December 22, 2008

A star-studded line up of speakers joined the Muslim Public Affairs Council for its 8th annual convention, celebrating 20 years of work for Muslim American political and civic participation. Attended by more than 1,000 people from around the country, the convention headliners included Dr. Rick Warren, musicians Salman Ahmad and Melissa Etheridge alongside Dr. DeepakChopra, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Richard Schmierer, and authors Juan Cole and Reza Aslan.

"The assembly of diverse religious leaders, scholars, authors, policy makers and artists here today illustrates the inclusiveness and pluralism that are hallmarks of the 'new era' of America," said Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati. "MPAC has demonstrated time and again its commitment and expertise in empowering Muslims to get more politically involved and developing new leaders who can serve not only the Muslim community but serve America."

Before a sold out banquet audience, Dr. Rick Warren expressed his commitment to working with Muslim Americans to foster civility and his willingness to work with people across the spectrum of opinion.

"Al-Qaeda is no more representative of Islam than the KKK is of Christianity," Warren said. "Religious congregations are the only set of organizations on earth that can successfully combat the ills of spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, disease pandemics, dire poverty, and illiteracy, and we must actively and directly cooperate with mosques to get the job done."

SEE: "Pastor Rick Warren Addresses Muslim Group, Emphasizes Need to Find Common Ground" (Los Angeles Times)

SEE: "Pastor Rick Warren Defends Invite to Inauguration"  (USA Today)

Sufi rocker and U.N. Goodwill Ambassador Salman Ahmad (pictured left), Grammy Award winning musician Melissa Etheridge, and Dr. Deepak Chopra also introduced their national campaign "Ring the Bells for Peace" which took place this Sunday. During their performance of the song "Ring the Bells," Ahmad and Etheridge described their shared intention to work for peace and spread a universal message of increasing understanding among people of diverse and divergent beliefs and backgrounds.

Government Relations Director Safiya Ghori-Ahmad and Community Development Director Haris Tarin (pictured right) shared the three highlights from 2008: the "Activate 08" election campaign, the Truth Over Fear: Countering Islamophobia campaign, and the Muslim American Young Leaders Summit.

Sharing MPAC's track record of successful bridge building and forging unlikely coalitions to address problems facing all Americans, Salam Al-Marayati reflected on the organization's 20th anniversary and made four promises for the coming year to MPAC members and supporters:

To our allies, we promise to continue to partner with you in upholding justice and opposing militarism and militancy. To the Muslim-bashers, we are ready to meet with you, to move beyond bigotry for the sake of what's good for America. To young Muslims, we are committed to providing you with training and development so that you can be leaders for the Muslim American community and leaders for America. And to our community, we promise to continue to define our role in this new era, and to embody the Quranic spirit of pluralism.

On his blog, convention speaker and widely read blogger Dr. Juan Cole wrote:

"I just want to praise MPAC as the most wonderful people. This is the American Muslim community at its best -- socially and spiritually active, deeply interested in civil rights, and insisting on reclaiming their religion from extremists... Anyone looking for a worthy charity to donate to in this season of giving should seriously consider MPAC."

Throughout the daylong program, roundtable discussions on "The Next American President," "Taking Stock of Muslim American Political Engagement," and "The Aftermath of Mumbai" (pictured below) featured enriching conversations with a diverse set of speakers including Cole, Dr. Maher Hathout, Ahmed Younis, AJ Durrani, Khurrum Wahid, Shejea Khan, Kiran Khalid, Reza Aslan, Dr. Nayyer Ali, and Varun Soni.

Panel discussions followed, featuring in-depth conversations on "Emerging Strategies for U.S.-Global Engagement," "New Laws Effecting Your Rights and Your Charitable Giving," and "How to Run for Public Office" with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Richard Schmierer, Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, Wahid, Younis and Khan. A private luncheon was also held featuring Daniel Sutherland from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.