December 2011

Dear Friend:

As Salamu Alaykum.

As the year comes to a close, we write to update you on some of our amazing victories in mobilizing Muslim women and men - and people of all religions - to uphold human rights and peace, and counter Islamophobia with concrete, collaborative actions that will have an enduring impact.

We also write to ask you for your financial support of the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), one of the leading voices for real and lasting change inside and outside our community - a voice that needs to be amplified now more than ever before!

In October, we hosted the third global Women's Islamic Initiative on Spirituality and Equality (WISE) conference, Muslim Women Leaders at the Frontlines of Change, in Istanbul, Turkey. Nearly 200 Muslim women from 45 countries attended panels and seminars focused on educating and empowering Muslim women and promoting their rights from an Islamic perspective. Speakers included women activists who ignited the Arab Spring in Egypt, as well as leaders of non-violent activism in Tunisia, Libya and Syria.

"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness," said Jamila, an Afghani who trains Imams on women's rights in Kabul and Jalalabad, which has resulted in the creation of women's sections for prayer in several mosques. While there is no single institution that speaks for the 750 million Muslimwomen in the world, our conference raised the voices of other brave women like Jamila who, through their courage and activism, are shattering stereotypes by playing significant roles in creating social change.

At ASMA, our goal is to mobilize and educate both women and men. That is why we are pleased to announce that, with your support, our Training and Mobilizing Imams for Women's Rights project will expand to Pakistan.

Our Global Muslim Women's Shura Council issued a statement against female genital mutilation. This statement was so compelling that a group of scholars and Imams gathered in Gambia confirmed this horrendous cultural practice to be unIslamic, and issued a fatwa against it on the spot. To read the statement, visit wisemuslimwomen.org.

We are also mobilizing the next generation of young leaders through our Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow (MLT) program. When we founded this program in 2004, it was with the conviction that the next generation would play a vital role in reshaping our society, and we have witnessed just this in the Arab Spring. Now, more than ever, the MLT program needs your partnership. It is the largest network of Muslim youth leadership - some 1,500 strong around the globe. With your support, we can continue to train, equip, and help them bring about peaceful and positive transitions around the world.

In the U.S., Today, I am a Muslim, Too, a rally we co-sponsored in March of over 100 other interfaith organizations, brought 500 people of all beliefs to Times Square to denounce the hearings set up by Long Island Congressman Peter King to determine "the extent of the radicalization" of the American Muslim community.

The tenth anniversary of 9/11 provided a unique opportunity to pay special tribute to a decade of interfaith collaboration - and for the first time, publically acknowledge the Muslim lives lost on that terrible day. Together with the Cordoba Initiative, we organized one of the most widely publicized commemorative services in New York City, In Good Faith: Stories of Hope and Resilience. 300 people of all faiths gathered in a nondenominational chapel for an evening of remembrance. Russell Simmons presented 9/11 families of the three Abrahamic traditions with an artistic representation of peace and patience. Mary Ellen Salamone, widow of John Patrick Salamone, said, "I've lived on the other side of hate and I assure you, peace is a better alternative."

Creating community is an important byproduct of our work in nurturing mutual understanding. ASMA is committed to this long-term, step-by-step work in changing and opening hearts and minds. We have the expertise, patience, and visibility required to be successful. Last year, in the controversy surrounding the proposed Islamic community center, the United States and the world witnessed the ugly face of Islamophobia. No form of extremism and hatred such as this is acceptable, and we, as Muslims, firmly believe that we must defend our rights just as we defend the rights of others, and work tirelessly to protect America's core values of religious freedom for all people.

We are still a small, grassroots organization, though our public profile may at times belie this fact. We also do a lot of work behind the scenes to reshape and shift the discourse, especially at times when our community comes under attack. We hope that you will join with us in supporting these critically important goals for our community and our society. ASMA is in critical need of funding from like-minded individuals who share our goals. Please consider making a gift of any size to support our important work.

Together, we are making progress in protecting Muslim lives, countering extremism, expanding the rights of Muslim women, and promoting interfaith dialogue. We are seeding change for the present and the future. We would be honored to have you join us!

Daisy Khan Co-Founder & Executive Director	Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf Chairman

P.S. Please contribute as you are able and join our call for peace, tolerance, and understanding here in the U.S. and around the world.