Muslim Philantrophist Meet

World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists

A few articles on the subject:
1. Charity organizations unite against rising poverty
2. Muslim philanthropists seek cooperation with the rest of the world
3. New Group Meets to Promote Muslim Charity Worldwide
4. “Do good works, engage politically, and get involved”

Charity organizations unite against rising poverty
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=137110

The first international World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists took place in İstanbul over the weekend under the theme "Facing Challenges and Finding Solutions."

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the event in which he said charity is a common human value that transcends cultures and beliefs.

"Because of problems stemming from changing ecological conditions, inequalities in income distribution and injustice in the world, millions of people live in difficult conditions," he said.
Pointing out the importance of nongovernmental charities at times when natural disaster strikes, Erdoğan said such institutions must work effectively and strengthen the public's charitable feelings. "One of the most fundamental ways to achieve this is by making the activities of these charity organizations transparent, with financing at the top of the list," he said. Erdoğan also highlighted the need to maintain efficiency among NGOs as they coordinate independent activities and services.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Religious Affairs Directorate head Professor Ali Bardakoğlu stated that social charities are not inferior to religious exercises. "The Quran demands of us to think about those living next to us. We should broaden the social aspect of our religious devotion," he said.

South African Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool supported Bardakoğlu's emphasis on dialogue between religions. Lamenting the Western perspective of the Muslim world as underdeveloped and violent, Rasool underlined that Muslim countries should combine to launch a $20 million grant of aid under a specific fund, even while struggling with poverty.

State Minister for Women and Children's Affairs Nimet Çubukçu also supported a point raised by Rasool that poverty is not just a problem among old people but also one affecting the young. Although feelings like benefaction, compassion and charity have not been highly valued in recent years, they will continue forever within humanity, Çubukçu said, adding, "Love, solidarity and charity are the things that make us human."

Qatar Princess Sheikha Al-Thani took the opportunity to highlight that more than 100 million children worldwide do not attend school -- most of them in the Middle East.

One of the main points raised during the congress was the pressure on Muslim countries following Sept. 11 and how this affected the battle against poverty in these regions. "Following Sept. 11, Muslim charity organizations were shut down due to pressure," said Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary-General Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu.

Doctors Worldwide-Turkey head İhsan Kahraman, also speaking at the congress, considered the gathering as a step to coordinate the feelings of individual compassion and benevolence to those in need across the world. British Minister for International Development Shahid Malik, on the other hand, emphasized that in order to end Islamophobia in the Christian world, there is an urgent need for Muslim politicians.

İstanbul Governor Muammer Güler, al-Jazeera Network General Director Wadah Khanfar, the heads of various charity organizations, businessmen, academics and other charitable individuals also attended the congress.

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Muslim philanthropists seek cooperation with the rest of the world
Monday, March 24, 2008
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=99840
Philanthropists and charitable organizations the world over are moved by different incentives, said educator Hamza Yusuf Hansor, noting that secular donors help people for secular reasons, while Muslims do it for the sake of God.

Hanson, the founder of the U.S.-based Zaytuna Institute and Academy, was in Istanbul over the weekend to participate in the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (WCMP).

“Bill Gates donates $1 billion and he doesn't believe in anything, however Muslims are not that organized and should be ashamed of it,” Hanson said in an interview with the Turkish Daily News. “Gates donates one out of every $6 billion, but it is still not enough, since people like him have billions while poorer people suffer across the world,” said Hanson.

Since Muslim philanthropists are poorly organized, their activities are not visible around the world, many Congress attendees agreed.

Another factor is a modesty inherent to Islam, one participant observed.

“Philanthropy is not visible among Muslims, because we believe in the secrecy of it, said Ebrahim Rasool, premier of the Western Cape of South Africa. “Islam says you should not tell one another about your favor and charity.”

Meanwhile, Christian charities are highly organized, because they lack the stigma of secrecy.

“Everyone who gives publicizes it,” Rasool said. “Muslims give, they but hide it; however, while we remain modest, we must be coordinated, too.”

An organization that coordinates Muslim donations is urgently needed, participants agreed.

Hanson, who converted to Islam in 1977, said Muslim donors should be organized not only to “give fish” but also to “teach poor people how to fish.” He called on nongovernmental organizations and governments to work together, since caring for the poor should not be the government's job, alone.

“People working for NGOs are much more sincere and passionate,” Hanson said.

As the number of charitable organizations increases, corruption invariably shows its ugly head, and this, too, was debated during the meeting.

“Every institution faces this problem, but we have transparency so we can be accountable,” said Peter D. O'Driscoll, executive director of Action Aid.

“One World Trust,” a global accountability project in which governments and NGOs work together, was established for just such a purpose, he said.

Turkey needs an organization that works like the International Monetary Fund to control whether funds collected by aid organizations are distributed fairly or not, Hanson said.

The WCMP and similar outfits are needed to bring Muslim philanthropists together and lead them to help not only Muslims, but also the rest of the world, participants acknowledged. This could change the world's attitude toward Muslims, said Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

After the Sep. 11, 2001 attacks Muslims and many Muslim aid institutions were subject to partial treatment, Awad said.

“We should coordinate with other secular or Christian organizations and governments,” he added. “Otherwise, we will be subject to suspicion and unfair treatment.”

Shahid Malik, United Kingdom Minister for International Development, who also participated in the WCMP, said Muslims have been defined by the actions of a few extremists, but radical Islamists represent neither Muslims nor Islam.

Malik, who became the first British-born Muslim to serve in the British government, said Britain's having a Muslim minister means a lot, as does the country's tradition of championing civil rights and liberties, which makes it the best place in the world for Muslims.

“There are many people against the Iraq war,” Malik said. “We are where we are, and we should now have a stable government in Iraq.”

The killing of Muslims by other Muslims in the name of Islam should be stopped, since it does not represent Islam.

Muslims need middle class

A stable middle class should be established in Muslim countries in order to secure social peace and prosperity, Hamza Yusuf Hanson said.

