#icna

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Joe Kaufman

A prominent educator and activist in South Florida will be removed from two committees associated with the Broward County School Board, after officials learned of her ties to radical Muslim groups and promotion of antisemitism. The decision came after her connections to Islamist organizations and her own promotion of antisemitism were brought to their attention by this author.

Officials will remove Naima Khan-Ghany from her seats on the Broward County School Board Diversity and Human Relations Committees, at the end of June.

‘In light of what has taken place,’ Khan-Ghany’s duties have been ‘put on hold,’ and come July 1st, she will no longer be affiliated with either committee and will be replaced by other appointees.

Janysse Edouard, the Executive Secretary of School Board member Dr. Jeff Holness stated, on June 6th, that “in light of what has taken place,” Khan-Ghany’s duties have been “put on hold,” and come July 1st, she will no longer be affiliated with either committee and will be replaced by other appointees.

For over seven years, Trinidad-born Naima Khan-Ghany has served in different capacities within the Broward County School Board, most notably on the Diversity and Human Relations Committees, the latter of which she chairs. Through much of that time and well before, she has affiliated with several Islamist groups, many of which are extensions of international terrorist entities.

Khan-Ghany has worked with the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which, in July 2014, co-sponsored a Miami rally where event goers repeatedly chanted “We are Hamas” and “Let’s go Hamas.” She has worked with the South Asian terror-linked Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and spoke at a 2015 banquet for ICNA’s social services division, ICNA Relief. She has been photographed with ICNA Relief USA’s Government Affairs Coordinator Syed Ammar Ahmed, who once joked about threatening to blow up a school, and ICNA Relief USA’s COO Abdul Rauf Khan, who has used his social media to target Jews and gays.

[cellclothism]

ihate thria fuckign png. why soe d he look like that . can he fuckign die

[duckydee-0]

i am NOT recovering anytime soon 💔💔💔💔

Nah bro I just saw a fanart of Kaiser on twitter that was inspired by, "that headcannon where kaiser watches his mother's movies to hear her say i love you"

HOW DARE YOU

[reverse-falls-stan]

he y dude idkif you remeber memuch butwe made a deal n shit like. a whilebakc. i was the yellow triangle.

ANYWHO I'm sorybut i donthink imgonma be able.to hold up my endif the deal anyrime soon bc i.got fukcimg tsken. I think somoem took my lievrrr and I'm on some meds and it's realylfucking hardyo type

icna get backyo you as ssoonas ican but kmsorry again .(

[ @ivxliwh ]

Stan is in a bath robe, girdle gone, hair gel gone, jewelry gone, glasses off, he's squinting to even comprehend what's in front of him as he answers the phone and listned

"... w h a t"

[dragoneyes618]

An American Muslim group that supported the October 7 slaughter of Israelis has launched an advertising campaign to demonstrate that Islam “promotes peace and the sanctity of life.” Talk about chutzpah!

This latest burst of hypocrisy comes courtesy of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), a group whose declared mission is to “establish a place for Islam in North America.”

The ICNA wants to convince the American public that Islam is inherently peaceful. To that end, the ICNA’s “GainPeace” project is currently investing $30,000 in a massive digital billboard advertisement in Times Square to “spotlight Islam’s core values of peace, unity and the sanctity of life,” according to a press release from the group.

By targeting “one of the world’s most iconic and busiest locations,” the ICNA’s billboard message will reach “over 450,000 pedestrians daily.” Project director Sabeel Ahmed says the project is necessary to showcase “the sanctity of human life” at a time “when innocent lives, especially of civilians, are being tragically lost.”

But what does the ICNA have to say about the sanctity of Jewish life? How does it view the taking of innocent Jewish lives, especially of civilians, in southern Israel on October 7, 2023?

To find that answer, one need not go further than the ICNA’s own website. A prominent section (https://icna.org/on-palestine-and-israel-correct-information-is-getting-through-to-more-americans/) showcases what the ICNA calls “just a few samples of honest and fair reporting on the current crisis.” These samples are “good information to give to non-Muslim Americans with whom you get in conversation about what is going on now in Palestine,” the website urges its readers.

The ICNA website then presents excerpts from the writings of five extremist authors in various publications. Some choice examples:

— “Israel is realizing right now that it can’t oppress its neighbors forever without expecting retaliation. Palestinians have tried many methods of reasoning with Israel, only to be turned down; many nonviolent forms of protest, only to be gunned down.”

— “Hamas initiated these hostilities – because, how long should humans live, starving, in a cage, before they fight back? What else did Israel expect would happen?”

— “Regimes implanted and maintained by violence engender violence…. The Palestinians, like all colonized people, have a right to armed resistance under international law.”

— “How can you trap 2.3 million people in Gaza…and not expect a violent response?”

— “The Palestinians have ‘started’ nothing. They have managed, after so much struggle, to find a way to hurt their tormentor.”

