Alhamdulillah, TOGETHER, Allah made this project possible.

A Message From Sister Linda:
As Salaam’alaykum

All Praise and Thanks to Allah. The TSG project is a success for many good reasons:

1. The hard work of the HalfDate organization. May Allah shower each member with many blessings for their generosity.
2. The gift from Allah of the sisterhood and brotherhood in Islam. Many Muslims worked hard to help this project succeed.
3. The good will and generosity of Muslims who opened their hearts and gave their money for the sake of Allah and for our Muslim teachers and children!

I am deeply humbled that so many would choose to help with the TSG project even though most did not know me, yet they made an act of faith and helped. I am also so grateful for the many duas said for the project’s success!

HalfDate.com has demonstrated that when Muslims unite…we become strong and purposeful and can accomplish good. It is my hope and I will be saying duas that HalfDate sponsor many more worthy projects that give wonderful opportunities for many to do good, benefit others, and most importantly to serve Allah.

I know I am ready anytime Halfdate calls upon me to help them with future projects. I hope you also will be ready to help.

Salaams,
Sister Widad (Linda Delgado)
MWP Publisher

Update June 10, 2008:

Last donations received were from: Qamar, Joaquin, Syed, Imran, Fatima, RUSHMagazine, and several offline donors, including attendees of Care4Converts.com picnic.

A special donation was received in memory of Umm Abdulkarim Mai, may Allah be merciful on her.

The Count As of This Update
-Online donations: $1,097.77
-LivingHalal matching: $265.85 (for donations received between May 24-31)
-Survey donations: 82 survyes
-Magazine donations: 1 subscription
-Comments donations: rounded to $29
-Offline donations: expected over $300
With this surplus, we can also cover Paypal credit card fees, alhamdulillah.

Observations:
The goal of HalfDate is not simply faciliate a cause, but also study how to improve non-profit work. So, in-sha-Allah, after each drive we are going to debrief our findings and lesson learned from the drive.

This Sisters Drive, was our 2nd drive to collect donations for a project. The first drive duration was set for one week only, and alhamdulillah, we’ve collected over $5K. This drive was set for a month long, and guess what, the majority of donations came the last minute.

Donation Waves
-First wave came in after a brother sent to his CISCO List
-Second wave when a brother mentioned Sister Linda’s story in a Jumaa khutbah
-Third wave from offline events: Care4Converts picnic
-Last, an email sent out after the drive official end date, as the hadith says, “If the Jugement day is about to start, and in your hand a plant, so if you can plant it before the Judgement day start, then DO IT.”

Special comments People sent with the donation:

“Special thanks to Br Imran Quresh for forwarding the info to sv-pak list. Keep up the good work.” -S.A.

“I just donated $187.92 to bring your total to $1200. Please prey for me and my family.” -Q.H.

“Miss F—-. Thanks for your mail through some group. I got this from bhatkal world yahoo group and I am interested in finding out about ways to help this sister who had two heart attacks. Could you please write more about the case and her contact or email. Also please write which country she lives as to the medical prognosis to be performed. Hope you will reply with details. I know organizations and some hospitals who do the medical treatment free and also plus ways to find her some publishing work.” -Y.S.

Update June 06, 2008:
Alhamdulillah, Sister Linda is very happy to see that so many Muslims DO care about the future of our children. She has recieved contributions from India, the UK, Canada, USA, … (HalfDate doesn’t have the full list)

Lastest contributors are: Mafaza, Shabby, Mazen, qamar, gloria, Mahdi, Mazin, Zabeen, William, Deb, … may Allah reward you all.

Here are some examples of donations received: $1, $3.95, $5, $10, $15, $20, $25, …$100, $107
—-

“I do not profit in any way from this project. Profits from corresponding books to the TSG are used to buy books for Islamic school libraries.” -Linda of MuslimWritersPublishing.com

Update May 30th, 2008

Goal: To invoke Allah’s mercy with your lil contribution

How? You want to raise $1250 to fund the design work of 4 teacher study guides to be published for Muslim schools. (more details click the link at the end)

So, why YOU and why NOW?

1- You are maximizing your rewards by giving NOW, how?

A man came to the Prophet (SAW) asking him which Sadaqa gets the greatest of rewards. The Prophet said, “The one you give and you are healthy, stingy, worrying about poverty, and hoping for richness. And don’t delay until your soul is about to get out (death) when you say, ‘Give such and such to such and such.’” -Collected by Al-Bukhari/Al-Jamia’

2- You are giving for a lasting projects that will bring you continuous rewards, in-sha-Allah, every future print of these study guides you get rewards.

