Mission:

Our mission is to serve the Creator by:

1. Educating, developing and empowering our congregants;
2. Providing services of faith and care for our community;
3. Engaging society by building bridges and advocating for social justice.

Vision:

A model Muslim community striving for a just and virtuous society

Our values are:

1. Faith:
   1. Faith teaches us who Allah is: our God, our Lord, and our Savior.
   2. Faith gives us our purpose in life and our way forward. Our faith guides us, in our relationship with Allah, and with the rest of His creation.
   3. In faith, a Muslim is expected to treat all with respect, to do unto others what the Muslim loves for her (or his) own self and family, to protect all from harm, to push back against all vices, and to support all that is righteous and good.
   4. In His Book, Allah says: “Serve Allah, and join no partners with Him, and do good: to your parents and kinsfolk, to orphans and those in need, to neighbors who are relatives and your nearby neighbors. Do good also for the casual companion by your side and the traveler you meet, and even for your servants; for Allah does not love the arrogant or the prideful.”

–The Qur’an, surah 4 (The Women), ayah 36

2. Family:
   1. Family is the foundation for having a good character, being a good neighbor, and participating in society as a good citizen.
   2. Families teach faith, loyalty, good manners, discipline, public service, righteousness, honesty, commitment, and fidelity.
   3. In His Book, Allah says: “Behold, Luqman gave good guidance to his son: ‘Oh my son! Worship no one else with Allah, for worshiping anyone with Allah is a serious evil.’ And We have commanded man to be good to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness upon weakness, and his mother nursed him for two years before his weaning. So hear the command, ‘Show gratitude to Me and to your parents: to Me is your final destiny. If your parents try to make you worship, along with Me, things of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them. But still, give them your good company in this life. Be just and considerate with them. In this way, follow the path of those who turn to Me with love. In the end, you all return to Me, and I will tell you the truth and the meaning of all that you did.’”

–The Qur’an, surah 31 (Luqman), ayat 13-15

3. Youth:
   1. The youth are the most important segment of the Muslim community, and of every society. We Muslims place top priority on our youth.
   2. Education, service, care, and public contribution are important parts of developing our youth, so they will be able to contribute to society and their own future.
   3. We work hard to make our youth ready to lead our community and serve their society.
   4. In His Book, Allah says: “We tell you their story in truth: they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.”

–The Qur’an, surah 18 (The Cave), ayah 13

4. Community:
   1. The Muslim community is an extended social network which includes family, friends, neighbors, and strangers; small groups, organizations, institutions and governments.
   2. We Muslims are called to participate in building and developing community. We actively engage in our communities at all levels of organization. We contribute to, peacefully coexist with, and cooperate with all members of our communities.
   3. In His Book, Allah says: “Oh you who believe! Stand strong for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even against your own selves, or your parents, or your relatives. Stand strong for justice, whether against rich or poor, for Allah is the best to protect both rich and poor. Do not follow the lusts of your hearts, or you will go astray. If you distort justice, or decline to do justice, know that truly, Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.”

–The Qur’an, surah 4 (The Women), ayah 135

5. Diversity:
   1. In His Book, Allah says: “Oh Humanity! We created you from a male and a female; and We made you into peoples and tribes; so that you may recognize, come to know, acknowledge, and support each other. Indeed, the most honorable among you, in the sight of Allah, is the one who is most righteous. Allah has full knowledge and is well-acquainted with all things.”

–The Qur’an, surah 49 (The Inner Rooms), ayah 13

1. Muslims believe very strongly in the diversity of the human race. More than many communities, Allah has created the Muslims with differing ethnicities, skin colors, cultures, languages, tastes, and every other mark of diversity.
2. We believe in Allah’s command to: “…Help each other in goodness and piety, but do not help each other in sin or aggression. Fear Allah, for Allah is severe in punishment.”

–The Qur’an, surah 5 (The Feast Table), ayah 2

6. Society:
   1. Our society is the big family for every community to share the best they have learned, whatever their background.
   2. At our best, we don’t preach to others how good our faith or community is. Ideally, our actions as Muslims show us better than preaching would.
   3. We Muslims feel responsible to make our society better than we found it.
   4. Prophet Muhammadﷺ said: “The true Muslim is one whose hands and tongue are peaceful towards people,” and
   5. “The most beloved to Allah among people are those who are most beneficial to other people.”

Summary of Leadership Goals

1. Improve our organizational performance.
2. Develop our community.
3. Benefit our society.
4. Grow our youth.
5. Be a diverse community.

Leadership Goal I: Improve our organizational performance.

