The speakers kept up the theme of the convention, "A Century of Empowerment", by putting emphasis on the role that the Muslims must play in order to achieve justice for themselves, for Palestine, and for Muslims worldwide.

Issa Nakhleh, distinguished historian and author of The Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question, made an emotional call to the audience. "Where are you? You must stand up and act for the sake of Palestine," said Nakhleh.

In a session on the role of the media in the U.S., Richard Curtiss, Executive Editor of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, urged people to establish contacts with the editors of the newspapers that serve them and to express to them their views and concerns as a community. "You should invite these editors to a fast-breaking dinner during the upcoming month of Ramadan so that they can witness first hand who you really are", said Curtiss.

Dr. Agha Saeed, head of the American Muslim Alliance and professor of political science, spoke of how Zionists exploit the media in order to influence public opinion. "We must combat these the efforts of Zionists by getting Muslims to work in the media and point out the truth about Muslims to the editors of newspapers and television stations," said Dr. Saeed.

Attendees were pleased with the conference. "The speakers were great. I learned a lot of things that I never knew before," said Rayhana Samar from Canada. "I never knew that Muslims in America were so oppressed, like Muhammad Salah and Mazen Al Najjar. The IAP did a great service by holding this conference. Even the food was good, and I got some stuff that I never saw before in their bazaar," said Samar.

The closing session included a fundraising drive that brought over $100,000 in pledges and donations.

Following the fundraising, the audience was treated to a dance performance by members of the Nujoom dance troupe. The young men performed the traditional Greater Syrian folklore dance, the Debka, while the band sang heart-pumping Islamic nasheeds.

After the dance performance, children performed a skit that showed the determination of the young generation of Palestinians to see Palestine back under Muslim rule.

The main attraction was a play about a futuristic debate between two candidates running in an election for Caliph. The comedy kept the laughter roaring, and there were even questions fielded from the audience. One candidate was an army general running on a conservative platform, while the other was a provincial governor running on a very liberal platform. In the end, the general won the elections via a hand count from the audience, but it was too good to be true for the general. He found himself lying on a bench in the airport being harassed by a policeman. The poor man learned that the presence of a united ummah (nation) was just a dream.

On a sour note, it was learned that one of the scheduled speakers of the convention who was denied permission to leave Palestine by Israel, Dr. Abdul Sattar Kassem, had been arrested by the Palestinian Authority.

Dr. Kassem, a professor of political science at An-Najah University in Nablus, Palestine, was arrested by Palestinian intelligence officers, along with six others, for signing a petition that urged the public to combat the "tyranny, corruption, and deceit" of Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority.

Dr. Kassem had been the target of an assassination plot in 1995 by suspected Arafat loyalists. He has written many books, and has been arrested one more than one occasion by Israel for his activities during the Intifada. His latest book, "The Path to Devastation," heavily criticizes the PA and the current peace process, insisting that there will be no Palestine to be liberated if the PA continues to concede Palestinian rights to Israel.

Palestine, which houses the third-holiest site in Islam, Al-Aqsa Mosque, was occupied by a number of Jewish gangs in 1948 that established the state of Israel. The population at the turn of the century was predominantly Muslim Arabs, 20 percent Christian Arabs, and a Jewish presence. That presence increased with the persecution of Jews in Europe in the 20th century, and now Jews have become a majority in historic Palestine (5 million Jews vs. 3.5 million Arab Muslim and Christians).

Islamists refuse to recognize the legitimacy of Israel or the peace agreement made with it and vow to return the Holy Land to the Muslim nation.

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