The largest gathering of Muslims in North America can be found nowhere other than at the Islamic Society of North America convention (ISNA). ISNA’s 53rd annual conference that took place Sep. 2-5 in Chicago was themed Turning Points: Navigating Challenges, Seizing Opportunities to address the Muslim community about strengthening the Muslim American identity, building bridges and working to achieve justice for all.
Throughout the convention, important issues in America were discussed including social justice, minorities, Islamophobia, race and religion. During ISNA’s Saturday main event, Carpe Diem: A Call to Action, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson gave a special message to the Muslim community.
While many saw it as a positive turning point in terms of a progressive effort for Muslims being recognized as a part of the American society, others felt Johson had no place at the convention. During his speech, a few members of the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms made last minute efforts to protest his presence as they held up a single sign that said “stop deporting families” with “CVE” (countering violent extremism) written on the back. Four others wore handcuffs with their arms raised in the middle of the hall. While they certainly did not grab much attention—some quickly noticed and thanked the demonstrators for giving rise to the important immigration issue.
“For me personally, the department of homeland security has been at the helm of many problematic post 9/11 policies that have targeted Muslims—this is not only including recent deportation of immigrants--but also programs like CARRP which have denied Muslims citizenship to the U.S. There are a host of policies that the DHS has been at the forefront of so I felt like it was imperative to speak out against this agency that has perpetuated Islamophobia…I don’t think there is a place for a government official at such a gathering,” Executive Director of the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms Dr. Maha Hilal said.
These protestors weren’t the only ones who thought to speak out. While advocating that issues such as black lives matter, health reform and immigration are Muslim issues, racial justice and civil rights justice activist Linda Sarsour explained what it means to be unapologetically Muslim by criticizing ISNA for giving the Secretary of DHS a platform to speak at the gathering.
“Do you know that our country deports 1,000 immigrants every single day? That our detention centers that hold immigrants are even worse than 4th world countries; I’ve visited them and I’ve seen them with my own eyes. So the fact that we’re giving a man a platform that runs an agency in our country that deports undocumented immigrants--and one that detains immigrants for no charges but being undocumented-- and we’re allowing him and giving him a platform here is something we need to be speaking up against,” Sarsour said.
Sarsour, upholding her definition of being unapologetically Muslim, called to give Muslim organizations “tough love” and to hold them accountable to the communities they claim to represent.
“With all my love for ISNA--my deep love for ISNA-- I’m disappointed that we’re giving a platform to Jeh Johson at this conference,” Sarsour said.
Dr. Yasir Qadhi also criticized the Department of Homeland Security during his speech at the main event claiming that their policies have only made America less safe.
On the other hand, ISNA President Azhar Azeez said that despite the criticism, he would invite Johnson over and over again while emphasizing the importance of engagement.
“The American Muslim community has matured over time. Engagement with people who agree with us and people who disagree with us should be part and parcel of our lives…This is our government. We are proud citizens of this great land…It took us decades of hard work, decades of outreach to reach to this point. At the end of the day, whether you like it or not, he is a cabinet member, he’s holding a very important position and you have a far better chance to convince and convey your message than taking the approach of boycott. We strongly believe engagement has to happen all the time,” Azeez Said.
Azeez explained that engagement is necessary for overcoming differences, reaching grounds of understanding and finding solutions. ISNA has been engaged with government officials for quite some time including President Barack Obama who has been sending special messages in the last four years.
“We have been engaged at the highest level and this is a great blessing living in a vibrant, pluralistic democracy. Yes, there are times when we disagree with each other, but we always have to be civil and present our views without any fear, courageously, openly, honestly, and this is the only way we can move forward. I think this is one of the reasons why we were able to sustain this organization for 53 years because with time we changed without compromising on our basic principles,” Azeez said.
Both Sarsour and Azeez look towards the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a role model for their work as he was an activist in every way and engaged with the community at every level despite the difficulties.
