To a great extent, much of what how an organization works is how an organization builds and grows from conflict. In the United States today, there are thousands of Islamic organizations of one kind or another.

Some are organized as informal associations that educate each other; some are of the “one man show” variety that could be a privately owned place of worship. Others are more serious, with tax-exempt status, bylaws, multi-million dollar properties and plenty of cash on hand.  All of them exist to fulfill the needs of the community. 

Almost all Muslims in the United States are aware of some sort of conflict that may have taken place in their Islamic centers or masajid. These could range from election disputes, personal disputes or more serious breach of trust issues.  This often is a drag on the community at large.  It causes people to lose confidence in each other; it results in families no longer going to their once favorite Islamic center or Islamic school. 

The problem is not that Muslim communities have conflicts, since such things are inevitable.  However, the manner in which a conflict is managed and ultimately resolved is not inevitable.  Poor management of a conflict can lead to a weakened community. A well-managed conflict can actually lead to better relationships, stronger bonds and a more robust community.  

The community should be invested

The trend within the Muslim community has been for founders of organizations to run organizations as fiefdoms run either by clicks or individuals. The idea is that an organization can run better without the drama of the older more established organizations, which have memberships, elections and accountability to the community itself. The older organizations are often susceptible to more frequent and more public conflicts because of the more public nature of the organization itself.