host posted on September 29, 2009 23:07
By the grace & mercy of God and the dedication of our volunteers, this year's open house was an event to remember and to be thankful for. The room was beautifully decorated with vibrant colors of flowers, elegant china and crisp linen which set a warm tone to the rest of the evening. The overall ambiance portrayed a sense of beauty and our friendly hosts made our guests immediately feel welcome.
We had over 500 guests coming together to break bread with us and to learn more about who Muslims are. Many of our guests represent great institutions that make the Bay Area a unique place to live. For example, we had students and professors from SJSU, Stanford, Bellarmine High School, Santa Clara High Schol, Mission College and De Anza College. We also had business leaders such as CEO and Board Members of our wonderful neighbor Vanguard, employees from Cisco, Google, Bayer, XCEO and other high tech companies. Our friends from media also honored us with their presence.
Imam Suhaib Webb did a wonderful job as always. He explained "the significance of Ramadan" in a way that was easy for the audience to relate to. He was funny, engaging and dynamic. We pray that Allah swt reward him for this and for all that he does to educate our community about Islam.
It was absolutely heartwarming to see how many guests lingered after the event was officially closed. I had to excuse myself to attend the taraweeh prayer while our guests wanted to stay a little longer. All the hard work and stress that came with planning such an event melted away and was replaced with a feeling of contentment. Once again Allah swt gave us a chance to share a few blessed hours with our friends and neighbors who are Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindu and even Atheists. Once again we were given a chance to show how truly beautiful Islam is.
We thank our community members who made a deliberate effort to reach out and invite their friends and neighbors. The response was so overwhelming that we decided to do another open house in November. We have a growing wait-list already. If you are interested in attending or inviting your friends please send an email to openhouse@mcabayarea.org.
Here's the link to some pictures taken during the event. Feel fee to share with your friends and colleagues.
Click here to listen to radio interview with our guests.
All praise is due to God.
Sincerely,
Dian Alyan
MCA Outreach Director