One Nation

In this fictional piece by Hedia Anvar, two American friends from different parts of the world prepare for a journey to Morocco.

A national political action committee is working to engage and educate Muslim American voters during the 2008 presidential election season. The Muslim American Political Action Committee will launch a five-state campaign to register and educate Muslim American voters in Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, which MAPAC predicts will be the most hotly contested states during the 2008 election.

In this animated short by Fatimah Ashaela Ibrahim, characters Durrah and Amasa answer questions about Islam.

This video by Chris O’Dea is a poetic piece about being Muslim in a modern world.

By Farah Ali, Reprinted with permission of Azizah Magazine

In a comparison of popular men’s and women’s magazines, Farah Ali, contributing writer to Azizah Magazine, considers the relationships between men and women. She notes that women’s magazines focus on how women should act and dress to please men, while men’s magazines spend much less time worrying about what women want. “‘I am liberated,’ we say confidently to ourselves when our identities as Muslim American women are questioned,” Ali writes. “…We make our own life choices. So we must be liberated…Right?”

On July 31, the Mosque Foundation of Illinois inaugurated the first solar-powered water heating system to be used in a U.S. mosque. The Mosque Foundation, located in Bridgeview, is one of the most visited mosques in the United States and serves more than 50,000 people per year, providing its community with social services, activities for young people and educational programs.

This video from the interfaith touring ensemble Progress Theatre exemplifies the group's mission to use art to break down stereotypes and inspire cross-community dialogue with their performance of "The Freedom Song" at the Washington, D.C., premiere of the "Prince Among Slaves" documentary.

In this two-minute piece, Joan Mandell asks viewers to consider their own relationship to issues of racism, stereotyping, nationalism, patriotism and the history of discrimination against a range of immigrant Americans. Featuring a performance by Amal Raychouni.

A group of American Muslims in our nation's capitol is actively engaged in encouraging environmentalism and civic responsibility in the Muslim American community. The group, DC Green Muslims, recently played host to a film screening of Renewal at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., where 65 Christian, Muslim and Jewish attendees watched Renewal, the first feature-length documentary to capture the breadth and vitality of America's religious-environmental movement.

Ohio State Treasurer Richard Cordray recently named Amer Ahmad, of North Canton, Ohio, as his Chief Financial Officer. Ahmad, 33, was born in Ohio and is of Pakistani descent. "Bringing a professional of Amer Ahmad's caliber to state government -- and indeed, back to Ohio -- is a significant accomplishment," Treasurer Cordray said in a statement released by his office. "His background in finance and familiarity with banking and markets gives us a sophisticated skill level that is needed and will be deeply useful to the Treasury as well as other state agencies."

Following last year’s groundbreaking success, One Nation and Link TV announced today the launch of a second “One Nation, Many Voices” online film contest. The project aims to promote diversity, pluralism, and respect for religious freedom of all Americans by providing an online forum for real-life stories about American Muslims.

By Shahed Amanullah, with permission of Illume

One of the most popular forms of education within the Muslim-American community is the full-time Islamic school. Conservatively estimated to number 250 Islamic institutions in the U.S. alone, these schools have made great strides in the past decade in keeping academic performance up and creating a well-balanced Muslim-American identity.