September 1995, pg. 68

American Muslim Activism

By Shawn L. Twing

Islamic Circle of North America Holds 20th Annual Convention

More than 5,000 U.S. and Canadian Muslims attended the 20th annual convention of the Islamic Circle of North America in Bloomsburg, PA from June 30 through July 1. Those present held a prayer for the late Bosnian Foreign Minister Irfan Ljubrankic, who was scheduled to speak at the convention but was killed when his helicopter was shot down by Serbs near Bihacé. The theme of the conference was "Al-Qur'an," and the several hundred rare and historical copies of the Qur'an on display illustrated impressive Qur'anic calligraphy and artwork. Issues discussed ranged from spreading the message of Islam in local communities to anti-Muslim events in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing.

Islamic Organizations Challenge Draft Proposal for Beijing Conference

Representatives of international Islamic organizations issued a joint statement on Aug. 18 at the National Press Club detailing their objections to "unacceptable elements" in the draft platform for the upcoming United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing. Groups participating in the statement included the Muslim World League (a Mecca-based Islamic organization which has observer status in the United Nations), the National Association of Muslim Women and the International Council for Daw'a and Relief.

Dr. Saleha Mahmood, director of the London-based Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, said of the draft platform, "the language it does contain is largely anti-male, anti-religion and anti-family. . .On the other hand, it omits language honoring women's nurturing role or promoting the desirability of stable families."

CAIR Demands Apology From Washington Jewish Week

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington, D.C.-based Islamic advocacy group, has demanded a public apology from the Washington Jewish Week for an article in the August 3 edition by Carl Alpert who suggested that Israelis "take a lesson from the British imperialist period" and bury Muslim suicide attackers in pigskin, which, Alpert said, defiles a body and "nullifies the short route to heaven."

In response to the article, CAIR executive director Nihad Awad wrote: "This hate-filled proposal was not contained in the letters section or in a news report on a contemptible suggestion. The article instead read like an editorial having the endorsement of the newspaper." Awad distanced CAIR's concern over this issue from current events in the Middle East, saying he would condemn anyone in the Muslim community advocating similar treatment for Jews who attacked Muslims. "There are limits," he said. "People can disagree on many issues, but religious beliefs and practices should be respected."

U.S. Muslims Pray for Bosnians

Muslims across the United States held "prayers for those who have died in distant places" (salat al-ghaib) after regular Friday services on July 14 to remember the Muslim dead after the fall of two United Nations "safe havens" in Srebrenica and Zepa. After the salat al-ghaib prayers, many of those present called on the Clinton administration to lift the arms embargo on Bosnia to allow Bosnian Muslims to protect themselves from continuing Serbian attacks.

Alabama Mosque Vandalized

The Huntsville Islamic Center in Huntsville, AL, was vandalized during the morning hours of July 16. Vandals broke into the mosque and desecrated religious texts, damaged equipment and stole computers and other items. Officials in the Huntsville FBI bureau said they have not yet identified suspects and have not yet ruled whether the attack was a hate crime.

Since September 1994, there have been arson attacks or suspicious fires at mosques in Yuba City, CA, Brooklyn, NY, High Point, NC and Springfield, IL. Commenting on the Alabama fire, Director Nihad Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said, "This type of incident demonstrates the need for adequate safety precautions at mosques and Islamic institutions. The perpetrators of this and similar crimes must be brought to justice."

UASR Hosts Round-Table Discussion About Political Islam

Dr. Michael Collins Dunn, editor of The International Estimate, spoke at the July roundtable of the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR) of Springfield, VA. Discussing "Islamic Movements at the End of the 20th Century," Dunn said his views of political Islam differ from those of the Islamists themselves and the secular regimes they oppose. He argued that the Islamist movements are not aimed principally at the West, but at the Muslim world itself. The anti-Western tilt, according to Dunn, comes from the anti-colonial nature of the Islamist organizations.

Dunn distinguished two different trends in contemporary Islamist groups. Some wish to reform the secular state (e.g., the Islamic Salvation Front in Algeria), while others wish to destroy it (e.g., the Armed Islamic Group, also in Algeria). He dismissed claims that the revival of Islam is driven by economic factors, categorizing it instead as part of a broader spiritual revival.

In response to questions, Dunn argued that the Western stereotype of Islam comes from "14 centuries of neighboring rivalry" in which Islam began as the stronger rival but in which the roles now are reversed. He also noted that in demanding democratization in the Islamic world, the West is setting a time frame that it was unable to meet itself. Britain, he noted, took a thousand years to evolve into a genuine democracy.

Shawn L. Twing is the news editor of the Washington Report.