One of the most isolated regions from the Jamaat’s HUB in Maryland, the West-Northern region is rapidly growing, many moving from populous areas, especially the east coast. For example, about one-third of the Seattle Jamaat Members were formerly living in the New York/Jersey area.
Along with its lush economy, bridged by many hotshot companies such as Microsoft and Boeing, Seattle is a paradise for those who enjoy the outdoors: the ski resorts are within an hours’ drive of downtown, the rainforest hiking trails within two, and numerous bodies of water border the city. Seattle is also sandwiched between two ranges of mountain; on the west is the Olympic range and on the east, the Cascades. Just over the Cascades is the desert, a completely different climate from Seattle. Those wanting to leave the country have the option of taking a day-trip to Vancouver, B.C., or taking a ferry to Victoria, B.C. The myth that it’s always raining in Seattle can be a bit misleading. Although several of the winter days provide only a glimpse of sunshine, the summer offers gorgeous and bearable weather with the average temperature in the mid 70s. It may also be surprising to know that it rains more in New York than in Seattle. Whereas an inch of rain in New York may take an hour to come down, it may take five hours in Seattle. The Seattle Jamaat has seen a dramatic growth spurt within the last several years, comprising membership of over 220 members, hence making it one of the two larger Majalis in the West-Northern region. Many moved to Seattle for employment in companies such as Microsoft as well as starting up small businesses.
The other big Majalis in this part of the nation is the Silicon Valley Jamaat whose membership exceeds 250. Similar to Seattle, Silicon Valley offers many opportunities with those possessing expertise in the high-tech industry. Silicon Valley prides itself on having the dotcom boom. Situated in Central California, the Silicon Valley has a hot climate with the summers being in the 80s and 90s, and winter temperatures plummeting to the 60s. The hilly terrain gives a golden color during the summer and transforms into green during the cooler and wetter months. The Silicon Valley Mosque itself stands on a hill in Milpitas and has been the grounds for the West Coast Ijtema for many years. With its steep hills that demands great stamina from a jogger, San Francisco is an hour away from Silicon Valley. Its vast diversity in race and political viewpoints among other things, makes it a unique city, offering tolerance to anyone.
Portland, which is three hours south of Seattle, borders Washington State, separated by Columbia River. Portland’s weather and terrain is similar to Seattle, albeit it’s a few degrees warmer. With its progressive social services system, Portland is known to be one of the most livable cities in the nation. Portland is known as a ‘green’ city, which respects the environment and keeps it in mind during urban planning/growth. Oregon is also popular for its beaches, particularly Canon Beach, which is located a couple hours west of Portland and provides for a beautiful place to view the sunset or walk barefoot in the soft sand. Knowing the numerous amounts of activities the Portland Jamaat puts on, ranging from Khidmate Khalq to Tabligh events, one would be astonished to know that the Portland Jamaat’s size is only around 80, making it one of the smallest Majalis in the nation. This Jamaat is also one of the most diverse with respect to ethnic heritage. It has members who are African Americans, Caucasians, Asians, and South Asians.
The West-Northern region has a total of seven Majalis spread throughout four states and covering thousands of miles. Though the geographical barrier is great, the spirit of Ahmadiyyat and brotherhood remains prevalent throughout this unique region.
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Galib Ahmad (Qaid Sacramento)
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Maseeh Maud Day Panel in Silicon Valley
A panel discussion on "The Promised Messiah, Jihad, and Contemporary Muslims " was conducted in connection with the Maseeh Maood day event held at SV Jamaat on March 23, 2008. All 3 panelists on the panel and the moderator were members of MKA SV Majlis. The panelists included Saleem Qadir sahib, Muhammed Chaudhry sahib, and Rafae Bhatti sahib. Aftab Jamil sahib moderated the panel. The panel explored the views of Promised Messiah on contemporary issues and their relevance in the Ahmadiyya movement. The panel was followed by questions and answers session.
The latest from Sacramento
Each month Sacramento Chapter holds an auxiliary meeting on the fourth Sunday and a monthly general meeting on the Second Sunday. During the auxiliary meeting Khuddam and Atfal discusses the quarterly workbooks and tries to answer questions related to the materials. During the general meeting all Khuddam, Atfal and Ansar gather together and discuss variety of topics. During the meeting half hour is designated for Khuddam organized program. During that time a Khuddam reads Huzor¢s Friday sermon paragraph by paragraph and everyone together discusses it in detail. Usually during that time the elders of the Jamat gives their input regarding the topic. Everyone, young and old enjoys this session. Once in a while field trips to different local places are organized. Everyone looks forward to this event.
UW AMSA holds "The Advent of the Messiah" program
January 2008– The University of Washington AMSA chapter which was established a little over a year ago held it's first ever Tabligh event. Even though this AMSA chapter consists of less than five members, it has been extremely active on campus and driving various initiatives including a blood drive that resulted in over 50 units of blood being collected.
The coming of the Messiah is a common thread that exists between Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. In fact, other faiths such as Bhuddists, Zoroastrians and Hindus await the return/coming of a "messiah" like figure. On January 17, 2008 the Ahmadiyya Muslim Students Association of the University of Washington held a program discussing the Advent of the Messiah as it relates to Islam and Ahmadiyyat.
Harris Zafar Sahib Presenting on the "Message of Peace"
The topics included in this 90 minute long event included:
a) The Message of Peace (10 mins)
b) Serving Humanity (10 mins)
c) Signs of the Latter Days (10 mins)
d) The Expectations & the Advent of the Messiah (20 mins)
The presenations were followed by a 30 min Q & A session. The total number of attendees were 60 including 12-14 guests. Harris Zafar Sahib (Qaid Portland) was kind enough to make the 3 hour journey up to Seattle to conduct one of the presentations.
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Missionary Imam Mahli Sahib meeting with members of the SanFran/Oakland Majalis.
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Pacific Northwest
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