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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Samina Sundas
American Muslim Voice
(650) 387 – 1994
saminasundas@yahoo.com
www.amuslimvoice.org
Meet the high profiled Muslim news-makers at
American Muslim Voice’s peace convention
Please join us to meet Asaad Traina, one of the best and the brightest young Muslim men and learn why he disrupted Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren's speech in February 2010 at the University of California – Irvine.
On Friday, September 23, 2011, a California jury found 10 Muslim students guilty of disrupting the Israeli ambassador's university speech about U.S.-Israel relations, a case that stoked a debate about free speech.
The jury also convicted the students of conspiring to disrupt Ambassador Michael Oren's speech in February 2010 at the University of California, Irvine. They were charged with misdemeanor counts after standing up, one by one, and shouting prepared statements such as "propagating murder is not an expression of free speech."
One of their attorneys, Jacqueline Goodman writes, “This is a case about free speech. All of democracy relies on freedom of expression regardless of the content of the speech. It is dangerous to allow one county prosecutor to determine which speech or which ideas to criminalize. And it is dangerous to allow the existence of such a low that gives such discretion to the county prosecutor. I am proud of these young men who stood for a principle greater than themselves and gave voice to those who did not have one. They spoke up to interrupt injustice where they found it. How brave. How noble. How American.”
You will also hear Rais Bhuiyan’s courageous story of compassion, love and forgiveness. A white supremacist shot Rais and left him for dead. Learn what inspired Rais to forgive his attacker. Rais will be a featured speaker at AMV’s 2011 peace convention.
These are but two examples that American Muslim Voice will feature in Awakening the American Spirit: Turning the Tide of Hate into Love.
Fremont, CA, 12/9/2011 –American Muslim Voice, is hosting the AMV Annual Peace Convention on December 11th 2011. AMV will bring together Muslim scholars, featured speakers, panelists, award recipients and a diverse crowd of people in order to highlight the importance of community and peace building in America.
This year our convention theme is “Awakening the American Spirit: Turning the Tide of Hate into Love.” The convention will run from 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm and is divided into two sessions. The first session will be comprised of two parallel events: Conversation with Muslim Scholars and Civil Rights Panel Discussion.
We are aware of the following negative headlines about sharia Law, violence, oppression of Muslim women, Jihad and Islam being labeled as a cult instead of a religion. Therefore we are creating a safe space for our fellow Americans to get their questions and concerns addressed.
We would like them to hear directly from diverse and esteemed Muslim scholars and activists so they could learn the truth about Islam from the people who live it every day. Speakers for this session are Imam Zaid Shakir, Ameena Jandali, Imam Tahir Anwar, Dr. Mohammad Nadeem and Imam Abdul Azeez. Rabea Chaudhry will serve as moderator and Rev. Dr. Diana Gibson will deliver closing remarks.
The panelists for the Civil Rights Panel Discussion are Zahra Billoo, Patty Diaz, Asaad Traina, one of the Irvine 11 students and their attorneys Jacqueline Goodman and Dan Mayfield. Guests will learn about the lives of Muslims during the past decade, marked by detentions, deportations, suspicion, sting operations and the erosion of civil liberties.
Panelists will discuss the USA Patriot Act, INS Special Registration, attacks on Muslim charities, Anti-Islam FBI trainings, Rep. Peter King's alarmist and racist hearings, the Irvine 11 case, GPS tracking of Muslim men, Muslim women being fired for wearing a hijab, and the "Secure Communities program. Zainab Jeewanjee will be the moderator for this panel and closing remarks will be delivered by Rev. Michael Yoshii of Buena Vista United Methodist Church, Alameda, CA.
The second session will highlight Rais Bhuiyan, who, inspired by his faith, let love drive out hate. He forgave and tried to spare the life of the man who shot him and left him for dead. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”
The other two featured speakers are Imam Zaid Shakir, co-founder of Zaytuna College and amongst the most respected and influential Islamic scholars in the West, and Rev. Ellen Grace O’Brian, Spiritual Director of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment in San Jose, a ministry in the tradition of Kriya Yoga. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the Parliament of the World's Religions.
The master of ceremony will be Anser Hasan, a reporter from the CBS5 morning show.
The event aims to determine how to respect cultural and religious differences in a diverse nation. American Muslim Voice hosts this convention annually to highlight the importance of community and peace building as Americans and demonstrate how successful it is through their own work year-round. AMV has been well received by the public earning numerous accolades for their efforts to solve a political problem with a very simple grassroots movement. Says AMV National President Khalid Saeed, “When you really get down to the details, we have more in common with each other as Americans than we have apart; whatever does distinguish us we should celebrate together.”
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Tickets to the event are $35.00 advance purchase and $45.00 at the door. Seniors and students will pay only $25.00 in advance and $35.00 at the door. Dinner is included. The event is being held at Chandni Restaurant, 5748 Mowry School Road in Newark. The convention is on Sunday, December 11th, 2011.
For additional information on the AMV Annual Peace convention visit www.amuslimvoice.org.
ABOUT AMERICAN MUSLIM VOICE – American Muslim Voice Foundation deeply believes in fostering friendships among all Americans by bridging the cultural and religious gap. Every day we promote new relationships and nurture the old ones because our country’s safety, security and peace depend on us getting to know each other. We will continue our quest to build an inclusive, peaceful and beloved world where all of us will feel safe and at home.
Our Peace Partners (Endorsers)
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows , Amnesty International, Western region, Asian Americans for Peace & Justice, Asian Law Alliance, Buddhist Peace Fellowship West Bay Chapter, Burmese American Democratic Alliance (BADA) , Burmese American Women's Alliance, Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR National), Code Pink, Council of Churches of Santa Clara County , Dalai Lama Foundation, Ecumenical Peace Institute, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Global Exchange, Interfaith Space, Islamic Center of Woodland California, Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Los Altos Voices for Peace, Micahs Call, Muslim American Society, Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice, Muslim Peace Coalition, Muslim Peace Fellowship, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), National Japanese American Historical Society, National Peace Academy, The Nihonmachi Outreach Committee, San Jose, Olive Branch Interfaith Peace Partnership, Our Developing World, Pak American Culture & Arts Council, Sacramento CA, Pakistan American Forum Woodland California, Pax Christy of Stanford, CA, Peace X Peace, Peninsula Peace & Justice Center, Palo Alto, CA, Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, Priority Africa Network, Raging Grannies Action League, Rahima Foundation, Reach and Teach, San Jose Peace Center, SEMAH, South Bay Islamic Association, Shalom Center, Shomer Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence, SIREN, Silicon Valley Inter-Religious Council, South Bay Department of Peace , South Bay Islamic Association, The Community of Living Traditions, Stony Point, New York, The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, The South Alameda County Peace & Justice Coalition, United Muslims of America (UMA), Veterans for Peace.
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