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New York Times - September 4, 2007
Abandon Stereotypes, Muslims in America Say
NEIL MacFARQUHAR
Chicago - It is time for the United States to stop treating every American Muslim as somehow suspect, leaders of the faith said at their largest annual convention, which ended here on Monday (9/3/2007).
Six years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Americans should distinguish between mainstream Muslims and the radical fringe, the leaders said.
"Muslim Americans feel an increasing level of tension and scrutiny in contemporary society," said Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim organization in the United States and the convention organizer.
The image problems were among the topics most discussed by many of the 30,000 attendees. A fresh example cited was an open letter from two Republican House members, Peter Hoekstra of Michigan and Sue Myrick of North Carolina, that attacked the Justice Department for sending envoys to the convention because, the lawmakers said, the Islamic Society of North America was a group of "radical jihadists."
The lone Muslim in Congress, Representative Keith Ellison, Democrat of Minnesota, the keynote speaker here, dismissed the letter as ill informed and typical of bigoted attacks that other minorities have suffered.
Leaders of American Muslim organizations attribute the growing intolerance to three main factors: global terrorist attacks in the name of Islam, disappointing reports from the Iraq war and the agenda of some supporters of Israel who try taint Islam to undermine the Palestinians.
American Muslims say they expect the attacks to worsen in the presidential election and candidates to criticize Islam in an effort to prove that they are tough on terrorism.
Zaid Shakir, an African-American imam with rock star status among young Muslims, described how on a recent road trip from Michigan to Washington he heard comments on talk radio from people who were “making stuff up about Islam.” Among the most egregious, he said, was from a person in Kentucky who denounced the traditional short wood stick some Muslims use to clean their teeth, saying, “They are really sharpening up their teeth because they are planning to eat you, yes they are.”
Representatives of at least eight federal departments and agencies attended the convention, their booths sandwiched among hundreds of others from bookstores, travel agencies, perfumeries, clothing designers and real estate developers.
Mark S. Ward, who runs programs in Asia and the Middle East for the Agency for International Development, said Washington had to compete for influence abroad with militant groups that are expert at delivering humanitarian services. Mr. Ward said he hoped more American Muslim organizations would apply to help distribute overseas aid.
A few people approached the Federal Bureau of Investigation booth to voice dismay at its presence, said a recruiter, David Valle, but most expressed pleasant surprise. “A lot of folks think we want to hire them to spy on their community, spy on their families,” he said. “We want to dispel any myths they might have about the F.B.I.”
The Justice Department responded to Mr. Hoekstra and Ms. Myrick’s letter by noting that broad community contact in areas like voting rights was an important part of its mission. That theme was echoed by Daniel W. Sutherland, chief officer for civil rights and liberties at the Homeland Security Department. Mr. Sutherland told a luncheon audience that the government needed to dispel prejudice and misconceptions to steer the public discussion about fighting terrorism to “a higher level.”
Sometimes frustration with the government boiled over. At a seminar on charitable giving, Ihsan Haque of Akron, Ohio, asked a Treasury Department representative, Michael Rosen, how to avoid being prosecuted for donating to Muslim charities. When Mr. Rosen said the government did not have the resources to check the million or so charities in the United States, Mr. Haque shouted, “And I do?”
Muslim leaders described the government relationship toward Muslim organizations as contradictory. The government seeks to foster greater civic engagement, because a lack of engagement is widely considered a big cause of Muslim extremism in Europe. A Department of Homeland Security official moderated a panel on aiding engagement.
Muslim groups are often treated as suspect, speakers said. In a trial that started in July in Dallas, federal prosecutors named the Islamic Society of North America as part of an effort to raise money for groups the government considers terrorists, but did not charge it with wrongdoing.
The Justice Department has to decide on its law enforcement side what it considers a target, said Khurrum Wahid, a prominent Muslim defense lawyer. “Are they going to continue to say that the higher degree of religiosity you have the higher likelihood that you are a threat, because that’s the message they’ve sent,” Mr. Wahid said……
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/04/us/04muslims.html
The American Muslim Org - September 5, 2007
More American Muslim leaders sign on to Muslim
Intrafaith Code of Honor at ISNA Convention
By Sheila Musaji
At the Islamic Society of North america (ISNA) Convention over the labor day weekend there were 40,000 American Muslims in attendance, and many important discussions and activities took place. One of the most important of these took place in the main hall on Sunday night. A number of scholars and leaders from both the Sunni and Shia communities signed on to the Muslim Intrafaith Code of honor in front of a crowd of at least 8,000 people.
This movement towards making a clear public declaration that division between Sunnis and Shias will not be accepted or tolerated by American Muslims has been building for some time. Malik Mujahid called for a dialogue in April of 2005, and sponsored a gathering which issued a resolution in November of 2006. In April of 2007 at a meeting in Los Angelesa number of scholars signed on to a Muslim Code of Honor, and in May many more signed on in Detroit. This Code of Honor came out of a meeting called by MPAC in March, 2007.
The American Muslim has been active in encouraging dialogue and unity between Muslims for many years and has published many articles on the subject. Seeing this event take place at the ISNA Convention was very encouraging.