Compared to other Muslim nations, Turkey's middle class is strong, serving as a firewall to a culture of corruption and bribery.

“I have seen the practice of bribery in some Muslim countries where the middle class is not strong and people are corrupt,” Hanson said.

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New Group Meets to Promote Muslim Charity Worldwide
http://philanthropy.com/news/updates/index.php?id=4203
By Ian Wilhelm

Istanbul

Muslims around the globe contribute billıons of dollars to humanıtarıan causes a year, but their efforts are often poorly organızed and not well-known to the world, said participants at the inaugural meetıng of a group of Islamic charities and philanthropists here.

The new organization, the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists, was formed to help Islamıc donors and nonprofit groups to overcome these obstacles.

It estımates that Muslim foundations award at least $20-billion annually, while one speaker at the two-day conference said that total gıvıng by Muslims worldwide ıs probably 10 times that amount.

“If you look at the Muslim world and the generosity of the 1.3 bıllıon Muslims, I am absolutely certain they give over $200-billion a year to charity collectively,” said Hamza Yusuf, founder of the Zaytuna Institute, an Islamic think tank in Berkeley, Calif.

But “much of that charıty goes unnoted because we do not have the infrastructure to regulate it and to show that charıty gıven on the books,” he told the 200 or so partıcıpants, who came from Libya, Malaysia, Qatar, and 27 other countries.

Part of the challenge to calculating Islamıc philanthropy is the Koran itself.

Islam’s version of tithing, known as zakat, is one of the faith’s five maın holy prıncıples and requires Muslims to purify theır wealth by providing 2.5 percent of theır assets a year to mosques and needy people.

But the Koran says such gifts are more sacred when they are given quietly.

“Philanthropy is not visible among Muslims because we believe in the secrecy of it,” said Ebrahim Rasool, a Muslim South Afrıcan and premier of the country’s Western Cape province. “Muslims give, but they hide ıt.”

Mr. Rassol urged Muslims to promote theır giving and support causes they traditionally have not, such as protectıng the environment and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

In the case of the disease, he said ıt is associated wıth sexual promıscuıty and the gay lıiestyle, which are “anathema to Islam,” but the needs of AIDS victims in sub-Saharan Afrıca are too great to ignore.

The World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists ıs the brainchild of Tariq H. Cheema, a Pakistani doctor who lives in İllinois. After years of nonprofit work, including assistıng vıctıms of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, Mr. Cheema said he saw the need to bring together the world’s Islamic donors.

“Muslims, who are almost one-fourth of thıs whole globe, had to be more proactive to finding solutions,” he told The Chronicle in an interview. “We share risks with everyone on this planet.”

He said he hopes the congress wıll organize annual events and create a network to research, coordinate, and discuss Muslim gıvıng. The group will most likely be based in America with a second office ın Turkey or other Muslim nation.

As part of its work, the congress plans to create a Web site, SecureGiving, to rank charities in Muslim countries based on an as-yet-undecided criteria of governance and management standards. Mr. Cheema said the effort will help donors make sure their money is not supportıng terrorists posing as Islamic charities, a concern that has grown since the September 11, 2001, attacks.

While Mr. Cheema said he dıd not start the World Congress of Muslim Phılanthropists to improve the image of Islam to the Western world, he and other participants said raising the profıle of Muslim humanitarians could indırectly change the negative perceptıon by some that the religion ıs a vıolent one.

By giving food, buildıng schools, and undertaking other charıtable work, said Mr. Rasool of South Afrıca, Muslims can show that theır religion ıs not a “backward, ıntolerant monolith.”

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Congressman Keith Ellison
“Do good works, engage politically, and get involved”
http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2694/

Associate Editor Wajahat Ali sits down for a rare interview with US Congressman Keith Ellison, who speaks about the challenges and opportunities of being the first Muslim elected to Congress.


By Wajahat Ali, March 24, 2008



"I urge all Muslims to engage"

Keith Ellison, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is the first African American ever elected to the House from Minnesota. Oh, he’s also the first Muslim Congressman in US history [the second Muslim American, Andre Carson, was recently elected to Congress on March 11]. By virtue of his racial and religious identity - a minority within a minority - Ellison bears the unenviable burden of representing one of the most misunderstood, feared and mistrusted identities du jour: Muslims. Ever since his election, notoriety chases Ellison often and unsubtly, most memorably after his 2006 appearance on Conservative commentator Glenn Beck’s CNN show, where the host asked Ellison point blank, “Prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.” With calm and patience, Ellison answered the question head on and reassured his constituents and the American public that his religious values do not compromise or lessen his patriotism.

Regardless, his critics, including those in Muslim and right-wing circles, continue to project their doubts about not only his political credibility, but also his loyalty to both Muslims and America, respectively. Despite the controversy, in the past two years Ellison has emerged an influential and popular figure winning over a vastly diverse constituency in Minnesota and even gaining supporters and silencing initial skeptics across the nation.

We sat down for a rare and exclusive conversation with the Congressman, where he bluntly addresses a gamut of issues including the charges of his critics, Obama’s candidacy, racism in America, Muslims entering politics, the fear of Islam, the smear campaigns, and how his faith helps him become a better American and Congressman.

We’re all hearing and seeing the speech by Obama’s pastor, Rev. Wright, and the response by Senator Obama. Some say Obama’s “race” speech is historic, others say he is ducking the race issue. What do you think Obama’s response, as well as the fierce criticism of Wright’s speech, says about the state of racism in America today?

ELLISON: I think Obama’s speech was a transcendent speech. It actually moved us forward in the dialogue for national reconciliation. The fact is that Rev. Wright is coming from a perspective of over 200 years of slavery and 100 hundred years of Jim Crow. Also, he’s been a witness to some of the awful devastation that has happened to the South side of Chicago where his church is located. He has seen the awful human toll and how it affects the African American community. That’s the perspective he’s coming from. That perspective is obviously going to be informed by frustration and anger, and obviously he is a leader in that community and his speeches and sermons are going to reflect that frustration and anger. But, as a Presidential candidate, I think Obama is bringing us all together: helping us transcend; helping us go further.

