June 23, 2009

Cole addresses US-Muslim world relations

There is no question that after President Obama's speech in Cairo addressing the Muslim world, the tone regarding the relationship between the U.S. and the Muslim World has shifted. The President's focus on engagement and mutual understanding has propelled a heightened level of urgency amongst Muslim Americans seeking a role in the discourse and solution.

"Engagement & Understanding" was the theme of MPAC-NYC's forum at Colombia University last week, which examined how the U.S. can forge a new relationship with the Muslim World. During the well-attended event, author and professor Dr. Juan Cole ("Engaging the Muslim World," 2009) and MPAC Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati shared keys for effective engagement.

Dr. Juan Cole addressed the strategic partnerships that the U.S. will need to create with Muslim countries and communities around the world in order to secure a vibrant economy and viable world relationships due to demographic changes around the world. Al-Marayati addressed the role of the Muslim American community in being a bridge to the Muslim World and addressed some of the very real problems that exist in some Muslim majority countries.

The forum is part of a series of roundtables MPAC has organized to provide Muslim Americans an opportunity to engage in promoting a new tone in current domestic and foreign policy issues. This spring, Dr. Cole and Al-Marayati have held several forums in Washington, DC, New York City and Buffalo, NY.

Such community forums provide us with an opportunity to gather sentiments and recommendations from communities around the country, which we are then able to share with government officials and members of Congress with whom we meet regularly. They are important opportunities to ensure that the voices of our community are heard.

-- Haris Tarin,
Community Development Director
haris@mpac.org