ISNA President Delivers Speech at United for Change Conference

On the eve of September 11, Muslim Americans gathered in Washington DC in an effort to create a collaborated response to hateful rhetoric and propaganda at the United for Change Conference http://www.unitedforchange.com/ .  United for Change gathers a wide array of Muslim leaders to create awareness, through modern discourse of the broadest and most consuming topics within the Muslim community.  This year's conference, "United We Stand: One Nation, One Destiny", aimed to express in clear terms, a proper and dignified Muslim response to the challenges presented by the rising tide of anti-Muslim bigotry in the country.

The conference focused on the themes of compassion and mercy, which are the foundations of our religious teachings and the starting point of a meaningful response to the challenges before us. Speakers included Karen Armstrong, John Esposito, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Yasir Qadhi, Imam Siraj Wahhaj, Dr. Tariq Ramadan, and Dr. Sherman Jackson.   The conference challenged attendees to contribute to the goal of creating a world characterized by greater harmony, peace and mutual cooperation through self-improvement and service to others.

 
ISNA President Imam Mohamed Magid spoke in an afternoon session at the conference.  Imam Magid's speech, entitled "Mercy Manifested in the Spirit of the Law: Lessons from the Time of the Prophet SAW and His Companions," drew on Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) experiences, in which he examined the life and times of Umar bin al-Khattab, with special emphasis of his brilliant legal thinking, the mercy those rulings involve and the relevance for today's Muslims, especially those of us here in the West. 

The Conference provided practical tools that individuals can use to incorporate mercy into our dealings and interactions with others even in the face of egoism and greed.  It left attendees with the hope and motivation to realize the promise of how Muslims in America must  be part of the solution by spreading kind deeds and setting an example that help us deal with our nation's social ills.