It also includes the usual selection of anti-Israel slurs: Israel is “an apartheid state” … it is engaged in “a slow-motion campaign of ethnic cleansing” … “the Al-Aqsa mosque has been desecrated again and again”… and “Israel is illegally holding over five thousand political prisoners” (because the ICNA considers convicted Arab terrorists to be “political prisoners”).

These are the vicious lies and support for anti-Jewish violence that the ICNA considers “honest” and “fair.” The “good information” that the ICNA says should be “given to non-Muslim Americans” consists of unabashed justification of the mass murders and gang rapes and decapitation of babies on October 7 that Hamas terrorists committed.

So with one hand, the ICNA claims to “foster interfaith understanding and spread a message of peace” in Times Square – while its other hand openly fosters hatred and a message of war.

New York City’s Department of Transportation, together with the nonprofit group Times Square Alliance, determines who can advertise on the billboards there. Department of Transportation officials might say there is nothing inherently objectionable about the specific content of the ICNA’s digital billboard messages about “peace.” Yet there is something very objectionable about the ICNA itself – it’s a violence-promoting hate group.

If a hate group such as the Ku Klux Klan wanted to sponsor a Times Square billboard about “peace” – while simultaneously running a website promoting racist violence against minorities – would the NYC Department of Transportation permit it? Hopefully not.

Hopefully, New York’s officials would treat the Klan as a pariah, and reject any and all advertising from it. That is how the ICNA should be treated, so long as it publicly endorses the mass murder, torture, kidnapping, and rape of Israeli Jews.

[khizuo]

PP: THATCOPTICWEIRDO

VM: Marteeneee

CA: $Iamphara3na

(capital i)

EMERGENCY!!!

PLEASE HELP ME IF YOU'RE ABLE TO EVEN A DOLLAR HELPS

I've been wrongfully forced out of the abusive transitionary home called Sakina House in Hamtramck, MI under Muslim Family Services and ICNA RELIEF. They are extremely abusive, threatening, and cruel. I have tons of emails, audios, videos, etc documenting their abuses towards me and the other women in that house. It's genuinely terrifying that they claim being Muslim while actively doing everything against the Quran.

They are even threatening a homeless woman there who just need someone to pay to renew her greencard, and they're threatening to kick her out if she doesn't get that done. So that's 4 homeless women at minimum abused and threatened by this organization that made us believe we were getting help and safety which was a lie.

She's literally the sweetest, kindest nurse, and if they do kick her out and I'm able to raise money to stay past Tuesday in this motel room, I'll ask her to stay with me because that's how much I care about these women in comparison to this "Muslim nonprofit". She would literally be on the streets in below freezing temperatures in Michigan. That's the depth of their cruelty. It's unfathomable.

She told me that as I was crying trying to get my belongings out of that house. In their document kicking me out, it states that I have an entire week to get my belongings out. But when I showed up to get the rest of it yesterday, they changed the code to get into building and CHANGED THE LOCK TO MY ROOM DOOR ULTIMATELY TAKING HOSTAGE OF MY OWN NECESSARY BELONGINGS. It's absolutely cruel and insane. I was not informed of any of this, and as far as I'm told, it has never been done before.

I just wanted to get my belongings and never deal with speaking to or with these demons at this organization ever again, but their cruelty and abuses won't even allow me that sort of peace.

I have literally no money left. THANK YOU IMMENSELY TO ISABELLE WHO HAS BEEN THE MOST KIND D0NAR ON HERE AND THE ONLY REASON I WAS ABLE TO GET THIS MOTEL ROOM ON THE 27TH WHEN I GOT KICKED OUT. All day, I called every where I could to get help, but because they purposely kicked me out the night before Thanksgiving, all the already strained community resources and nonprofits have not been available to help me at all. I looked at my P4y.Pal at 1 am and saw that Isabelle donated to me $200 and I burst into tears because that's exactly what I needed I used all I had to get this motel room until Wednesday morning.

I don't even have money for food, water, hygiene products, gas, phone and internet bills, let alone another week in this motel room. I need to raise at minimum 375 for another week in this room and then if I can pay for that, whatever is left will go to those other life essentials. PLEASE I'M BEGGING YOU ALL IF YOU'RE ABLE TO HELP OR KNOW SOMEONE THAT CAN HELP ME, PLS EVEN A DOLLAR HELPS SO MUCH

Please support them on tiktok!! @/theworldindigenousrevolt

[absolutelyinlove]

thank fuck this finally posted like jesus christ why is posting videos so hard Maybe it’s just my airport service i’m crying but ANYWAY. i’m also posting more videos on twitter if u are interested <3

my full video of panic attack in nyc !!!! with (imo) really good quality audio i tried my BEST

[crossnamara]

icna send you rtc shit now….