The truth is the racial dialogue in America does need some updating. It does need a new way forward. Because so often, we are locked in a cycle of blame and shame; we are locked in a cycle of, you know, just really not getting anywhere. But, the fact is this dialogue does get us somewhere. It is not informed by anger, it is not informed by past wrongs or anything like that. But, it is informed by facts as they exist and it is informed by a need to heal and pull us forward. So, I was really impressed by Obama’s speech. I think it will go down in history.

Let’s talk about Geraldine Ferraro and other individuals who commented that Obama’s meteoric rise is due to his campaign playing the “race card” for his benefit. What’s your thought on this "race card” being used to help Obama – is this simple, superficial political correctness?

Well, it’s been used against him. In fact, his Democratic opponent has been trying to narrow his reach and appeal based on racial grounds from the beginning in my opinion. But, it just doesn’t work because he is truly a candidate that reaches out to all segments of the community. It just doesn’t work, because he truly is somebody who has the best interests and common good of all in mind. He doesn’t play old-line politics. That’s why you see him able to reach out to literally thousands of people. When he was in Minneapolis he drew 22,000 people in the Timberwolves auditorium. And the Timberwolves would’ve loved to get the numbers Obama drew on that day! He is pulling people who are senior citizens, kids, college students, and people who are middle aged, working adults. He’s pulling on Blacks, Whites, Latinos, people from Asia, South Asian background: everybody. He truly is a transcendent candidate. Now, he’s not a perfect candidate. Obviously, no one is. But, Obama is one candidate who I’ve seen that is able to reach across those issues that divide us and pull everybody in. I just think he’s phenomenal.

The fact is – before he gave that speech – I didn’t know. I was wondering if he was going to be able to deal with this challenge. It did look like the folks who were beating up his pastor were gaining ground – you know, causing doubt. But, you know what, he rose to the occasion as he has many times before.

Let’s tackle a question that has dogged you and Obama: The Muslim question. Many people say the label “Muslim” is used as a smear tactic, a "scarlet letter" of the 21st century. Do you think the fact that many people look at Obama as a Muslim, and thus judge him detrimentally, is a reflection of “politicking” in America or is it really reflective of an overall prejudice towards Muslims in America?

Well, the fact is that the people who are attacking Obama because of their incorrect belief he was Muslim were assuming that the American population is religiously bigoted, and they were trying to get political gain by appealing to that religious bigotry. But, it so happens Americans come from a long tradition of religious pluralism. We elected a Catholic President in the 1960’s. Mitt Romney’s meteoric descent is not due to his religion; it is due to his failed candidacy. In the 109th Congress, which was the one before the one I was in, there were no Muslims ever, ever before. In the 110th Congress, you’ve got two. Two. [Andre Carson won the Democratic nomination for Indiana's 7th congressional district recently.] I’m not the only one anymore. So, the fact is that America is a very tolerant country, and if you make an argument for the common good then people will support it. The funny thing about this latest flack about his Christian Minister is that it makes it pretty clear that he isn’t Muslim. (Laughs.) If anything, it can dispel that ridiculous rumor.

One thing I will say for Obama is that there was a temptation for him to strenuously and vociferously disassociate himself from being a Muslim, and he didn’t do that. He just said nope, in fact I’m not a Muslim, but there is nothing wrong with being a Muslim. I actually liked the way he handled that. I think what they were trying to do was to falsely identify him as a Muslim which they thought would hurt him. Or, they were trying to get him to vehemently deny and therefore alienate millions of Muslims in America and put him in a “can’t win” situation, but I think he’s gotten out of that one pretty well.

Let’s talk about your own personal experiences. Some are very infamous like your moment with CNN’s Glenn Beck who had you on air and pretty much straight up questioned your patriotism and loyalty to America based on his assumption or fear regarding your Islam. So, how do you confront that daily reality where you, Keith Ellison an African American and Muslim, are seen as unpatriotic based purely due to your religious beliefs? This must get frustrating.

Well, the thing is you have to face these kinds of challenges with patience. Quite frankly, the barrage of taking hits everyday has made me a better Muslim. I find myself returning to my faith just to be able to deal with this kind of stuff on a regular basis. The Qur'an says, “The struggle is ordained.” Well, certainly it is. But, we have to deal with these challenges with patience, with confidence. We cannot let one person’s bitterness turn us bitter. We have to overcome evil with good, right? That’s how you do it. You can’t overcome evil with evil. You just get more evil. My thing is to try to urge people who are Muslim and not Muslim to understand America is a country that has deep roots of tolerance and religious inclusion. My message to the Muslim community is keep on doing good works like building clinics, building literacy sessions at the masjid, work with non-Muslim fellow Americans to try to improve things. And keep putting your best foot forward, because if we start going tit-for-tat with those putting out religious bigotry, then we end up just like them.

Lot of people are saying that Andre Carson’s election to Congress along with yours is a sign of the end of times: "The Muslims are taking over! The Muslims are taking over!"

(Laughs.) Two out of 435? I don’t think we’re taking over.

So, how do you respond to that fear that, look in two years, Muslims and immigrants are helping elect Muslim people, ethnic people, and soon enough Congress will be run by radicals?

(Laughs) You know, we are elected by the majority of the people. So, if we are seeing more people of Muslim background in Congress and more people from diverse backgrounds in Congress, and we of course have a woman speaker in the House. That just means that Congress is looking more and more like America. It’s looking more and more like the rest of the country. That’s what democracy is, isn’t it?

Why the Democratic Party? Suppose you’re talking to Muslims – and you know they voted for the first time in a block for Bush in 2000; Muslims are not too savvy but we are getting there. How do you convince the Muslims that the Democratic Party is for them and for America?

