WISE Up: Knowledge Ends Extremism. A full-day Summit on Thursday, October 26, 2017 9:00am-10:15am at the Carnegie Institution for Science, 1530 P Street NW., Washington DC

Supporting National Security, Interfaith alliances, Bi-Partisan efforts, and countering bigotry you are key to its ongoing success. WISE Up is a multi-faceted campaign aimed at promoting the authentic Muslim narrative of peace, compassion, diversity and civic engagement in America. At its core, WISE Up uses knowledge as the most powerful tool against all forms of extremism & hate and centers around a 400-page research and evidence-based report authored by 60 noted scholars, faith leaders, and public servants. In this resource, both Muslim and non-Muslim experts have provided their expertise on practical ways to counter extremism, hate, bigotry, and terrorism committed in the name of Islam by groups like ISIS.

The Summit will begin with a Press Conference. Our purpose is to call special attention to this non-partisan, community-led collaboration between scholars, community leaders and activists from diverse ideologies and national origins, who have come together to transform American Muslim life, strengthen our national unity, and amplify our voice.

The Summit sessions will include round table discussions among the contributors of the WISE Up Report which will be moderated by a media personality and structured around three modules of WISE Up report as listed below. The sessions will be live streamed via web.

1. Voices of American Muslims – provides a snapshot of American Muslim life by highlighting American Muslims’ engagement in public life, which aligns with the foundational American ethos; the challenges they confront as American citizens; and creative ways that they deal with these challenges. It also highlights 30 notable Muslims who enrich America.

2. Islamic Theology vs. Extremist Ideology – showcases the history of Islam, its core values, practices and beliefs, and provides a clear comparison between true Islamic teachings with ISIS’s false dogma. It debunks eight core Islamic concepts which ISIS and distort and utilize as propaganda to mislead vulnerable individuals.

3. Preventing Extremist Recruitment – details extremists’ 16 steps of recruitment on social media. It identifies push and pull factors that motivate men and women to join; provides preventative tools that focus on strengthening individuals and families, a parents’ and counselors’ guide, bystander intervention, bullying and countering hate speech; It highlights inspiring stories of 40 Muslim heroes and lists Muslim/interfaith initiatives promoting interfaith and cross-cultural understanding.

Also included was a pilgrimage during the last 10 days of RAMADAN and attending the Jumuah (Friday Prayer) at Masjidul Haraam where each prayer is as if 100,000 had been made. We enjoyed an Iftar (break fast meal) and felt the spirit of Ramadan.

In one of the pictures below, you will also see Imam’s Talib Shareef and Abdul Rahman Shareef at The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Television and Broadcasting station in Riyadh. Appearing as guest for a one hour program with Host Khaled Alalaiwi. Addressing Islam in America during RAMADAN and in general, as well as their goals and wishes for their time in Saudi Arabia. Accompanied by American Embassy officials. Additional photo with movie actress Mariam and Sara at the studio.

The trip served as a dynamic platform for much needed conversations; in the areas of peacebuilding, representation of the good of beauty of Islam, citizenship, what it means to be Muslim (here and abroad), shared efforts to manage conflict, and much more. We look forward to follow-ups from our efforts and additional resources.

We join the President and all across our nation who are offering condolences and prayers from the deepest place in their hearts and souls for the immediate and extended families of the victims whose lives were taken, shaken, shattered and left void, by yet another senseless act of violence. We strongly condemn this atrocious hate-terrorist attack in Orlando and any of such attacks anywhere in the world. We continue to be shocked and pained by these futile, savage attacks against humanity and they must be stopped.

