On Thursday, July 17, 2013, communities of faith gathered together to break fast at MCN’s 4th Annual Benefit Iftar, held at the Turkuaz Restaurant in Manhattan. By the grace of God, we were pleased to have 120 attendees representing the diverse communities of New York City, all united under the same cause – mutual commitment to community service, equal rights and justice for all.

At the Iftar, we proudly graduated the second cohort of the Muslim Youth NYC Leadership Project and raised funds to sponsor over 80 orphans through Islamic Relief’s Orphan Sponsorship Program. Furthermore, it was an honor to have Dr. Naif Al Mutawa, a clinical psychologist and the creator of the comic series “The 99”, as our keynote speaker. Dr. Naif spoke about his Islamically inspired superheros and the motivations behind creating them. In his talk, Naif reflects, “As a father of 5 sons, I worry about who they are going to be using as role models. I worry because all around me, even within my extended family, I see religion being manipulated. As a psychologist I worry – for the world in general – but also about the way the way people see themselves in my part of the world.” 

We would like to thank all of those who attended MCN’s 4th Annual Benefit Iftar and those who continue to support MCN’s work and it’s growth. We would also like to thank those who pledged to help Islamic Relief sponsor orphans around the world, especially our community partners: Masjid Taqwa, the Islamic Society of Mid-Manhattan, Muslim Community Center of Sunset Park, the Muslim American Society, Makki Masjid and Masjid Umm al-Qura. Finally, we would like to thank our volunteers Wesley Taylor, Rabia Ahsin, Aysha Irfan, Mohammed Abujayyab, Magdolyn Kawas and Annam Choudry for helping to ensure that the event ran smoothly.