American Muslims Discuss Political Agenda

By Vivienne Alsafouri, Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The Middle East Policy Council held a panel discussion September 14 in the Russell Senate Office Building on questions pertaining to American Muslims and U.S. foreign policy. The panel consisted of Chas. W. Freeman Jr., president of the Middle East Policy Council; Richard H. Curtiss, executive editor of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs; Abdurahman Alamoudi, founder of American Muslim Council; Jameel W. Aalim-Johnson from the office of U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks; and Hesham Reda, director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Curtiss began by noting the importance of paying special attention to the American Muslim Community, at the same time emphasizing the political implications of the growing number of American Muslims.

"There are at least six million American Muslims and two million Christian Arabs" in the United States, he said, urging them to involve themselves more actively in the political arena.

"American Muslims are highly concentrated in the key electoral states in the United States. There are huge numbers of registered Muslim voters in California, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois. It may be impossible for any candidate to win those states without the support of the Muslim community," Curtiss said.

Alamoudi discussed the efforts of the American Muslim Council (AMC) in furthering the political effectiveness of the U.S. Muslim community.

"When we started the American Muslim Council, our main goal was to help the Muslim community and focus on national issues, issues that are important to us in America," he said.

When the World Trade Center bombing took place, the AMC saw the need to organize the Muslim community more effectively and make its message more clearly heard outside the Muslim community, Alamoudi said.

"We are against all forms of terrorism," he stressed. "Human rights and democracy are in the best interest of this institution (AMC)."

"We have to market ourselves as Americans, Muslims and an organization. We don't blame others for our faults; we are to take responsibility to educate our community."

The AMC takes pride in the fact that it has begun working more closely with inter-faith groups, particularly Christians and Jews, he said.

On international matters, Alamoudi said: "We hope that the issue of Jerusalem will be looked upon as (having) a Christian and Muslim side and as a capital for the Palestinians."

Aalim-Johnson outlined some of the domestic issues of concern to American Muslims. "Our goals are to develop resources so that established Muslim communities can live a life in tune with Islam," he said. "We have to be involved in local American issues, job issues, be able to attend services on Friday."

Other issues of importance to the American Muslim community, he said, are recognizing Islamic holidays in the calendar and in the work place and promoting women's right to dress in traditional Islamic attire.

Hesham Nasser Reda, the national director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, noted that his organization is more concerned with foreign policy than domestic policy.

His organization's most important international concern remains the Palestinian issue," Reda said. "The first reason is religious, for sure, with Jerusalem being the sacred place for Muslims, Christians, and Jews. There is no doubt it is a very special place."

Other areas of concern to American Muslims are Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, he added.