As part of CAIR’s Muslims Care project, the month of August is focused on helping the youth. CAIR’s “For Our Youth" campaign designed to address the immense pressures facing our youth today at home, school and in society. By addressing the problems faced by youth today, it is our belief that we can address the problems of the future.

MIST, the Muslim Inter-Scholastic Tournament, is series of competitions for high school students to showcase their talents. MIST originated at the University of Houston in 2001 and has since been hosted in 9 different locations. Thousands of high school students come together each year to compete in MIST, with every competition based on Islamic themes. The weekend-long tournament includes competitions ranging from athletics, to natural and behavioral sciences, to artwork and Quran recitation as well as educational workshops and activities.

As part of our Muslims Care initiative and to give back to the community this August, volunteers from CAIR participated in MIST Nationals competition at the University of Maryland, College Park. Interns and staff from CAIR National attended MIST as judges and lectures, excited to be involved in this 3-day tournament.

CAIR Action Alert #610:

Muslims Asked to Pray for End to Oil Spill, Volunteer for Relief Effort

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/9/10) -- CAIR is calling on mosques and other houses of worship across the nation to offer prayers for an end to the Gulf oil spill and the environmental disaster it is causing.

Imams and khatibs are urged to use jummah prayers to offer special du'as for a speedy end to the oil spill crisis. Mosque officials are also asked to encourage community members to volunteer to assist in Gulf Coast relief efforts as part of CAIR's ongoing "Muslims Care" volunteerism initiative.

SEE: Muslims Care
http://www.muslims-care.org/

CAIR is requesting that religious leaders of other faiths offer similar prayers and supplications based on their own traditions.

“Engineers, officials and residents of the Gulf Coast are doing their best to mitigate this environmental disaster and people of faith must also do what they can to seek divine intervention when human efforts fall short,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Along with the prayers, we ask American Muslims to volunteer their time and talents to assist in the massive clean up effort."

He cited the Quran, which states: “O you who have attained to faith! Seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer: for, behold, God is with those who are patient in adversity.” (2:153)

SEE: CAIR Explore the Quran Search Engine

Awad said CAIR chapters around the nation will encourage interfaith partners to join the spiritual effort along with local mosques.

SEE: CAIR Chapters Nationwide

“This nationwide spiritual effort could have the added benefit of strengthening bonds between Americans of all faiths,” said Awad.

SEE: Calif. Muslim, Jewish Leaders Discuss Shared Values

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED:

1. MAKE SPECIAL DU'AS this Friday asking God to bring a speedy end to the Gulf oil spill and to help prevent the environmental disaster it is causing.
2. CONTACT your community's INTERFAITH PARTNERS to ask that they take part in this spiritual initiative.
3. VOLUNTEER TO ASSIST IN THE CLEAN-UP EFFORT. Muslim communities along the Gulf Coast should make a special effort to turn out volunteers who are 18 or older.
   
   To request volunteer information, call BP's toll-free number: 1-866-448-5816
   Other volunteer resources:
   
   Volunteer Louisiana
   http://volunteerlouisiana.gov/
   800.755.5175
   
   Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service
   http://www.mcvs.org
   
   Volunteer Florida
   http://www.volunteerflorida.org/
   
   211 Connects Alabama
   http://211connectsalabama.org
   866.869.4921
   
   Volunteer Florida
   http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org/
   
4. REPORT PRAYER AND VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES to CAIR by e-mailing: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

In churches, especially in Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes, the spill weeks ago found its way into every message and homily, as pastors seek to give it meaning, encourage parishioners in the face of hardship, or summon them to good works.

And the Council on American-Islamic Relations asked Muslims around the country this week to include special prayers for oil spill relief in their Friday worship services.

"You hate to beat a dead horse," said the Rev. John Arnone, who pastors two Catholic parishes in St. Bernard, one of them with a substantial number of hard-hit fishing families. "You've got to mention it, even though it's on everybody's mind. You don't want to wear them down, but we have to be mindful that we are here to support one another. That's why I keep doing it."

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Source: Nola.com

By Bridget Johnson - 06/09/10 01:35 PM ET

The Council on American-Islamic Relations put out a call Wednesday for Muslims to pray for an end to the BP Gulf oil spill.

CAIR asked imams across the country to use sermons this Friday to pray for a resolution to the oil crisis and ensuing environmental disaster.

Mosque officials are also being asked to rally community members to volunteer for Gulf Coast relief efforts as part of the group's "Muslims Care" initiative.

"Engineers, officials and residents of the Gulf Coast are doing their best to mitigate this environmental disaster, and people of faith must also do what they can to seek divine intervention when human efforts fall short," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad in a statement citing Quranic verse. "Along with the prayers, we ask American Muslims to volunteer their time and talents to assist in the massive clean up effort."

Awad said CAIR chapters also encourage other faiths to get involved in the prayer and relief efforts.

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Source: The Hill