitutional right to call for a Special General Body Meeting (SGBM) - Article VII Section d of the IAGD Constitution
FACT The IAGD Constitution requires the BOD to “Carry out the policies & decisions of the general body” – Article XI Section 2c of the IAGD Constitution (Duties & Responsibilities of the BOD)
Q1. I am neutral or don’t care whether Imam Lela is reinstated.
A. You should care that proper processes and regulations are being followed. The next time there could be a BOD action that you don’t like. You will not be able to stop it if this authoritarian attitude of BOD/BOT is not resisted now.
Q2. Is the call for an Oct 27, 2019 SGBM legitimate?
A. Article VII d of the IAGD Constitution states “Special General Body Meeting may be called by the Board of Directors or not less than one-third of regular members.”
Q3. I thought only the BOD can call a Special General Body Meeting?
A. No. The BOD calls the Annual General Body Meeting (held in December) where elections are confirmed, annual reports reviewed, and any other business conducted.
Q4. How does the SGBM differ from the Annual General Body Meeting?
A. By seeking a petition with a specific action to be approved by the General Body of IAGD and signed by not less than one-third of regular members, the IAGD regular members may call a SGBM, on a date and time of their choosing.
Q5. Why did we ask for an updated membership list?
A. We asked to receive a membership list from the BOD within 48 hours of petition submission OR to use August Newsletter membership list to validate the names in the petition to ensure fairness and transparency. There have been past allegations of impropriety in the compilation of membership list, we wanted to avoid this controversy.
Q6. Why do we want Br. Rahmat Awan (Membership Committee Chairman) to be excused from the activity to validate names in the petition?
A. Br. Rahmat Awan (Membership Committee Chairman) is also the BOD Vice-President. We are requesting that he should be excused from participation in the membership validation process because of conflict of interest, or appearance thereof, as he was a party to the decision to not renew the Imam’s contract.
Q7. What is the deadline for the BOD to send out notice for the Oct 27 SGBM?
A. Article II b of the By-Laws states – The notice of a General Body Meeting shall be mailed to each member at the address shown on the mailing list not more than 30 days and not less than 10 days prior to the date of the meeting”.
Q8. Is it mandatory for the BOD to implement the petition once the motion is approved in the
SGBM?
A. Yes, if quorum is achieved and the resolution is approved by the majority of the members in a SGBM, it becomes mandatory for the IAGD administration, to enforce it. Article XI Section II c states - Board of Directors shall “carry out the policies and decisions of the General Body”.
Q9. What is the role of BOT in the IAGD constitution as it relates to a SGBM?
A. The BOT have no designated role in the IAGD Constitution in any matters related to the SGBM or the Annual General Body Meeting. If a 1/3 membership quorum is achieved on 10/27 at the SGBM and the majority present votes in favor to reinstate Imam Lela, the BOD must accept the will of the General Body BOD and should then meet with the BOT to “confirm the appointment and sign a contract” for Imam Lela, per IAGD constitution.
Q10. What rights do members have at IAGD?
A. Among other rights, IAGD Members can:1) Vote in the annual BOD elections. 2) Contest in BOD Elections. 3) Call SGBM. 4) Vote in SGBM.
Q11. Are we creating Fitna by challenging the IAGD BOD?
A. No. On the contrary, to unite behind injustice is contrary to the teachings of Islam. It is our IAGD constitutional right to call for a SGBM, as we know that we have gathered more than 1/3 of membership signatures. Many non-members, who regularly come to IAGD, also signed the petition as they also believe that Imam should be reinstated.
Q12. What is different this time vs. the last time a SGBM was called and armed security was hired to intimidate the membership and the locks to the IAGD were changed to the doors to prevent access to the IAGD?
A1. The last call for a SGBM (May 2016) was submitted to a BOD who the petitioners considered to be the rightful, while BOT did not recognize them as such and did not accept the validation that BOD conducted in reviewing the signatures to the petition. The petitioners at that time were seeking to dissolve both the Boards. No such controversy exists now and the current BOD is recognized.
A2. The last call for a SGBM (May 2016) was calling to dismantle both BOD and BOT. This call for SGBM has a single issue to be voted on (reinstate Imam Aly Lela or not), and is in full compliance with the IAGD constitution.
