SACRAMENTO, Calif. (January 24, 2009) – The Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims (SALAM), along with the Muslim American Society-Social Services Foundation (MAS-SSF), hosted the first ever Muslim Singles Event Saturday evening from 4-10 PM at the SALAM Center.
Many Muslims in
The event, having been in the works for over 7 months, captured the attentions of local media and the Muslim community. From articles in the Pakistan Link, In Focus, and Sacramento Bee newspapers, the event garnered a spotlight for its nature and mission.
Despite the heavy emphasis
placed on advertising the event, the coordinators were still surprised
to hear that news had spread as far as
As the participants received their nametags and seating assignments, they were courteously escorted to their lavishly decorated tables. The seating arrangements were designed so as to group an equal number of men and women at the same table. Furthermore, the seating assignments were based upon age and grouped those within the same age-range at the same table.
The event’s Master-of-Ceremony, Tamir Sukkary, kicked off the night by introducing the event’s guest speaker and the Imam of SALAM, Mohamed Abdul-Azeez. Imam Azeez’s eloquent and superbly crafted speech focused on the importance of marriage in Islam. Peppered with insight and humor, it served as an icebreaker to ease the natural tensions of the participants.
As the event was underway, the participants, under the leadership of Rola Alharayri, enjoyed a number of fun exercises designed to exhibit one’s personality. For example, participants were asked to choose between a professionally wrapped gift and a sentimental, yet poorly wrapped gift. After their decision was made, they were asked to state their reasons, so as to provide insight into the participants’ character.
These exquisite exercises lasted until around 9 p.m., when the participants were allowed to freely mingle with each other while their mahrams were present to chaperone.
After the event, one female participant e-mailed the organizers to thank them stating: "It was a really great night and everything was done first rate. I enjoyed the workshop, decorations, dinner, and all the presentations. I met a lot of really good brothers and sisters" and "everybody [was] so helpful to each other."
The event featured tables lit with candles, finely-catered cuisine from Downtown Sacramento’s Crest Café, a dessert table, and an extremely popular chocolate fountain.
Event Coordinator: Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim
Committee members include: Imam Azeez, Shemeem Khan, Tamir Sukkary, Mohamed Ali, Zahra Pasha, Nassiba Cherif, Sameh Higazi, Abeer Almala, Roslan Mohammad, Sarah Tisdale, Mohammad Hannan, Abdul Ghani Sabeh, and Tamim Sabeh,
We thank all the volunteers who made this event possible.
Hugely Successful Muslim Singles Event Captures Everyone's Attention!