Articles
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, October/November 2000, pages 84-87
Muslim-American Activism
Theme for ISNA’s 37th Convention is “Islam: Faith and Civilization”
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the largest umbrella organization for Muslims in North America, hosted its 37th annual convention in Chicago, IL, Sept. 1-4. This year’s theme, “Islam: Faith and Civilization,” was a suitable topic as the Muslim community in the West ventures out to face the new millennium.
The convention offered a wide array of speakers and topics to appeal to the estimated 30,000 Muslims from diverse backgrounds and cultures who traveled to Chicago over the Labor Day weekend. Panel discussion topics included child psychology, parenting, Islamic investments, the information highway, globalization, the political process, and various other important issues facing the Muslim community at home and abroad. Speakers reiterated an important message in the various sessions, that there is a need to strengthen ties within the Muslim community and to face the challenges within the Muslim communities. Muslims should apply Islam within the North American context, they urged, without compromising fundamental religious tenets, and, finally, Muslims must contribute to the society in which they live.
Two of the main sessions which particularly struck a chord with the attendees were Friday and Saturday night’s “Characteristics of an Islamic Civilization” and “Asserting the Muslim Identity: Shattering the Inferiority Complex.” Well-known speakers such as Ahmed Sakr and Maher Hathout compelled the audience to do some soul- searching on Muslim identity and what it means within American society.
Dr. Tariq Ramadan of Switzerland, a new face at the convention, inspired the audience with fresh ideas which emphasized the need to define Islamic civilization not according to the West but within the fundamental principles of unity of God, brotherhood, justice, consultation, and diversity. By promoting these principles, he continued, Muslims living in the West can make a great contribution to their respective societies.
In their joint session, Dr. Ramadan and Imam Hamza Yusuf provided different perspectives on Dr. Ramadan’s question: “Is there an inferiority complex within the Muslim communities?” Dr. Ramadan shared three indications of such a complex:
1. Muslims are often in a defense mode when they explain what Islam isn’t (i.e., it is not the Algerian or Afghanistan model), but go to the other extreme of presenting Islam as only an ideal far from reality.
2. Instead of defining themselves in relation to God, Muslims often define themselves against the West, lack confidence in their approach and stick to a discourse which is often frivolous, selective and complicated.
3. The Muslim dialogue is often founded on emotion, not on concrete and well-articulated thoughts.
Ramadan concluded by offering some approaches to the problem: One has to generate a discussion about Islam in accordance with one’s present life, he advised, and by saying what Muslims are, not what they are not. The Muslim presence is enhanced, he said, by contributing to intellectual, social and humanitarian debates. Lastly, he urged Muslims to become true witnesseses for Islam by promoting education and partnership with the active forces in Western societies.
In contrast, the very popular Hamza Yusuf gave an emotional speech in the evangelistic style which appeals so to younger and older Muslims. He discussed the necessity of living the Islamic ideal in one’s everyday life by following the examples of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions. The Prophet had no inferiority complex, Yusuf pointed out, and neither should any Muslims.
Another session which touched many was entitled “Muslim World Issues,” in which speakers from Bosnia, Iraq, Turkey, Russia and Sudan made the audience aware of the daily struggles they face in their countries. Merve Kavakci, a very eloquent speaker from Turkey, struck a particular note with the audience when she recounted how, after she was elected democratically to the Turkish parliament, she subsequently was told that she could not wear her head scarf if she wanted to remain in the legislature. Her remarks were followed by a film which showed women in Turkey who were repeatedly denied their basic human rights because of their determination to wear hijab and families who are not allowed to teach the Qur’an to their children until they reach the age of 12. This came as a great shock to many in the audience, who got a “wake-up call” and realized how relatively comfortable the life of a Muslim is in North America.
—Shelina Merani
Yusuf Islam Calls for Unity
Yusuf Islam, the British musician known as Cat Stevens prior to his conversion to Islam, spoke to a large crowd about his personal experience of conversion and the duty of Muslims to organize.
Though his early music (for example, “Morning Has Broken”) attested to the fact that he had always been a spiritual man, Yusuf Islam declared that he came to Islam in mid-life by reading the Qur’an, and that it spoke the truth to him beginning with the opening verse, “Praise be to Allah...” He then reached a questioning stage, he recounted, asking if Islam was pertinent in this day and time, and decided that it was. He outlined the steps of his education: First he learned to pray, then, with the coming of Ramadan, he learned to fast. Thirdly—since he had some money in the bank—Yusuf Islam said he had to learn to pay his charitable dues. He spoke somewhat ruefully of missing the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) the first year and his determination to go the second, but he spoke of feeling that something was missing. It was an integral part of the practice of Islam—the family. Yusuf Islam married before proceeding with his hajj.