Q13. What are the responsibilities of BOD regarding holding a SGBM?
A. The constitution requires the BOD to:
- Complete the petition members verification activity in a timely fashion
- Send out SGBM notice to membership at least 10 days before the meeting
- Facilitate the holding of SGBM for the singular purpose of voting on the petition. The parliamentary procedures clearly indicate that there shall be no discussion on the petition motion, since the motion is on the floor purely for seeking a vote.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
The Expiration of Morals and Ethical Behavior at IAGD
Imam Aly Leyla
served as the religious leader of the Islamic Association of Greater Detroit
(IAGD) since 2007. He was the spiritual
leader during a period of turmoil when insurgent candidates were elected and
took control of the IAGD Board of Directors (BOD) in late 2012 based their
opposition to what they and the majority of the IAGD General Body (GB)
perceived as an expensive and wasteful expansion plan of the masjid driven by
the Board of Trustees (BOT). The insurgent
candidates represented the voice of the GB members of IAGD who did not
appreciate the unelected BOT’s unilateral decisions regarding the scope, design
and cost for the expansion project without the GB’s consent. Understanding the circumstances behind this
conflict is essential to understanding why Imam Aly Lela was unceremoniously
dismissed on August 21, 2019.
In late 2012, the
BOT made public statements about their willingness to work with the new
directors, but privately met with city officials to push their expansion plan
through. During the next election cycle, the BOT publicly supported the
democratic process, but privately attempted to subvert the process by buying
votes. When their vote buying scheme was thwarted by the insurgent BOD (iBOD),
the BOT sued IAGD and members of the iBOD in their personal capacity. The court immediately threw out the BOT’s
case because under the Eccleastical Abstention Doctrine, the courts are not
permitted to make rulings on the internal management of religious organizations. Thus, the BOT’s reliance on their poorly
conceived and completely inadequate IAGD Constitution and Bylaws--that lack
dispute resolution procedures (among countless other provisions)--finally
backfired. Nevertheless, the BOT
publicly agreed to participate in a dispute resolution process through
arbitration, but privately made the decision to resolve nothing except to drag
out the process for 2.5 years until they could implement a four-part plan to
reestablish control over IAGD.
Part 1: Tricking
the iBOD into Closing the Arbitration. First, they convinced the iBOD to close the arbitration proceedings for
which the BOT obstinately refused during the entire 2.5 year process to produce
a single document, respond to a single question or provide a single witness. The BOT, who did nothing but stonewall during
the entire arbitration, told the iBOD that the process is going nowhere and
convinced the iBOD to agree to end the proceedings. The iBOD, having made a good faith effort by
actually producing documents, responding to questions and providing witnesses,
reluctantly agreed. Immediately after
the proceedings were closed, the BOT sent a communication celebrating the end
of the conflict and declaring that the iBOD’s terms had expired and that new
elections would be held to replace them.
The BOT finally revealed their tactic and the iBOD was stunned. The BOT never intended to participate in the
arbitration process in good faith. They
only wanted to drag the process along until they could declare the iBOD’s terms
as expired. The BOT’s action was
contrary to a court-ordered stand-still agreement that effectively froze all
the terms of the elected officers. The
iBOD could have fought the BOT over this deception, but neither they nor the GB
were interested in prolonging the conflict.
Part 2: Transfer
of all IAGD Property to Four BOT Members.
Next, four of the BOT members secretly
established a new organization on May 4, 2016 called IAGD Foundation. The foundation members named themselves
sole members for life and transferred all IAGD property to themselves. The IAGD Foundation members and their
surrogates may claim that all filings for the foundation were made
publicly. This is a deceptive statement because
their Foundation could only be discovered if one were to search for it in the
Rochester Hills Register of Deeds. Did
the four foundation members inform or seek the consent of the IAGD General
Body? No. Did they inform or seek the consent of the
IAGD BOD? No. They had no intention of revealing this
masterstroke to anyone because all they cared about was maintaining control
over IAGD, regardless of the wishes of the GB, by any means necessary.
