I recently (this July 4th Weekend 2009) attended the Islamic Society of North America 46th annual convention that was held in Washington DC area (about 8 blocks away from the White House). The theme of the convention this year was “Life, Liberty and the Pursuite of Hapiness”.)
I have listened to famous Muslim speakers who talked about what life, liberty and happiness means from an Islamic prespective and how Muslims should value life. This was a positive experience for me and thousands of other attendees.
About 30,000 people attended this convention including many non-Muslims who were invited to speak and listen to the speeches.
I met representatives of a various organizations like the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations and the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and introduced myself as an Alaskan. Many were surprised to see someone from Alaska coming to this convention. I was also asked about Sara Palin and her decision to resign her governorship. I suddenly became an expert in the eyes of many when the news came out that Sara Palin resigned.
I met couple young and energetic guys who are members of American Muslims for Palestine and was asked if Alaskans for Palestine can join AMP to work for justice for the Palestinian people.
I also spoke to a lady who works for the Washington Report Magazine and she said she may write an article about Alaskans for Palestine.
The convention was held from Friday July 3rd to Monday July 6th and I was able to return back to Anchorage Monday night.
I have noticed many misconceptions about Alaska and did my best to represent Alaska. Many people were asking me if it is tough living in a cold environment and I explained that it’s not as cold in Anchorage as people may think.
A Muslim speaker named Abdul-Malik Mujahid urged Muslims to be involved in politics, get out and vote and be heard. Congressman Keith Elison (who is the first American Muslim to be elected to Congress) also spoke there and urged the Muslim community to speak up and be heard.
I have felt that this year’s convention was designed to encourage Muslims to be more involved in making this American society a better place for everyone and this was inspiring.
I have recorded some of the events with my personal video camera and if anyone wants to watch some of these videos please let me know. I will also bring my camera and laptop to the 2nd annual Alaskans for Palestine picnic this coming Sunday July 12th to the Valley of the Moon park.
To learn more about ISNA and this year’s Convention please visit
http://www.isna.net/
Khaled
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