Addiction Family Support Group
2022-12-24 11:00 - 12:00, 2022-12-31 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | MCC East Bay, 5724 W Las Positas Blvd #300, Pleasanton, CA, 94588, United States
Nearly 37 percent of Muslims report personally knowing a person who has or is struggling with addiction. Yet Most Muslims with addiction and their families find little support in their communities.
Are you looking for resources to help you support someone struggling with addiction? Is someone else’s addiction negatively affecting you?
Help is on the way for you and your loved ones struggling with an addiction. MCC is now hosting Al-Anon Family Group meetings.
Join our weekly anonymous meetings from 11 a.m. to noon starting on Saturday, July 30, 2022, at MCC in Room 16. Enter MCC from Suite 150. In this open and confidential setting, you will learn how to apply basic recovery principles to your personal or loved one’s situation.
There is no fee to participate and pre-registration is not required.
This is an open meeting, so families, friends, and observers are welcome. Recovery is for everyone!
For those who cannot attend this in-person weekly support, the Madina House offers a regular virtual family support group: https://www.madinahouse.org/family-group
Regardless of the issue, you are dealing with, we know that hosting space in your spiritual community center is part of the lasting change from the inside out.
Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

What is Al-Anon?
The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives and friends of those affected by another person’s alcoholism and substance use who share their experiences, strength, and hope, in order to solve their common problems. Addiction is regarded as a family illness, and the philosophy focuses on the principle that changed attitudes can aid recovery.
Al-Anon is not allied with any sect, denomination, political entity, organization, or institution; does not engage in any controversy, and neither endorses nor opposes any cause. There are no dues for membership. Al-Anon is self-supporting through its own voluntary contributions. This Al-Anon Family Group session is called Celebrating Surrender AFG WSO ID 30787606.

– MCC’s Substance Use Family Support Group: https://mcceastbay.org/support-group
– More talks about various forms of use in Muslim Community: https://mcceastbay.org/abuse

Resources

Muslims find a safe place to recover from alcohol addiction: the mosque
For Muslims wrestling with substance abuse, it’s often a silent struggle
Substance Abuse and Addiction in the Muslim Community: Facing Stigma and Seeking Support
The Imam and the Drug Addict, IlmFeed
Overcoming Addiction: An Islamic Approach to Recovery (OAIAR)

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org
FAQs ABOUT AL-ANON
Is this a religious fellowship?
The Al-Anon Family Group is a spiritual fellowship, not a religious one. We avoid discussion of specific religious doctrine, and members of all faiths (or of none) are welcome. Our Twelve Steps ask us to find a “Power greater than ourselves” who can help us solve our problems and find serenity. Each member is free to define that power in his or her own way.
Is an appointment needed?
No advance notification or formal written referral is necessary to attend an Al-Anon or Alateen meeting. Most Al-Anon groups have a contact who can be called for information about the group, our program in general, or for directions to a meeting. For this meeting, it is munir@mcceastbay.org.
How much is this going to cost?
There are no dues or fees in Al-Anon and Alateen meetings. MCC does not charge a fee to provide the space. Some other groups pass a basket for voluntary contributions to support paying rent (if applicable), provide literature, and offer support to local and worldwide service centers.
Is there a registration process to attend Al-Anon meetings?
The meetings are on a walk-in basis. Al-Anon has no membership list and does not take attendance. You’re welcome to attend as frequently or infrequently as you choose. There is never any obligation.
How will Al-Anon help me?
Many who come to Al-Anon/Alateen are in despair, feeling hopeless, unable to believe that things can ever change. We want our lives to be different, but nothing we have done has brought about change. We all come to Al-Anon because we want and need help.
In Al-Anon and Alateen, members share their own experience, strength, and hope with each other. You will meet others who share your feelings and frustrations, if not your exact situation. We come together to learn a better way of life, to find happiness whether our loved one is still addicted or not. It is recommended to try 6 different meetings to determine if Al-anon is right for you.
My friend/loved one is a drug addict. Can I go to an Al-Anon meeting?
You are also welcome to try Al-Anon meetings, then decide if the Al–Anon program might be helpful to you. The primary purpose of Al-Anon is to provide support to those affected by another person’s drinking. In a membership survey 35% of our members said they joined our program because of a loved one’s drug addiction and that their lives had improved since attending meetings. The survey also showed that 78% of these members eventually realized that someone’s drinking also negatively affected their lives.
There is another program, Nar-Anon, which is for people affected by a loved one’s drug addiction. You can visit their web site here: Nar–Anon.org. You are also welcome to try Al–Anon meetings, then decide if the Al-Anon program might be helpful to you.
Will anyone say I’ve been there?
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of Al-anon, ever a reminder to place principles above personalities. One of the ways this is carried out is by group members introducing themselves by first name only. Meetings are confidential, and we do not disclose whom we see or what we hear at meetings to anyone.
Do I have to say anything at a meeting?
It is your choice to speak or not during the meetings. Newcomers are welcomed to meetings, usually provided with literature and a local meeting list, and invited to listen and learn. Some meetings offer beginners’ meetings, specifically for newcomers. Long-time members are available to answer questions before or after the meetings.
Resources

