Introducing and Building Sacred Roots: A Muslim Community
Naqi Haider
Hope you are in the best of health and iman. I want to introduce you to a Sacred Roots a community co-founded by Shaykh Trent Carl. Sacred Roots strives to provide a nurturing space for Muslims in the Chicago area and provides programming (available online) to anyone across the world.
I have known Sh. Trent for over a decade and am impressed by work Sacred Roots has been able to do in a short period of time. Please take a few minutes to read the message below from Shaykh Trent and learn more about the work they are doing.
w/Duas
Naqi Haider
My name is Shaykh Trenton Carl, the co-founder and resident scholar of a new Shi'i organization in Chicago called Sacred Roots. I studied under Mawlana Amir Mukhtar Faezi, Sayyid Sulayman Hassan, and Shaykh Rizwan Arastu who run the Ahl al-Bayt Islamic Seminary (ḥawzah). I am a graduate of their seminary and am continuing to study with Sayyid Sulayman.
I'd like to introduce you to our new organization and invite you to participate in our programs and help us sustain this project through the choppy waters of the pandemic. We'd love for you to help strengthen this institution and be a part of diversifying our community institutions nationwide.
About Sacred Roots
A diverse group of dedicated brothers and sisters have worked to establish an organization that seeks to
- be a home for Shīʿī students, professionals, and families near downtown Chicago to explore the Islamic tradition within the fabric of the culture of the city
- be welcoming to non-Shīʿah and non-Muslims interested in learning about Islam and the Ahl al-Bayt (ʿa)
- build relationships with social and civic service organizations in Chicago to engage our local community
We have worked with Kirkland and Ellis LLP to file as a non-profit and are currently awaiting our final 501c3 designation.
We have also reached the final stages of negotiating a lease for a space 15 minutes from downtown and 10 minutes from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) with access via train, bus, and plenty of street parking. We have put those negotiations on hold due to COVID-19, but both sides have interest in coming back to the table once circumstances allow.
Programming
Prior to the pandemic, we hosted gatherings to cultivate relationships with individuals who work, live, and study in the city.
Since the pandemic, we've gone virtual and developed a national following which echoed our conviction that there is a need for new approaches to exploring Islamic values. Our programs have included, but were not limited to
- virtual talks throughout Sha'ban
- 2 weekly book clubs and a weekly virtual sahur session through Ramadan
- a weekly book club through the Summer of 2020
You can find out more about our organization
- through our website: www.sacredrootscommunity.org
- and our instagram: www.instagram.com/sacredrootscommunity/
- We encourage you to read our Mission, Vision and Principles, our summary of our Ramadan programs, and our other posts here.
I've also attached our pitch deck which outlines the organization's mission, core ideals, and an overview of the individuals involved.
How You Can Support Our Work
If you'd like to support our project, please visit our Build and Sustain page where you can choose to give a one-time donation or a monthly donation through Donorbox:
Horizons Conference
Lastly, we are excited about our upcoming conference in August called Horizons (details forthcoming) and hope to inform you when registration opens in the upcoming days.
Barak Allah feekum!
If you any questions please feel free to contact me,
Trenton Carl
Resident Scholar and Co-Founder of Sacred Roots
tre...@sacredrootscommunity.org
832-244-2285