On the hajj he at first felt part of a community, all committed to touching the Kaaba stone. He became distressed at the pushing and shoving to reach it, however, and the later separation of the community into camps, isolated one from another. The birth of his first child and his attempts at parenthood brought him back to the feeling he had experienced in Mecca—that Muslims must work as a community. So along with other parents he put time and effort, not just money, into establishing a mosque school.
This activism brought Yusuf Islam to his second epiphany regarding Islam (the first being his acceptance): that while the rules of observance were important, they were secondary to the unity and action of the community of the faithful. He illustrated this point by citing the example of the Prophet Muhammad, who had settled disputes over methods of worship by saying that both were right because the intention was to worship. Yusuf Islam concluded his talk by advocating education as the way to achieve the goal of unity. It is clear through his active role in establishing a mosque school, his willingness to speak on his faith, and his continued musical output (including his recent CD “A is for Allah,” which teaches children and newcomers about Islam) that he is putting his beliefs into practice.
—Sara R. Powel
Muslim Participation in the Political Process
American Muslim Council executive director Ali Abuzaakouk released the results of a recent survey of Muslim American voters and the issues that are important to them in the upcoming elections to an ISNA audience. Moderator Jamal Barzingi noted that while 6 million Muslims live in North America, some Muslims still live in “islands of isolation, shying away from mainstream politics,” even while they make great contributions to social and economic sectors of the country.
Dr. Agha Saeed, chairman of both the American Muslim Alliance and the American Muslim Political Coordination Council, said three different news agencies called him on Aug. 28 asking him to explain what role Muslims expected to play in the 2000 elections. The media realize that Muslims are poised to play an important, even decisive role in key states, Dr. Saeed said, and once the Muslim presence is noted in the American media, then politicians will learn to count.
Giving a brief history of Muslim American politics, Dr. Saeed said that Muslims first mobilized in 1992, holding hospitality suites in both Republican and Democratic national conventions. In 1996 Muslims ran for nearly every single type of office, except for president or vice president. Each presidential candidate was asked to agree with several points of interest to Muslims. More than 70 percent of Muslims voted in the presidential elections, compared to the national average of 49.09 percent. In 1999 all the Muslim groups in California came together and put out a single election advisory.
This year Muslims have defined their interests and, receiving feedback from each member of their various groups, will recommend endorsements at the national level. “The unity of the Muslim slate is most important,” Dr. Saeed said. By putting the weight of 6 million Muslims together for a bloc vote in the only election in the country where Muslims can have a coordinated effect—the presidential election—Muslims will have a great impact on American politics, Dr. Saeed said, adding, “ If you don’t vote you don’t have any weight in America.”
—Delinda C. Hanley
Muslims Count: Agenda for Action the High Point of ISNA
Archbishop of Chicago Cardinal George, speaking for the second year in a row at the ISNA convention, began his remarks by saying he welcomed the fact that inter-religious dialogues between Muslims and Catholics are increasing, with an emphasis on common principles in each religion. “Islamic values can contribute toward building a more just and moral society in America,” he said. “Islam is now, and should be, a more public religion in the United States,” the cardinal said, encouraging Muslims’ active participation in the political process.
Moderator Sayyid M. Syeed presented Cardinal George with a copy of Forcing God’s Hand: Why Millions Pray for a Quick Rapture—And the Destruction of Planet Earth by “a great friend to Muslims, Grace Halsell, who recently passed away.”
Omar Ahmad, chairman of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said, “Making Muslims count is a big dream, but we are about to see it happen. Immigrant and indigenous Muslims together are bound to make America better.” He listed the many challenges facing the Muslim community—civil rights issues, stereotyping in the media, discrimination in the workplace, and the 1996 secret evidence bill “designed for Muslims and only for Muslims.” Each of these issues face every Muslim in America, Ahmad said, and in response Muslims must:
1. Be politically, socially, and economically active.
2. Register to vote and get out to vote. This is a must.
3. Vote as one bloc.
4. Educate American society about Islam.
5. Help Muslims overseas.
6. Combine the strengths of indigenous and immigrant Muslims and the children of immigrants
“Many Muslims think we can’t make a difference,” or that Muslims should not participate, Ahmad said. “We are participants in the political system whether we like it or not—we are taxpayers...
