As we reflect on our many blessings and growth from last Ramadan to now, we are humbled with the support that has allowed us to complete the beautiful work outlined below. Through the support of our teachers and donors, and the du'a of communities across the globe, we continue to strive to make love and service the foundation of all our work.
We are extremely blessed to have served the community through these initiatives. Please consider donating to the Oasis Initiative Foundation, a registered 501(c)3, this Ramadan. Your prayers and contributions in these last ten nights of Ramadan will help us build on these efforts for the next 12 months.
None of these projects are possible without the community of brotherhood and sisterhood we seek to serve. Our service to you has essentially become your service to us. This inspiring reciprocity has brought together a collection of people across the world. We cannot do this without your help. Please support this work and become a monthly donor.
This year marks the first time we have taken Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah's work and created an online learning platform for his students. With more than one thousand students registered for our courses, we are blessed to see our worldwide audience engaging the lessons, and feeling empowered and connected to their tradition.
We have begun the process of taking our Zawiyah retreats and building courses and learning opportunities around the material for not just the students of Dr. Umar, but the greater Muslim community. Look for public Oasis courses in the near future.
Teaching theology is an imperative in the times we live in, and we are hard at work finishing our first theology book written by our Scholar in Residence, Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah. The book will be self-published, allowing maximum control over content and distribution. We have sought to keep this process as professional and streamlined as possible, and have hired professional editors and designers for the project.
Dr. Umar continues to travel across the world in an effort to edify and cultivate communities. With trips to 22 countries this past year alone, our hope is that we begin the process of reform and renewal; reforming our own hearts and our own communities in an effort to please God the Exalted.
The Zawiyah program expanded this past year to 3 retreats a year on 3 continents. The Zawiyah serves more than 550 participants from 15 different countries and has helped us in our goal of building faith-based communities. New Zawiyah locations coming soon.
An opportunity arose from the blessings of our teacher’s work in West Africa. Responding quickly and with the support of our dynamic team on the ground in Cairo, Egypt, we came together as a community and raised more than $30,000 for a large population as they entered Islam. This project is only the beginning of an effort to support this community with basic needs, education, and social enterprise. We hope to launch a larger campaign and bring this effort to the Muslim community in a hope to make this a sustainable project.
Each year, the QAG conference in the Gambia gathers more than one thousand West Africans together for a day of companionship and learning. Participants gather to break bread and learn from Dr. Umar and others under the guidance of Shaykh Muhammad al-Jilani. Oasis has successfully sponsored the event this past year, and seeks to support this project on an annual basis.
This year we ambitiously ran a pilot program, our first ever Artist Retreat. This small retreat gathered 20 talented Muslim musicians, filmmakers, poets and other artists for a short 3-day retreat that focused on their experiences as cultural producers and their role as believers and spiritual vanguards in contemporary society. This first cohort was overwhelmingly appreciative and grateful for this opportunity, and we hope to continue supporting them as well as new artists in future intimate retreats.
It has been roughly one year since we started this initiative in Chicago to engage and empower our local communities to assemble healthy, organic and halal food for underserved populations. More than 2,400 meals have been served, with local distribution in the inner city, as well as partnering with shelters that serve women and children in need. Our community in Toronto has also started a Breaking Bread & Barriers program, and we will continue expanding and improving this effort not just in Chicago, but in our major hubs across the world.
We have been deliberately expanding our work over the years to support and serve our goals and communities. In order to maintain the highest standards of nonprofit practices, we have a variety of administrative costs associated with financial audits, travel expenses, A/V equipment, learning platforms, and program development. Please make a generous tax-deductible donation and sign up to be a monthly donor!
