Through the conversation, the group identified actions used to create fear of the Muslim community. They then collectively came up with skills and resources that they believe the Muslim community needs to acquire in order to properly counter these misrepresentations. A few of the skills mentioned include media training, networking and raising funds to support Muslim organizations. They also cited a need for an increase in the willingness of the Muslim community to utilize the media to share their perspectives on current issues and tell their personal stories.

God-willing, we hope to incorporate skill-building sessions such as those identified into future Muslims in the Mirror workshops. Our hope is that by doing so, MCN can help instill the confidence needed for Muslim college students to stand up and address the very situations that are currently dis-empowering the Muslim Community of New York. For more information about Muslims in the Mirror, or to find out how to get your Muslim Student organization involved, contact Maryam Said at maryam.said@mcnny.org.

On April 4th, MCN held its 3rd Annual Gala themed, “Daring to Act Boldly: Connecting our Strengths to our Convictions,” where we proudly honored people and organizations that reflect this theme through the work they do. Our honorees included the Islamic Circle of North America (recently selected as NY1’s New Yorkers of the week) for their tireless relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy; Fahd Ahmed for his social justice work and dedication to New York’s South Asian and Muslim communities, as well as communities of color; and Rashida Tlaib, the first Muslim woman ever elected to the Michigan Legislature, for her hard work combatting poverty, increasing access to human services, protecting public health and the environment, and promoting public safety. In addition, we proudly honored three interfaith partners, United Methodist Women, Sojourners, and T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, for their bold stands against the bigotry displayed in the New York Subway system by ads paid for by the American Defense of Freedom Initiative. Additionally, we were blessed to host Ameena Matthews, the subject of the award-winning documentary ‘The Interrupters,’ which chronicled her work as a community activist and violence interrupter in Chicago’s toughest communities, as our keynote speaker for the night.

The gala also provided an opportunity for members of the Muslim community to hear directly from MCN’s partners and participants. Toni Siegel from Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, an egalitarian Jewish congregation in Manhattan and interfaith partner of MCN, discussed the strong relationship between the two organizations. As co-chairman of B’nai Jeshurun’s Interfaith Committee, Ms. Siegel commented on how MCN has become the group, “who [has] provided that safe place to ask questions, and a group of wonderful people who work together to overcome ignorance, intolerance, and plain old lack of contact.” Together with B’nai Jeshurun and groups of other faiths, MCN creates experiences to expose New Yorkers to each other’s faiths, beliefs and common humanity by organizing interfaith dinners and learning activities, peace walks, interfaith movie screenings and other events. We then build on these connections to create interfaith action based on shared principles and areas of concern.

Audience members also heard from a participant in MCN’s “Muslims in The Mirror” project. A student at Brooklyn College, Annam Choudhry, expressed her gratitude at being surrounded by the inspiring groups and individuals at MCN’s gala saying, “these are the same groups and individuals that keep me motivated and my passion for community activism alive.” Annam also made a point to emphasize the “serious disconnect between the Muslim community and the population at large which needs to be addressed and overcome, urgently.” Through MCN’s programs and our collaboration with other groups, we work tirelessly to engage the Muslim community with the rest of the New York City population to break down the barriers to communication that exist between different groups and encourage Muslims to get involved and become active members of the NYC community.

Michigan State Representative, Rashida Tlaib was able to sum up the importance of MCN’s efforts and initiatives in one line, saying, “I cannot stress enough that I am a product of organizations such as MCN.” Our civic engagement, community education, cross-cultural engagement, and social justice programs, empower and strengthen Muslim New Yorkers, in the process paving the way for future Muslim leadership.

Although our gala has passed, it is not too late to be a part of that evening and help support MCN’s initiatives. We invite you to join us in expanding and strengthening our programs and help us carry out our mission while doubling our efforts to create meaningful dialogue amongst the Muslim community on college campuses, empowering young Muslims with strong role models and skills to lead their communities, and continuing to seek justice for the marginalized and needy of New York City. As Annam said, “Groups like MCN, with Allah’s help, are the reason why my Muslim peers and the next generation of Muslims will be able to have a better future in this city.”