I would hope that individual Muslims would print out the Code of Honor and take it to their local Islamic Centers and masjids and ask them to sign on. Every mosque and Islamic organization in the U.S. should be a signatory to this document which is supported by fatwas by respected scholars across the Muslim world. Our international scholars have spoken out clearly in fatwas such as The Amman statement (signed by 170 scholars). There have been Sunni-Shia meetings in many countries, and ordinary Muslims have begun to stand up and demand an end to sectarian divisions.
If there are still any Muslims in the U.S. who haven’t gotten the message then we need to educate them.
http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/more_american_muslim_leaders_sign_on_to_muslim_intrafaith_code_of_honor_at_/0014547
Khabrein, India – September 6, 2007
More than 45,000 Muslims attend ISNA convention in US
More than 45,000 Muslims from across the nation attended the 44th Annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America at the Donald E.Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, near Chicago. The convention featured multiple parallel sessions ranging from issues as diverse as economic development to the art of being interviewed. Most of the session centred on the convention theme: "Upholding Faith, Serving Humanity." The convention was addressed by a wide array of scholars, academics, politicians, and activists.
Keith Ellison, the first Muslim Congressmen, underscored the importance of being proactive at the ISNA Community Recognition Luncheon. He sais Muslims have to be the ones to take initiative and not allow people or circumstances to act upon them. If Muslims want their stories told correctly, then they should be the ones to tell their own stories, and not leave it to others to tell their stories and portray them as villains. "Be heard. Don't be silent. Tell it like it is," said Rep. Keith Ellison.
Rev. Jesse Jackson of the Rainbow Push Coalition said the current problems faced by Muslims are similar to the ones faced by African-Americans in the past. He said the fear of Islam and Muslims is irrational and totally uncalled for. "Global fear is a form of pollution. We free people by hope. Fear and phobias based on race and religion threaten the great American promise. Most Americans are killed by Christians and not Muslims. Let's not succumb to fear. None of us are safe unless all of us are safe," he said.
Addressing the opening session Rabbi Eric H.Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, denounced Christian fundamentalists like Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham for their divisive agenda. “The time has come to stand up to the opportunists, the media figures, the religious leaders and politicians who demonize Muslims and bash Islam, exploiting the fears of their fellow citizens for their own purposes,” Rabbi Yofie said.
Howard Dean,Chairman of the Deomcratic National Committee, and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, the senior most congresswomen, gave a call for unity at the "Take Back America" rally held during the convention. Dean called for a raise in the minimum wage and for measures making college education affordable for all. He said their are numerous oppurtunities for Muslims in the DNC. Addressing a packed hall Dean urged the Muslims to get involved politically.
"You need to run for political office," Dean said. "The only way you can achieve your goals is to stand up and say who you are and be proud of it."
The Indian Muslim Relief and Charities' luncheon at the convention featured Harsh Mander, Kannan Srinivasan and Maulana Mehmood Madani. The speakers called for justice for the riot victims and for making the police and relevant authorities accountable for deriliction of duty.
Apart from the lectures the convention also had a large bazaar consisting of 330 stalls selling everything from books, clothing, jewelry to Quranic Ipods, and GPS enabled Hajj navigation systems.
There were entertainment sessions with Dawud Wharnsby Ali, Native Deen and others. For the first time in ISNA's history there was also an official Mushaira or Urdu poetry recital. It was chaired by prominent Urdu poet from India Kaleem Ajiz. The Mushaira session was jam packed. Surprisingly about a dozen teenagers also attended the Mushaira despite the fact that the MSA's entertainment session was going on at the same time.
After years long spell in Chicago, the next ISNA convention in 2008 will be held in Columbus, Ohio.
http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5788&Itemid=88
Chicago Sun-Times - September 2, 2007
Dean tells Muslims: Run for political office
BY SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean told American Muslims gathered in Rosemont to think beyond voter registration drives. "You need to run for political office," Dean said Saturday. "The only way you can achieve your goals is to stand up and say who you are and be proud of it."
Those in the packed house rose to their feet and applauded.
Dean was one of several prominent Democrats on Saturday to address the nation's largest gathering of American Muslims. Republicans declined invitations, organizers said.
The annual Labor Day weekend gathering of the Islamic Society of North America is expected to draw up to 40,000 Muslims before it ends Monday.
It's a family event full of spiritual and educational seminars. Saturday, many Muslims found inspiration from politicians.
"Be heard. Don't be silent. Tell it like it is," said Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress.
"If you don't tell your story, someone else will. And you may be the villain in their story," the Minnesota Democrat said.
Ellison, too, received a standing ovation.
While Muslims are changing America's religious landscape, they're being encouraged to find their political voice, too.
"There are people who want to see Muslims not only at the table but on the ticket," said Malik Mujahid, president of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, which sponsored the "Take Back America Rally" involving Dean.
Nabeel Razzaki, a financial analyst from Portland, said many American Muslims became fearful of political participation after 9/11.
"I've thought about it for a long time, but I was scared," Razzaki said after hearing Dean. "Now, I feel inspired to run for a local office."
Muslims here say they share a common faith, but their religious and political views are hardly monolithic. Some want to concentrate only on local politics. By building slowly at the grass-roots level, the day will come when Muslims can influence the bigger races, they say.
But Omer Abid of west suburban Lyons said now, more than ever, Muslims need a voice in national politics. "We can't sit back. We must speak up," Abid said. "The current president led America to war in Iraq, which was a huge disaster for the world. We can't stay silent."
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/religion/539406,CST-NWS-Islam02s1.article
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