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Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January-February 2009, pages 54-55 Muslim-American Activism CAIR Fund-raiser Is Best Ever
MORE THAN 700 people attended the 14th annual fund-raising banquet of the Washington, DC-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Nov. 23 at the Marriott Crystal Gateway Hotel in Arlington, VA. The sold-out event, which organizers called the “best ever” annual dinner, exceeded its fund-raising goals. In fact, recent CAIR dinners at chapters around the nation have been similarly successful—which only goes to show that when a community feels under siege in America it draws together, commits time and financial resources, and gets to work. Master of ceremonies Aimed Belier, host of “TrueTalk Live,” a weekly public affairs program broadcast on a National Public Radio station in Tampa, FL, introduced the evening’s theme: “American Muslims: Defining Ourselves.” In the 1980s Muslims around the world lived in horrible conditions, Belier said, but in the last eight years it’s gotten even worse. Presidential candidates visited houses of worship across the country, he pointed out, but they never met with imams or set foot in a mosque. “What’s the problem? Should we blame the parties, the candidates, or the political process?” Belier asked. “The problem is that Muslims haven’t done enough...we have to help ourselves.” More Muslims need to enter politics, Belier said, and proceeded to introduce Muslims in the audience who had run for office, including Saqib Ali, the first Muslim elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, and Larry Shaw, a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly and the longest-serving Muslim. “The success of this year’s dinner demonstrates both the support CAIR has in the community and the determination of American Muslims to make their voices heard despite efforts to block them from full participation in the political process and from fully exercising their rights as citizens,” said CAIR executive director Nihad Awad. “This was our best ever banquet in terms of the level of support and enthusiasm for continuing CAIR’s efforts to defend the civil and religious rights of fellow Americans.” Citing the distribution of the anti-Muslim film “Obsession” to 28 million households in swing states prior to the November elections (see December 2008 Washington Report, p. 28) and CAIR’s effective public relations and legal campaigns to counter the film, Awad told attendees that the “politics of fear” no longer works. Not only did the film fail to distract American voters from the real issues, it also failed to discourage American Muslim voters from going to the polls in record numbers. According to Awad, a post-election poll showed the highest ever turnout of Muslim voters—95 percent of registered Muslims voted on election day, and 14 percent of those were first-time voters. (A poll released by American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections and CAIR on Nov. 7 at the National Press Club reported that 89 percent of Muslim voters chose Barack Obama and only 2 percent voted for John McCain. Muslim votes made all the difference in Virginia.) Awad went on to describe recent CAIR campaigns. CAIR stood up to radio talk show host Michael Savage, whose anti-Islamic statements on his program, broadcast on 300 radio stations around the country, prompted an effective CAIR effort. The “Hate Hurts America” coalition called, wrote and e-mailed Savage’s program sponsors and, as a result, Sears, Wal-Mart, Office Depot and other advertisers dropped their ads, causing $1 million of lost revenue. Savage sued CAIR and lost. (A summons for a new frivolous lawsuit was delivered to Awad on stage during the banquet in an attempt to embarrass CAIR.) “Silence is not an option, Awad said. The era of non-engagement is gone.” Debbie Almontaser, founding principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy in New York City, talked about being branded a radical jihadist by people “who don’t want to see us integrated as part of the American fabric.” (See November 2007 Washington Report, p. 45.) Almontaser, who was forced to resign as principal by the city’s Department of Education, is now being sued by the people who defamed her. (For more information see <www.kgia.wordpress.com>.)
Banquet attendees also heard a powerful address by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim elected to Congress, who called for Muslims to pull together, get engaged, stay engaged, and serve in an Obama administration in this new era. He urged the audience to hold Obama to his campaign promises: to get out of Iraq, not go into Iran, stop civilian casualties in Afghanistan, and resolve the Arab-Israeli dispute. Obama should also close Guantanamo and eight other prisons just like it, Ellison said, end torture and rendition, complete immigration and visa reform, and speak out openly about religious tolerance in America. “This has been a tough eight years. Now is no time to go back to sleep,” Ellison warned. Is success in America all about buying a car, a house and going to mosque? Ellison asked. Should we become an insular group which only cares about ourselves? The Muslim community is full of doctors in a land where many citizens have no health insurance. Ellison urged Muslim doctors to donate their time to help the uninsured. Use your education, he added. Share it. Stay engaged and concerned about social justice. Build bridges. “America needs you to run for office,” Ellison concluded. “Don’t say, ‘I have an accent. I can’t run for office.’ Look at Arnold Schwarzenegger. Don’t say I have a Muslim name. Look at Barack Hussein Obama. What’s your excuse now?” The evening concluded with hilarity provided by Chicago-based Muslim comedian Azhar Usman, founder of “Allah Made Me Funny—The Official Muslim Comedy Tour.” —Delinda C. Hanley |
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