President Message
As-salamu Alaykum / Peace be upon you,
Dear MAPS Community,
It is with great honor and a sense of deep responsibility that I have accepted to lead MAPS once again. I am profoundly humbled at the opportunity and the trust you have placed in me for a second time. Having been part of MAPS founding twelve years ago, and as its first President and having closely watched MAPS grow and evolve over the years, MAPS is near and dear to my heart. If Allah The Almighty wills, you will find me serving Him and serving you as we take our institution forward in the days and months to come.
By the grace of Allah who is The Expander (Al-Basit), MAPS has grown tremendously over the past few years. We have grown from a small mosque formed around a few local families to an institution serving some 6000 families in this corner of the Pacific Northwest. We have expanded our services from holding the daily prayers to holding spiritual observances for all of life’s events (from birth to weddings to religious celebrations to funerals). We have graduated from teaching a handful of children on Sunday mornings to holding daily classes, teaching a broad array of religious and secular courses to nearly 500 eager students of all ages. We have extended our charitable activities from dispensing sadaqah to a few needy families to having not one but two full-fledged committees (MAPS-MCRC and MAPS Alsadaqa) assisting the poor and needy in various capacities, from operating a free health clinic to resettling refugees. We have opened up from being a closed knit group to an organization with deep friendships with interfaith communities, strong relationships with state leaders and recognition at the national level. Along the way, we have created a dozen dedicated committees solving one big problem at a time: MAPS-AMEN, MAPS-MCRC, MAPS-AsSadaqah, MAPS-NOW, MAPS-MCOC, MAPS-TAG, MAPS-Youth, MAPS-IOC, MAPS-Ready, MAPS-Prisons Outreach, MAPS-Noor Academy, MAPS-Ar-Rahmah Academy, MAPS-Precious Hearts have truly embodied the Quranic mandate of “enjoining good and forbidding evil.” I, with all my heart, thank the outgoing President, Mahmood Khadeer, the many board members of the past years and the countless volunteers, who imagined and brought these many programs to life. We can all be very proud of these accomplishments.
With fast and rapid changes though come new and difficult challenges. First, we encounter operational challenges. How do we sustain an organization that is growing at 15% year-over-year? How do we ensure that our infrastructure can support the growing needs? How do we efficiently manage many diverse programs each with its own needs and demands? How do we continue to finance the expanding programs given that 80% of our income comes from donations? Second, we encounter leadership challenges. How do we align the many ideas and aspirations in an organization with such a diverse mix of our congregants (who trace their origins to over 50 countries)? How do we retain the active engagement and energy level of leaders who are all volunteers with demanding day jobs? How do we establish a leadership bench so that we have a ready cadre of committed individuals who are aligned with our vision and lead the organization in the years and decades to come? Thirdly, we encounter vision challenges. How do we do all of the above and more while staying true to MAPS Vision “to inspire and foster a community that impacts the quality of life and spirituality for the individual, family and society guided by teachings of Quran and Sunnah”? How do we view this Vision within the American context, given the dynamics within the American Muslim community and in light of the identity that this community is emerging? These are the challenges that I intend to reflect on, understand and then tackle.
I have already started talking to many mosque-goers, elders, committee leaders, volunteers and board members about their views on the pressing challenges and the burgeoning opportunities in our community. I would like to spend the next few weeks to really hear from as many of you as possible. To this end, I would encourage all of you to tell me “what is working for you and what is not working for you at MAPS” by filling in this survey. I purposefully kept the question broad to give you a chance to tell me what is on your mind. I do hope that you will give me some frank and constructive feedback so that we all have a say in the direction of our institution. I intend to gather your inputs, sit with the new board, analyze the issues and frame lasting solutions. I will come back to you early next year in a townhall to lay out our plans forward.
As I embark on this journey, I feel a sense of excitement and also a sense of accountability. I do ask you to pray that Allah, The Most High, guide me and guide the board as we make decisions for the community, that He gives us patience and insights as we tackle the challenges, that He guides our hearts and intentions as we craft solutions. In the end, all that we do is solely to seek His pleasure and His acceptance. Ameen.
Jazakum Allah Khairan / Thank you,
Hyder Ali
MAPS President