Muslim leaders stress education, political activism

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Muslims should use the national spotlight focused on them since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to educate others about Islam and become more politically active, leaders said Saturday at the American Muslim Alliance's national convention.

The alliance is one of the few national political Muslim groups in the country and the first to meet since the terrorist attacks.

Participants at the convention blended the poetry of Langston Hughes with the prose of step-by-step political agendas.

They urged Muslims to seek positions in everything from local parent and teacher associations to the administration of president Bush.

"This is our moment as Muslims," said Omar Ahmad, board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "This is the time to be visible and strong."

Ahmad outlined a 10-step political agenda, telling Muslims they must be represented at all levels of society. There are about 6 million Muslims in the United States, but none in Congress, on the Supreme Court or in high-ranking positions in the Bush administration.

"The easiest way to get our voices heard is to have a Muslim inside the government," Ahmad said.

The community must "engage Americans at every level," he said, by inviting neighbors, other religious leaders and the media to mosques, and educating them about Islam.

Others said a decision by major Muslim political groups to endorse George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election was successful, and should be continued at congressional and local levels.

But, noted Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, "we are not a partisan group. The issue is what's in the best interests of the Muslim community."