MPAC Leads Discussion on 'Being Muslim in America' with Indonesian Muslim Americans

November 4, 2010

Imam Shamsi Ali
Imam Shamsi Ali

On Oct. 23, the MPAC's Government Liaison Alejandro J. Beutel led a discussion with more than 80 Indonesian Muslim Americans, including many youth, on what it means to be a living as a Muslim in the United States.

The discussion had two components. The first, was a discussion about Beutel's personal journey to Islam and how that shaped his family relations. He said that at first, there was some "friction" and misunderstanding with his parents. However, Beutel said those challenges melted away when "I let my good deeds do the talking" and showed them how Islam helped him be a better son. He added that "being the Muslim son of a Jewish father and Catholic mother has only reinforced my faith, very personally, in God and in American pluralism. There is no conflict between an American and a Muslim."

The second part of the discussion was a talk show format that featured Beutel and Imam Shamsi Ali, from New York City. The talk show was moderated by Nadia Syahmalina, an activist working on youth issues in the Indonesian Muslim American community. The discussion ranged from dealing with social challenges Muslim American youth face to what can be done to combat the recent rise in anti-Muslim bigotry.

Beutel noted that community needs to have "safe spaces to openly discuss all kinds of issues youth face, including drug use, pre-marital sex and pressure to be socially accepted by your peers. As for tackling anti-Muslim bigotry, Beutel stressed that one of the main goals is to familiarize Americans with Muslims and Islam.

"The current level bigotry being displayed has only been possible because our communities are seen as a foreign outsiders, rather than as fellow Americans. Home is where the heart is, and as far as I'm concerned my heart is here because America is my home," Beutel said.

He concluded his talk by reminding his audience to become proactive and never lose hope despite the challenges: "God tells us in the Qur'an 'with hardship comes ease,' therefore as your fellow Muslim, I say to you all 'with God all good things are possible.'"

-- Marium F. Mohiuddin (marium@mpac.org)
Communications Coordinator




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