Well, the first thing I want to say is that civic engagement is something I urge all Muslims to engage in. One of my most effective fundraisers in the state of Michigan, a brother by the name of Asad Malik, is a Republican and a dear friend of mind. He and are I are tight and good friends. My brother is a Republican, my dad is a Republican. So, I don’t want to urge the Muslim community to get locked into a political party even if it is my party. What I’d urge them to do is do good works, promote fair dealing in business, help America overcome this tremendous number of people who are uninsured and don’t have any health care insurance. I think in this time, 2008 to well into possibly 2012 and 2016, the Democratic Party offers the best opportunity to express their commitment to civil and human rights for all people. To express their commitment for health care for all, to express their commitment to economic justice for everybody, and to express their commitment for peace around the world. Republicans will probably figure this out in 5 or 6 years that embracing bigotry and promoting fear is not a good thing. I think they’ll probably figure out they will need to change their positions to attract votes. And, they’ll be offering something worthwhile as well.

But, two points. I urge the Muslim community not to get locked into one political party. And two: do good works, engage politically, and get involved: can’t change anything sitting on the sidelines. The last thing is that, for now, the Democratic Party is the best vehicle to give out good values; values of peace, values of economic equity, values of family, values of civil rights. Today, the Democratic Party is the best vehicle for that.

Some of your critics in the Muslim community say that Ellison is a charismatic self-promoter. He’s a sell out. He promotes abortion rights and gay marriage. So, how can he also be Muslim and be liberal and promote a system that engages in a post 9-11 Iraq War and pro-Israeli polices?

My position for people who say that is if you don’t like my position, then you get involved and offer an alternative vision for the country. I believe it is shirk; it is religiously forbidden for one Muslim to tell another Muslim he is not Muslim. Because you don’t know my heart. You don’t know what Allah has inspired me to understand. Just because you disagree with my political position, I believe it is shirk for you to tell me I’m not Muslim because you disagree. Why don’t you just disagree? Offer your position. Convince the people that you are the one who’s right. Maybe convince me that you’re the one who is right? But, I do disagree with those Muslims who try to determine for themselves who is Muslim and who is not: that’s for Allah to decide. I’m a strong opponent of this takfir-ism [declaring another an unbeliever], you know, people who think it’s ok for them to decide who is Muslim and who is not: that’s only for Allah to decide.

On the other part, I am a person who believes in civil and human rights are for all people. I’ve never been ashamed to admit that I think America needs to have human and civil rights for all people, particularly unpopular groups. Unpopular groups like the Muslim community, unpopular groups like Latino immigrants. Unpopular groups like the gay community. How in the world can I argue that America has to have rights for Muslims, who are unpopular, but not gays? That is a hypocritical position! I’m not asking people to embrace homosexuality. I’m saying it’s wrong and immoral to kill them, beat them, or exclude them from working. You don’t have to like them. Leave ‘em alone. Let them live their lives and let God decide if He will judge them, as He will judge us all. That’s all I’m saying.

Also, I said in terms of abortion, of course I’m not in favor of abortion. But, the question is: do I want to have police arresting women who do? The answer to that is no. I think we all have to come together as a society to prevent abortion. We need to all promote sex education, we need to promote more knowledge about the human body, we need to promote pre-natal care so women don’t feel they need to get an abortion because they fear they won’t be able to feed their other children. This is what we need to do as a society to make abortion exceedingly rare, but also, we don’t want women using coat hangers and killing themselves to abort the pregnancy. We certainly don’t want to use our police force to make arrests on these women. The question is not whether abortion is bad: I think it is bad. And let me be clear: I think abortion is wrong. But, I will also tell you I’m not ready to criminalize it, because I think it is a personal decision that people should make for themselves, but we should promote a society in which people wouldn’t have to make that choice

It sounds like you’re very passionate, Congressman. There’s a saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his Companions recommending one to not try to seek leadership or positions of power. Usually, people running for Congress or the Presidency have to run on the ticket of convincing people to vote for them. So, what inspired you to run, to take this leap, to be a trailblazer knowing you’re a Black man and a Muslim running for Congress?

Well, you know, part of my involvement in politics is really rooted in my desire to try to promote unity among people, trying to promote unity with the Earth and creation, and trying to promote justice. That’s really the origin of my activism. We are also, as Muslims, urged to engage in shura, consultation, with what the community should do. So, I think my involvement is just to sort of try to help them do what’s best for the community and the world at large.

I do agree that ambitious pursuits of power acquisition are wrong. But, I’m not trying to accumulate power for my own sake. I’m not trying to accumulate power for my own sake. I’m trying to accumulate some power to improve the lot of all people and improve the common good. So, that’s the origin of my activism. You know, I have a family that was involved in the Civil Rights Movement. My grandfather was organizing Black voters in the 1950’s in rural Louisiana in a time that would seriously get you hung and it was dangerous to do it. My mother promoted that as well. It’s something I’ve always been associated with, and it’s a kind of thing I’ll continue to do and urge more people to do. So, that’s kind of where I’m coming from.

Can you talk about the spiritual and emotional transition of Keith Hakim [Ellison wrote columns in his law school paper as Keith Hakim in 1990] to modern day Keith Ellison?

The thing is the Muslim name my friends and community know me by is Keith Muhammad. And that name is still my name. It’s still what I go by; it’s still what my brothers call me. But, the thing is, from what’s on my personal birth certificate, what I’m admitted to Bar in because I’m a lawyer – the legal name is Ellison. So, I run by the name that is on my birth certificate. But, the truth is I do have a Muslim name, and I am known by my Muslim name by many of my fellow Muslims. So, there’s really no transition.

But, let me also say that it’s important to point out there are lot of people around the world who are Muslim who do not have names that are Arabic in nature. It’s not unusual at all. It’s nothing in the Quran, the Sunnah, or the hadith of Prophet Muhammad that says that if your name is a legitimate name, if it is not a bad name, if it isn’t a name promoting something wicked or evil that you have to change it. I think the essence of Islam is not about a name or a form, or anything. It’s about going beyond forms and going beyond names and getting to the essence of the fundamental and Divine unity that connects Allah with all of us – and that Allah “is.” So, it’s really not about a name. It’s really about what you do, how you behave, how you treat people, how you face adversity, and how you connect with the Divine.

