On Sunday, the Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) held the 31st annual Unity Banquet at Burton Manor in Livonia, Michigan. The keynote speaker was first Executive Director of Muslim Advocates, Farhana Khera.
Khera attended the event to give voice and reasoning to why the Muslim community needs to stand united. She talked about the Muslim advocacy and how no one should have to live in fear for their beliefs.
The fight to end the Muslim ban is far from over. However, Khera had a great deal of positive results that the Muslim advocacy has tried and succeeded in helping push back the ban.
“While the Muslim ban fight is far from over…I am so glad that my initial fears have proven wrong,” Khera said. “Today something is different and as I stand before you I have hope. While the challenges are serious and many and may even seem daunting at times, together I have hope that we can, and we will win this fight for the soul of our country.”
Khera continues the fight for religious freedom for everyone and for a brighter future. “This is not a time to be silent, to keep your head down and wish things would go away. This is time to act,” said Khera.
Another prominent figure at the banquet was Channel 7 reporter, Simon Shayket, who was recognized tonight for his inclusive reporting style. His continuous efforts on covering the Muslim ban protests have helped gain followers on the efforts being made.
The individuals who have made huge strides were not the only ones being brought into the spotlight. The individuals who have made large efforts in smaller regions were also called up on stage. Each member had a spotlight on them. The diversity of their efforts was recognized by all attending and will continue to inspire others to make effort.
The MMCC celebrated everyone who not only continues to make efforts in the community but for the support given by others, even non-Muslim Americans.
MMCC continues to host events like these to bring all groups of people together and to help keep the mission and move forward to bring social justice and unity to the community.
by: Jasmine Hasni Henderson Outreach and Communications Coordinator ICNA Relief- Muslim Family Services, Detroit MI
ICNA Relief USA – Muslim Family Services held a Comedy event to help raise funds for their Refugee programs in Wayne, Mich. Saturday October 7. Approximately $50,000 was raised during this event by generous supporters.
The affair was a well attended success with over 400 guests present and a volunteer presence that was full of enthusiasm and dedication. Local organizations such as Helping Hand, Mechanic One, Zaza’s Mediterranean Grill, Abdu Market, BNG Mulitservices, and The Muslim Observer were generous enough to sponsor and attend the event.
Photo Credit: Jasmine Hasni Henderson and Joseph Figlioli
The atmosphere was electric as attendees were ready to laugh their hearts out! The anticipation of the past few weeks had finally been met with smiles and eagerness as guests registered and were ushered into the Oak Room at Wayne Tree Manor. Muslim Family Services (MFS), in collaboration with Young Muslim Brothers, had decided to take this fundraising event and turn it into “Comedy for a Cause”.
“Having a different approach to fundraising is always a good change,” said acting Administrative Director of MFS Summi Akther said. “We wanted to give our donors, sponsors, and volunteers an event that they could enjoy and remember for years to come!”
With this idea in mind, ICNA Relief-MFS did indeed put the “FUN” in FUNdraiser! As the emcee, Faizan Mumtaz welcomed and introduced the program. guests were filled with delight to see the first comedian walk up to the stage, Jeremy McLellan started off the program with a bang!
Photo Credit: Jasmine Hasni Henderson and Joseph Figlioli
McLellan signed on with ICNA Relief USA to do an 11 city tour to collect funds for ICNA’s refugee programs. Detroit was his 10th stop. The biryani-loving comedian is known for writing about his love for biryani and his humorous commentary on American politics, immigration, Islamophobia and race. His understanding of Islam, diversity of Muslims and Pakistani culture has made him popular among the South Asian population.
This show was not only a single act, but a double, as Stand-Up Comedian Azhar Usman took the stage for round two of ultimate laughs. Laughter did not cease for the next 45 minutes as Usman cracked jokes about the different ethnic groups among the Muslim community.
Usman’s “I said it, but you thought it” approach makes his act something everyone can relate to. ICNA Relief-Muslim Family Services Detroit’s addition of Azhar Usman made the show even better! Funnyman Azhar Usman was an attorney by trade, but now is a stand-up comic, actor, writer, playwright and producer.
Photo Credit: Jasmine Hasni Henderson and Joseph Figlioli
He is one of Chicago’s top standup comics; CNN called him “America’s Funniest Muslim,” and Georgetown University identified him as “one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World.”
In 2010, standup icon Dave Chappelle–for whom Usman has opened over 50 times–commented “Azhar is untouchable!”
After the comedians had concluded, a hearty late lunch was served consisting of: lamb biryani, butter chicken with naan, pasta with Alfredo sauce, veggie makhni, hummus, fattoush salad, AND dessert- everyone ate to their heart’s content.
“An afternoon out for families and friends is something we all need once in a while and this event not only was fun and entertaining, but it was for a good cause! Money well spent and donated!” one attendee said.
Photo Credit: Jasmine Hasni Henderson and Joseph Figlioli
Overall, the Refugee Relief Tour: Comedy for a Cause 11-city tour grossed a quarter of a million dollars to benefit ICNA Relief’s refugee programs nation-wide.
For more information on ICNA Relief- Muslim Family Services programs or if you would like to volunteer or donate, visit their website here or call their Detroit office at (313)-366-6800.
*All proceeds of the fundraising event will go toward ICNA Relief USA- Muslim Family Services Refugee programs.