3- You are not helping a lazy dude who opt to beg, NO, this sister didn’t ask for help, but the community recommended HalfDate to help her. She had TWO HEART ATTACKS, yet, ma-sha-Allah still serving our community and doesn’t want the focus to be on her.

4- You are helping a business business that is “technically” running on a non-profit basis, the owner gives the authors all their royalty rights, and gives school teachers 40% discount

5- You are TESTING your iman by giving to a stranger who you don’t know much and maybe even skeptical, because the returns are coming from Allah not the stranger.

Okay, that’s sister Linda (Widad) Delgado, the woman behind Muslim Writers Publishing.

So why this DateDrive is called Sisters Drive?

Because you are helping sisters who are currently running a business, conducting a survey, or working for a non-profit cause.

So, how can you help your sisters?

Before the end of Jumada Ath-thani, 1429 (June 8th, 2008), please help Sister Linda (Widad) Delgado, who runs the one-sister-show of Muslim Writers Publishing, to help teachers by publishing five teacher study guides (TSG)

Muslim Writers Publishing (MWP) Announces New and Exciting Teacher Study
Guides For Quality Islamic Fiction Novels For The 2008-2009 School Year!

Muslim Writers Publishing has been listening to school teachers and administrators saying they need teacher study guides for quality Islamic Fiction books to use in their Language Arts programs.

Linda Delgado, MWP publisher, states that five new teacher study guides will be ready for the 2008-2009 Fall school semester for the Islamic Rose Books series. A sample excerpt of one of the teacher study guides can be viewed in pdf format at the publisher’s website.
Islamic Rose Books are written for the 5th through 8th grade reading levels depending on the students’ reading abilities.

A chapter of each of the four books in the series can be read here.

• Book 1- The Visitors (TSG available now)
• Book 2 – Hijab-EZ Friends (TSG available -Fall 2008)
• Book 3 – Stories (TSG available -Fall 2008)
• Book 4 – Saying Goodbye (TSG available -Fall 2008)

Teacher Study Guides (TSG) provide a valuable support to schools using the
Islamic Rose Book Series for their Language Arts program. The TSGs provide
a comprehensive cross-curricular resource that has been field-tested and
approved by Muslim educators and administrators. Content includes:

• Key curriculum connections
• Engaging Islamic integrated activities
• Critical thinking and reading comprehension
• Internet research and projects
• Multicultural themes
• Vocabulary and quizzes

A testimonial for the TSG prepared for the first book in the Islamic Rose Books series, The Visitors: “Jump into The Visitors with two feet! This study guide allows your students to explore the novel in an exciting and hands-on way, and includes activities for cross-curricular integration in Language and Writing, Science, Social Studies, Health, Art, Second Language Learning and Religious Studies. It is definitely a must for your school classroom.“-Sonia Dabboussi, Principal, Al-Hijra School

For the TSGs design work, it needs $1,250.00.

Method 1: PayPal

Method 2: USD Check or Money Order donation

Make your check or Money order payable to: Linda Delgado
Mail the check or money order to:
Linda Delgado
MWP/IRB
P.O. Box 27362
Tempe, Arizona 85285

In the memo line on your check or money order write: HalfDate.com

Be sure to include your name and mailing address or email address if you
would like to hear from the MWP publisher about the success, Allah willing,
of these projects.

Method 3: Fill a survey

OptimizeIt Designs, Inc wants to collect 100 surveys to help other sisters starting or managing a successful business. $1 will be donated when a sister fills the the survey.

Method 4: Subscribe to SISTERS Magazine

After you subscribe, email your receipt. In-sha-Allah, $5 will be donated towards this drive.

Method 5: Subscribe to RUSH Magazine: AMPLIFY your life sister, start today.

After you subscribe, email your receipt to (tamra at halfdate.com). In-sha-Allah, $1 will be donated towards this drive.

Method 6: Post a comment and $0.5 will be donated for the cause

Post your tributes and appreciations to one or more Muslim sisters in your life, including family, friends, teachers, businesses associates, etc. Click here to post in the comment section

Finally, If you cannot afford to provide any support for these worthy islamic educational projects at this time please pray for the success of these projects. Thank you.

[Update May/04/2008]

“MASHALLAH When I read this [list of issues] it made me to cry because all of these things, EVERY SINGLE ONE, I am facing at this moment as a convert to ISLAM. When I try to explain to other people all the sacrifices or hardship that come of converting, people think that I am crazy and they do not truly understand. Thank you for making light of this.” -sister M.

