Muslims were successful in establishing over 3000 Islamic centers and institutions to help them in preserving their religious identity. But their impact on public life in America has been meager considering their high number, which is estimated to be over six million. The Muslims image especially after 9/11 has been increasingly negative. At present it is at an all-time low. Muslims are perceived as dangerous because of their association with terrorism. Muslims deny any involvement but it has hardly fallen on any credulous ears. Muslims feel dismayed to be placed in a situation where they face the reality of their reduced rights and lack of effective measures to change it. To aid in this monumental task at hand, the Muslim Council of America Foundation was establ...

Election 2012: Personal experiences and inspirational moments

Election 2012: Personal Experiences, Inspirational Moments
M.Akhtar Ph.D, President of MCA
Note: My story, conveying my emotions, is in three parts: before, during, and after the recent election. I present below one episode each for three phases of election that is reviewed below to reflect upon and share experiences with the readers, the third part of this is the climax of inspirational moments when Obama Sheds tears at his victory.
A. Before Election
I like to simply describe here what my wife and I did for voting. Like many others, we lead a very hectic life and were busy in arranging our affairs at this time. To plan our retirement and winter living in Orlando, we were moving out of our...

I Voted For Obama Javeed Akhter, MD, Board Memebr of MCA There is clearly none of the excitement of 2008. The sense that a vote for Obama was taking an active part in changing history is not there. Obama looks a much I have voted for Obama because Romney would be worse. diminished person. His speeches don't sound eloquent anymore, his rhetoric sounds empty and even contrived. His self-described crowning achievement, Obama care, just does not go far enough and does nothing to mitigate the burden of unfair litigation physicians carry in our country. It does little to curb the choke hold the insurance companies have over patients and care givers. But there are clear positives like reducing the number uninsured, getting rid of the much abused pre-existing condition clause and letting man...

SHARIAH: AN OVERLOOKED ANGLE
Saleem Ahmed, Ph.D
Board Member,MCA, President of the Honolulu-based Pacific Institute of Islamic Studies

(The following article was published in daily Dawn,Karchi,Pakistan)

 The quintessence of Muslim conduct code, Shariah permeates the ethos – the very soul -- of Muslim life. Thus, the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (1990), sponsored by the Organization of Islamic Countries, affirmed the Shari'ah as the sole information source for guidance on Muslim daily living. This was the “Muslim response” to the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).
Brainchild of five highly-respected imams -- Jafar ibn Muhammad (702-765 CE) Abu Hanifah (699-767), Malik ibn Anas (711-796), al-Shafi (767-...