Hundreds of Muslims are in
Fort Lauderdale this weekend for an Islamic
Society of North America conference.
BY JAWEED KALEEM
As a sophomore at Florida
Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Feras
Ahmed doesn't get many opportunities to
interact with other Muslims outside his
family and a close circle of friends.
So when he heard that one of
the largest Muslim organizations in the
country was convening hundreds of Muslims
from the eastern seaboard in South Florida
this weekend, Ahmed joined his brother,
mother, uncle and two cousins on a road trip
to Fort Lauderdale.
``I'm here to try to get a
sense of community, to get involved in
what's going on with Muslims in America,''
the 20-year-old said.
He stood outside a booth
selling Islamic books and DVDs at the
Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County
Convention Center on Saturday as a diverse
crowd of Muslim scholars, students and
families mingled between panel discussions
on subjects from Muslims and the media to
youth empowerment and relationships.
Four months after a
Gainesville pastor's threats to set off a
bonfire of Qurans drew international
attention to Florida, the Islamic Society of
North America is holding a regional
conference in South Florida for the first
time, aiming to strengthen community ties
and promote civic engagement among Muslims.
The organization, which draws
40,000 Muslims to its annual national
convention in Chicago, is making a timely
bet on South Florida, which has about 70,000
Muslim residents.
``There has been a lot of
misunderstanding of Islam. We have got to
get out there and show who we are,'' said
Imam Mohamed Magid, the organization's
president and a well-known figure in Islamic
circles.
Magid was joined by
representatives of South Florida's two dozen
mosques and Muslims from across the state.
``We need to create a sense
of community between ourselves and
strengthen relationships with communities
outside our own,'' he said.
The conference, which began
Friday, has been host to conversations about
Islamic higher education, empowering women,
interfaith dialogue and Islam on the
Internet, among other topics.
In a community where mosques
and Muslim organizations are often divided
along ethnic or geographical lines, the
conference was notable for drawing a broad
cross-section including Sunni and Shia
Muslims and groups such as the Council on
American Islamic Relations and Islamic
Circle of North America.
Booths sponsored by
Muslim-oriented businesses offered head
scarves, pilgrimage packages to Mecca,
Islamic banking services and, in a South
Florida twist, free Spanish Qurans.
``I think [ISNA] coming here
says something about Muslims in this part of
Florida, that we have grown to a point where
we can support such a national
organization,'' said Imam Shafayat Mohamed,
who leads Darul Uloom mosque in Pembroke
Pines and participated in a panel on
interfaith relations.
``We're here to improve our
image and join to make a positive
contribution to society,'' said Asad
Ba-Yunus, the conference chairman.
Ba-Yunus, a Miramar attorney,
noted that Muslims in Florida have faced
several hurdles in the past year including
the abandoned Quran burning and fallout over
a proposed Islamic center near ground zero
in New York City.
Those topics were among many
discussed Saturday at a panel on Muslims and
the media that included Antonio Fins,
editorial page editor for the South Florida
Sun Sentinel, and Farooq Mitha, an
occasional contributor to The Miami Herald's
op-ed page.
``I think reactivism is one
of the problems among Muslims,'' said Mitha.
``Something will happen in
Kashmir or elsewhere and you will see
Muslims protesting and writing letters,''
but the community will be ``back to normal a
week later . . . We haven't done enough
grass-roots organizing to get people
engaged.''
A few hours later, Americans
Against Hate held a protest outside the
convention center. The small Broward
organization accused ISNA of having ties to
terrorists and of supporting Hamas, a U.S.
State Department-designated terrorist group.
ISNA officials have denied
such allegations, and the organization has
formally denounced terrorism.
State Rep. Ari Porth, D-Coral
Springs, who was scheduled to speak on a
panel titled ``How to Communicate with
Public Officials'' withdrew shortly before
the conference began after complaints from
constituents. Porth said he would be ``happy
to speak with Muslims'' at non-ISNA events.
Source:
http://www.islamicity.com