“Those issues on that list have been a source of consternation with me for years. I would have left Islam along time ago if I had not taught MYSELF.” -sister A

“Yupp its hard for us to explain how it feels to stand out because converts have an interesting disposition…[link of two quotes] but we also should remember how blessed we are… many born Muslims, may be born into Islam… but do not practice, and then they see others who leave their former lives to become Muslim, and waAllahu Alim that might strike an interest in their own journey with Islam, we can use these issues that converts deal with to our advantage and teach others and also help those newer to the faith insha’Allah” -Sister W

Alhamdulillah, the Care for Converts Drive has been successfully completed.

May Allah reward all those who helped or intended to help.

[Update April/06/2008]

Alhamdulillah, with Allah’s help then all your help and support, HalfDate Care For Converts Drive has completed successfully. May Allah reward you all.

Some highlights of the event:

• It was really a true ummahwide live event, ma-sha-Allah. The guest speaker was in Egypt, the interviewer was in the UK, the program coordinator in the US, and the audience from all over the world.
• The last event was an interview conducted by sister Fatimah BarakatuAllah with sister Naima B. Robert. The interview covered many of the challenges that converts/reverts Muslims have to face where most born-Muslims are not even aware of.
• We got questions from Mariam-Trinidad, M-Singapore, Dornubari-Rochester, UK, Dee-Phoenix, Saleem-London, Mariah-Midlands, Farhan-US, Sakina-Oakville, Enny-NEW YORK, Hamid-Mississauga, and others. (We ran out of time, so if your question was not addressed, sister Naima will try to post an answer for you on this page)
  
• Here is a tip if you are going to organize events across timezones, we had a confusion about timings: UK 9pm is it NY 4pm or 5pm? The early daylight saving in the US is really confusion, even world time converter wasn’t aware of the correct daylight saving settings.

[Update March/30/2008]

Alhamdulillah, overwheling response from Muslims around the world. May Allah reward you all. Some highlights of the event:

• One sister designed a colorful flyer for the event with her local timezone conversion (Australia) then asked her brother to distributed in the masjid. She later set up a blog and linked back to HalfDate, subhana Allah. May Allah reward sister of mazaif.com
• Sister A’ishah on Facebook posted a summary of the talk about criticism given by sister Megan Wyatt, may Allah reward you sister A’ishah
• Sister Yota, posted a summary of Baba Ali’s talk [I just saw it now], may Allah reward you sister Yota
• Thank you to all those who asked questions, maryan from Ohio, Jamil from Miami, Shakira from Lodon, “a sister from nj” from NJ, Sara from NJ, Sara-New York, NY, Sara from East Lansing, MI, Saffiyah-Washington DC, Muna-UAE- sharjah, Sabir-New Jersey, Ummuthman-London, Saeed-Herndon, SGee-Herndon, Ahmed M.-Virginia Beach, abid-london, Maryam-Manchester, alishba-riyadh, aisha-columbus, Akeedah-Manchester, Happy23-New York, Nadia-Detroit, Selma-Brooklyn, Lina-Beaverton, Dahlia-Portland, Sister Yota-Philadelphia, sahra-new york, sister-Australia, Fatimah-Austin, TX, Huma-U.A.E., Sister Aisha-Baltimore, Teresa-Los Angeles, abuaisha-soCal, and all other [noname] commenters who tuned in for the event. We can’t thank you enough, may Allah reward you all.
• Sister Dalia won an issue of SISTERS-Magazine
• Sister Nada won a gift from N-Ti.com
  
• Br. Nahyan won a gift from N-Ti.com for posting the first suggestion about our next drive
• Baba Ali revealed for the first time how he found his wife

“Okay, this is one of the interesting topic, you are the first person ever asked this, I’ve been interviewed by everyone from Newsweek, to New York Times, to USA Today, and Time Magazine, and no one ever asked this question ” said Baba Ali when he revealed for the first time his marriage search story.

Join our LAST EVENT… Call all your friends to attend, throw a party and gather your friends around the computer or speaker phone to listen, you can do this in your home, school, your masjid event hall, … BE CREATIVE.

You are “about” to make history…

Assalam alaikum: O you who care for converts/reverts.

This is truely an Ummah-wide event, we are webcasting this event, so people outside the US don’t have to call long distance.

Email, announcements, flyers are going out during Jumma in Australia, the US, the UK, Canada, South Africa, UAE, India, …

You are “about” to make history… You are about to change the future, in-sha-Allah…

Because it will never be the same after this care for converts drive.

Each month, thousands of new Muslims are coming to Islam, but we have no system to care for their needs… But not any more, because you are starting this movement, from brainstorming to events, to follow ups.

