Last Saturday night, March 12th, over 700 people showed up for CAIR-Philadelphia’s 10th Anniversary Banquet at Springfield Country Club in Springfield PA. A grand time was had by all.
Dean Obeidallah, American Muslim journalist and comedian, kept the crowed in stitches throughout his keynote address, while at the same time reminding the audience of the huge stakes involved in this year’s US presidential election.
Keeping the evening running smoothly for the third year in a row was our wonderful MC, Maryam Elarbi.
CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Jacob Bender produced another stellar multimedia program, this time presided over by 18 narrators from all segments of the Muslim community. The program on the theme of our 10th Anniversary included a beautiful recitation of an Urdu poem by Taqi Kamal and an inspiring spoken-word rap by high school student Muhammad Rashid, in which he proudly proclaimed his identity as a young African American Muslim.
While children enjoyed a fantastic program by Ilyas & Duck author and entertainer Omar Khawaja, the adult audience was addressed by State Representative Jason Dawkins and City Councilman Curtis Hamza Jones, both Muslims, who spoke about the need for Muslim involvement in American politics.
The day after the banquet, a first-time banquet guest wrote to us:
“Salaam. Your banquet was wonderful. I thought your team did a great job explaining the work that you do and the accomplishments of CAIR Philadelphia. Beautiful example of what they call storytelling, which helps to connect with people on an emotional level. I particularly appreciated acknowledgement of the connection between the plight of Black Americans (especially Muslims) and the current climate of anti-Muslim bigotry. I think Rev. Martin Luther King said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ I’m confident there is a Hadith expressing the same sentiment.”
We are happy to report that we raised nearly $170,000 at the banquet. While this is a substantial sum, we need to raise a total of $290,000 to keep us at the same pace with what we raised in 2015. So, if you were at the banquet, but did not have a chance to donate, please consider doing so now. And if you were not at the banquet, this is another opportunity to support CAIR-Philadelphia’s invaluable service to the Muslim community. All donations are zakat-eligible and tax-exempt.
CAIR-Philadelphia thanks you for your past and present support. Please remember that it is your donations — and your donations alone — that make it possible for CAIR-Philadelphia to provide hundreds of hours of free legal services to Muslims in our area, as well as engaging the media, forming interfaith coalitions, and training and nurturing the next generation of American Muslim activists.
