—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
JAMAICA, New York (December 04, 2020) – The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) National Election Committee announced that Dr. Mohsin Ansari has been elected as the President of ICNA for the 2021-2022 term.
Dr. Ansari has been associated with ICNA in different capacities for three decades and is currently the Vice President of Social Services. He previously served as the Chairman of ICNA Relief and Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD).
He completed his pediatric residency at Metrohealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio. He continued to broaden his training and experience at the same institution in the capacity of a Chief Resident. Dr. Ansari then did his pediatric specialization and fellowship in Neonatology (Newborn and Premature baby care) at Metroheath Medical Center. Dr. Ansari is currently licensed to practice medicine in several states. He is also an author of mutiple research papers published both in national and international medical journals. He lives in Maryland with his wife and five sons.
The new President will be taking the oath during upcoming MGA meeting.
The Outgoing President, Mr. Javaid Siddiqi, expressed confidence in Dr. Ansari and prayed for his success in this new responsibility.
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Register for Next Convention at http://www.icnaconvention.org/register
For all ICNA-MAS Convention (2018), please visit https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLChOvaDzY_AV637HNqfB585kqnrsAdpOo
The ICNA-MAS annual convention is one of the largest gatherings of American Muslims in the U.S. This is the forth consecutive year it has been held in Baltimore. It was attended by over 22,000 Muslims. It featured many top scholars and activists, in addition to many special events like 1000 Meals Distribution in Downtown Baltimore, 750 Mercy Bags distribution to senior homes and Street dawah at Inner Harbor.
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There are millions of people in the United States, the world’s richest and most powerful country, who homeless , including women. The Muslim organization Icna Relief inaugurated its 23rd Muslim Women’s Shelter Home yesterday.
Inaugurated by Mohsin Ansari and Icna Relief Baltimore Outreach Director Ibrahim Abu Soya and Hajra Hope’s Nasreen Rehman. The event was attended by representatives of Islamic Centers and government officials, including the Governor of Maryland and the Mayor of Baltimore.
Hajra Hope, an organization of Muslim women in Baltimore, also cooperated in setting up the shelter home. Mohsin Ansari said that the shelters of Icna Relief are for Muslim women but we give shelter to anyone beyond race. Not only are women sheltered, but counseling is provided for them to move on with their lives.
City Councilwoman Shereen Green said the house was in dire need in Baltimore and appreciated the role of American Muslims. A special award was also given to Islamic centers and personalities who helped establish the shelter.
The 8-room Icna Relief Shelter Home is state-of-the-art. Clean rooms, great atmosphere, wonderful play land and praying area.
Article Courtesy: pakobserver.net
By Khurram Shahzad
While getting gas in a rest area at New Jersey Turnpike, I asked the guy, Shahzaib Malik, who was filling up my car tank, aren’t you scared of Coronavirus? Of course, I am but I can’t stay home so I am here and working, Shahzaib replied sadly.
What if you get the virus, I asked him promptly? I don’t know, I don’t have medical insurance, I usually get cold and get the flu when the weather changes, maybe I will die home thinking it is a common flu, he answered while scratching his foot on the ground.
As the coronavirus is rapidly expanding across America, there is a growing concern that low-income residents, people in poverty and undocumented residents may suffer disproportionately – directly, by getting sick, and indirectly, through disruptions to their work lives. In America, there are more than 13 million undocumented residents and, among them, more than 60% are living without any health coverages. Similarly, 23% of legal immigrants do not have any medical coverage, according to a 2019 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Today, if you walk into any medical facility and you don’t have medical insurance, you must pay the minimum cost which is $1300 to get tested for Coronavirus.
Most of the low-wage jobs in retail and service industries do not provide sick paid leave. The rigid workplace environments that prevent immigrants from reporting their illnesses. For those living paycheck to paycheck, it’s difficult to voluntarily take time off when a week’s wages could make a difference in their ability to pay rent.
They often live doubled and tripled up in unstable households where people frequently move in and out. They must rely on public transportation, which can hasten exposure or spread infection, health and poverty experts say.
