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Salam Al-Marayati    

President, Muslim Public Affairs Council

Nationally recognized for his commitment to improving the public understanding of Islam and policies impacting American Muslims, Salam Al-Marayati is president and co-founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. He oversees MPAC’s groundbreaking civic engagement, public policy, and advocacy work.

He is an expert on Islam in the West, Muslim reform movements, human rights, democracy, national security, and Middle East politics. He has spoken at the White House, Capitol Hill and represented the U.S. at international human rights and religious freedom conferences.

His writings have appeared in every major national news publication (including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times).

His interviews have been featured on national and international news outlets (including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and C-SPAN).

Because he believes that community development is essential to fully integrating Muslims within America’s pluralism, Al-Marayati has facilitated hundreds of civic engagement workshops around the country—from rooms of five people to conference halls of hundreds.

Al-Marayati is an adjunct faculty member at Bayan Claremont, a board member of the Muslim Reform Institute, and an advisor to several political, civic, and academic institutions seeking to understand the role of Islam and Muslims in America and throughout the world. Deeply involved in interfaith activities, Al-Marayati was co-chair of the Interfaith Coalition to Heal Los Angeles, which formed in the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles uprisings.

News


A Campaign Against Patriotic Muslims
Yes, religious freedom for the Muslim American is under threat. Fear-mongering toward America’s Muslims and their faith is very clear. The Center for American Progress issued a report this year concluding that anti-Islam groups are financed by a $43 million industry. This garrison of Muslim-haters views Islam as either a theological or political threat in the United States, and their work is reminiscent of the pre-Nazi propaganda produced by Wilhelm Marr that regarded Judaism as a threat to Germany.
Let Islamic Reform Start in America
We must stop looking to the Middle East, where regressive religion and authoritarianism reign.
Why a partnership between Muslims and law enforcement is so crucial to fighting terrorism
The mass shooting in San Bernardino is growing in complexity with a terrorism component now added to the investigation. Once the dust settles and we try to move forward, a partnership between religious communities and law enforcement is crucial in helping prevent future incidents of terrorism.
Op-Ed: Why Muslims don't need Trump to tell them when to report criminal activity
When Aliou Niasse, a Muslim immigrant from Senegal, noticed and reported smoke coming from a car parked in Times Square in May 2010, he prevented a terrorist attack and saved lives. Police were able to disarm a car bomb before it caused any casualties. Niasse was working as a street vendor, not an unusual job for a new immigrant in our country. “If I see a terrorist,” he said then, “I am going to catch him before he runs away.”

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