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Muslim Congress in Southern California created to address terror prevention in communities
 | 02.22.2006 | 08:54:25 | Views: 5582 | ID:

February 22 '06: The Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council will unveil the Muslim-American Homeland Security Congress "to consolidate, expand and publicize Islamic efforts against terrorism," the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

"The new organization plans to deepen ties with law enforcement, encourage more religious leaders to speak out against terrorism, form a youth council and reach out to alienated Muslims to prevent any drift toward extremism," the LA paper found. The MAHSC was the result of more than six months of discussion between Southern Californian law enforcement officials and Muslim community leaders.

The new anti-terror congress is part of a larger Muslim-community lead effort to help raise awareness about the dangers of alienation and extremism and to help show the others in the US the Muslim community was doing something to help prevent domestic terrorism.

"Muslim leaders said they were eager to use the new congress as a showcase for their anti-terrorism efforts, which many believe remain little known by most Americans," the LA Times wrote.

"The Council on American-Islamic Relations, for instance has routinely issued public condemnations of terrorism, collected more than 690,000 signatures in a petition campaign denouncing hatred in the name of Islam and coordinated a group of North American scholars to issue a fatwa ... reiterating Islam's repudiation of religious extremism and violence against innocent people -including suicide bombs," the LA Times continued.

The organization has a nine-member executive board which will oversee a congress comprised of local Muslim community, school leaders as well as students, civil rights advocates, and religious leaders. US Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-Venice) has signed onto the congress as well.

 

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