Al-Anon Family Group (for families with a loved one suffering through an addiction)
East Bay Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (for those suffering through an addiction)
Alameda County Department of Public Health – Substance Abuse Resource List
Alameda County Behavioral Health – Resource List and Helpline (1-844-682-7215)

Private Event
2022-12-25 12:00 - 16:00
Prayer Hall & Banquet Hall

The Seven Obstacles on the Path to God Series | Sidi Shahyrar Abbasi
2022-12-28 19:15 - 20:15
Every Muslim is on a journey to Allah. As you travel to Allah, you will inadvertently face obstacles on your path and, many times, not know how to overcome them.

Join us for a new virtual weekly class with Sidi Shahryar Abbasi where we will discuss the 7 obstacles a believer faces on the Path to Allah, along with strategies for navigating these hurdles.

Imam Al Ghazali beautifully discusses these 7 Obstacles in his famous book, Minhaj Al Abideen, which is the core text for our class.

7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. | Wednesdays | Dec. 14 to Ramadan ’23 | Watch at https://mcceastbay.org/live

Hosted at Lighthouse Mosque. Streamed only on MCC media channels. Watch past sessions at https://mcceastbay.org/obstacles

– More Sidi Shahryar: https://mcceastbay.org/shahryar

– Sidi Shahryar’s “Seven Obstacles on the Path to God” Series: https://mcceastbay.org/obstacles

– Sidi Shahryar’s “Practical Spirituality Series”: https://mcceastbay.org/practical

– Sidi Shahryar’s “Real Talk Series”: https://mcceastbay.org/real-talk

– Sidi Shahryar’s “Traits of the Righteous” Series: https://mcceastbay.org/hallmark

– Sidi Shahryar’s “Deceptive Desires” Series: https://mcceastbay.org/desires

About the SpeakerShahryar graduated from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and served as the External Affairs Vice President of UC Berkeley’s student government. He is an experienced speaker, mentor, and coach. Send him questions at: ask.abu.taha@gmail.com and learn more about him at https://www.tiktok.com/@islamic_spirituality

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

Emir-Stein Center @ MCC Jumu’ahs
2022-12-30 12:30 - 14:00
Emir-Stein Center is raising funds to support their work on countering misconceptions about Islam. The Emir-Stein Center is a project of Zaytuna College and was founded by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. Learn more: https://www.emir-stein.org/

Jumu’ah Services @ MCC
2022-12-30 12:30 - 14:00
For our Jumu’ah services on Friday, December 30, masks are optional to attend any MCC service, and no RSVP is necessary:

12:30 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.

– Sidi Abdullah Qureshi delivers this sermon.

– No social distancing option in Prayer Hall (shoulder-to-shoulder). Social distance worship is available for women in Banquet Hall & men in Conference Room.

1:30 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.

– Shaykh Talal Ahdab delivers this sermon.

– No social distancing option in Prayer Hall (shoulder-to-shoulder). Social distance worship is available for women in Banquet Hall & men in Conference Room.

Please attend at 12:30 p.m. to avoid heavier second-service congestion whenever possible. Masks are optional.

The third Jumu’ah will resume in March ’23: https://mcceastbay.org/event/new-jumuah-times-winter-schedule/

Jumu’ah parking for two services is in the MCC and the neighboring HP lot. The aerial map at https://mcceastbay.org/hp

– Virtually watch these two sermons from home: https://mcceastbay.org/live

– More Sidi Abdullah Qureshi: https://mcceastbay.org/abdullah-qureshi

– More Shaykh Talal Ahdab: https://mcceastbay.org/talal

For parents attending with young children indoors, MCC offers private mothers’ and fathers’ rooms with an audio and visual connection to Prayer Hall. Parents can watch the sermon and pray while in the company of other parents with young children. The mothers/fathers prayer room is just past the Banquet Hall doors into the school area.

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

The Alameda County Health Department reports COVID-19 cases are still happening. We remain indoors for the five daily prayers and two Jumu’ah services as long as health officials deem it safe. All the Jumu’ah prayers are indoors.

Gender Roles: The Intersection of Culture & Islam | Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi & Imam Ahmad Deeb
2022-12-30 18:00 - 20:00
Join this interactive community conversation with Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi & Imam Ahmad Deeb, examining the generational differences in gender expectations.We will discuss what Muslim women and men expect from one another and the origin of those expectations.Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi is a public speaker, teacher, writer, spiritual counselor, mentor, and Mental Health Advocate. Imam Ahmad Deeb is an Imam, counselor, and Certified Coach Outreach Ambassador for Bayan Islamic Graduate School.

