Young American Muslims in DC
By Ayah
Too often young Muslims are painted as extremist, disenfranchised, and violent. Time and again, we hear media and politicians describe the conflict in the Middle East as being framed around “Why do they hate us?
A few weeks ago I attended a Young Muslim Leaders Summit organized by the Muslim Public Affairs. The group of 24 young Muslim leaders from across the United States ranged in age from 16 to 28 and represented eleven states. The purpose of the Summit was to engage with policymakers, civil society, and opinion shapers. Our meeting included roundtables with members of Congress, officials from various Departments in the government (DHS, DOJ, State, and Treasury), Interfaith groups, and think tanks.
The summit reaffirmed my desire, as a young American Muslim, to engage on a greater level with my community and political leaders. But it also reflected the powerful message of future Young Muslims’ engagement in American policymaking.
Our first visit reframed how even we, as young American Muslims, see Muslims abroad. We went to the World Gallup headquarters to meet with Dalia Mogahed of the Gallup’s Center for Muslim Studies and Steven Grand of the Brookings Institution. Mogahed presented the on the book "Who Speaks for Islam?". The book described research on the perception of the United States and the West among Muslims worldwide. According to the data, the top things that Muslims around the world admired about the United States and the West are freedom, civil right, and other characteristics of a democratic society.
Our first Congressional visit was with Congressman Frank Wolf’s (R-VA). Some of our meetings genuinely surprised me. For example, upon meeting Rep. Frank Wolf (D – Va.) the most controversial topic wasn’t the conflicts in the Middle East but the state of the environment. But after discussion, the Congressman and my group eventually realized our goal was ultimately the same: We seek to protect and better our great nation. Our lively discussion with the Congressman covered issues ranging from the religious freedom to national security. Not only were our voices heard as young people, but also as young engaged Muslims in America.
We were given the unprecedented opportunity to engage on the highest level with legislatures and bureaucrats, by asking them hard-hitting questions and getting to know them on a personal level.
Our meeting with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D- Calif.) was among the meetings that stood out. She not only took the time to learn a little about each delegate, but she also discussed some of her own struggles in becoming one of only sixteen women in the Senate. Given the opportunity to engage on a personal level with a high ranking Senator from California struck me as momentous. This not only meant a great chance to be heard as American Muslims, but also to be seen on a national level as real players on the political field.
The Summit appropriately concluded with a banquet speech by Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim member of Congress. He urged the delegates to live up to our religious and national responsibility and to help our country to become even greater by engaging on all levels of society and government. His speech echoed what I’d heard throughout the three days and inspired me to keep on engaging: To keep on being heard and seen because soon politicians, and even the media, will listen.
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