“They are using our money to bomb Iraq and put sanctions on Iraq and to help Israel oppress Palestinians. They are doing this with our money,” Ahmad admonished. “Let politicians know where you want your money used. You can’t debate if voting is halal or haram any more. Voting is not an option, it’s an Islamic obligation.
“Muslims must vote in one unit, agenda-specific, as one bloc, or we will cancel each other out,” Ahmad said. “To make a difference we must be united and vote together. The Muslim interest should be above all personal interests, otherwise it is selfish and destructive.”
Ahmad reminded the audience that Muslims must educate American society about what Islam stands for: peace, justice, education and medicine—not terrorism, fundamentalism and killing people.
“A lot of Muslims overseas are counting on Muslims here. We have freedom here. It’s open. The sky is the limit,” Ahmad said.
“If the issue of Al Quds [Jerusalem] does not unite Muslims in America, I don’t know what else could...This is our mosque, and now it’s up for sale. It’s up for political use. Is this our land? Is this our holy place?” he asked.
Saying that 96 percent of Muslims think this is their most important issue, Ahmad concluded, “If we fail to help Jerusalem it is because of our own failure to unite as American Muslims and utilize our strengths.”
Sayyid Syeed introduced Congressmen David Bonior and Tom Campbell, both of whom have shown a strong commitment to fairness and justice in the treatment of Muslims in America and around the world. “They need our support,” Syeed reminded the audience. “They need us to stand for them as they have stood for us.”
Moderator Syeed introduced Bonior (D-MI), who recently returned from Kashmir. Bonior has opposed profiling in airports, opposed moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, repeatedly called attention to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq, and played a leadership role with Campbell in sponsoring HR 2121, the Secret Evidence Repeal Act. Noting that Bonior has condemned anti-Muslim and anti-Arab statements by Senate staff, Dr. Saeed said, to great applause, “We should support political figures who rule with their conscience.”
After conveying general greetings from Vice President Albert Gore, Bonior said, “ISNA and other organizations are giving Muslims the strong voice it needs and deserves in the United States. Your voice is never going to be heard more clearly than it is now this year...”
Though Islam is the fastest growing religion in the U.S., Bonior said, there is a long way to go until Muslims have a political impact in the United States. “I remember not long ago members of Congress would not meet with you or accept your political contributions,” he recalled. “You have done two things. You have informed your community on how to get involved in the political process. And you’ve taught political leaders what it means to be Muslim in America...
“America was intended to be a nation of many peoples and many tribes, a nation where our differences are regarded not as weakness but understood to be our true source of strength,” Bonior concluded. “The most beautiful part of America is our diversity...We are struggling to become that nation and with your help we will build one country, with liberty and justice for all.”
Dr. Agha Saeed, chairman of the American Muslim Alliance as well as of the American Muslim Political Coordination Council, talked about the Muslim strategy for the Nov. 7 elections. “The best chance for 6 million Muslims in America to have an impact in the U.S.” he said, “is to think of the office where Muslims in their entirety can vote for the same office.” That, he noted, would be the election for president and vice president.
There are three stages in the presidential election, Saeed noted: the primaries, which have ended; the general election; and the electoral college election. Ultimately, the president is elected by 538 electoral votes. There are four states which have the largest number of electoral votes. Those also happen to be states where there are large numbers of Muslim voters.
The four most important states are California (with 54 electoral votes, or 10 percent of the country’s total electoral votes), New York (33 electoral votes), Texas (32) and Illinois (22 electoral votes). The Muslim vote will be very important in California, where there were 22.8 million eligible voters in 1996. That year the voter turn-out was 10 million, or 43.9 percent of total eligible voters. There now are 750,000 eligible Muslim and Arab voters in California. “Do you know what that means?” Dr. Saeed asked. “That means today, Muslims are 7 to 8 percent of the voting population in California. If Muslims are 2 to 3 percent of the population, and everybody votes, Muslims will be 2 to 3 percent of the voting population. But we know from 1996 that only 49 percent of the people voted. So if only half the people vote and we vote full-strength, are we 2 percent or are we 4 percent?” he asked.
“Four percent,” the crowd answered.
“If we vote in full strength in New York, Dr. Saeed continued, “Muslims will be 7 percent of the voting population; in Texas we will be 8 percent; and in Illinois close to 10 percent of the voting population.