You’ve traveled the world and you’ve been all over America. What’s the greatest misconception and question about Islam directed towards you? And, how do you respond in either defending your faith or affirming your faith?

The greatest misconception of Islam is that it is a religion of violence. That’s a very incorrect position, and I have to constantly help people understand that even though you have Muslims who may do things that are violent, it does not make Islam a violent religion. I have to tell people that Christianity and Judaism have many, many examples of people committing atrocious acts in the name of their religion but we should not judge the religion by those individuals. I have to point out on so many occasions Prophet Muhammad was attacked, abused, mistreated, and yet, he always responded with patience, often with non-violence. And when he did have to resort to warfare it was strictly defensive and designed to preserve and protect life. Whenever he could try to work it out, he always did. So, I don’t understand what some of our Muslim brothers today are thinking. Who did Muhammad ever bomb? What suicide mission did he ever order? There are no records of these things. So, that’s a misconception that I continually have to clear up.

Everyone is interested in the “conversion story.” What is it about Islam that inspired you to take that figurative and literal “leap” of faith?

It was really a lot about going to the masjid and seeing the Blacks, the Whites, the Latinos, the Asians, the Arabs all together – all one. The unity among the people connected in an effort to walk as one and be in harmony with God’s will. It was this unity I thought was so important. It was rational. It made sense to me. It has done a tremendous amount to help me negotiate life – quite frankly.

Do you think we’ll ever see a Muslim President of the United States of America?

Inshallah [God willing]

If a Muslim becomes President, do you think he or she can ever truly make peace with their Islamic values and the burden of the duties required by the position?

Let me just say this. Let me say this: there’s not one single Muslim on the planet today that has walked perfectly. All of us need to do better. So, if there is a Muslim president I’m sure that individual will be forced to make compromises but, hopefully God-willing, they will continue to return to their faith and do what the faith requires and do what is expected by Allah. Do I believe that somebody will face fundamental challenges? I mean, we’re talking about human beings here! Remember, Muslims aren’t perfect. There’s a big difference between Islam and Muslims.

Will you ever run for President?

I have no desire to be President. When people say, “Hey, Keith, you’re gonna’ be President!” I’m like, “Hey man! I thought you liked me? I thought we were friends?” (Laughs). I do not aspire for the Presidency. You know what I want to be? I want to be the best Congressman I can possibly be. I want to be effective. I want to encourage people to run for office. I want to get people to come together around a common humanity, and I want them to stop focusing on false divisions. That’s what I want to do.

Wajahat Ali is Pakistani Muslim American who is neither a terrorist nor a saint. He is a playwright, essayist, humorist, and recent J.D. whose work, "The Domestic Crusaders," is the first major play about Muslim Pakistani Americans living in a post 9-11 America. His blog is at goatmilk.wordpress.com. He can be reached at wajahatmali@gmail.com.

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China's Uighur Muslims

UIGHUR CHINESE MUSLIMS
TheStar.com World The other thorn in China's side

The other thorn in China's side
While the world focuses on Tibet, Beijing is also putting pressure on its Turkic Muslim minority

Mar 23, 2008 04:30 AM Andrew Chung Staff Reporter

http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/349844

As Chinese troops have been fanning out across Tibetan regions inside China in an attempt to quell spreading anti-government riots, another restive group has also come under intense police scrutiny in the country's northwest.

The Uighurs of Xinjiang province – a largely Muslim ethnic minority of Turkic descent that has long inhabited the Central Asia region – have felt the strong arm of a stepped-up police presence since the Tibetan protests began two weeks ago.

"Because of what's going on in Tibet, the government has stepped up its security measures to make sure no Uighur would stand up against it," says Rebiya Kadeer, president of the German-based World Uighur Congress, in a phone interview via an interpreter.

"In the streets, whenever three or four Uighurs come together, a van appears and plainclothes police arrive and either disperse them or take them away.

"I have also learned that the Chinese authorities have sent plainclothes Chinese police into Uighur schools ... to make sure nothing is going on there."

She says there are also curfews in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region's cities and the government is also rounding up Uighurs (pronounced WEE-gurs) previously released from prison for political offences.

The actions appear to signal China's willingness to take pre-emptive action against perceived threats as it steps up security in advance of the Beijing Olympics in August.

"There is great potential for the people (in Xinjiang) to follow the Tibetans and make some noise there," says Mehmet Tohti, president of the Uighur Canadian Association. "That's the fear of the Chinese government."

Wang Baodong, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said it's understandable that authorities would take action to prevent problems from arising in the wake of the Tibetan riots.

"In the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, there are people calling for the independence or the separation of the region from China, and some extreme or fundamental elements, both outside and inside the region, have been engaged in various kinds of activities to try to realize their scheme."

Wang could not provide details of specific police actions but said "it's only natural for the local governments and relevant agencies to take preventive measures."

Chinese authorities have numerous times in the past clamped down on Uighur communities in Xinjiang, which borders Pakistan, Afghanistan and a handful of other Central Asian republics.

There is a fierce mutual mistrust between the Uighurs and the Han Chinese, the country's majority ethnic group.

For decades, the Han have migrated, with the government's active encouragement, into Xinjiang. In 1949, when the Communists took over China and assumed control over Xinjiang, they made up just 5 per cent of the population. Now they're threatening to reach majority.

Like the Tibetans, Uighurs say the Chinese have run roughshod over their culture and livelihoods.

The region is booming economically with tremendous development, especially in oil production, but observers note that it's mostly the Han who benefit, dominating the region's commerce and accessing the best jobs and education.

Han Chinese tend to live in newer areas, while they have also torn down historically and architecturally significant Uighur neighbourhoods.

