Federation Holds Security Grant Workshop for South Florida Mosques and Islamic Centers

(Sunrise, FL, 03/28/2019) – The South Florida Muslim Federation held a workshop on Thursday, March 28th for the masajid, Islamic centers, and non-profit organizations of the South Florida Muslim community geared around the FEMA Nonprofit Security Grant. The grant is offered every year to nonprofits to specifically fund increased security measures at their centers (security cameras, outdoor gates, bulletproof windows, and other security measures are common uses of the grant).

Representatives from the Federation’s member organizations were present, including Al Amin Center of Florida and the Islamic Center of South Florida. It was held at the Islamic Foundation of South Florida. The workshop provided guidance and access to direct resources (in the form of a grant writer) to aid the masajid and centers in applying for and receiving this grant.

Br. Osama Elshami from Islamic Center of South Florida had this to say:

“The workshop was informative and provide some insight regarding the DHS FEMA security grant. I also always encourage organization to do their own research and below are some critical points:
1. Make sure to register with the federal government grant website.
2. Conduct a vulnerability study with your local law enforcement agency.
3. Have someone knowledgeable complete the grant application.

More Muslim organizations should apply and work together as we are ONE.”

In the wake of the tragic New Zealand mosque attacks, Islamic centers and masajid across South Florida are having more and more talks on increasing the security of our communities and making sure we are all taking measures to prevent any such incident. In addition to this workshop, the Federation has provided security trainings at several masajid and will continue to convene with the leadership of every masjid to make sure our communities are safe and prepared. We ask Allah to protect us and our communities.

Jawaad Khan,

Program Coordinator,

South Florida Muslim Federation

*The South Florida Muslim Federation is an umbrella of 30+ Muslim Organizations based in South Florida. (see www.soflomuslims.com/about). Below is the full list of organizations:

Masjid Al-Amin

AMANA

Masjid Baitul Mukarram

Basmah

Broward County Council of MSAs – Middle & High

CAIR Florida

Council of Islamic Schools of South Florida

Darul Uloom Institute

Dawah Islam

Emgage

Friends of Humanity

Helping Hands Relief