ISNA Convention - Inaugural Session Lives Up to Theme of ‘Balance’

Sheila Musaji

The theme of the 43rd annual ISNA convention was ‘Achieving Balance in Faith, Family, and Community’.  The Inaugural Session set the tone.

Sh. Muhammad Nur Abdullah, the outgoing President introduced this theme and suggested that by achieving balance we would make America a better place for everyone.  He stressed that as American Muslims, this is our home, and a person must defend and protect his home, and that defending the safety of America is our religious duty.  He also noted that it is hurtful when we are looked as alien, and that the Muslim community is as diverse as the rest of America.  More than 50 nationalities are represented in this gathering alone, and all Americans are immigrants except the Native Americans. 

A number of special guests and dignitaries each said a few words.  These included Gordon England, Deputy Secretary of Defense; Alina Romanowski, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs; Mark Ward, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Asia and the Near East at USAID; and, David Richardson, Boy Scouts of America.

Ingrid Mattson, the incoming President of ISNA spoke about both inter-faith and intra-faith dialogue, and the importance of willingness to hear and engage with those of differing opinions.  She noted that ISNA is a network of communities and offers a platform for dialogue.  She also noted that there is no single organization that speaks for all of the Muslims in America.  Prior to the Inaugural Session in a press conference she criticised President George W Bush’s use of the term “Islamic fascism” when describing the enemy in the “war on terror”.  “This is a term that had very bad resonance in the Muslim majority world and makes us feel uncomfortable,” she said. “We’re hoping there can be some adjustment to this language.”

Malik Mujahid told a story about a Muslim, Salman Hamdani,  who rushed to the World Trade Center with his medical bag to try to save lives on 9/11.  He died in the building collapse.  For 5 months his family had to endure rumors that he might have been one of the terrorists, and that he was in hiding.  Finally, his remains were found, and he was cleared and honored as a hero.  He made the point that this is the dilemma and frustration of American Muslims who are looked at with suspicion by their fellow Americans.  He also noted that it is important that government officials also know our concerns.  We have a voice, we feel for our country and we pray for a secure future for all.

The theme of the conference was represented in the program with many sessions focusing on interfaith dialogue, as well as sessions on Sunni-Shia unity and on building community networks.

(Note:  Over the next few weeks we hope to have a series of articles on various sessions at the convention.)