Shiite agencies America

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

MISSION STATEMENT:

Hejrat Foundation – a religious, educational, and charitable organization - was established in Southern California in the year 2000 as a non-profit organization. Our mission is to educate and aid people: to educate Muslims and non-Muslims about Islam and issues that affect their lives and the world in which they live; to encourage positive social progress; to build unity between all people; and to fill the needs of Muslims and non-Muslims in Southern California in order to improve their standard of living and assist in their economic advancement - beginning locally and spreading nationally and internationally.

Our goals include the establishment of masjids (mosques), Islamic seminaries (hawza), full-time Islamic schools, weekend schools, libraries, Islamic banks, Islamic cemeteries, homeless shelters, free medical clinics, orphanages, domestic violence shelters, food banks, and other organizations and services to meet the needs of the growing Muslim population, and our non-Muslim neighbors. We aim to additionally reach out to the local, national, and international community through TV and radio studios, as well as by publishing books and other literature aimed at educating people and improving their lives.

Hejrat Foundation was established under The Hejrat Educational Center, and currently administrates several organizations. Masjid Al-Nabi is our mosque in West Covina, California. There, we hold regular programs to educate the community in religious, cultural, humanitarian, legal, national, and international issues. We invite a wide range of speakers from many different backgrounds to speak on the various topics of interest and need. We regularly include question and answer periods so that we can maximize learning opportunities.

In Adelanto, California, we direct another mosque, which is also called Masjid Al-Nabi. There, we also have a cemetery and burial facilities, which we administrate under the organization name “United Islamic Youth Organization.” In June of 2005, arsonists set fire to the masjid and burial facilities, destroying them. Plans have been completed, and we expect to begin rebuilding soon. The cemetery in Adelanto serves the needs of all of Southern California, and beyond. It is the first, and the largest, cemetery in the United States that is in total accordance with Islamic law. It serves all Muslims, both Shia and Sunni. There are over 600 Muslims buried there, and another 1,000 plots have already been reserved.

We are in the process of opening a TV studio, and have already registered it as Enlight Broadcasting Corporation, doing business as Enlight TV. This satellite TV station will be broadcasting, in English, 24 hours a day. Our goals are for educating, enlightening, and informing both Muslims and Non-Muslims, both nationally and internationally. Enlight TV’s programming will focus on education and news. Educationally, our programming will address many aspects of life: We will teach about Islam so that Muslims will learn more about their religion in order to become better human beings, and so that non-Muslims will grow in their understanding that Islam is a religion of peace and a religion that aims for people to reach their perfection in morals and humanity. We will have programming about Islamic culture as well as programming that features the dialogue between religions and between cultures in order to bring about a better perception of world diversity, and to encourage understanding, unity, and peace between all people. We will address humanitarian issues so that people will be made aware of the needs of their world neighbors. Also, human rights issues will be discussed because it is important for people to know what is happening to their fellow humans so that they can act to correct wrongs in the world. We will include legal, national, and international issues in order to further educate our viewers. The aim of Enlight TV’s news department is to broaden people’s views and increase their world perspective; we want to inform our viewers of the struggles and accomplishments of people in communities all over the world.

Because the internet is such a valuable tool in reaching people, we are in the process of updating and expanding our website, http://hejrat.info. Our aim is for it to be a valuable online source for knowledge and learning, to further fill the needs of our community, and beyond. Hejrat.info notifies the community about our activities, services, and plans for the future. We offer books for sale, as well as an ever-growing list of online book links. We offer a business directory, and other service and information links. Our “news” section, which we are in the process of revising, will include national and worldwide news affecting our audience, as well as our own news of the community.

Hejrat Foundation is currently working on organizing a Hawza, an Islamic Seminary school. The Hawza is a place where students can learn, in depth, about Islamic topics. The plans for the Hawza call for it to be certified by the state of California for university credits, and to be certified by the Hawzas in Najaf and Qum. We are working with some prominent Islamic Scholars, in the United States and abroad, to bring this plan to fruition.

We have established a weekend school in order to better reach our goals for teaching basic Islamic education to children from various ethnic groups and backgrounds in an environment where they come together and find their common ground, preparing them for a future of unity and cooperation. In addition, we expect to begin classes for adults: both those who want to learn about Islam at a basic level, and those who wish to pursue more advanced levels.

At Hejrat Foundation, we have a commitment to education and learning. People require sources in order to be able to expand their knowledge, so we have begun work on the establishment of a multi-media Islamic library to aid people in their quest for that knowledge.

Strong healthy family units are what build a safe and sane world. For this reason, we offer many services aimed at the family unit, and plan to add many more. We plan to introduce matrimonial services in the near future, to help people find a suitable spouse. In addition, we offer pre-marriage counseling to assist people in reaching their goal of a solid and lasting marriage and family. We also offer youth, family, and marriage counseling. Since our senior citizens are the respected parents of the community, we are working on the establishment of Senior Citizen Services. Also, in view of the fact that the youth are the future of the community, we will be adding tutoring to our list of services as well in order to help them succeed in their studies. To further strengthen the community, we also offer immigration and citizenship services.

There are many upcoming projects that we feel are extremely important for the health and welfare of the people most in need. Many people find themselves and their families without adequate food, so we are working to establish food banks. Another urgent need that we see is for homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters, especially for women and children. Children who have lost their parents often found themselves thrown into unfortunate situations of foster care, and we wish to institute loving orphanage homes to nurture them into their adulthood. We also plan to establish free medical clinics for the needy who may not otherwise obtain the medical attention that they require. This, as with all our projects, we begin close to home in our own community, and then work towards expanding world-wide, especially to work with those in need in Third World countries, because we feel that everyone in the world is our neighbor – it is just that some are farther away than others.

Hejrat Foundation has begun a department dedicated to the research and publication of information concerning the vital topic of women’s rights. Worldwide, in all cultures, women are misunderstood and misused. Our objective is to eradicate the prevalent ignorance and misconceptions about women and their inherent rights. Our plan is to educate, for only through the dissemination of correct information about women’s rights will women be treated with the respect they deserve.

We currently offer small, interest-free loans for people in the community who are experiencing an emergency situation. Life often presents problems, but we believe that, through cooperation, all problems can be solved. For this reason, we plan to institute an Islamic bank, which will offer savings and loan programs based on Islamic principles. Our loans, therefore, will be interest-free.

Our aims are high. We aim to create positive change in our community, our nation, and our world. And, with the help of Allah, InshaAllah, we will succeed.

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Hejrat Foundation is based on donations, khums, and sols (the 1/3 inheritance allotment). It has official authority from most Islamic Scholars (marajah) for the collection of khums. Donations are tax deductible.

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FOUNDERS:

· Seyed M. Mousavi

· Nahid Nabhani

· Dr. Asad Toolami

BOARD OF TRUSTEES: HEJRAT FOUNDATION:

· Mr. Seyed M. Mousavi

· Mrs. Nahid Nabhani

· Mr. Mohammed Mousavi

· Mr. Mohsen Falatoonzadeh

· Dr. Shahriar Heidary

· Mr. Mostafa