Muslim Democratic Party’s Hospitality Suite Attracts Many Candidates

Organizers and guests at the MDP Hospitality Suite

On Friday, April 16, 2010 the Muslim Democratic Party, located in the San Francisco Bay area, organized a Hospitality Suite at the California Democratic Convention at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Its co-sponsors were the American Muslim Alliance (AMA), CAIR, MPAC, and the Arab American Caucus. About 150 candidates and delegates from the convention visited the Hospitality Suite, entitled “Salam” (“Peace”).

The candidates were welcomed by the representatives of these organizations and refreshments were served. The representatives of these organizations gave welcoming speeches and introduced Islam to the guests. They also offered their help in participating in the election campaigns and the election process. The guest candidates also introduced themselves and appreciated the hospitality of the Muslims. Some of these candidates were Congressman Mike Honda, who has always supported the American Muslim Alliance; Senator Ellen Corbett from the California Legislature; Bob Conaway, running for the San Bernardino District Attorney position; Jackie Conaway, running for a Congressional position; and many more.

Dr. Talat Khan, a Southern California representative of the American Muslim Alliance, introduced Islam and the message of peace to the guests. She introduced AMA, which is involved in educating Muslims on participating in the American political system and training to produce Muslim leadership in the United States. AMA had inspired 700 Muslims to run for public offices in the year 2000. They were also successful in helping Mr. Saghir Tahir, Mr. Hassan Fahmy, and many others reach public offices. They have also endorsed others like Keith Ellison and Andre Carson.

The brain behind AMA is the political science professor from the Bay area, Dr. Agha Saeed, who has inspired Muslims to be a part of the mainstream by participating in the election process and using their power of the vote. Dr. Saeed has put all the important Muslim organizations together under the American Muslim Task Force; he is currently the chair of this organization.

In the year 2000, AMA started the process of Muslim bloc voting and has used it in each presidential election since then. This has harnessed the voting power of Muslims, which amounts to approximately 4 million votes.