raushan
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
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 Topic initiated on Saturday, June 13, 2009 - 8:24 AM 
Obama's Muslim advisor
Washington: Dalia Mogahed, a hijab-clad American Muslim, has made history being the first Muslim woman appointed to a position in President Barack Obama's administration. She sets on a newly-formed interfaith advisory board the administration hopes will improve relations with Muslims in the US and across the globe.
What is your role as an advisor on Islam?
I would not say I am an advisor on Islam. I would say that it is my role to convey the facts about what Muslims think and feel. I see my role as offering the voices of the silenced majority of Muslims in America and around the world to the council so that our deliberations are informed by their ideas and wisdom. I believe that I was chosen because the administration cares about what Muslims think and wants to listen.
What kind of advise would you be giving Obama to improve relations with US Muslims and the Muslim world?
I would advise him to listen first and foremost. Many have claimed that terrorists have 'hijacked Islam'. I disagree. I think Islam is safe and thriving in the lives of Muslims around the world. What the terrorists have been allowed to take over are Muslim grievances. Muslim concerns over injustice have been largely dismissed by the previous administration leaving a vacuum exploited by extremists. This is a dangerous reality for all of us. Instead, the US must hear mainstream Muslim concerns even if America does not agree with their perceptions. These issues can no longer be ignored or left and the extremists to monopolize.
http://tinyurl.com/kls7fn
Edited by: raushan on Saturday, June 13, 2009 12:25 PM |
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