NEWS FEATURE: New Center Signals Growing Muslim Influence in Politics

c. 2000 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Just down the street from the U.S. Capitol, and around the corner from the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties, sits a stately red-brick townhouse that will soon become the hub of political advocacy for American Muslims. Launched by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the new Leadership […]

c. 2000 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ Just down the street from the U.S. Capitol, and around the corner from the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties, sits a stately red-brick townhouse that will soon become the hub of political advocacy for American Muslims.

Launched by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the new Leadership Training Center hopes to recruit and train a new generation of American Muslims in the nuances of lobbying, media relations and community activism.


While Washington is home to countless political institutes, CAIR’s new center is the first dedicated exclusively to advocating for Muslims, who represent one of the fastest growing faiths in the country.

“The move of CAIR to Capitol Hill is an indication that the Muslim community is engaging in a higher level of political involvement,” said Nihad Awad, CAIR’s executive director. “We want to open the windows of the Muslim community to Capitol Hill, and hopefully open the windows of Capitol Hill to the Muslim community.”

The increased presence in Washington signals the continued mainstreaming of one of America’s least-understood _ but fastest-growing _ religions. From college campuses to courtrooms to the back halls of Congress, Muslim Americans are increasingly being legitimized as a distinct constituency.

The center, which plans to recruit its first class later this year, will accept students from across the country and around the world for a crash course in Lobbying 101.

Students and professionals will learn the ins and outs of issue advocacy, grass-roots community activism, media management and public relations. More than $250,000 must be raised to get the center up and running.

But beyond offering tips to a new generation of mostly American-born activists, the center represents a growing sense within the Muslim community that if their concerns are to be taken seriously, Muslims can no longer rely on someone else to do the work for them.

“More and more, Muslims are becoming aware that to not articulate and stand for your rights translates into being robbed of those rights,” said Mujeeb Cheema, a CAIR board member from Oklahoma City. “They need to preserve what is rightfully theirs.”


It’s a concern that is played out all across the country in public schools, police departments and airports as Muslim Americans are frequently speaking out against not-so-subtle discrimination, biases and stereotypes.

CAIR, along with a handful of other groups, has emerged in the past five years as the leading voice of the Muslim community, keeping close tabs on discrimination cases and advocating for a more accurate portrayal in the media.

Increasingly, politicians and civic leaders are giving the Muslim community the respect it has been looking for. Numbering between 3 million and 6 million, U.S. Muslims have emerged as a sought-after voting block that can make or break a candidate’s chances in a close election.

Major corporations, such as Nike, Burger King and even Hollywood, are more willing to address the concerns of Muslims than they were a few years ago. When CAIR issues a press release, corporate America is quick to try to fix the problem.

“They are very active in a host of civil liberties issues, and it’s a huge contribution, not only to their own community, but to the entire society,” said Rep. David Bonior, the Democratic whip in the House of Representatives and a major advocate for the community. “They are often used as scapegoats in our public debate … and they’re there to watch when people go overboard.”

One of the top priority items that CAIR and the new center will advocate for is the repeal of the use of “secret evidence,” which was part of the sweeping anti-terrorism legislation following the Oklahoma City bombing. Secret evidence allows federal investigators to detain suspects indefinitely, without ever telling them or their lawyers what the charges or evidence may be.


There are other issues of particular concern to Muslims _ ending the sanctions on Iraq, the future of Jerusalem, establishing a permanent Palestinian state _ but most of their concerns are not much different than those of any other American subgroup. Muslims are concerned about school vouchers, health care, gun control and immigration reform.

More than anything, CAIR’s new center represents the first step toward a permanent, reputable infrastructure to address those concerns, experts say. John Esposito, director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, said Muslims are now building the same community institutions built by Jews and Catholics at the turn of the last century.

“The community is now engaged in the process of institution-building,” Esposito said. “Because they are relatively new to the whole process, we are increasingly seeing a marked improvement in the whole awareness of the need to have these sorts of institutions.”

DEA END ECKSTROM

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