Further, as schools are closed and the source of free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch is cut off, the costs and stress to parents and children increase. If shuttered schools conduct online classes, many low-income students will be left out because they have no computers. One of the parents must take time off from work to be home with the kid which means more financial difficulties.
I visited a homeless shelter in Herndon, Virginia to get first-hand information about prevention exercises and I was shocked that “freehand sanitizer spray puff” was the only prevention method they were using. A staff member told me that they had been talking to those gathered at the service center about how to avoid exposure to coronavirus and had emphasized washing hands. It is the best we can do with limited resources, said the staff.
On Feb 24, President Trump passed a bill about immigration which makes it harder for immigrants to obtain a green card if they’ve sought government help – which includes any form of government health care. Since then, people had been dropping out of Medicaid as the Covid-19 cases began to surface in early March.
Moreover, as we have seen Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has speedup its operations in recent years which has created an atmosphere of fear, undocumented immigrants are hesitant to go to any health care facilities in fear of being reported, even though community clinics are safe places that do not ask for citizenship status.
As a society, we have accepted and have no issues that there are so many in our community who are uninsured, underinsured, undocumented and unable to take sick leave
New York, Washington, and California have waived this cost using the state’s special funding. For US citizens and permanent residents, any tests performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are free. Medicaid and Medicare will cover testing costs.
For low-income families, especially the immigrants, prevention and testing of Covid-19 isn’t something they can take for granted. In California, for example, where the government is participating in treatment, it will cost up to $200 for uninsured patients to get tested for the Coronavirus, which means they wouldn’t be able to buy groceries, pay phone bills, etc. for the next two weeks.
Over time, Immigrant communities have set up their own workarounds for such situations. Muslim Community Center (MCC) clinic in Maryland is providing 100% free medical services without asking the patient’s citizenship status. Similarly, the Jewish community has its free medical facilities in Brooklyn, New York. But the fact of the matter is, there’s only so much these clinics can do, however, without further support at the federal level.
After President Trump declared a national emergency, I reached out to the Embassy of Pakistan to inquire about actions the embassy has taken to safeguard the lives of Pakistani students, visitors and others living with different resident statuses. I was given few tweets of the Ambassador AsadMajeed Khan which were primarily about embassy visa services during this outbreak, some canceled events/meetings and precautions that could be used including the use of online services. There was nothing mentioned about communication or coordination with the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) who is very active when it comes to a crisis like this. Maybe the embassy is not required to do so.
“Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is one of the biggest Muslim charity and disaster response organizations. We have been releasing awareness videos, distributing hand sanitizers and related kits free of costs”, said ICNA’s director information and outreach Moviz Siddique.
In my opinion, as a society, we have accepted and have no issues that there are so many in our community who are uninsured, underinsured, undocumented and unable to take sick leave. We are also okay with the fact that these families and individuals without access to any healthcare are going to get sicker, are going to spread the disease more frequently because they’re not getting care or isolating or getting diagnosed and treated. As we are witnessing its sweep across nations, the coronavirus is exposing flaws in our “civilized society’s system”. If the freedom of information is a problem in China, then inequalities and the massive disparities in the way people are treated depending on their economic circumstances and their immigration status is the reality of America. The coronavirus, of course, does not discriminate on those grounds and having large sections of society being unable to see a doctor is suddenly in focus as not just being bad for the individuals themselves, but for the country a whole.
The writer is a technology expert who is working with US government based in Washington DC
Article Courtesy: Dailytimes.com.pk
(April 25, 2019, Washington D.C.) – The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) held its 44th ICNA-MAS Annual Convention at a new location in Washington D.C. past weekend.
In the past 5 decades this convention has become a must-go-to event on the national American Muslim family calendar. An entire generation of American Muslim families grew up attending the ICNA convention and have made it an occasion to reunite with their friends and families and and share memories. Some youth this year were volunteering just as their parents as well as grand parents have been volunteering.
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