Faith-based civic engagement and leadership: An American Muslim experience

1. The closed-door discussion on Faith-based civic engagement and leadership: An American Muslim experience was held on 8 August 2016. It was attended by about 40 participants from academic institutions, public agencies, local NGOs and students.

2. Faith-based activism was an enriching sharing session that explored the following questions – why is there a need for faith-based civic engagement and leadership? What are the strategies harnessed by American Muslim citizens, especially in light of rising anti-Muslim sentiment and hate crimes?

3. Imam Khalid started off by stating that in spite of secularism and a significant number of people who don’t subscribe to any religion, religiosity amongst Americans is actually on the rise. He cited the trend in New York University (NYU) as an example. NYU has institutionalised chaplains for every religion, including a humanist chaplain. They have been seeing a steady rise in student-led religious activities. There has also been an overwhelming demand for a newly developed programme entitled the Global Spiritual Life and a new module on Multifaith Leadership in the 21st Century. So much so that the organizers had to revise the courses to accommodate 300 students instead of the original target of 30 – 60 students per class. This trend is all the more significant because NYU is a secular university but recognises the students’ need for religious studies.

4. On the issue of rising Islamophobia in the US, Imam Khalid explained that bigotry and prejudice in the country has more to do with issues of race, ethnicity and class rather than religion. He calls it the ‘racialisation of religion’ and demonstrates that this is especially detrimental when individuals who hold policy-making positions hold such views. His considers such phobic attitudes symptomatic of a deeply-flawed educational system that has failed to inculcate a celebration of diversity and highlight the value of our common humanity in a society that has always been referred to as a ‘melting pot’ of cultures.

5. In response to this, American Muslim leadership have refused to remain quiet – they are offering powerful counter-narratives to the discourse of hate, by mobilising and empowering their communities to develop strategies of engagement, challenge unjust structures and join civic movements. Examples of inspirational American Muslim figures who are leading the way include the likes of Dalia Mogahed, Linda Sarsour, Omer Suleiman and Ibtihaj Mohammad. Imam Khalid asserts that the real catalysts of change from the American Muslim community are the ones who work at the grassroots and those who don’t compartmentalise their identities; being an American and a Muslim is not a conflict. Muslims are also building stronger, more robust and outcome-driven institutions that will offer sustainable spaces to nurture younger and creative Muslims to lead the community forward.

6. Imam Khalid admits that there is still a need to address the internal racism that exists within the community, they are also seeing a growing coalition of intra-faith and inter-faith solidarity that work collectively to lend their voice to the voiceless, and address and champion community’s needs. These coalitions allow American Muslims to build clout and lobby for institutional and structural changes, engage policy-makers and the media apparatus effectively, as exemplified by the recent decision by New York schools to declare Eid as a holiday. They also contribute to the public discourse on ethics and values to encourage people to think out-of-the-box and shape the future of their country.

7. In his concluding remarks, Imam Khalid asserts his hope of a better future, based on the current activism coming from American civic society, faithbased or otherwise. He says we need to have genuine conversations and the courage to do what is right. If you see bigotry, say something. If you see hatred, say something. If you see racism, say something. Everyone has to be the change that the world needs and our coming together today is the only meaningful way we can collectively shape our tomorrow.

Faith-based civic engagement and leadership: An American Muslim experience [PDF, 310 KB]