ICR and Aref Abedi can legally and morally be held to answer for all conduct or misconduct of the man he employs and pays as an Imam, and also, can be held liable for any MISREPRESENTATIONS to others, most especially when finances are concerned. (Since accepting money under false pretenses is a CRIMINAL act.) Someone holding the position of Imam must be held to a higher standard than an average employee. He is an Imam, not a janitor! -SaLee Amina
May I Humbly state — It would not have mattered to ME, personally, what level of education any Imam had or did not have, IF that Imam was a person of upstanding character, decency, good conduct and even-temper; who is moral, fair, just, honest, ethical and honorable in what he says and does. And also, IF that Imam was very well informed and accurate about Islam, the Quran, Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), Hadith, Sunnah & Sharia Law; and also, IF that Imam was forthright in his representations about himself, his activities, his credentials, his background; and also IF that Imam conducted himself in accordance with the description of a Muslim.
Therefore, It SHOULD be that an Imam is held to an even higher standard than any standard person or normal employee, since he is PAID by the mosque with funds given as DONATIONS by believing and trusting Muslims.
Therefore, the position of Imam is one of high prestige and respect, which should be earned & deserved, as well as being reviewed & safeguarded; for the sake of all Muslims, and to the benefit of the entire Muslim community.
According to the Hadith, the conduct expected of ANY Muslim is – (1) When he gives his word, he must keep it, when he is entrusted with something, he must not break that trust, and when he gets upset, he must not become abusive or insulting.
To my dismay, I have seen Sayed Jumaa Salam FAIL to meet the aforementioned standards, while he is paid by Aref Abedi, Director of Islamic Center of Reseda (ICR), to carry out the responsibilities, duties and obligations of the position of “Imam”. Thus, ICR and Aref Abedi can legally and morally be held to answer for all conduct or misconduct of the man he employs and pays as an Imam, and also, can be held liable for any MISREPRESENTATIONS to others, most especially when finances are concerned. (Since accepting money under false pretenses is a CRIMINAL act.) Someone holding the position of Imam must be held to a higher standard than an average employee. He is an Imam, not a janitor!
To me, personally, Sayed Juma Salaam totally tricked me, conned me, deceived me, broke his promises, used & abused and cheated me; while I had TRUSTED in the INTEGRITY of his position as “IMAM” of ICR; and thus, ICR is RESPONSIBLE for his conduct.
I brought the matter to the attention of Aref Abedi, Director of ICR, about my professional writing having been solicited and procured by Sayed Juma, under FALSE pretenses, and through his promises to me, all of which he broke. My hard work resulted in “Noor Al-Bayan” – a publication that has brought Sayed Jumaa Salam, Aref Abedi and ICR much revenue & prestige; while I was frankly robbed of the money & prestige that I was PROMISED, and which I earned and deserve. Sayed Jumaa Salam had guaranteed me that MY name would appear, with his, on the COVER of Noor Al-Bayan, yet he (falsely) claims that He alone is the sole author. They rake in the money, and I was left out in the cold. It is possible that other deals were made with others, of which I have no facts, but I surely do KNOW what agreement was made with ME, and I was utterly cheated.
Unfortunately, I TRUSTED Sayed Jumaa Salam & Aref Abedi & ICR. If it were NOT for the “seal of approval” of ICR on Sayed Jumaa Salam, as their “Imam”, I would have demanded a WRITTEN contract. However, in the State of California VERBAL AGREEMENTS ARE DEFINITELY BINDING, AND CAN BE LITIGATED IN COURTS OF LAW. (“Breach of Contract, Breach of Quasi-Contract, Breach of Promise, Fraud, collecting money, goods or services under FALSE pretenses [which is also a ‘criminal’ act.]). SHAME ON THEM!
When I brought my complaint to the attention of Aref Abedi, he did NOTHING to correct it, and he continues to pay Sayed Jumaa Salaam with MONEY THAT COMES FROM THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY AS DONATIONS, and with money that is raised, directly & indirectly, through the publication of “Noor Al-Bayan”, for which I was never paid, as was promised to me by Sayed Jumaa Salam. My name does NOT appear on the cover (or anywhere in the book), contrary to the PROMISE to me by Sayed Jumaa Salaam, and I have not received even one cent from the sales of Noor Al-Bayan, contrary to the PROMISE to me by Sayed Jumaa Salam. Without the aforementioned inducement, I would not have canceled my business, cleared my schedule, rejected other paid work & ignored my commitments to others, including my family.
I had devoted myself to getting Noor Al-Bayan into print, and Sayed Jumaa Salam made promises to me, so as to get me induce & convince me to do the work, while he obviously had NO intention to KEEP any of his promises. to me. That is NOT proper Muslim conduct. I brought 1,576 people into Islam. This is NOT the conduct I wish these new Muslims to experience, yet, NOTHING is being done to CORRECT it! In fact, the CULPRIT is being REWARDED! Shame on ICR & Aref Abedi for not being responsible & ethical in this matter, while SHARING IN THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS of Noor Al-Bayan, a plagiarized work, which was NOT solely written by Sayed Jumaa Salam – a man whose written command of English would barely qualify for elementary school; while I have sold several professional written works. Sayed Juma MASQUERADES as something and someone that he is not. What hypocrisy!
Meanwhile, the $$$$$$$$$$$ created through my writing efforts as regards Noor Al-Bayan is EATEN, it seems, by certain people, who seem to be doing so in a very dishonorable way, caring nothing about ethics, integrity, honesty, keeping promises, being honest and forthright, and creating a ‘role-model’ example for Muslims.
Therefore ICR has lost ME and many others, do to us wanting to avoid the HYPOCRITES. The Quran says that Allah HATES the Hypocrites even MORE than the Disbelievers!
SHAME on the fakirs & cheaters, no matter how good is their P.R. (Public Relations) and their cover stories. Shame on those who protect, reward, support & promote those who have CHEATED good Muslims, who have robbed innocent Muslims, who have lied, who have deceived & who have abused their positions of authority.
ALL of us Muslims are stewards of Islam and servants of Allah.
We MUST object when the trust of the Muslim community has been BETRAYED!
Sister Amina
SALEE’ AMINA MOHAMMED
WWW.SALEEAMINA.COM
YouTube: SALEE AMINA