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M{AC News - December 18, 2004
Over 1,500 Gather to "Counter Religious & Political
Extremism" at MPAC’s 4th Annual Convention
Los Angeles, December 18, 2004 – Over 1,500 people joined the Muslim Public Affairs Council in "Countering Religious & Political Extremism" during its fourth annual convention today. During the national event, which drew attendees from as far as Buffalo, Houston, Seattle, New York, Wichita and Washington, DC, prominent academics, writers, officials and activists commended MPAC's commitment to promoting an American Muslim agenda intent on preserving civil liberties within a secure nation.
Among the numerous highlights of the day’s events was the first address to American Muslims by European Muslim leader Dr. Tariq Ramadan since his resignation last week from a tenured teaching position with the University of Notre Dame, who spoke to the banquet audience via video teleconference.
"The essence of my message to Muslims throughout the world is this: Know who you are, who you want to be," Dr. Ramadan said. "Find common values and build, with your non-Muslim fellow citizens, a society based on diversity and equality. Our collective success hinges on breaking out of intellectual ghettos, collaborating beyond our narrow associations and fostering mutual trust — without which living together is nearly impossible."
Fellow keynote speaker Dr. John Esposito, founder and director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, commended MPAC's work to represent American Muslims at a policy level. The evening fundraising banquet raised $400,000 for MPAC.
The convention program included panels which tackled extremism in religion, politics, media and policy, which will soon air on C-SPAN.
Dr. Jamal Badawi, Dr. Asma Barlas, Sayed Hassan Al-Qazwini unraveled the definition of extremism from an Islamic perspective rooted in the Quran. During a session which considered American counter-terrorism policy, Chuck Pena (Cato Institute) and Ron Nehring (CA Republican Party Chairman for San Diego County) commended MPAC’s publication of two documents which represent the pivotal role American Muslims can play in shaping informed policy.
Executive Director Salam Al-Marayati announced the release of MPAC’s National Anti-Terrorism Campaign Handbook and a paper entitled "Counterproductive Counterterrorism: How Anti-Islamic Rhetoric is Impeding America’s Homeland Security," which were both distributed to convention attendees.
In a roundtable discussion moderated by Dr. Maher Hathout (MPAC Senior Advisor), panelists John Esposito, Shirin Sinnar (Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights), Jack Miles (author of "God: A Biography"), and Hussein Ibish (Progressive Muslim Union) discussed the political realities of extremism which impact Americans’ daily life. Panelists emphasized the importance of challenging post 9/11 policies which unfairly target American Muslims, including ethnic profiling, the Patriot Act, and preventive detention.
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