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Maghrib to Isha) | Friday, December 30 | MCC Conference Room | In person or watch online at mcceastbay.org/live

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

Sponsored by Bayan Islamic Graduate School, West Valley Muslim Association and MCC East BayUstadha Hosai Mojaddidi was born in Afghanistan and moved to the United States with her family at age two. She credited her Islamic journey to 1996 when she began attending Islamic classes in Hayward, California. These classes were taught by her teacher and mentor since then, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf.

One of her main areas of focus is to help create a strong sisterhood for the women in the community by leading halaqas (spiritual study circles) and support groups while offering individual spiritual counseling and mentoring. She noted that many spiritual problems reflected the community’s deep and complicated mental health issues and would be better served by focusing on mental health. Thus, along with her cousin, Dr. Nafisa Sekandari, co-founded a website called Mental Health 4 Muslims (www.mentalhealth4muslims.com).

Imam Ahmad Deeb

His grandfather Dr. Sheikh Ramadan Deeb, one of the oldest living scholars in Damascus, is a renowned Syrian scholar who built important bridges between western and eastern scholarship. He grew up watching his father, Shaykh Abdallah Deeb, lead a Muslim community in Orlando, Florida.

But, even though he was born into a family of Muslim scholars, Imam Ahmad Deeb struggled as a teenager seeking answers to fundamental questions about religion.

It wasn’t until University, when he began attending a local halaqa and listening online to Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, that Imam Deeb felt his mind and his heart begins to find a connection to Islam. Upon graduation, he turned his focus to seeking knowledge at a higher level.

Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Husayni al-Ninowy, a family friend, invited him to join a Madina Institute pilot program he was starting in South Africa. Imam Ahmad Deeb spent a year at the Madina Institute in Cape Town. When he returned, he continued studying with local scholars, including his father and began a Master’s in Islamic Studies at Bayan Islamic Graduate School in Claremont, California.

Today, Imam Ahmad Deeb is the Imam at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, located in one of the oldest Muslim communities in North America. He is the co-founder of Pillars Seminary alongside Shaykh Ismail Bowers, which focuses on teaching the foundational Islamic sciences to busy professionals, as well as the co-founder of Itqaan Institute, dedicated to developing a love of God through a relationship and mastery of reciting the Qur’an, with his father as the primary teacher and leader.

His story intersects with many familiar names: Shaykh Ramadan Deeb, Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy, Shaykh Abdallah Deeb, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Dr. Sherman Jackson, Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad / Timothy J. Winter, Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown, Shaykh Ismail Bowers, Ustadh Arthur Richards Jr., Dr. Ali Shahata, Imam Mohamed Masri.

Gender Roles Symposium

Monthly Saturday Dhikr/Support Circle
2022-12-31 09:00 - 11:00
Join Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi for monthly in-person women-only dhikr circles filled with recitation, reflection, and Salawat. This Sisters Healing & Du’ah Circle is here to offer support for sisters experiencing grief/loss, marital challenges, parenting challenges, health challenges, caring for elderly parents/loved ones, isolation, etc.
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Starting Saturday, August 27, 2022 | Last Saturday of each month | Conference Room

– More Ustadha Hosai: https://mcceastbay.org/hosai

Schedule:

Welcome
Recitation of Ratib al-Shahr wird
Recitation of Surah Yasin
Dhikr
Salawat
Short reflection (khatira)

Event Dates:

Saturday, August 27
Saturday, September 24
Saturday, October 22
Saturday, November 19
Saturday, December 31

About Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi:
Hosai Mojaddidi is the co-Founder of mentalhealth4muslims.com where she advocates for and writes about various mental health-related topics tailored for Muslims. She has served the American-Muslim community for nearly 20 years as an activist, writer/editor, mediator, interfaith organizer, and public speaker, covering a variety of topics including women’s issues, marriage/family, education, and self-development, interfaith bridge-building, spirituality, etc.
In her spare time she enjoys reading, writing, blogging via social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), doing arts and crafts, visiting gourmet coffee shops, and exploring the countless beautiful parks, beaches, and nature preserves throughout Northern California where she lives with her husband, two sons, and fish named Max.
Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

Boys Flag Football Camp
2022-12-31 10:00 - 11:30
Join Sidi Zeeshan Mukhtar for a three-week flag football camp over three Saturdays for boys ages 8 to 13.

10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | Saturday mornings | Saturday, December 17, 2022, to Saturday, December 31, 2022,| Creekside Park in Pleasanton | Admissions $20/child for the remaining two sessions | Register at mcceastbay.org/football

The camp is limited to 45 kids. The camp will be canceled if rain is in the forecast.

Dads are encouraged to come and stay and participate as well.

Please bring:

1. Dress kids in layers for cold mornings and intense play.

2. Properly fitted athletic shoes

3. A snack if your kid needs it (banana or granola bar, or power bar)

About the Facilitator

Azmat Zeeshan Mukhtar is a local father and mentor from our community who enjoys sports and kids. He will organize the activities and bring on some other dads to help volunteer and make this a rewarding activity for our young Muslim boys. He has raised three boys with his wife, Hina Khan-Mukhtar.

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

Creekside Park in Pleasanton:
