Dearborn's Conference of Ali- Discussion of the "Genocide of the Shia" in Bahrain and Pakistan does not "unify" American Muslims

-

This Memorial weekend is witnessing the largest Shia American conference in the United States. The UMA America's Conference of Ali  is held in Dearborn, Michigan. The title of the conference is Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century.

This is how the organization holding the conference describes itself:


"UNIVERSAL MUSLIM ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
 www.UMAAmerica.net

In September of 2002, the idea of establishing an institution unifying MuslimAmericans became a reality. The overarching objectives of UMAA include: working
towards uniting Muslim-Americans, helping fellow Americans better understand
Islam, and encouraging civic awareness and engagement within the Muslim
community in order to address socioeconomic and political issues that may not be
the focus of centers of worship and other organization."

The agenda:

There is only one orphan "unifying Muslims" item on the agenda.  The intra Muslim Code of  honor can be charitably stretched in the light most favorable to the organization to be considered "unifying": 

 “The Intra-Faith Code of Honor- MR. SALAM AL-MARAYATI, MPAC.”


That’s it. 

 That’s not it as to working on “unifying American Muslims.”
The focus on Sunni-Shia relations- the most important Islamic issue since the Ayatollah  Khomeini revolution of 1979- was on hotspots where there is sectarian violence as seen from the Shia perspective:

“Effective Strategies to Address the Shia Genocide in Pakistan & Bahrain
5:00 p.m.
The Current Status of the Shia of Bahrain
DR. OSAMA ARRADI
5:15 p.m.
Current Strategies Aimed at Assisting the Shia of Pakistan
10,000 SOULS MARCH COMMITTEE
5:30 p.m.
Practical Solutions to Overcoming Extremism in Pakistan
DR. HASSAN ABBAS
5:45 p.m. Interactive Discussion”


The focus is from the Shia point of view. This is legitimate and that is fine.

But-



Is focusing on the sectarian conflicts' segment of the Sunni-Shia equation helpful in “unifying American Muslims”?
Is the use of the word “genocide” proper in the Pakistan and Bahrain contexts?
Isn’t the use of the word “genocide” incitement to hatred in the American context?

The mission of the UNIVERSAL MUSLIM ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA needs to be changed to reflect the reality of the organization and its work.

Working on “unifying American Muslims” is light years away from the actual agenda of the organization- at least as to its Dearborn conference.


And Palestine, a central issue for American Muslims, is not on the agenda.

 The link to the UMA America website:

 http://www.theconferenceofali.org/

 The Conference's program link:

 http://www.theconferenceofali.org/sites/default/files/2013_04_28_Program_Final.pdf


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Response to Amer Zahr’s Sexual Harassment Column

-
Image
Rana Abbas, former ACRL executive director Amer Zahr, Rana Abbas's BFF Response to Amer Zahr’s Sexual Harassment Column The Imad Hamad saga has attracted a motley crew of individuals who joined in for two reasons: 1. To say, without any legal basis for personal knowledge, that the allegations are “true” for a variety of reasons.  2. To say that we basically need no investigation and that Imad should be fired because these two women have made these allegations. Allegation is the key word. Let’s look at the bright side of this sordid affair. Who knew that everyone in our community is a solid supporter of women’s rights? This is great! It really is. However, by God, people will prove it by piling on Imad Hamad before receiving all the facts. Let me make one thing clear. I am not stating these women were not harassed; nor am I stating they were. No one, other than Imad and the women, was in the room when the alleged harassment occurred.  No third party could
Read more

The Lessons of the Wissam Allouche case: About lies, not terrorism

-
Image
Wissam Allouche arrested by the JTTF Flag of the Lebanese Shia Amal Movement The Lessons of the Wissam Allouche case: An American Lebanese Shiite Muslim caught in the government and media dog- and- pony show Wissam Allouche, a Lebanese Shia immigrant from Lebanon was sentenced to five years in prison for lying on his citizenship application and for lying to get a security clearance from the Department of Defense. The US government had asked for a ten- year sentence. Allouche’s criminal case began in 2013 and he was tried and convicted in 2015 in the Western District of Texas district court.  After conviction, the US Attorney for the Western district of Texas issued a press release that read in part: “Jurors found that defendant lied about his previous association with the Amal militia This afternoon in San Antonio, a federal jury convicted 45–year-old Lebanese–born Wissam “Sam” Allouche of knowingly lying to federal authorities on his U.S. citizenship petit
Read more

In Defense of the Dream During the Night of the Long Zionist Nightmare:

-
Image
    “When you were still swinging from trees, we had a state here.”   Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet, speaking to an Arab member of Knesset.     Zionism is Jewish nationalism. Whether the Jews are a people or not, a nation or not, is for the Jews themselves to decide. For Arabs and Muslims, the issue of Zionism is not a theoretical issue. It is how the Zionist project has been carried out in Palestine. It is a settler colonial project that has been inflicting catastrophes on the indigenous people of Palestine. The indigenous people of Palestine include Muslims, Christians and Jews. The Zionist violence in the West Bank and Gaza is the most recent chapter in the settler colonial  book of horrors.    Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib got in trouble with some in the Jewish community for using the common, perfectly moral and just slogan "From the River to the Sea Palestine will be Free." This slogan captures a vision for Mandate Palestine and is a common slogan among the
Read more