March 30, 2005

On March 26, national American Muslim organizations met in Chicago to form the National Council of American Muslim Non-Profits, a proactive community-initiated measure which will develop a comprehensive oversight process to ensure transparency and protection of American Muslim institutions.

The Council, spearheaded by the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Islamic Society of North America during their joint American Muslim Policy Forum, is a non-government program that aims to make American Muslims a critical component in safeguarding their institutions. The Council will work to generate a collective bargaining power that will bolster the community's ability for advocacy, and encourage the government to engage with the American Muslim community with full transparency. By creating a structure that will allow for a community-based certification process, the Council will also empower the community by instituting a culture of responsibility and self-governance.

Since 9/11, over 25 American Muslim non-profits and charities have been shut down. Such widespread scrutiny has left many donors fearful of giving.

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Department for Terrorist Financing Juan Zarate, who sat in on the working session, expressed his Department's support for the Council in an essay published yesterday in the Washington Times.

"The creation of the national council is also a testament to the community taking ownership of this corrosive and difficult issue," said Zarate. "At stake in the project to preserve the sanctity of charity is not only the confidence of the Muslim American donor community but also the compassionate voice and view of America in the Muslim world. The work of the members of the council -- which will now begin in earnest -- will shape how charities are protected, how Muslim American's dollars are spent at home and abroad, and how America is viewed in the Muslim world."

The working session, moderated by ISNA Secretary General Dr. Sayyid Syeed and MPAC National Director Ahmed Younis, allowed representatives of national American Muslim organizations to voice their concerns and suggest avenues for resolution. A preliminary taskforce on governance has been established to survey existing models.

"Now that an opportunity has been created by the community for a resolution to the assault upon our institutions, it is incumbant upon the institutions of the American Muslim community to define the scope and nature of this avenue through engagement and efforts," said Younis. "We are only looking for sustainable solutions that will increase the capacity of our institutions to protect the donor community in service of God."

Rob Buchanan, Director of International Programs with the Council on Foundations, also shared principles of international charity recently developed through a broad working group of U.S. organizations engaged in international charitable activities. As it moves forward to consider and negotiate its structure, the Council will consider various models developed by other sectors of the American charitable community.

If your organization would like be a part of the National Council of Islamic Non-Profits, please send an e-mail to communications@mpac.org, with the name of your organization, your position, and your contact information.