“The process of creating change starts with someone stepping up. ”  ~ New York City Council Member Robert Jackson

MCN is proud to have joined CAIR-NY for the first ever Muslim Day at the Capitol in Albany. During the course of the day, we met with over 65 offices of elected officials, voicing our support for the creation of an Inspector General to oversee the NYPD, the recognition of Muslim holidays in the New York City Public School calendar and the establishment of a Muslim Advisory Council to inform and advise the State Legislature. Participants of the Muslim Day at the Capitol stepped up in a big way and put our community’s issues on our legislatures’ agendas.

CAIR-NY deserves an incredible amount of credit and appreciation for its stepping up and initiating the Muslim Day at the Capitol, as do the day’s community sponsors the Bangladeshi American Advocacy Group and the Council on Immigrants Rights.

As part of this skill building, mentors led focus groups exploring students’ career goals and life aspirations, as well as the steps they plan to need to reach them. MCN invited Shuan Ahmad and Vivian Lau, two members of “How Money Works,” an organization that provides high school students with knowledge on financial literacy, to provide a brief overview on personal finance and a hands-on budgeting workshop.

At the end of the session, it was apparent that the students had reached a comfort level with the mentors and had increased their determination to reach their goals. We’re very excited about the progress of the MY NYC program and thankful for the support from community members in helping pave the way for a brighter future for these students.

The Test of Freedom follows the lives of nine Muslim Americans who live out their faith and confront discrimination in ways that uplift those around them. Rejecting portrayals as the villain or the victim, they set forward their own narratives about the role of Islam in an increasingly diverse and divided America.

After the screening, MCN’s Executive Director, Ashleigh Zimmerman, moderated the post-screening Q&A panel discussion with Director Khaliff Watkins, Producer, A. A Yasiin, and Director of Center for Interfaith Affairs at the Peace Islands Institute, Ibrahim Sayar. The discussion following the film explored additional ways in which the audience could support American Muslims as they face increasing discrimination in the U.S., and the impact the filmmakers hoped to make in producing the film.

By the end of the session, both mentors and students had opened up considerably. To close the session, we asked the students for words to describe their experience meeting the mentors and launching the program. Some of their responses included, “interesting”, “inspired”, “dope”, “committed” and “excited for future sessions.” They also mentioned their hopes to not only learn more about their future career paths, but also to learn from the life experiences of their mentors. One mentor commented, “The students definitely have a great outlook on what they hope to gain from the experience, maybe even better than some of the mentors.” He also mentioned looking forward to getting to know the students further in the next session – which will be the last introductory session before mentors and students are paired off.’s common interests through free-style conversation on topics of their choice.

On Monday, March 11^th, the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) project released the report, “Mapping Muslims: NYPD Spying and its Impact on American Muslims.” The report highlights the impact surveillance has had on Muslim New Yorker’s religious life, college studies, and freedom of speech. In addition, the report describes how the surveillance of Muslim Communities has eroded trust between American Muslims and the police assigned to protect them.

MCN’s Program Associate, Maryam Said, spoke at the report’s press conference, discussing the effect NYPD’s surveillance has had on her college experience. Maryam shared, “I joined the Muslim Student Association, only to find silence. Not the silence of individuals who had nothing to say, but the silence of those whose speech has been repressed from fear of who may be out there listening, misinterpreting, and labeling them as potential suspects to a crime they did not commit.” Following her comments, Maryam and other Muslim Community members attempted to enter the NYPD’s headquarters to deliver the report to Commissioner Ray Kelly, but were denied entry to the building. On Wednesday, March 13^th, Maryam joined HuffPost Live to continue to share her experiences and the findings of the Mapping Muslims report. Maryam commented that the criminalization of faith must end.

To read the full report, please click here.

Greetings of Peace!

On behalf of the board and staff of the Muslim Consultative Network, we look forward to seeing you at our 3rd Annual Gala, “Daring to Act Boldly: Connecting our Strengths to our Convictions.” Purchase your tickets today!