While the Killer is said to have claimed allegiance to ISIL and identifies with the religion of Al-Islam, our position, the position of Islam, is that it doesn’t matter who the attacker is or what misguided sentiment in the society ill-inspired him or what he claims, his actions are criminal, inhumane, and are an outright betrayal of and not condoned by Islam, Christianity, Judaism or any of the other beautiful faith traditions. Any person or group, no matter how desperate their situation, no matter what their cause, there is no justifica­tion for them to murder and make helpless, vulnerable, or innocent humans the target of their hate or their inhumane actions. The Qur’an states that ALL life is sacred, and that the value of one life is equal to all of humanity. In the words of the great humanitarian, man of peace, the people’s champ (may the Almighty rest his beautiful soul):

I’m a Muslim. I’ve been a Muslim for 20 years. . . . You know me. I’m a boxer. I’ve been called the greatest. People recognize me for being a boxer and a man of truth. I wouldn’t be here representing Islam if it were terrorist. . . . I think all people should know the truth, come to recognize the truth. Islam is peace.

We ask the people of our nation to not reciprocate the killer’s hate or his actions because his actions were created by hate, and hate just produces more hate, just as extremes produce extremes. It is experiences like these that usher forth the needs of our collective souls and our common life, and shine a bright light on our unity and strength as a nation. So, let us respond with a helping embracive hand.   Let us maximize the best of our good nature and faith teachings of love, mercy, compassion, peace, universal brotherhood and concern for humanity and human life. Together, united upon that inherent goodness and love we can reduce these small worlds of hate and evil, and create environments where such a climate of violence does not exist.

This massacre comes on the anniversary of the massacre at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, and upon a series of too many others. We must look at these mass killings and value our intrinsic nature to live intelligently and learn from them so they do not continue to occur. Whether it is gun laws, violence in games, media, or concerns in areas of mental health; we cannot close our eyes to the signs we are given. Nor can we close our eyes to the roles that our actions, thoughts, words, products, and services play in nurturing the minds of our fellow citizens.

I end this with a quote mentioned in the wonderful memorial service and life of the great humanitarian and people’s Champ, Muhammad Ali:

“We all have the same God, we just serve him differently. Rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, oceans all have different names, but they all contain water. So do religions have different names, and they all contain truth, expressed in different ways forms and times. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew. When you believe in God, you should believe that all people are part of one family. If you love God, you can’t love only some of his children”

Muhammad Abdur Rahim

This year’s announcement by the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper highlighting that homegrown extremists will likely pose the most significant Sunni threat to the U.S. homeland in 2016 along with an uptick of arrests and indictment in Philadelphia and Baltimore by African American Muslim converts are of major concern. Earlier this year, a Philadelphia man, Edward Archer attacked a police officer invoking ISIS and a Maryland man, Malik Alim Jones was arrested for his involvement with al-Qa’ida affiliate al-Shabaab.  

These latest attacks and events further builds on the recent 51 minute al-Shabaab recruitment video targeting and recruiting African American youth to jihad which is part of a decades’ long effort by violent extremists to specifically recruit from troubled, dissociated and vulnerable segments of the community. Since 2008, Al-Qaida’s then second in command Ayman al Zawahiri sought to interlace domestic African American racial grievances with the global jihad movement. In a video message after President Barack Obama election. Zawahiri’s message presented video motifs of Malcolm X, attempting to exploit historical African American Muslim activism as a potential means for future radicalization. However at the time, the message largely fell upon the deaf ears of mainstream and African American media.

Historically, segments of the African American community have been exposed to multiple types of violent extremism because mainly urban marginalized communities have been impacted by perceived historic injustices making them vulnerable and easy fodder- appealing to a collective sense of injustice, feelings of deprivation and social alienation – the formula that violent extremists groups exploit to win over converts the way a gang recruits.

Since 2001, at least half of the most recent prominent attacks and plotting in the United States were carried out by U.S. born men.  Of them, at least 35 African American(non-African immigrant) converts were involved in these events and constituted one of the largest single ethnic group involved in these actions. These individuals’ stories and paths to radicalization reveal a variety of reasons for why this demographic group is joining ISIS – from social alienation to political grievances.”

The events in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland, along with the growing popularity of America’s Black Lives Matters movement, has brought to the forefront issues between urban communities and the police into sharp focus especially among the broader African American community. Furthermore, these current challenges in urban communities throughout America have also convened ISIL facilitators and sympathizers seeking to capitalize on recent events. A number of online ISIL supporters over the past several months have used hashtags and twitter account feeds to express their solidarity and support for African American youth negatively affected by the U.S. criminal justice system and perceived inequities as a way to appeal to them.