"There does seem to be a sense among Uighurs, as well as Tibetans, that they are not benefiting from the development of Xinjiang as much as many Han immigrants are," says James Millward, a professor of history and expert on Xinjiang at Georgetown University.

Many Uighurs resent government control over their religious practices, including the banning of religious schools.

Uighur separatists, who reject the name "Xinjiang" and instead use "East Turkestan," have shown no compunction about using violence. The 1990s saw widespread riots and murders of Han Chinese and officials also blamed a 1997 Beijing bus bombing on Uighur extremists.

But iron-fisted rule has allowed China to thwart most violent activity.

In January 2007, Chinese forces killed 18 people in a raid at what Beijing described as a training camp in the mountains of southern Xinjiang, run by the ETIM.

This year, China acknowledged launching a Jan. 27 raid on a "terrorist gang" in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang.

State-controlled media reported that two members of the cell were shot dead, but not before the militants lobbed homemade grenades, wounding two police officers. Fifteen others were arrested.

It was alleged that the group had collaborated with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which the United Nations has listed as a terrorist organization and the U.S. insists has ties to Al Qaeda.

Xinjiang's Communist party chief Wang Lequan recently told Xinhua News Agency that investigators seized weapons, books on terrorism and materials that suggested the group was planning an attack on the Olympics.

Then came reports of a March 7 incident in which a China Southern Airlines flight crew broke up an apparent attempt to down a plane flying from Urumqi to Beijing. Reports said a female passenger had smuggled gasoline aboard the plane and there was an attempt to ignite it in a lavatory toilet.

The alleged plot was discovered and the passengers, described by some witnesses as Uighurs, were apprehended. The flight made an emergency landing in Lanzhou, in Gansu province.

Some human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have expressed skepticism over the reports, saying Chinese authorities don't give details about these incidents and restrictions make it impossible to verify them.

"I think that in many Western countries, these kinds of announcements would not have been met with skepticism," says Georgetown professor Millward. "Some of that arises from the way the media is so closely allied with the (Communist) party and government authorities in China."

In fact, human rights groups have long suspected China of overstating the terrorist threat as a pretext for smothering Uighur separatism.

China's claims to Xinjiang and Tibet remain controversial but uncontested by the world community, observes Millward, who published a book last year called Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang.

Both regions were under control of the Qing Dynasty in the 18th century. With the 1911 fall of the dynasty and rise of the Republic of China, their status became questionable. The Nationalists never actually had control over Tibet and wielded little influence in Xinjiang, Millward explains, "but always maintained claims" to them.

The Uighur people had their own state in the region, both in 1933 based in the city of Kashgar, and again just after World War II in northern Xinjiang.

Taiwan was also part of the Qing Dynasty and it was to the island that Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist army fled in 1949 to escape Mao Zedong's conquering Communists. Mao's forces also took control of Xinjiang in 1949 and did the same in Tibet two years later.

China has made it clear it will not countenance a formal declaration of independence by Taiwan, nor any kind of "splitting" activity from either the Tibetans or Uighurs.

Notes Millward: "They were all part of the Qing empire, for which the transition to being part of the modern Chinese state and being part of the People's Republic of China has been at times difficult.

"There remain tensions and contradictions about their status that have yet to be fully resolved and fully faced."

As the Tibetan riots and apparent resurging struggles in Xinjiang attest, China is facing touchy political battles under a heavy international gaze.

"It's a lot for China, just as it would be for any country, to deal with," says Millward. "There are lingering contradictions from the Qing Dynasty to the modern Chinese state and these have not so far been treated openly."

World Uighur Congress president Kadeer says she worries that the Chinese government will use the Tibetan riots as an excuse to harass Uighurs and implement policies that would have seemed too heavy-handed in the past.

She estimates tensions in the cities to be "very high right now as a result of the Chinese government's media portrayals of both the Uighurs and Tibetans as the enemy."

However, it's not easy to get a true picture of what is happening on the ground at any given time.

The Uighur Canadian Association's Tohti says southern Xinjiang had been closed to tourists, foreigners and media – just as in Tibet and Tibetan cities in neighbouring provinces.

But a call from the Toronto Star confirmed with a hotel in central Kashgar that it was accepting reservations from Western tourists.

The latest Tibetan uprising has brought an outpouring of concern from around the world. But little is heard about the plight of the Uighurs.

To explain the disparity, Millward points to a well-worn maxim concerning China's ethnic minorities.

"Tibetans are like pandas," he says. "Uighurs are like camels. The pandas are cuddly – there is great sympathy for Tibetan Buddhism and no fear of it. Camels are prickly beasts, not something you necessarily want to cozy up to.

"Yet pandas and wild camels, both, are endangered species."




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Australia - Boycott Olympics

AUSTRALIA: Calls to Boycott Beijing Olympics
http://boycott2008games.blogspot.com/2008/03/australia-calls-to-boycott-beijing.html
By Stephen de Tarczynski

MELBOURNE, Mar 22 (IPS) - The crackdown by Chinese authorities on protesters in Tibet has elicited calls within Australia, a major sporting power, to boycott the Beijing Olympics.

"The Communist regime in China is one of the worst human rights abusers in the world and by participating in the Olympics when that country is not improving its performance, I think we’ve got to look at whether that makes us complicit," Senator Andrew Bartlett from the Australian Democrats party told ABC radio.

Bartlett’s call for Australian athletes to boycott this year’s Olympics came amid reports indicating that Chinese police and troops are stepping up their security measures, carrying out house searches and conducting arrests.

Dozens have been reported killed in protests and clashes with security forces in the Tibet Autonomous Region and neighbouring provinces since the Mar. 10 demonstrations by monks marking the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

But with the eyes of the world focused on Tibet and surrounding areas, Australian organisations with connections to China have also been speaking out.

Damian Rachmat, former president of the Eastern Turkistan Australian Association (ETAA), told IPS that Australia should boycott the games. "The human rights problem is very heavy in China and Tibet and Turkistan," he says.

