By Ayub Khan and Dina Rashed, IOL Chicago correspondents 

CHICAGO, July 6 (IslamOnline) - Imams, community leaders, activists and professionals gathered in Chicago on Friday, July 5, for the start of the three-day Islamic Society of North America’s (ISNA) sixth annual “Islam in America” conference.  

The conference is being held simultaneously with ISNA’s four other conventions, which include “Islam in American Prisons”, “Conference on Islam Among Latino Americans” and the “Annual Conference on Muslim Refugees in America.” These symposiums are held annually to discuss and find solutions to the problems faced by America's Muslim population.  

“The strength of America is in its diversity, and this diversity includes the Islamic component which is part of the American mainstream now,” said Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, secretary General of ISNA, in his opening remarks of the conference, on Friday afternoon. 

He added that there has been a growing demand especially after the events of September 11, to know more about Islam and discover what that faith is all about, adding that such event provides an opportunity for non-Muslims to interact with Muslim experts and religious scholars closely. 

In the first session on Friday, participants discussed the importance of education in contemporary society. Speaking first, Sven Talha De Backer, from the Iqra International Educational Foundation, narrated his experiences as a convert and an educator. He emphasized that education is the key to dispelling the prevailing misconceptions about Islam in society.  

Dr. Abidullah Ghazi, executive director of Iqra International Education Foundation, compared the traditional “madrassa” (school) system to incorporating Islamic schools in America.  

He said that while the “madrassa” system was the best during the Medieval ages, it declined during the colonial era. The rejection of modern languages and subjects led to the fossilization of the “madrassa” system with grave consequences, he remarked. 

Ghazi said that one of the major weaknesses of this system is the total rejection of subjects like English, sociology, math. 

Tracing the history of the Islamic schools in North America, he said that when he came here thirty years ago there was no system of Islamic studies.  

Iqra Foundation undertook the responsibility of devising a curriculum that is now being widely used - not only in United States, but also in many other parts of the world. He continued on to say that we need to create a “modern madrassa” in North America where the medium would be English and the syllabus comprehensive and enriching.  

He also stressed that it should be organized from grades 1-12, a system which is lacking in the traditional “madrassas.” 

Dr. Ali Al Jamal, an economist at Purdue University, said that the degeneration in the Muslim “Ummah” (community) is also due to the marginalization of scholars and scholarship.  

He reminded the audience that during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), only those Sahaba, who had gone through the Meccan phase, were deputed for missionary activities. This was done because they had more knowledge as compared to those who embraced Islam after the migration to Madina.  

Jamal said that in the United States, activists rather than the scholars dominate most Islamic work. He said that while activists also have a pivotal role to play, scholars should not be marginalized.  

Dr. Irfan Ahmed Khan, from the World Parliament of Religions, said that there is a need for “progressive Islam” as compared to “traditional Islam.” He said that Muslims should use their intellect instead of relying on what he termed as “hearsay Islam.” This led to a lively exchange between him and Dr. Ghazi, who argued that traditional works also have a crucial role to play in Islamic education. 

Delivering the keynote address, Dr. David Shwartz, former Religious Services Administrator for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, said that during his many years working in the prison system he has seen forgiveness and reconciliation among the Muslim inmates.  

Schwartz rejected the views of the likes of Cal Thomas and Chuck Colson, saying that they simply “do not understand”.  

Syndicated Columnist Cal Thomas and Prison Fellowship Chairman Charles Colson have recently written critical articles expressing alarm over the growing rate of Muslim converts in the prison system.  

Schwartz said that Islam is a positive element in the inmates’ lives and that an overwhelming majority of inmates, including the Muslims, totally reject terrorism.  

The idea that American prisons are being used as breeding grounds for terrorists is “total garbage” he said.