Part 3: Suing the
iBOD (again) to force them to bend to the BOT’s will. Less than three
weeks after secretly transferring all IAGD property to themselves, the BOT
filed another lawsuit against the iBOD May 23, 2016. Recall that the first lawsuit brought by the
BOT against IAGD and the iBOD was because the iBOD prevented them from buying
votes to influence the outcome of the IAGD elections. This second lawsuit brought by the BOT was
for the iBOD spending IAGD’s money defending against a lawsuit that the BOT
themselves initiated—for spending IAGD’s money pursuing evidence that the
trustees themselves actively blocked.
Recall that the BOT sued the iBOD AND
IAGD, yet the BOT took issue with using IAGD funds to defend IAGD in this
lawsuit brought by the BOT. The BOT used this second lawsuit as
leverage against the iBOD to force them to agree to the BOT’s terms during
negotiation of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to finally resolve the
conflict between the boards. The message
was simple: “Agree to our terms or we
will force you to defend yourselves against another frivolous lawsuit.”
Part 4:
Fraudulently procuring “unity” through the MOU. In June 2016, the
BOT, knowing that they secretly transferred ownership of IAGD to themselves,
pretended to participate in drafting a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to
once and for all put the dispute with the iBOD to rest. As mentioned above, despite the secret
leverage the BOT gave themselves with the IAGD Foundation the BOT compromised
on almost nothing. They held the
baseless lawsuit they recently filed over the iBOD’s heads threatening the iBOD
that they would push forward with the suit if the iBOD failed to agree to the
BOT’s demands. Among the things on which
the BOT refused to compromise was any change to the IAGD Constitution that
would prohibit buying votes to win elections.
The weary iBOD agreed and the BOT won their meaningless “unity.”
Having secured an
agreement and established so-called unity through fraud, the BOT planned a
fundraising dinner to celebrate the fake unity and raise money to continue
their vanity expansion project. Days
before the fundraising dinner, members of the iBOD learned of the IAGD
Foundation. The iBOD President privately
met with the BOT Chairman to let him know that the iBOD knew about the
Foundation and gave the BOT Chairman the opportunity to explain his
actions. That deserves repeating: Despite twice being sued by the BOT Chairman,
being tricked into closing the arbitration proceedings, and being forced to
agree to the unjust terms of the MOU, the iBOD president did not immediately
run to the community and tell them about the BOT Chairman’s secret
foundation. The iBOD President gave the BOT Chairman the opportunity to secretly
close the foundation that he secretly opened and maintain his dignity. The President told the Chairman that if
he did not dissolve the Foundation that he would have to inform the GB. The Chairman refused and iBOD sent a message
to the community informing them that all masjid property is now owned by the
four trustees who sold it to themselves for one dollar.
Imam Aly Lela was
outraged. He avoided taking sides during
the 3-year conflict, but he could remain silent no longer. He publicly denounced the Foundation and
declared that IAGD had become a dictatorship.
The BOT, concerned how the Imam’s response to their actions might affect
attendance and donations for their fundraising dinner, immediately met with
Imam Aly privately to remonstrate with him.
Imam Aly would not budge. He
refused to assent to the trustees secretly forming the Foundation and
transferring IAGD property to themselves.
He unequivocally demanded that the foundation be dissolved or he would
no longer serve as Imam at IAGD. The BOT
reluctantly gave their verbal assurance that they would dissolve the Foundation
to ensure that Imam Aly would be present and endorse their fundraising
event.
The BOT, however,
did not keep their word and failed to immediately dissolve the Foundation as
they had promised. Imam Aly kept asking
them repeatedly if they had shut down the Foundation and the BOT would
repeatedly let him know that they were about to do it. Imam Aly’s pestering the BOT to do the right
thing set the wheels in motion for the BOT to have him removed.
At the time the
issue of the Foundation was raised, Imam Aly did not have an active employment
contract. The BOT will likely argue that
the Imam’s contract was in the hands of the iBOD and lay the blame for the lack
of a contract on the iBOD president.
Anyone who has any experience working with the IAGD leadership over the
past four decades knows that the founders of IAGD and the man they empowered
who served as the BOT Chairman had exclusive control over the Imam’s
contract. They would never let anyone
other than themselves have any authority over such an important matter. The IAGD founders and the Chairman count on
the GB’s ignorance and it has served them well.
Firing the Imam
when he didn’t even have a contract would prove difficult for multiple
reasons. First, the optics of having him
removed shortly after he denounced the IAGD Foundation would obviously appear
retaliatory. Second, having just
successfully vanquished the iBOD who were elected by the will of the GB, the
BOT’s support within the community was, at best, tenuous. Third, without a contract, the BOT did not
have any clear grounds for removing Imam Aly from his position. Thus, the BOT determined that the least
provocative way to have the Imam removed would be to draw up a new contract
with the Imam and not renew it after the contract expired. The Imam did not suspect a thing because along
with repeatedly asking about the dissolution of the Foundation, he also
repeatedly asked the BOT when they would finally provide him with a new
contract. By giving Imam Aly a new
contract, the BOT found a way to kill two birds with one stone. It gave the BOT the means to both shut the
imam up about his lack of a contract and to dispose of him when the contract
expired. Imam Aly’s new contract had an
effective date of September 1, 2017 and would expire on August 31, 2019.
Many rumors
circulated about the reasons for Imam Aly’s termination, including his conflict
with the youth director, his conflict with the Director of Quranic Studies
(DQS), his failure to adhere to the terms of his contract, etc. To those circulating such rumors, ask them a
few simple questions: 1) Were the Imam’s
purported shortcomings ever formally documented and presented to him during a
performance review? No. 2) Did he ever receive a formal performance
review? No. 3) Did he ever receive any formal feedback on
his self-evaluation that he performed as required under his contract? No.
Given the IAGD
leadership’s disregard for governance, it should come as no surprise that they
do not take employment contracts seriously.
In fact, Imam Aly was without an employment contract for at least 3
years during the 12 years he served as Imam at IAGD. His not having a contract or the contract
expiring in the past meant nothing. He
was expected to continue serving in his position regardless of whether or not a
contract was in place. In fact, the DQS
operated without a contract for a decade receiving a salary and benefits with
no contractual obligations. But now that
the IAGD leadership wanted to get rid of Imam Aly, they suddenly started taking
contracts seriously.
On August 21, 2019,
about one week after Imam Aly returned from Hajj, he was summoned to attend a
meeting with the BOD, BOT and Imam Liaison Committee (ILC). The ILC includes an “at large” GB member who
happens to be the former BOT Chairman and lifetime member of the Foundation
that Imam Aly publicly denounced. Was
this meeting to welcome Imam Aly back from Hajj? No, but he brought dates for them anyway. Was it to provide him a formal performance
review for the first time in his 12 years as Imam at IAGD? No. It
was to tell him with 10 days remaining on his contract that his services were
no longer needed and his contract would not be renewed after it expired. It was payback for the public denunciation
from three years earlier. It was payback
for repeatedly asking the at large GB member if he dissolved the Foundation
like the at large GB member said he would.
One day after
informing Imam Aly that his services were no longer needed at IAGD, the
leadership sent a message to the GB informing them of the same. This message sparked shock and outrage from
the IAGD community. Late that same
evening, concerned about what Imam Aly might say about them during the Jummah
qutba the next day, the IAGD leadership sent Imam Aly an email stating that as
of August 21, 2019, they no longer considered him Imam at IAGD and that he was
to no longer lead prayers, which was his primary obligation as imam. Thus, the IAGD leadership was not content to
simply let his contract expire as they claim.
With 10 days remaining on his contract, Imam Aly was terminated from his
position.
The IAGD President
stated during the BOD meeting on September 8, 2019 that the decision to
terminate Imam Aly was considered for several weeks. Yet, this decision was sprung on Imam Aly 10
days before his contract expired. As
mentioned above, this was not the first time the imam’s contract had
expired. Previously, the gap between the
imam’s contracts was one and a half years.
Based on the disorganized, chaotic manner in which the IAGD leadership
conducted its affairs, the Imam had nothing to be concerned about because of
the impending expiration date of his contract.