i know what ricky is (transfem pansexual romance favorable aromantic) (also yes always)

[reijikaw]

IM QUTIING ICNA TXL THIS THIS SIS SO BAD ON MY HOD FUCKMYPULCIE

[eagle-head-charge]

ICNA TJDEPCCOFING THSI. I CNST ITSTOO MCUCHANDICM YOYSCSFD DNSD TOGOVGIGFDD. PFLDDE

[kursein]

IM ALGUHING SO FRICKING HARD ABOUT THE PICTURE I CANT I CANT BREATHE PLEASE HELP I CANT :sOBBOSSOBS SOBBING I CANT BREAHTE DYING 

guess what

I finally made a Ask blog for one of my aus, I been wanting to this a bit now. She won’t be asking questions at this current moment as It’s not open yet, so got wait until certain post appears there

@geirusgf @kursein

[melissa-titanium]

goodmooooorning. had a dream about a hang out with a very cute girl icna finally kill myself

[mikanferno]

draunk as fuck but icna still tag my stupid postsd because its the dirts ornnmy tag serach

[soulscribe786]

MMAC Mental Health Conference 2024

The MMAC Mental Health Conference is an amazing initiative that combines the latest research and findings in mental health and medical sciences research using holistic models. It evaluates and shares new research and findings in the field of mental field in academia in conceptualizing the growing field in mental health. There have been about 4 annual conferences of which I attended ¾ . With each one, I can see knowledge, outreach, and healthcare delivery enhancing. This year’s conference took place in the Medical Science Building at the University of Toronto.

It was a breezy winter day, both warm and cloudy with very light showers. There was a sort of calm and serenity that filled the air. I decided to walk for half an hour in the morning to enjoy the nice weather. The walk was mostly through University Avenue. Probably one of the nicer routes to take anywhere in downtown that is regularly cleaned, renovated and has significant greening initiatives. Considering that this was the road that led directly to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from Union Station, perhaps this is why it was so well maintained. 

This particular location had many memories for me. This was beside the convocation hall, it was also close to the legislative assembly of Ontario where I had the opportunity of attending three times. One for a tour, for organizing at Queens’ Park with Justice for All, one for a tour of the facility through an internship program, one for the day that the Bill addressing Islamophobia was passed, and today. Aside from these formal occasions, because I used to live in Toronto in childhood, I had also frequently rollerbladed in this very park. Other events included Frosh, publishing my first research journal with a group and tourism. As a kid, I always felt either an ancient sort of presence. The old trees, ancient architecture, and something about the way the squirrels were just casually running around. I don’t think as a child, that I fully understood the role it played. Regardless, for some reason, after many milestones I found myself back here again. 

This is near where the conference took place. The Medical Science Building. A very simplistic interior and old architecture. The conference was in a lecture hall. There were a few breaks in between such as for lunch, networking sessions or prayer. Different organizations were tabled outside the lecture, across the building and the upstairs section had a nice carpeted area which was helpful in creating a prayer space. 

The talks had many insights and prominent speakers and thinkers from across the world trained in the healthcare field, psychology, counseling, medicine and psychotherapy, as well as faith-based leaders. Organizations included Smile Canada which assists children with disabilities, Wellnest focused on culturally based therapy addressing cultural issues, issues related to racism and being spiritually responsive, Sakeena Canada, Ruh care, Naseeha helpline and an organization partnered up with CAS (child aid services) but focused specifically on Muslim children by ensuring cultural issues and language barriers are taken into account, as well as organizations catered to those hard of hearing. Faith-based centers were also present, primarily IIT and ICNA. 

Some key insights from the talk included:

Iceberg analogy 

Using the iceberg analogy the speaker explained how a lot of western Psychology focuses on visible aspects such as cognitions and behavioral inclinations but with Islamic psychology the individual is understood much more deeply including having the ruh (soul), qalb (heart), and also social factors while acknowledging the role of aql (cognitions) and nafs ( behaviour)

The Islamic model is believed to be bi-directional with assessment looking at the entire individual holistically, where most contemporary models focus on observable aspects such as behavior inclinations and cognitions. The Islamic model incorporates emotional and spiritual domains. 

Trauma

Usually, people try not to be provocative (sometimes, they may even try to be salty, rage bait, or be provocative) when they find out about someone's trauma. In most cases, there is a sort of aversion to bringing up difficult feelings or conversations (don't mention it, don't do something hurtful) , but in addressing trauma, careful exposure may actually be crucial to healing

Healing requires alignment 

A prophetic model for healing included archery because it was a holistic intervention as opposed to simply talk therapy. For example, for PTSD, archery helps with stretching, breathing, aiming and a sense of control and a higher internal locus of control and sense of agency, as well as mindfulness. 

Spiritual Abuse

An anonymous question asked ‘what about cases of spiritual abuse?’