Recruitment efforts by extremists who identify with a fundamentalist interpretive are nothing new. Missionary activities started in the early 1990s when the reawakening of African American social identity coincided with the aggressive recruitment mission undertaken by wealthy Gulf based funders. In America, the epicenters of East Orange, New Jersey, and Philadelphia became recruiting grounds where lucrative educational scholarships, satellite exchanges with Saudi-based clerics and immediate infusions of cash into urban communities desperate for resources were provided.  Social media and the Internet have just made it more visible.  

The abovementioned incidents indicate that a small segment of African American converts have been exposed to and are readily susceptible to dangerous extremist rhetoric.  However, violent extremist messages can be mitigated. Social scientists indicate that the vast majority of African American Muslims represent an example of synergy between American and Islamic shared values. The examples of African American Muslims like hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco, Mara Brock Akil, film producer in Hollywood with shows like Girlfriends and the Jamie Foxx Show to name a few along with Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, two internationally notable African American Muslims, who despite being highly critical of past injustices within American society channeled their frustrations through the public and legal parameters. My own personal story as a third generation African American Muslim, whose professional and personal life represents the rich tradition of a multi religious and ethnic family is testimony of American pluralism. These examples and achievements should be targeted to the same African American youth that al-Shabaab’s recent video and other extremists prey upon in an effort to show a third way to channel frustration and violence.

About the Author:
Mr. Muhammad Fraser-Rahim is a specialist on countering violent extremism and counter-radicalization issues. Mr. Fraser-Rahim is a Ph.D. candidate at Howard University and worked for the United States Government for more than a decade providing strategic analytical advice on CVE at the National Counterterrorism Center supporting directly the White House and the National Security Council.

Why?

American Muslims have been forced to defend their faith and civil liberties, facing a candle burning at both ends with Islamophobes’ bias and hate speech on one side and violent extremists who claim to represent Islam on the other. They endure near daily assaults on both their religion and their bodies. According to a recent poll released by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), more than half of American Muslims have reported experiencing discrimination within the past year because of their religion. Eighteen percent report that they experience discrimination regularly – the highest of any faith group.

Positive portrayals of Islam and Muslims are needed now more than ever. We need more stories like the one in which little Jack Swanson donated his piggybank savings to a local mosque that had been vandalized, the U.S. Service Members on social media who promised 8-year old Sofia that they will protect her, and Olympic hijabi athlete Ibtihaj Muhammad who will represent Team USA in Rio this summer. Such stories are all testaments to their dignity, equality and rightful place in the American mosaic. They demonstrate and affirm that American Muslims matter, and that the anti-Muslim narrative we see today is unacceptable and un-American. Continue Reading

We join our President and all right-minded people around the world who are offering condolences and prayers from the deepest place in their hearts and souls for the people of France and the families of the innocent lives taken by yet another atrocious, senseless act of violence.

We strongly condemn this terrorist attack in France and any of such attacks anywhere in the world. We continue to be shocked and pained by these futile, savage attacks against humanity and they must be stopped.

While ISIL has claimed responsibility, our position is that it doesn’t matter who the attackers are or what they claim, their actions are criminal, inhumane, and are an outright betrayal of and not condoned by Islam, Christianity, Judaism or any of the other beautiful faith communities.  Any person or group, no matter how desperate their situation, no matter how much their hearts are paining because of wrong that has been done to them, or no matter what their cause, there is no justification for them to murder and make helpless, vulnerable, or innocent humans the target of their hate or their inhumane actions.  

We ask the people of France and the world to not reciprocate their hate or their actions but rather seek justice against those responsible.  We call upon all religious leaders to maximize their Faith’s teachings of love, mercy, compassion, peace, universal brotherhood and concern for humanity and human life.  The Almighty is merciful and has placed more good and love in the world than not, together, united upon that inherent goodness and love we can reduce these small worlds of hate and evil.  We have a responsibility to exhibit the best of our human and religious identity, by following the examples of Prophets Muhammad, Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ, etc, (Peace be upon all of them).