The IAGD leadership had proven time and again that they care little for
such formal processes. Also, as
mentioned above, the Imam had never received a formal performance review from
the IAGD leadership. The leadership kept secret, like they did with the
formation of the IAGD Foundation, that the day Imam Aly signed his contract on
September 1, 2017 that they would use that as a basis to terminate him when the
contract expired. They knew, like they
did when they entered Arbitration with the iBOD, that they would wait for a period of years to spring
their trap against their victim. They
did not want Imam Aly to have a dignified transition out of his position where
he could find another without a dark cloud hanging over his head affecting his
future prospects because he was fired.
They wanted to punish him for his insolence in speaking out against
injustice. They wanted to shame him in
front of the IAGD community and the larger Muslim-American community by leaving
it to everyone’s imagination as to why he was terminated because they would not
provide reasons to him nor anyone else.
They wanted to destroy his reputation to keep him from securing another
position while they innocently shrug their shoulders saying that they simply
let his contract expire. They could have
told Imam Aly of their decision months earlier and given him the opportunity to
have a runway to search for and find a new position with dignity. Instead they pulled the rug from under him
dismissing him immediately in the most humiliating manner. Yet, the IAGD leadership has the hubris to accuse
Imam Aly’s supporters of hurting his future prospects by expressing their
displeasure and outrage while it was the IAGD leadership that robbed the imam
of his dignity. This is classic
gaslighting.
To any
organizations looking for an Imam to guide their community, Imam Aly Lela was not terminated for alleged poor
performance. He was terminated for
taking a principled stance against injustice.
To any individuals looking to become involved in a vibrant community led
by principled leaders, do not waste your time with IAGD.
The IAGD leadership
will argue that there is another side to the story. What is the other side to their four-part
plan to destroy the iBOD? What is the
other side to their giving selective importance to employment contracts? What is the other side to their using
baseless lawsuits to force others to bend to their will?
Make no mistake,
the August 21, 2019 meeting with Imam Aly was an ambush. When public humiliation of the community’s
imam is allowed to be treated as routine process by an organization, our
silence makes us as guilty as the IAGD leadership that we empowered.
The Ultimate Constitution
The terms of the
IAGD Constitution and Bylaws have proven time and again to be completely
ineffective for governing the organization and allow the IAGD leadership to
enjoy no accountability for their actions—at least in this world. Fortunately, however, the IAGD leadership
incorporated a higher authority into the constitution wherein The Preamble
states: "The Islamic Association of Greater
Detroit unequivocally affirms Quran and the Sunnah as its eternal and ultimate
constitution." The Quran and
Sunnah as the “ultimate constitution” provide clear guidance regarding the
behavior of the IAGD leadership for which the IAGD Constitution is otherwise
silent. To those who claim to be
governed by the "Ultimate Constitution,” be careful what you ask for.
● Financially benefiting from cash donations that they did not make: Ghaus Malik and his
partisans claimed cash donations that they DID NOT make for a tax benefit that
was not theirs to claim, which resulted in their illegally increasing their
wealth. Taking money that is not yours to
enrich yourself is the definition of theft.
○ Under the
Ultimate Constitution: “And (as for)
the man who steals and the woman who steals, cut off their hands as a
punishment for what they have earned, an exemplary punishment from Allah, and
Allah is Mighty. Wise. But whoever repents after his inequity and reforms
(himself), then surely Allah will turn to him (mercifully), surely Allah is
Forgiving, Merciful.” (Surah al-Mā’ida 5:38-39). They can keep their hands if they repented,
but unfortunately for them, the IRS will not be as forgiving.
● Transferring ownership of IAGD property to
themselves in secret: On May 4, 2016, four trustees secretly created
an organization naming themselves members for life and transferred all IAGD
property to this secret organization for one dollar ($1.00). The four trustees will claim that these
records were publicly filed, but did they tell anyone about this transfer
besides those who aided and abetted in this scheme? No.
Did they inform or seek approval from the General Body for this
transfer. No. Did they inform the IAGD Board of Directors
of this transfer? No.
○ Under the
Ultimate Constitution: "Woe to those
that deal in fraud those who when they have to receive by measure from men
exact full measure. But when they have to give by measure or weight to men give
less than due. Do they not think that they will be called to account?"
(Quran-83: 1-4). Apparently not.