American Muslim youth in Michigan are encouraged to submit a mason jar filled with symbolic items representing their identity for a collaborative interactive art gallery at the Hamtramck art hub Public Pool, called “Preserving Identity: A Muslim American Youth Experience” by May 8. The gallery hopes to showcase 50-100 jars. The artwork will be displayed on Saturdays between May 13- June 24.
The project began as an idea by Wayne State University student and Hamtramck resident Nushrat Rahman who sought more American Muslim representation in art. With an increase of anti-Muslim rhetoric and bullying in the public sphere, the project puts a positive spin on sharing and celebrating American Muslim identity in the U.S.
“I wanted to take the mic back,” Rahman said. She teamed up with artist Sarah Rose Sharp, Muslim American Society (MAS) Youth Detroit, and Public Pool to make that happen.
The interactive gallery aims to encourage Muslim youth, up to 26-years-old, to explore what it means to be American Muslim by filling a transparent jar with objects that represent them, beginning with the participant reflecting on their unique identities and experiences and ending with sharing their personal story.
Rahman said, “Our identities as Muslim Americans comes in various shades and hues, that intersects in many ways. This project is an exercise in reflection on what makes us–uniquely us–as Muslim American youth.”
Rahman is collecting jars until May 8, 2017. Contact Rahman to arrange a pick-up or drop-off: nushratr21@gmail.com or 313.244.5003.
The exhibition’s opening night is May 13 at Public Pool, 3309 Caniff St, Hamtramck, MI 48212.
As the Trump administration completes its first one hundred days in office, hate has a second wind in public. According to the Anti-Defamation Leagues 2017 Audit of Semitic Incidents, anti-Semitism has spiked sharply, as have the number of personal and physical attacks on Muslim Americans, with such hatred on display with the damage and destruction of several mosques across the country. Rather than condemnations for such venom from our elected officials, politicians have responded to the rise of Islamophobia by echoing and legitimizing it. Yet another round of anti-Shariah legislation is making its way through state capitals to avert a nonexistent menace instead of combatting real problems that impact most Americans.
First term Michigan state representative Michele Hoitenga represents the 102nd district in the state. It has a population of 99,000, over 95% of which is white. Eager to tackle the tough issues facing her constituents, Rep. Hoitenga has proposed a bill aimed at restricting state courts from enforcing foreign law in Michigan. House Bill 4499 does not use the word “Shariah,” (Islamic law) but the target of the legislative effort is clear: Muslim Americans, who comprise roughly 2.75% of Michigan’s population. Ms. Hoitenga’s supposed motivation for offering this bill, according to correspondence to prospective co-sponsoring colleagues, is her reaction to the arrests of three Michigan Muslims, two of them physicians, charged with female genital mutilation (FGM). Hoitenga believes this practice is sanctioned and mandated by Shariah.
Rep. Hoitenga’s strategy to marshal support for her bill is certainly clever; FGM is a horrible practice, one that unfortunately is still a cultural, rather than religious, imperative in some parts of Africa and Asia. It is understandably an issue that evokes a deeply emotional response and will serve as a clarion call to action against it. But a bill to ban Shariah is not the proper tactic. Laws criminalizing FGM already exist and are enforced. And if Rep. Hoitenga was truly concerned about the medical welfare of young Muslim women, perhaps she should have refrained from co-sponsoring House Bill 4221 in February of this year, which calls for withholding state funds from reproductive health facilities that include abortions within their services.
The language of House Bill 4499 is based upon a template that has made its way around the nation over the past few years. Its author/architect is David Yerushalami, a lawyer whom the Southern Poverty Law Center has listed as a “leading anti-Muslim activist.” His influence, however, is quite broad among state capitals throughout the nation. Over the past seven years, anti-Shariah bills, many almost identical in language to Yerushalami’s construction, were introduced in 38 states throughout the country.
Rep. Hoitenga is also hardly the first politician to connect her Islamophobia with virulent opposition to women’s choice. In 2013, the North Carolina State House passed HB695, the Family Faith and Freedom Protection Act, a law apparently directed to ban Shariah from consideration by North Carolina courts for family law disputes. Before the floor vote, an amendment was attached that offered some of the nation’s most severe restrictions on a woman’s access to reproductive health care. HB695 was nothing more than co-opting the false danger of Shariah as cover to target women.
In 2014, the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) published “Manufacturing Bigotry,” a report I co-authored that confirmed the suspicion that Republican-controlled legislatures throughout the nation were engaged in a systematic agenda that restricted the rights of citizens based on their respective race, ethnicity, immigrant status, union membership, gender, religion, sexual identity, and religion. ISPU’s accompanying legislative map confirms that several state legislatures continue the effort to abrogate the rights of their constituents by fomenting fear and exploiting it for votes, visibility and campaign funds.
Rep. Michele Hoitenga’s proposed anti-Shariah bill for the Michigan State House of Representatives is simply the latest effort in a year’s long campaign to exploit fear of a foreign word, representing a foreign concept, targeting a people who are seen as the perennial foreigners in America. It demonstrates yet another cynical ploy to traffic in bigotry for political presence and electoral relevance. Fortunately, the courts properly deploy the Constitution to nullify such legislation. While judges may protect the public from frivolous laws, it is up to the public to protect itself from the frivolous politicians that propose them.
Saeed A. Khan is a lecturer in the Department of Near Eastern and Asian Studies at Wayne State University, a Fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) and co-author of the institute’s report “Manufacturing Bigotry.”