“I will tune in today to webcast and use the phone when I can also. For 7 years, I got tortured by people in ways no one can imagine and I wished there was something like this for me. I was abandoned and still have no one to contact with family or longtime so-called friends. I fell with nothing left and had no where to go. I had to reach out to Allah for strength to get up and see the good in people and in myself, as I became lost. Not anymore! Not anymore!”

So, STEP FORWARD and CLAIM your humble SPOT in HISTORY, in-sha-Allah. May Allah grant you a JUMBO spot in Jannah.

Here are the Tasks:
0- Have the intention for Allah and think about that new Muslims who needs your help
1- Forward this to your list
2- Post on forums and link back to http://halfdate.com, digg, propell, stumpleupon, …
3- Contact Muslims on YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Muxlim, …
4- Google convert groups and contact them
5- Tell your Masjid about this event, give them a flyer
6- MAKE DUA…. M A K E What? Duuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Alhamdulillah, the 59 issues have been collected.

Now it’s time for some GREAT conversations, in-sha-Allah.

All event timings are California (Pacific daylight saving timezone), use a time converter to know your local time.

EVENT: Habits of Excellence: Empowerment to Improve Through Criticism
Speaker: Sister Megan Wyatt, AskCoachMegan.com lifecoach
DATE & TIME: Friday, March 28th at 9:00pm Pacific

EVENT: Funny questions but really sad: A conversation with Baba Ali
DATE & TIME: Saturday, March 29th at 12:00pm Pacific

Part 1

Part 2

EVENT: Facing the challenges, savoring the triumphs – life of a new Muslim
Speaker: Sister Naima B. Robert, author of the UK best selling book, From My Sisters’ Lips
DATE & TIME: Saturday, April 5th at 9:00pm GMT/UTC (2:00pm California)

During the Bosnia crisis, one famous imam of a major masjid in the Muslim world told the congregation,

“I’m putting a SUGGESTION box in the masjid so we can collect ideas on how to solve this crisis”

HalfDate’s concept is to guide our collective efforts towards a cause. It’s not only about monetary donation drives, because in Islam, the concept of Sadaqa (charity) is much broader than that.

Next Jumuah, he came and announced the ideas that he found in the box. First, he got lots of donations and only a few suggestions. Guess what were the few suggestions he got?

Narrated by Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “There is a (compulsory) Sadaqa (charity) to be given for every joint of the human body (as a sign of gratitude to Allah) everyday the sun rises. To judge justly between two persons is regarded as Sadaqa, and to help a man concerning his riding animal by helping him to ride it or by lifting his luggage on to it, is also regarded as Sadaqa, and (saying) a good word is also Sadaqa, and every step taken on one’s way to offer the compulsory prayer (in the mosque) is also Sadaqa and to remove a harmful thing from the way is also Sadaqa.” -collected by Al-Bukhari

“We can marry those Bosnian sisters.”

The imam asked, “Do Muslims have something better to offer?”

So, what is this DateDrive all about?

Deadline: April 6th, 2008 (end of Rabia-l-Awal 1429)

In care for converts drive, you will help to achieve the following targets:

1. Collect at least 59 issues that converts are facing after embracing Islam (any issue, just speak your mind: I’m confused all kind of Muslims are telling me all kinds of things, or how do I deal with my family, or Imam of the masjid wants me to marry his overseas cousin??) You can just post it in the comment section.
2. Invite at least 59 converts to attend a series of teleseminars given by other convert speakers.
3. Talk to Muslim businesses to contribute towards our gift bag for converts, so far we have the following sponsors: N-ti.com, SISTERS magazine, RUSH magazine, and AskCoachMegan.com.

Teleseminar Speakers are:

• Sister Naima Roberts, author of the UK best selling book, From My Sisters’ Lips
• Br. Ali of AskBabaAli.com
• Sister Megan Wyatt, AskCoachMegan.com lifecoach

“We love to make takbirs when someone takes shahadah…but we need to know how we can take care of them after that… and each of you can help!”- Megan Wyatt

CLICK HERE TO COMMENT

Speakers are waiting for you to finish the 59 issues drive.

We got all the 59 issues, Alhumdulillah.

May Allah reward you with a date palm in Jannah.

Special Thanks To

• Organizing and sponsoring the teleseminars LivingHalal Media
• http://www.care4converts.com/ for inspiring the name of this drive

Two volunteers needed to sort out the issues from the comments, because there are multiple issues per comment. If you are interested, please email

Issues summarized so far, thanks to sister C. and Brother D, May Allah reward you.