Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, November/December 1996, pages 24, 101

Seeing the Light

Layout a Foundation in Ohio for National Muslim Political Empowerment

by Mahjabeen Islam-Husain

Fortunately I arrived several minutes before the program "The Presidential Election What Every Muslim Should Know" was to begin. This was at the ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) convention this past Labor Day weekend, in Columbus, Ohio. Soon the room was filled and people were sitting on the floor. My friend Dr. Samina Hasan had to sit on the floor, too.

The discussion began with Suhail Khan, who is employed by Congressman Tom Campbell, followed by Richard Curtiss, editor of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, and concluded with Dr. Agha Saeed, president of the American Muslim Alliance.

I have always felt that politics was really dubious business and, consequently, always kept a respectable distance. This meeting however, changed that in a flash. My mind suddenly understood that this was not your regular politics, but the destiny of Muslims in North America that we were dealing with, and that shaping that destiny was not such a utopian or remote concept, but rather a practicable and foreseeable one. Richard Curtiss and Agha Saeed made it seem so simple!

I left the room elated and thought I was the only one (I am wont to get enthused rather easily when Islam is the cause). Imagine my joy when I found that Samina also felt the same way!

After some hurried promises from the speakers to come to Toledo, we excitedly spoke about involving some other families, many of whom were at that lecture. We returned from the convention on Monday and the following Friday had our first meeting. The ones who came to that meeting questioning, left committed. We had formed an organization with representatives from all five mosques in Toledo two Sunni, one African-American and two Shi'i. We had decided to hold our event on Sept. 22, 1996, having Richard Curtiss and Agha Saeed as the speakers, with introductions of the Democratic and Republican candidates for national, state and local offices, some remarks from Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, and concluding with short speeches by myself, Dr. Zakir Husain and Samina.

Having only two weeks to prepare for the event, we were fairly frantic. Visions of facing an empty auditorium and other permutations of the same "daymare"were common in the following days. Obtaining mailing addresses, computerizing them and then mailing the flyer were tasks that seemed insurmountable but, alhamdulillah, did get done. Much was deputized to our youth, and they were troopers indeed. The sound system, the food, the equipment, organization of prayer, arrangements for voter registration, etc., etc., all were completed.

This was the destiny of Muslims in North America that we were dealing with.

The day arrived bright and sunny. My nerves, though, refused the vacation. Prior to the event the local newspaper had been informed, and stated it would cover the event on that day. The religion editor, whom I have known, sounded very excited when I was giving her some basic information. In order to help her get a better idea I faxed Richard Curtiss' Washington Report editorial on the potential power of a bloc Muslim and Arab-American vote. Two days prior to the event she called and wanted photographs of Samina and myself. I tried to get her to include all the individuals of the organization we had formed, United Muslim Association of Toledo (the acronym, UMAT, means followers of the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic), in the photograph. Although the photographer took pictures of everyone, they featured only Samina's and mine, to our embarrassment. To top it all, they printed an "advance story" in the Sunday paper on the morning of the event. By this point my nerves were fraying.

Alhamdulillah the event was a great success. Some 300 people attended, salat ul-Asr and Maghrib prayers were held, and Dr. Agha Saeed and Richard Curtiss enlightened everyone. At least 50 voters were registered. Dr. Zakir Husain discussed the reasons for some Muslims not getting involved in the political process. Having a captive audience of Republican and Democratic candidates as well as a congresswoman was not an opportunity I was going to let go unexploited.

I spoke (vehemently) about the bigoted portrayal of Muslims, the "Judeo-Christian-Islamic" heritage with which political candidates should familiarize themselves, and the unconstitutionality of the anti-terrorism bill. The congresswoman asked for a copy of my speech and Samina's. Muslims in the audience were delirious and the political candidates somewhat aghast.

Riding the crest of recognition by non-Muslims and appreciation by Muslims is indeed very gratifying. Our task ahead is very daunting, however. Getting Muslims to agree to come in large numbers to vote, to try and vote as a bloc and to arrange for an exit poll, makes pulling teeth sound so easy!

Commendation and Criticism

After the UMAT event of Sept. 22, we received a great deal of feedback from Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Much of it was commendation, some of it criticism.

The five mosques of Toledo coming together, especially individuals who had been conducting a "cold war" within the community, was something that was discussed repeatedly. That one event could melt away the differences was something these very individuals could not get over.

The night of the UMAT event, Dr. Agha Saeed had nominated Samina and me as American Muslim Alliance chairpersons for the state of Ohio. We were reassured that if we could put together an organization and such a well-attended event in such a short time, opening a chapter/chapters would not be difficult at all.

We yielded to the gentle coercion, thinking simplistically that the mundane status quo of life would resume. Chapter opening was like a very distant mirage, and (our subconscious hoped) would most certainly fade away when the time came. WRONG! Everywhere Samina and I went we sensed expectations. (Yikes! Great Expectations!) Many had multiform ideas about the future of UMAT and welcomed its local presence. But a lot more hoped to make a national difference, especially politically.

A meeting of the UMAT Founding Members was held on Sept. 29, and feedback regarding the occasion and whether or not to affiliate with the AMA was discussed. Overall, everyone reported that the event was very well received. Affiliating with the AMA was decided on by essentially a consensus vote. It was decided that UMAT was to be a local, unifying organization, holding events related to religious, social, educational and perception issues, whereas the AMA chapter would take over the political aspects of UMAT.

Needless to say, when informed of this, Dr. Agha Saeed was very happy and promptly sent all the required material. In light of the closeness of the November election, it was decided to set an AMA chapter on Oct. 4.

A full-time medical practice, my home, three young children and the derivative chauffeuring responsibilities, and my great interest in playing tennis, already had made my life's train run a little too fast most of the time. Now, with the commitment to these new organizations, my days go by like visions in time-lapse photography.

On the day prior to the AMA chapter opening I pored over legalese, trying to decipher the bylaws of the AMA and making up a format to speak. I did not do any Power Point slides or even overhead projector ones. Feeling maternal to necessity, I wrote my presentation in point form on an artist's flip-pad made of recycled paper. The pad was hung up on an easel and the AMA was introduced in a sequential method, keeping the format interactive.

Success again! Forty-four members were enrolled, and a congressional chapter, which must have 30 members, was inaugurated. Interestingly, there was representation from throughout the community. On a sectarian basis, there were both Sunni and Shi'i Muslims. On the basis of national origins there were both South Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants and their descendants, African-American Muslims, and Muslims of European ancestry.

The League of Women Voters had invited Samina and me to talk about our organization on Oct. 14. Again on the artist's pad I wrote in point form an introduction to Islam and then described the formation of UMAT and the AMA. We were very well received. We were supposed to talk for half an hour, but ended up speaking for two hours.

The agenda for our next AMA meeting is to install an executive committee, work out schedules to transport Muslims to vote on election day, and to discuss which candidates and which local issues to back. My personal hope is to pass along as many of my responsibilities as possible to the four members of the Executive Committee, so that I can get back to my sufficiently stressful normal routine.

Interestingly, practically all my patients, and in fact some physician friends of mine also, believe that I have significant political aspirations. My sole aim, however, is to work toward getting the Muslim Voice heard across the United States in a loud crescendo chorus. The squeak of Muslim Political Action Committees, and/or the squawk of individual power-seeking Muslims is simply not adequately serving the future of Muslims in North America. My vision is to have an individual voter-funded organization, like the AMA, in the major cities of all states in the U.S. by the year 2000. Outlandish and idealistic? It certainly sounds so, doesn't it? But then who could have thought that two women could have set up two new organizations, one event, and one meeting in the space of only one month.