● Buying votes to influence the outcome of BOD
elections: This practice was an
open secret commonly used to defeat candidates that Ghaus Malik did not
control. Partisans of Ghaus Malik never
denied this practice and instead shot back with the unconvincing defense,
"Prove it!" Unfortunately, one
of Ghuas Malik's partisans failed to understand that the "Prove
it!" defense was intended to place the burden on those who were opposed to
the vote buying scheme. This clever man,
who is currently serving on the BOT, helpfully "proved it" when he
admitted on the record of actively participating in the vote buying scheme
during a BOD meeting in 2016.
○ Under the
Ultimate Constitution: The Messenger of
Allah (PBUH) cursed the one who bribes and the one who takes bribe. (Abu
Dawoud).
○ There is also
the catchall that applies to many of these charges: "Whoever bears arms against us is not
one of us, and whoever cheats us is not one of us." (Saheeh Muslim).
● Using deception to trick others into entering
agreements and breaking those agreements.
After deceiving the insurgent BOD and tricking them into closing
the Arbitration in 2016 only to subsequently declare that the insurgent BOD
terms expired despite a court-ordered standstill agreement and subsequently
entering a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the insurgent BOD and
"Neutral Group" for which Ghaus Malik and his partisans
characteristically breached the agreed upon terms of the MOU to which both the
insurgent BOD and Neutral Group can attest.
○ Under the
Ultimate Constitution: “Four
traits, if found in an individual, then he will be a complete hypocrite (munafiq),
and if an individual possesses one of these four, he will have one portion of
nifaq: When he is given a trust he breaches it, when he speaks he lies, when he
makes an agreement (ahd) he is guilty of treachery and disloyalty (gadar), and
when he disputes he is fouled mouth.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari).
● Using armed guards to keep youth from entering
masjid: On the day of the
ironically named "Unity Dinner" in July 2016 that followed a
fraudulently procured truce mentioned above, Ghaus Malik and his partisans
hired armed security guards to prevent IAGD youth, who were upset by the many
deceptions employed by Ghaus Malik and his partisans, from entering the
masjid. This was particularly concerning
because it is likely that the youth were not aware that the security guards
were armed.
○ Again, under
the Ultimate Constitution: "Whoever
bears arms against us is not one of us, and whoever cheats us is not one of
us." (Saheeh Muslim).
● Continuing to support Ghaus Malik despite the
many injustices he orchestrated only a few of which are mentioned above. Among those to whom this point is directed is
our former Imam and current guest Imam who is filling in for his former student
and friend, Imam Aly Lela, who was unceremoniously fired for committing the sin
of publicly denouncing the second point mentioned above. Imam Muneer Fareed, to claim no knowledge of
the above-mentioned behavior cuts against the person of intelligence we know
you to be. We hope you have a reasonable
explanation for openly supporting this paragon of injustice. As to others, another open secret is that
many of Ghaus Malik's supporters mortgaged their dignity in exchange for favors
or assistance to further their careers and/or financial interests. To those, we remind you that the qibla is
Mecca, not the corner of Square Lake and Squirrel Rd. You know who you are and so do we.
○ Under the
Ultimate Constitution: "O you who have believed, be persistently standing
firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or
parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of
both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you
distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever,
with what you do, Acquainted."
(Surat an-Nisa 4:135). The
ignorant souls who shout, “Fitna!” when the injustices described in this
document are uttered would do well to read this ayat until they can distinguish
between telling the truth and shouting down those who try to tell the truth
with their fitna accusation. Perhaps
they will rethink their position when they realize that they sound like
Republicans who obstinately refuse to consider impeachment because they pretend
to care about unity.
There
is a Special General Body Meeting scheduled for October 27, 2019. The injustices mentioned above and violations
of the Ultimate Constitution will be addressed and those who perpetrated them
will at long last be held accountable.
The IAGD leadership is interested in following neither the actual,
useless IAGD Constitution nor the “eternal and ultimate constitution.” It is time to throw out the IAGD Constitution
and replace it with one with unequivocal provisions that provide clear guidance
based on best practices of well-run organizations. But if stealing money, misappropriating
masjid property, buying votes, breaking agreements and using armed guards
against our own youth constitute behavior that you consider acceptable, stay
silent. If these are qualities that you
admire in your leaders, stay home and yell at the television about the
demagogue who is ruining the country and continue being willfully blind to the
demagogue who has ruined your community.
