Dialogues of all sorts, inter-faith and inter-cultural, have been going on for decades; yet they have been strictly intellectual and elitist. In addition, present American Muslim organizations have catered to the American Muslim social elite without stopping to care for the working class, layman Muslim. Nor have they actively sought to include layman/non-Muslim America.

There is a need to launch a more grassroots dialogue that is multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-national and multi-class. The American Muslim movement must truly evolve into a movement representing ALL American Muslims and Americans.

There needs to be a community-wide sense of unity, one which has been absent until now, that has the ability to finally take hold, if a true effort towards inclusiveness is undertaken.

The Muslim community needs to include all members of America's Muslims in activities. The youth's energy must be tapped as well, and so too must the increasing voices of women and working-class Muslims. These voices have traditionally been absent from many of the existing American Muslim organizations, which, while trying to be inclusive and multi-faceted, have failed to attract anything more than elite membership.

They must also include their fellow Westerners in community efforts, especially those aimed at social, political and civil reform.

But along with a decidedly discriminatory policy towards Muslims that presently exists in the political arena, there is also apathy on the part of Muslims that has only furthered the lack of representation.

With increased presence in mainstream American society and institutions comes an increased chance for inclusiveness in decision-making roles. American Muslims, and Muslims in the Western world, have been plagued by a lack of representation in civil society. There are only a handful of Muslims in government and none in major policy-making positions.

Much of the lack of participation has come from the unwillingness of governments to include Muslims, especially in areas regarding foreign policy. But exclusion has also come from the unwillingness of the Muslim community to start at the beginning and become visible in all ranks of civil society and politics. Had there been a strong Muslim presence in political activity, the community may have celebrated a Muslim candidate for Vice-President, as the Judaic community had in the elections of 2000.

Empowering the un-empowered and giving a voice to the marginalized should be the main frame within which we place our struggle for freedom and justice in Palestine, Kashmir, Chechnya and elsewhere where people, Muslim or otherwise, are being unjustly and unabatedly oppressed.

The powers of anti-domination and justice for the South can be the allies of Islam in its struggle for an active presence on the global arena.

Muslims must urge individuals to adjust their priorities, set their basic common grounds with others and work within the institutions created to protect and further these endeavors.

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