The night will be an opportunity to celebrate our work, our honorees and to recognize the bold work being done on behalf of New York City’s diverse Muslim Community. Our annual gala is a ticketed event where we gather friends and supporters to share our successes from the previous year and vision for the year to come. Proceeds from this year’s gala will go towards reaching MCN’s goals for 2013. These include: strengthening our established alliances, introducing our work and the NYC Muslim Com

munity to those we have not met before, doubling our efforts to create meaningful dialogue amongst the Muslim community on college campuses, empowering young Muslims with strong role models and skills to lead their communities, and continuing to seek justice for the marginalized and needy of New York City.

Announcing our fabulous keynote speaker, Ameena Matthews! Mother and wife, Ameena Matthews has dedicated her life and career as a Community Activist towards Peace Building and Social Change. In 2006, Ameena joined Ceasefire, an award winning scientific public health model that has been proven to reduce shootings and killings. Working with Ceasefire for the past six years, Ameena has used her experience and knowledge in her neighborhood, to seek out and build relationships with troubled youths who are susceptible to the social norms of violence that still exist on the streets. Watch Ameena’s interview on the Colbert Report here!

Honorees of the evening will include:

The New York Chapter of the Islamic Center of North America (ICNA) - a nonprofit organization with over 150 volunteers that works to provide aid to those in need throughout the United States. Following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, ICNA immediately stepped in once the storms cleared to aid in the relief effort and has been continuing to do so ever since.

Fahd Ahmed - Fahd is legal and policy director of Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM). Currently, Ahmed leads DRUM’s work on national security, racial profiling, and police accountability in the Racial and Immigrant Justice program, and is also developing a community law practice focusing on the same issues. Immediately after 9/11, he led DRUM’s work with Muslim, Arab, and South Asian immigrant detainees and their families.

Fahd has also been active in the Muslim community as an activist, and draws upon an understanding of Islamic theology that is committed to the ideals of social justice and to the spirit of liberation that lies at the center of Islam.

Rashida Tlaib - Representative Tlaib was raised in Detroit and is the child of immigrants, who taught her the importance of hard work, honesty, and commitment to community.  As the eldest of 14 children, she developed leadership qualities that made her responsible, caring, and compassionate toward others.   In 1998, she received her B.A. in Political Science from Wayne State University.  While working full-time, she attended weekend classes at Thomas Cooley Law School, where she earned her law degree in January of 2004. Her family’s struggle to create a new life in Detroit inspired Rashida’s long term commitment to public service and giving back to the community.  She provided social and advocacy services to thousands of local families at Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development (LASED), the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), the Office of State Representative Steve Tobocman, the International Institute of Metro Detroit, and the Neighborhood Tax Center.

Rashida was elected to Michigan House of Representatives in 2008, representing the 12th District (Detroit). Rashida made history by becoming the first female Muslim elected to the Michigan Legislature, and only second in the country. Rashida has been married to her husband, Fayez, for fifteen years. Together they have two sons, Adam (6) and Yusuf (1).

The United Methodist Women, Sojourners, and T’ruah: The Rabbinic call for Human Rights, all of whom who organized to promote positive messages consistent with values we embrace as Americans, in contrast to the Islamophobic ads published by the American Freedom Defense Initiative. These groups embody the true spirit of interfaith understanding and support. For their bold commitment to protecting the religious freedom of all Americans from those who would like to implant fear and disunity, we honor their stand.

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Early bird tickets are just $100 until March 15th, after which they will be $125.

Again, we look forward to seeing you!

Best,

Ashleigh Zimmerman, Executive Director, Muslim Consultative Network

Debbie Almontaser, President, Board of Directors, Muslim Consultative Network

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For almost ten years, the Muslim Consultative Network has worked to strengthen and unify the diverse New York City Muslim community through dialogue, education, collaboration, social action. MCN is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that depends on financial support from foundations and the communities in which we work. To learn more about our work, please visit our website www.mcnny.org.