Rachmat argues that ETAA is fighting for democracy, human rights and independence in Eastern Turkistan -- which China refers to as the Xinjiang Autonomous Region -- a region of the country’s far west stretching into Central Asia.

According to ETAA, the ethnic Han Chinese population in East Turkistan has increased from six percent of the total in 1949 to forty percent at present, which Rachmat describes as a policy of "ethnic assimilation."

He argues that Australia’s participation at the Olympics would provide backing to this policy. It would "support the Chinese government to assimilate other ethnic groups," says Rachmat.

With a haul of 49 medals, Australia stood fourth at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics and hosted the Games in 2000.

Prominent Uyghur activist -- Muslim Uyghurs are the largest ethnic group in East Turkistan -- and president of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), Rebiya Kadeer, told SBS television that the authorities in China want to eliminate Uyghurs.

"They destroy our beliefs and push us into immorality. They harass, jail and execute Uyghur writers and intellectuals who speak or write anything against the Chinese Government. They call them separatists or terrorists and gradually eliminate them," said Kadeer during a recent visit to Australia.

She argues that recent reports of an apparent Uyghur "terrorist attack" were false, with the attempt fabricated to act as a pretext upon which authorities can justify their crackdown. In early March, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported that an attempt by militant Uyghurs to hijack and crash a China Southern flight from Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, had been thwarted.

Rachmat says that the situation in East Turkistan is getting worse. "Last year they said they found some terrorists in Eastern Turkistan. In January (2007) they said they killed 18 terrorists there and this year they said they killed two terrorists in Urumqi city," he told IPS.

But it is not only separatists in the restive regions of Tibet and East Turkistan who appear to be coming under increasing scrutiny from Chinese authorities. Practitioners of Falun Gong -- or Falun Dafa, as it is also known -- have faced harsh treatment as the Olympics approach.

"We had news earlier in the week that there have been a couple of thousand arrests [of Falun Dafa practitioners]," says Michael Pearson-Smith from the Falun Dafa Association of Victoria (FDAV).

A report released last year by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, condemned China for its practice of obtaining organs from live Falun Gong practitioners.

"Organ harvesting has been inflicted on a large number of Falun Gong practitioners at a wide variety of locations for the purpose of making available organs for transplant operations," Nowak stated in the report.

Yet Pearson-Smith says that the FDAV does not take a position on whether the Olympics should be boycotted to protest human rights abuses. "I can certainly see why people could be calling for a boycott and individual practitioners may or may not support that according to their conscience," he says.

Pearson-Smith argues that the FDAV is only interested in ending the persecution of practitioners in China. He says that "we’ve always said that we are not a political organisation [and] we don’t get involved in politics."

However, the FDAV spokesperson concedes that speaking out against persecution may be interpreted as becoming involved in politics. "Some people may see that as a political goal, others may see it as a human rights issue," says Pearson-Smith.

Others in Australia have been actively opposing a boycott. The Rudd government says that it is not considering such action, although it has submitted a formal request to China for diplomats to travel to Tibet.

Ahead of a scheduled trip to China by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd later this month, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith called for "calm and restraint by all parties."

"The Australian Government has urged China to allow free access to Tibet and other affected areas so the international community and foreign media may gain an accurate understanding of what is occurring there," said Smith in a statement.

Athletes, former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser -- who supported boycotting the 1980 Moscow games -- and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) are among those rejecting calls to boycott the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

President of the AOC, John Coates, says that such a boycott would only make athletes suffer.

"It is not the role of the IOC (the International Olympic Committee, of which the AOC is a member) to take the lead in addressing such issues as human rights or political matters, which are most appropriately addressed by governments or concerned organisations," argues Coates.

But in a speech to parliament this week, Senator Bartlett called for a different perspective.

"If the Olympics were being held in somewhere like Zimbabwe we would all be boycotting them in an instant. It is because of the political clout of China. We all need to look at that," he said.

Turkey - Muslim Philantropist

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=221872&s=&i=&t=O.I.C._S.G._Ihsanoglu_Speaks_At_World_Congress_Of_Muslim_Philantropists
OIC SG Ihsanoglu Speaks At World Congress Of Muslim Philantropists

ISTANBUL - Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), said on Saturday that Islamic aid organizations and humanitarian organizations were face to face with important difficulties and impediments and underlined the need for a road map to overcome the problems.
Delivering a speech at the "1st World Congress of Muslim Philantropists", Ihsanoglu said humanitarian activities were very important in the programme of the OIC, indicating that assistance to Afghanistan, Nigeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Indonesia and Gaza are examples to this.

Ihsanoglu said the idea to establish a worldwide aid organization was very important, noting that OIC was ready for every kind of cooperation on this matter.

------------------------------------------------

Cubukcu Delivers Speech At World Congress Of Muslim Philantropists
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=221870&s=&i=&t=Cubukcu_Delivers_Speech_At_World_Congress_Of_Muslim_Philantropists

ISTANBUL - Turkish State Minister Nimet Cubukcu said on Saturday that states had to assume more important social responsibilities because of the social problems and demands posed by globalization process.
Delivering a keynote speech at the opening of World Congress of Muslim Philantropists, Cubukcu said the congress would lay the foundation of the bridges between the philantropists and would be a means to comprehensive cooperation and new solutions to meet the needs of the era.

Cubukcu said humanitarian values like love, kindness, and responsibility constituted the core of solidarity activities, and indicated that, "throughout the history of humanity, all the religions and cultures extolled good deeds, empathy and beneficiary.

Cubukcu said, "when we consider the wars, occupations, migration, terrorism, hunger, poverty, human smuggling and violence against women, the need to exert more efforts to get well organized and produce more influential solutions appear.

"There are problems in Turkey caused by rapid social change, urbanization, and migration. Some of those are poverty, changes in family relations and social values, harmonization problems, unemployment, and illiteracy. Solution of these problems, which the individuals and groups could not cope with on their own, requires cooperation and contribution of the state, local administrations, universities, international organizations and NGOs.

