Campaign Mission
In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
It is our duty as American Muslims to protect our country and to contribute to its betterment. Since September 11, 2001, intelligence reports indicate that international terrorist networks continue to plan attacks against the United States. In the face of such a frightening possibility, and being aware of the disastrous consequences that may befall the country as a whole and the Muslim community in particular, it is obvious that Muslims should be at the forefront of the effort to prevent this from happening. While we find ourselves in the same line with most American citizens, there is the fear that those who are hateful fanatics or special interest opportunists will insist to marginalize Muslims and depict them as suspects to be watched. We owe it to our religion, our country and our new generations to expose this fallacy and to change this perception. We ought to be proactive and demonstrate that we are part of the solution.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) took the initiative to launch the National Grassroots Campaign to Fight Terrorism. The campaign is composed of three main components:
- Religious awareness and education to create a strong Islamic environment that does not allow terrorism to be considered as a form of struggle in Islam. The different acceptable forms of struggle in Islam are part of the noble concept of jihad. This doesn't tolerate hurting civilians, suicidal destruction of human life or inflicting harm on non-combatants.
- Controlling the inter-mosque environment and activities to prevent intruders and unauthorized, unknown persons from exploiting the open environment of the mosque, which is accessible to all who seek its spiritual, educational and social benefits. We know that the vast majority of mosques are already doing what is appropriate, yet the Qur'an teaches us that reminding will always benefit the community of believers (Qur'an 51:55). We have to emphasize that mosques are and should always be open, public places. There is no complete guarantee that the leadership can know about every person or every piece of literature that is brought to the mosque without authorization.
A mosque that is applying the appropriate measures should not be held responsible for the behavior or mishaps caused by individuals. - Acquiring skills to detect any potential criminal activity to be able to thwart them; for this effort, open forums and training classes should be organized and facilitated by mosque officials and law enforcement agencies.
While this plan is launched, Muslims should be equipped to prevent and report all kinds of hate speech and hate crimes; they should be encouraged to guard their civil liberties and exercise their right of dissent and free expression as guaranteed by the constitution and exercised within the bounds of the law of the land.
Your participation and support is critical for the success of such a campaign. Please find the material which may help in implementing this plan. You should find the following pieces in this handbook: the campaign's 4-step program; Mosque Guidelines, Mosque Etiquette: Cultural Considerations for Interacting with American Muslims and Arab Americans, and articles addressing terrorism from the Islamic perspective. If there is a need for more material or consultation, contact MPAC's national office at (202) 547-7701.
May God bless your efforts.
Wa'salaamu Alaikum wa' Rahmatullah,
Dr. Maher Hathout
Coordinator of the Campaign