Cases of spiritual abuse by family members, religious figures, parenting, spouses and so on can have a lasting impact where faith was used to control, manipulate or inflate one’s own ego. 

MH care professionals integrating Islamic paradigms are not trying to do that and may not even talk about religious aspects unless you want to talk about something. They are just listening and assessing clients. Ultimately addressing issues related to directing the ruh (soul) back in unity with God, the source of mercy. This is not always how one would have understood God to assert one’s own ego or control but through a comprehensive understanding of who God is with divine attributes and approaching God directly. 

Refugees

Experiences of refugees

Risk of violence

Post migration MH including social isolation, discrimination, integration, and cultural and linguistic components

Pre migration MH, peri migration MH, post migration (family and cultural values)

Collectivist culture

Culture shock

Social connectedness

Parenthood

Individual factors

Trans cultural elements and sensitivity which has three levels including

Ontological 

Etiological

Therapeutic 

Cultural humility and safety

Being politically informed about the cause of refugee status in addressing issues where political factors played a huge role

Storytelling 

Conveys power

Dangers of the single story

“So this is how to create a single story show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become. It is impossible to talk about the single story without talking about power. There is a word, an lgbo word, that I think is about whenever I think about the power structures of the world and it's the nkali, It is a noun that loosely translates to ‘to be greater than another’. Like our economic and political worlds, stories are defined by the principle of nkali. How they are told, who tells them, when they are told, and how many stories are told, are really dependent on power. Power is not just the ability to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story of that person. The Palestinian poet Mouris Marghouti writes that if you want to dispossess a people, the simplest way to do it is to tell their story and start by “secondly, ..” - Chimamanda Ngozi - Adichie

Decolonising our practice

Philosophically and spiritually 

Meeting another requires taming our own vulnerabilities 

Biopsychosocial Model

Biology - genes, MH condition, substance use, neurobiology, trauma and stress and medications. For example, PTSD can actually change biological features so the person is no longer who they used to be). 

Psychological 

Social - networks, community, friend circles, transportation, finances (usually harder to treat)

Psychosomatic Symptoms

It usually has three components. Receptors, processors, and effectors

Receptors (photoreceptors, chemoreceptors, mechanoreceptors, nociceptors, thermoreceptors) related to things like sight, taste, smell, hearing, taste

Processors (the brain)

Effector (muscle and glands)

Our body goes through this process, and after repetitive exposure, like collecting statistical information, it processes and organizes information. The response is then in two main ways. Functional cognitive processors and functional autonomous symptoms

Functional Cognitive Processors - allocate mental energy in understanding stimuli

Functional Autonomous Symptoms which are learned after repetitive or prolonged exposure

This is complicated because instead of stimuli, processing, response the stimuli immediately goes to symptoms automatically on auto pilot and to cure the symptoms requires significant therapy and unpacking. 

Complications include trauma responses and also embodied stress

It is phenomenal to think that all these receptors directly connect to the heart and there is huge potential in healing through prayer. 

Reflections

I found the day and the talk to be pretty phenomenal and healing. It provided lots of valuable insights including psychosomatic symptoms, some gender biases in psychological history, understanding refugees and aspects related to spiritual abuse. 

Three key components that I found fascinating in psychosomatic symptoms were about functional autonomous symptoms, looking at the body and mind holistically and interconnected, and healing through prayer. Autonomous symptoms could be that initially require significant thought and reflection but after repeated stress the body just shuts down and starts producing symptoms automatically. Whether it's nerve damage, heart rate, sweating, shutting down even when there is no significant context well after traumatic incidents. The body just gets wired to react this way and at times, prolonged stress can even lead to cancers and other stress related diseases. I found this very interesting because on a regular basis, perhaps slowly and gradually we continue to drift away from the model of cartesian dualism, the belief that the mind and body are separate. There is more and more research suggesting that the mind and body are extremely interconnected.

I also found the component of healing, alignment and resiliency fascinating because every single receptor is directly connected to the heart and through constant prayer, there is huge healing potential, provided time is taken to fully align ourselves with our higher purpose through spirituality. 

I found it also intriguing that it was in the era of when women faced mental health stereotypes such as female hysteria that many advancements in the field of mental health took place. Gender stereotypes include things like toxic masculinity and female hysteria and are informed by the mental health field and can, at times, have a devastating impact on people’s lives. I believe stereotypes, biases and prejudices are very hazardous and difficult to change once they become established and can have consequences.

The talk on broadly understanding refugee health was also interesting because I had done a research on refugees in 2018 and tried to incorporate the political economy of health, intersectionality and health as a human right. The broader research in the field is wonderful to see. 

All in all, I really enjoyed taking part in this conference and learned a lot of interesting things. It is amazing to join this annual conference every year and broaden my understanding related to mental health. 

[scooburst]

shutt up icna spel jsut fine wthout mesisng up anhutokg