Dr. Saeed went on to describe the three-point action plan for Elections 2000:
Every eligible Muslim voter must vote this year if we are serious about Al Quds, Kashmir, Palestine, Chechnya, and Bosnia, he said. Every single Muslim must vote.
The second point is that Muslims must vote for—or against—the same agenda, Saeed said. At this point the AMPCC director invited the leader of each Muslim organization to join him at the podium. With hands raised together, they pledged, “We have to have a common mission and a common goal... All Muslims voting together. We are here together. We are not fighting or competing. We are cooperating. All Muslim political organizations are united. We are all agreed. A single endorsement.”
Muslim organizations are sending out questionnaires to members and, based on the results, will collectively decide two weeks before the elections which candidate to endorse.
Every adult Muslim will consider it an Islamic obligation to vote in the election, Dr. Syeed concluded.
Rep. Tom Campbell read a congratulatory letter to ISNA from presidential candidate Gov. George W. Bush, who noted that America is a better nation because of its diversity. “The Muslim community has contributed greatly to the traditions that are part of our great cultural history,” the letter said. “I want America to be a welcoming place for every one of our citizens. A place where the American dream touches every willing heart...We must rally the armies of compassion, the churches, mosques, synagogues and charities to bring health and hope to our neighbors in need. I look forward to working with Muslim Americans as we build a future for our country that is decent, compassionate and inclusive.”
Campbell, who is running for senator from California in a tight race with Democratic incumbent Dianne Feinstein, said, “What I say to you tonight, I have said on the floor of the House of Representatives, I have said in newspapers, on radio and television,” he said. “What I say to you is true. I don’t choose my words for each audience before whom I speak.”
Speaking of the massive poverty now prevalent in Iraq, Campbell said, “The oil-for-food plan has not resulted in adequate protection for Iraq’s children from malnutrition or disease. Mr. President, end the economic embargo on Iraq now.”
Campbell then read from a February 1996 speech he made on the House floor: “There is a feeling in Congress shared by many members that one should never cut aid to Israel. Aid to Israel and Egypt alone among all recipients of U.S. aid appears to be untouchable, even when every other account at home and abroad is being cut, and a risk of political death to those who try. I believe that sentiment is wrong. I believe it does a disservice to both members of Congress and to the large number of Americans who care deeply about Israel. America spends a terribly small percentage of its foreign aid on the poorest countries of the world....In economic aid America gives $215 per capita to Israel, $32 per capita to Egypt, and $1.73 for Africa. I made a motion in 1996 and in 1999 to cut economic aid to Israel and Egypt and let the money go to countries who need it.”
He next read letters addressed to Kurt Russell and Steven Segal regarding the portrayal of Arabs and Muslims in movies, to which he has never received answers. He sought a more responsible portrayal of all racial, ethnic and religious minorities in their films. Campbell said that all Americans should say they won’t see their movies until they portray minorities responsibly.
Finally, when there was a resolution to say that the people of Palestine could not declare their own state without the approval of Israel, Tom Campbell said on the House floor on March 29, 1999: “The Palestinian people are entitled to a country. The resolution is fundamentally at odds with that right. Because this resolution is intended, I believe, to convey that no Palestinian state should be declared without Israel’s consent....Palestinians had the right to declare a state in 1948. They have not lost that right due to events in the intervening years.
“To the people in Gaza who go to work every day by passing through a cattle shute and then boarding buses to cross the Negev to work in Israel, I say to you, you have a country. To the people of Ramallah, Bethlehem and Nablus who would trade with Jordan if only they were permitted to by Israel, I say you have a country. And to the people of America I say: Our country’s very soul is in the balance. Do we stand up only for the interests of nations that have power? Or do we stand up for the right of a people to determine their own future, to be free to declare their own identity, their own nation? It is America’s future as much as that of Palestine that we are voting on today....
“The Prophet said that when you see evil you are obliged to act against it. But if you cannot, then at least you must speak against it. But if you cannot even speak, at least you must know it is wrong in your heart, but this is the weakest of all responses.
“We know it’s right. When I become the next United States senator from California, having said what I said on the record, in the largest state of the union, I will be giving courage to those in Congress right now whose hearts tell them what is right but who do not yet have the courage to speak or to act. This effort is not just for one state or for one person, this is for our country, America, and to give courage to other political leaders to speak what is in their hearts.”
—Delinda C. Hanley