1. Improve our leadership performance, financial health, organizational structure, and strategic planning.
   1. Develop our management and leadership by:
      • Developing roles and responsibilities for all boards and committees and
      • Increasing the effectiveness of management and leadership by:
        1. Continuously orienting management and leadership to their responsibilities within our organizational structure;
        2. Providing management and leadership with: leadership training and development, and people skills and sensitivity training;
        3. Ensuring that all responsible individuals, governing bodies, activities, and initiatives are in alignment with our organizational structure and direction; and
        4. Ensuring that all responsible engaged community members are recognized as part of our organization and given a voice in decision-making processes.
2. Build our financial stability and fiscal health by:
   • Developing financial policies and procedures that follow best practices and regularly examining our financial practices to seek out continuous improvement by:
     1. Implementing the board adoption of a staff-initiated annual budget, and regular board review of financial results; and
     2. Improving internal controls.
   • Expanding our fund development capacity by:
     1. Exploring and engaging in investment opportunities,
     2. Pursuing public and private grants, and
     3. Increasing fundraising opportunities.
   • Establishing an endowment fund.
3. Review, and revise as needed, our organizational structure; including our bylaws, hierarchy, operating policies and procedures, and performance/accountability metrics.
4. Commit to an ongoing strategic planning process that includes regularly creating, reviewing, evaluating, and revising short- and long-term goals.

Leadership Goal II: Develop our community.

1. Create an Islamic environment that fosters the development and engagement of our community.
   1. Develop and strengthen our faith in, understanding of, and practice of Islam by:
      • Increasing our spiritual relationship with our Creator,
      • Improving our understanding of Islam as a way of life, and
      • Developing the good character of our community members.
   2. Provide training in life skills for all segments of our community.
      • For age groups, such as:
        1. Childhood education;
        2. Life skills training for young adults and adults; and
        3. Life planning, financial planning, and retirement planning for older community members.
      • For people in relationships, such as:
        1. Marital skills,
        2. Parenting skills,
        3. Citizenship skills (how to be a good neighbor), and
        4. Outreach skills (how to share the faith of Islam).

1. Create an environment that fosters the sense of a united community by:
   • Strengthening the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood among our members,
   • Enhancing multicultural relations within our community, and
   • Enhancing trust and cooperation between our people and our leadership.

1. Increase our community’s participation in developing and executing programs by:
   • Improving volunteer recruiting, training, and utilization;
   • Developing a core team of dedicated volunteers; and
   • Increasing the ratio of volunteers to employees.

Leadership Goal III: Benefit our society.

• Engage with and contribute to our larger society.
  1. Improve our larger society’s understanding of Islam and Muslims by engaging with:
     • Government bodies,
     • Media outlets,
     • Educational institutions, and
     • Faith-based and community institutions.
  2. Increase our community’s participation in the civic affairs of our larger society by engaging in:
     • Interfaith initiatives, events, and activities;
     • Civic events and other (non-religious) activities; and
     • Citizenship activities and civil engagement, such as voter registration, immigration issues, and issue advocacy.
  3. Collaborate with other Muslim organizations on common issues by:
     • Bringing Muslim organizations together to work on common tasks and
     • Supporting other Muslim organizations that are in line with our mission.
  4. Provide support services to our wider Muslim community (beyond our geographical boundaries) by:
     • Promoting and providing support care services, such as emergency care, emotional care and counseling, medical care, and prison ministry; and
     • Making referrals to other relevant agencies, such as the Family Care Committee (for home and hospital visits) and the Social Services Department.

Leadership Goal IV: Grow our youth.

1. Invest in our youth and plan for our next generation.
   1. Raise a generation of youth who have a proper understanding of Islam and appreciate their responsibilities to:
      • Themselves and their families;
      • Their communities: local, regional, and national; and
      • The world around us.
   2. Produce future leaders by implementing character development programs to develop our youths’ leadership abilities, morals, and manners.
   3. Empower our youth to be active and positive participants in their Muslim community and our greater society.
   4. Provide the youth with opportunities to plan, develop, and implement programs that bring them closer to Allah and serve the needs of their community.

Leadership Goal V: Be a diverse community.

1. Ensure and expand our diversity.
   1. Expand our membership base to reflect all dimensions of our community:
      • Men and women;
      • Different age groups;
      • All national, ethnic, and language groups; and
      • Different skill sets and disabilities.

1. Ensure diversity in the membership of our boards and working committees, especially to include women and youth.
2. Ensure the engagement of women; youth; the elderly; and diverse national, ethnic, and language groups in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of our programs.
3. Ensure our facilities accommodate the needs of women, youth, the elderly, and members with special needs.
4. Ensure women’s inclusion by:
   • Holistically including women in the planning, execution and evaluation of our offerings; and
   • Renovating and improving the sisters’ areas to make them more accommodating.