MPAC’s 4th Annual
Convention
Over 1,500 Debate “Counter Religious & Political
Extremism”
Los Angeles, CA: Over 1,500
people joined the Muslim Public Affairs Council in “Countering
Religious & Political Extremism” during its fourth
annual convention on Saturday, December 18. During the national
event, which drew attendees from as far as Buffalo, Houston,
Seattle, New York, Wichita and Washington, DC, prominent academics,
writers, officials and activists commended MPAC’s commitment
to promoting an American Muslim agenda intent on preserving
civil liberties within a secure nation.
Among the numerous highlights of the day’s events was
the first address to American Muslims by European Muslim leader
Dr. Tariq Ramadan since his resignation last week from a tenured
teaching position with the University of Notre Dame, who spoke
to the banquet audience via video teleconference.
A section of the audience |
The panelists |
“The essence of my message to Muslims throughout the
world is this: Know who you are, who you want to be,”
Dr. Ramadan said. “Find common values and build, with
your non-Muslim fellow citizens, a society based on diversity
and equality. Our collective success hinges on breaking out
of intellectual ghettos, collaborating beyond our narrow associations
and fostering mutual trust - without which living together
is nearly impossible.”
Fellow keynote speaker Dr. John Esposito, founder and director
of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown
University, commended MPAC’s work to represent American
Muslims at a policy level.
The evening fundraising banquet raised $400,000 for MPAC.
The convention program included panels which tackled extremism
in religion, politics, media and policy, which will soon air
on C-SPAN. Dr. Jamal Badawi, Dr. Asma Barlas, Sayed Hassan
Al-Qazwini unraveled the definition of extremism from an Islamic
perspective rooted in the Qur’an.
Professor
John Esposito |
During a session which considered
American counter-terrorism policy, Chuck Pena (Cato Institute)
and Ron Nehring (CA Republican Party Chairman for San Diego
County) commended MPAC’s publication of two documents
which represent the pivotal role American Muslims can play
in shaping informed olicy. Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati
announced the release of MPAC’s National Anti-Terrorism
Campaign Handbook and a paper entitled “Counterproductive
Counterterrorism: How Anti-Islamic Rhetoric is Impeding America’s
Homeland Security,” which were both distributed to convention
attendees.
In a roundtable discussion moderated
by Dr. Maher Hathout (MPAC Senior Advisor), panelists John
Esposito, Shirin Sinnar (Lawyer’s Committee for Civil
Rights), Jack Miles (author of “God: A Biography”),
and Hussein Ibish (Progressive Muslim Union) discussed the
political realities of extremism which impact Americans’
daily life. Panelists emphasized the importance of challenging
post 9/11 policies which unfairly target American Muslims,
including ethnic profiling, the Patriot Act, and preventive
detention.
Other featured speakers
included Los Angeles Mayoral candidates Richard Alarcon and
Bernard Parks as well as Chaplain James Yee, ACLU Attorney
Dalia Hashad, Producer Robert Greenwald (“Unconstitutional”
& “Outfoxed”), Stephanie Thomas (Charlie Rose
Show), Fiza Shah (Developments in Literacy), Donna Sibaai
(The More Alike Than Different Project), Imam Sadullah Khan
(Islamic Center of Irvine), Greg Orfalea (Pitzer College Center
of Writing), and Sayed Moustafa Al-Qazwini (Islamic Educational
Center of Orange County).
The multicultural arts organization Great Leap also presented
“To All Relations: Sacred Moon Songs,” a theater
performance evolving from the stories, relationships and spiritual
experiences shared in the “To All Relations” residency
workshops with members of the Muslim, Mexican, Japanese, and
African American communities.
Read MPACnews to find out when convention proceedings will
air on C-SPAN and will be available on www.mpac.org.
[CONTACT: Edina Lekovic, 213-383-3443, communications@mpac.org]
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