Imam Shakir will talk about rooting out ethnic bias and prejudice

By Mustafa Abdel-Halim, IOL Staffer

CAIRO, July 1 (IslamOnline.net) – Some 10,000 American Muslims are expected to attend a three-day annual convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 2-4 to discuss preserving morality and the freedom of the community members as well as building an interactive relation with media outlets.

The get-together is co-organized by the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), a non-ethnic and open to all grass root organization, and the Muslim American Society (MAS), a pioneering not-for-profit Islamic organization.

"The participants will help each other understand the responsibilities of being ideal husband, son, daughter, brother or sister," Farah Pervez of the organizing committee told IslamOnline.net Thursday, July 1, over the phone from the States.

He said that workshops will be organized to discuss family-related issues, including marriage.

"Some community members are confused, looking for direction [on these family issues]."

The speakers include prominent figures such as Jamal Badawi, professor at Saint Mary’s University , Canada , and Imam Zaid Shakir, a political scientist professor  who is currently teaching at Zaytuna Institute in California .

They will address means to integrate into society and root out ethnic bias and prejudice.

Dr. Bob Edgar, General Sectary of the National Council of Churches and a former Congressman, and Chaplain James Yee, a former Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo detention camp, will be guest speakers.

Yee was detained by the US authorities in September last year on charges of possessing classified documents about the detainees and their interrogators.

But a few months after his detention, all charges were dropped.

Summer Plans

Edgar will speak at the convention

Altaf Hussein, former president of the Muslim Students' Association (MSA), will speak on how American Muslims should plan for summer vacation, including finding chances to volunteer to organizations offering aid to the homeless and sick.

"We will discuss how to live as effective members of the American society without losing freedom or morality," he told IOL.

Hussein will advise participants on developing their knowledge of the religion, including studying Islam, in the summer.

Other speakers will also offer a viable Islamic alternative to many of the society’s prevailing problems.

Media Interaction

A number of lecturers will draw attention to ways for effective interaction with the media.

Experts Abdullah Siddiqi and Katherine Bullock will address ways to avoid media blunders and build long-term relations with various outlets.

Setting up community media watchdog committees and drafting a press release will also be on the discussion table.

"Islam between moderation and extremism", "Universality of Justice and Morality" and "Shura: Essential moral and institution of Islam", are titles of other workshops.

Muslims have suffered a rising wave of hate crimes after the September 11 attacks, blamed by Washington on Osama Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.

A recent Senate report said the US Muslim community has taken the brunt  of the Patriot Act and other federal powers applied in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.