Community Leader Award for Dr Muzammil Siddiqi
Anaheim, CA: The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) has congratulated respected national Muslim community leader and visionary Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi for being honored with the prestigious “Community Leader Award” by the Orange County Human Relations Commission (OCHR) at an awards dinner.
In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said:
“The ‘Community Leader Award’ being presented to Dr. Siddiqi is a testimony to his strong leadership and decades-long commitment to building bridges of understanding among Americans and reinforcing our principles of inclusiveness and pluralism. Moreover, the Orange County Human Relations is to be commended for its choice to recognize a much deserving Muslim leader.”
Dr. Siddiqi is one of the most respected Muslim leaders in America and the world. In September 2001, he was invited by President George W. Bush to offer a Muslim prayer at Washington’s National Cathedral. He is a recipient of the National Conference for Community and Justice’s 1999 Humanitarian Award. For his efforts to promote goodwill and cooperation across America, he was named one of the 100 most influential people by the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Times. Dr. Siddiqi has also been a consistent voice in speaking out against all forms of extremism.
OCHR has come under attack by some right-wing extremists for presenting Dr. Siddiqi with the “Community Leader Award.”
SEE: OC Interfaith Leaders Support Award to Muslim Leader
Hannah Rosenthal -- Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor US Department of State - made the following statement in support of Dr. Siddiqi:
“Dr. Siddiqi and his wife traveled with me to Dachau and Auschwitz last summer and helped author a strong statement condemning Holocaust denial and all other forms of anti-Semitism. The group we traveled with looked to Imam Siddiqi as a leader, as the group memorialized the six million exterminated by the Nazis, he led the group in a historic prayer next to the ‘Never Again’ sign at Dachau concentration camp. He is a kind and generous man who deserves praise for his leadership, caring and condemnation of all forms of hatred.”
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