Monday, October 14, 2019
[Satire] CAGD is hiring!
The CAGD (Chaos Association of Greater Detroit) Board is looking to fill an open position. If you have the right qualifications and agree to the following terms, we would like to hear from you:
If you can't agree to all of the above, too bad your standards aren't at par with ours. If you can, the board would gleefully welcome your application. Good luck, and may the best yes-man land the job!
Rather unfaithfully yours,
CAGD Board
The above post is intended for a mature, sophisticated and discerning audience. Any resemblance to the truth, persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental or is intended purely as a satire, parody or spoof of such persons and is not intended to communicate any true or factual information about that person.
- Your job title will be "Imam".
- You must be a religious scholar of high distinction.
- Even though you’d be the Imam, you agree to be treated worse than an employee. You’d technically be a contractor with renewable term limits. We can call you an employee if that makes you feel better.
- Must be willing to sign a contract drawn by the board, for the board, and heavily in favor of the board, leaving you with very little protection or benefits in the event of an almost certain sudden termination. To make us look humane, instead of the harsh word “termination”, we’d simply refer to it as “not renewing” your contract.
- Must be willing to go without medical benefits for extended periods of time. On the brighter side, we do have some healthcare professionals on the board who can dispense advice or free OTC medicine samples if you or family fall sick.
- Must be willing to serve as a "yes-man" for the board, even for the most ridiculous ideas or demands.
- Must be willing to not call out the board that has no problem bending the rules in its favor when it suits.
- Must be willing to suppress your rightful indignation or the truth especially when truth can hurt some folks.
- Must be willing to put up with folks on the board who sometimes think they know more than a scholar or are at a higher pedestal than you.
- Must be willing to serve for maybe a decade, and then get fired without notice or decent severance benefits most likely just as you'd arrive fresh from Hajj.
- Must be willing to make sincere dua in Arafat for the very same people and their families who, unbeknownst to you, would be the ones conspiring to terminate you upon your return.
- Must be willing to get accused of not fulfilling contractual obligations without the due process of written periodic performance evaluations.
- Must not go above and beyond in trying to protect the reputation of the institution or young minds. Must not protest the invitations sent behind your back to controversial online sheikhs to visit and lecture the youths.
- Must not think outside the box to help the community navigate through the challenges of western and current landscape. Must not deliver scholarly talks on virtues of the “other” fiqhi opinions, unless you want to alienate a whole bunch of, shall we say, members set in their own rigid ways.
- Must be willing to maintain a smile and work, especially with a tiny faction who profess to be your friends in front of you, not realizing they would back-stab you or turn against you at the first opportune moment.
- Must not talk about the secretive CAGD Foundation, or about who ultimately legally owns the CAGD land and property.
- Must avoid, at all cost, bringing up CAGD Foundation during fundraisers or the 401j speeches.
- Must not get tired of hearing, time and over again during fundraisers, the glorious mentions of the “founding fathers”, or of the sisters as “the backbone” of the community who never asked for or needed a mezzanine in the first place.
- Must not talk about the past un-islamic and unethical act, of buying bulk memberships to get favorable votes, by someone who got rewarded with a 10yr position on the board.
- Must be willing to look the other way from the unscrupulous nepotism prevalent in the board ranks.
- Must be willing to, at behest of the board, conduct long motivational fundraising during Ramadan, despite repeated protests from the wary congregants.
- Must not become too popular among the community, or as they would say “too polarizing”.
- Must be willing to not complain about the sub-standard compensation and non-competitive benefits.
- Lastly, must be willing to agree to the totally unrealistic and impractical laundry list of expectations from a 21st century imam, as illustrated here:
If you can't agree to all of the above, too bad your standards aren't at par with ours. If you can, the board would gleefully welcome your application. Good luck, and may the best yes-man land the job!
Rather unfaithfully yours,
CAGD Board
The above post is intended for a mature, sophisticated and discerning audience. Any resemblance to the truth, persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental or is intended purely as a satire, parody or spoof of such persons and is not intended to communicate any true or factual information about that person.
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