WCMP is a global initiative working with humanitarians and institutions to mobilize human and financial resources in addressing critical challenges facing the world today.

Aga Khan Foundation Scores

Aga Khan Foundation, one of the best run organizations
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2007/06/aga-khan-foundation-scores.html

I am pleased to share the following article about HH Aga Khan's AKF Foundation

AKF is one of the most organized and, for matters of bringing about some cohesiveness to faith-based influence, is the Aga Khan Foundation. Among other things, the AKF is developing a partnership with the federal government, to turn the former war museum, located almost within eyesight of my press gallery perch in the Parliament Buildings, into a centre for the advancement and understanding of religious pluralism.

Mike Ghouse

OttawaWatch: An event to ponder

By Lloyd Mackey
http://www.canadianchristianity.com/nationalupdates/070628ottawa.html

Having been involved in writing about The Hill for almost ten years, I have become aware of the many Christian groups that cluster around the political institutions here, all with the objective of providing some kind of influence on the body politic.

Increasingly, several people close to the Hill scene have been wondering if there might be a way of bringing representatives of these groups together for a day or two, to get to know each other better. In addition, some are wondering about providing, within such an event, a cohesive opportunity to present a common front to public servants, Christian leaders in the city, politicians and diplomats.

One day, while contemplating this possibility, I jotted down the names of about three dozen groups that I encounter in and around Parliament Hill. This list is not comprehensive, by any means, and is purposely presented in no particular order, to illustrate the stream-of-consciousness way by which it came together.

Here it is, as I composed it, several months ago, while letting compassionate professionals help God to make my heart work better:

Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
Mennonite Central Committee
Salvation Army
Laurentian Leadership Centre (Trinity Western University)
Citizens for Public Justice
Work Research Foundation
National Prayer Breakfast
Christian Embassy (Campus Crusade for Christ)
Institute for Family and Marriage Canada (Focus on the Family)
Habitat for Humanity
Inter-Church Committee for Corrections and Justice
Prison Fellowship Canada
National House of Prayer
Vote Marriage Canada
Enshrine Marriage Canada
Defend Marriage Canada
Campaign Life Canada
Centre for Cultural Renewal
Institute for Canadian Values
Nation at Prayer
World Vision Canada
Watchmen for the Nations
Ottawa Christian Leadership Centre
Mission Ottawa/Outaouais
One Way Ministries
Canadian National Christian Foundation
Christian Business Ministries Canada
Tyndale University College and Seminary
Augustine College
Redeemer University College
Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship
Public Service Christian Fellowship
Military Christian Fellowship
Christian Info Canada
CHRI-FM
ChristianWeek Ontario
All of these groups, in one way or another, project those parts of the Christian faith that can roughly be described as evangelical, charismatic, socially conservative and/or reformed.

In addition, my mind wandered toward the naming of several groups which might have some points in common with some of the above groups, but spring from some other part of the Christian spectrum. I will name them, without expressing any view as to what particular stripe of Christianity they might represent, leaving it to OttawaWatch readers to make their own assumptions.

Those particular groups are:

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
Canadian Council of Churches
Initiatives for Change (formerly Moral Rearmament)
Metropolitan Community Churches
Community of Christ (formerly Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints)
Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints
Again, in addition, one could point to the hundreds of Protestant and Catholic churches located in the Ottawa/Outaouais area, working in English, French and about 30 other languages.
Each of those other groupings, as well as the increasing number of organizations and movements coming from other non-Christian faith backgrounds, have their own equivalent spinoffs providing a range of unique faith/political interfaces.

For example, one of the most organized and, for matters of bringing about some cohesiveness to faith-based influence, is the Aga Khan Foundation. Among other things, the AKF is developing a partnership with the federal government, to turn the former war museum, located almost within eyesight of my press gallery perch in the Parliament Buildings, into a centre for the advancement and understanding of religious pluralism.

(It would actually be within direct eyesight, if it was not blocked by the sleek glassy facade of the National Gallery, parked beside the intersection of the Rideau Canal and Ottawa River.)

* * *

At this point, I am not sure what will happen with respect to bringing together an event that will facilitate the goals of a forum and showcase for the three dozen or so groups. I know there is a resonance among a fair number of Christian leaders to see such a thing develop.

My hope would be that something like this could be two-tiered: an actual event, held close to The Hill, and some communication vehicle that could plug Christian leaders across the country into what is happening here -- and vice versa.

From time to time, over the next couple of months, I will try to report progress or otherwise on this event idea. And I would appreciate feedback from readers who might have some ideas on how to make this a reality.

* * *

Lloyd Mackey is a member of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery in Ottawa and author of Stephen Harper: The Case for Collaborative Governance (ECW Press, 2006). He can be reached at lmackey@canadianchristianity.com.


Understanding

Bahai F aith

ORIGINS & WISDOM

Sun, July 01 - 4:00 PM :: Dallas Foundation for Pluralism Group

Sun, July 01 - 6:00 PM :: Understanding Bahai Faith - Download Press Release

Crowne Plaza Hotel, 14315 Midway Road, Addison, TX 75001

Judaism on July 22nd.
Kindly RSVP to Confirmattendance@gmail.com
www.FoundationforPluralism.com

We have a monumental task to repair the World, and we will do our part in working towards a World of co-existence, one person at a time. We are committed, and now help us God. Amen.

Our Mission is driven by the Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware."

OUR MISSION

Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards justice and equity to attain peace for the humankind with a firm grounding in commonly held values. We cannot have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace. We believe what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world, and vice versa, to sustain it.

Indeed we aspire to promote goodwill amongst people of different affiliations, regardless of their faith, gender, race, nationality, culture or any other uniqueness blessed by the creator.

Mike M Ghouse
(214) 325-1916
SPEAKER THINKER WRITER
www.MikeGhouse.net
www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
www.FoundationforPluralism.com
2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, TX 75234