TMN 2020 Year in Review
By: Alaa Essafi
The hype of 2020 severely underprepared us for the trials and tribulations that were in store. In fact, 2020 had us all wishing we could go back to any year just to escape. The standard for “a good year” is at an all-time low, but that doesn’t mean we can’t reflect on the silver linings of 2020. We wanted to share our favorite projects of this year whether it be within the Muslim Network or collaborations with different organizations in NJ. Be prepared for some major plugs!
COVID-19 Relief Efforts
In this pandemic, we saw our community come together to support each other through financial hardship, supply shortages, and food relief. We coordinated with ICNA Relief, Smile for Charity, and the Islamic Center of Passaic County to create a COVID-19 Relief Task Force for those in need of relief kits or food deliveries. We also marketed resources and volunteer opportunities from organizations like Wafa House, American Muslims for Hunger Relief , Islamic Society of Central Jersey, NJ Sisterhood, and more!
We also created a COVID-19 Relief page on our website to offer the community a single channel to access resources from hundreds of organizations across the state. The page provides opportunities to volunteer and donate, and information on local food drives, pantries, and more. Additionally, we created a comprehensive list of Muslim-owned businesses in the beauty, food, legal, and clothing industries to make supporting local businesses easier for NJ Muslims.
Addressing Racial Injustice
Following the horrific murder of George Floyd, the Muslim Network co-wrote a letter of solidarity with the New Jersey chapter of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ). This letter outlined commitments in the short term and long term to address anti-blackness and build allyship within our community spaces. The letter received over 70 signatures from mosques, community centers, Muslim Student Associations, and other organizations across the state.
In October, we hosted a virtual training session for community leaders in collaboration with Muslim Anti-Racist Collaborative. The training discussed various concepts like institutional, internalized, and interpersonal racism, implicit bias, and microaggressions. Representatives from over 30 organizations, masjids, and Islamic schools across the state attended.
Assessing the Needs of New Jersey Muslims
In August, TMN released the Community Needs and Assessment Report, concluding the three-year research project. Spearheaded by Amal Abukwaik, TMN’s Director of Strategy, with assistance from Ayaa Essafi, Director of Volunteers, that focused on identifying the concerns and priority community issues of several subpopulations. We found the report’s findings invaluable in informing how our organization provides services and prioritizes issues most important to the NJ Muslim community. The report is available for free on our website and we highly encourage our local Muslim organizations to utilize it as they continue their work in our community.
Rallying NJ Volunteers
In October, we formally launched our Volunteer Network to offer NJ Muslims opportunities to give back to the NJ Muslim community. Before its formal launch, we helped several organizations with securing volunteers for their COVID-19 relief efforts. Our volunteers completed over 150 hours.
End of the Year Fundraiser
In December, The Muslim Network hosted its first virtual fundraiser: Rising Together: A Lookback at 2020. The evening included opening remarks from Mayor Khairullah of Prospect Park and a video featuring leaders from several organizations across the state. Attendees also enjoyed a comedy segment with YasGuru and spoken word by Sana Mayat. With support from our community, we were able to raise 6k, alhamdulillah!
Our TMN Family Grew
Shoutout to 2020 additions to the TMN Family: Muqqadas Ejaz, our South Jersey Director of Community Engagement; Islam Ahmed, our North Jersey Director of Community Engagement; and Dr. Faisal Shah, our Board Trustee.
We also want to give a huge thank you to Essma Bengabsia, our departing Executive Director for her tireless, amazing efforts in TMN. Her incredible leadership and passion for community service from the very beginning contributed greatly to the impact TMN has made so far, and we are so grateful to have her as a part of our team. She has recently joined the Muslim Network board of trustees.
All of the accomplishments listed above would have been unachievable if not for the support of our community. As we continue to grow, we want to serve you directly with better services, larger events, and continue to facilitate essential conversations about the issues that face our NJ Muslim community.