Muslim American Society

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The Muslim American Society (MAS) is a nonprofit organization. It describes itself as an Islamic revival and reform movement. It traces its 1992 origin to the Muslim Brotherhood's founding of the Muslim Students' Association, which created the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). The ISNA worked diligently with MAS founders and members.^[1]^[2]

Muslim American Society Logo.

1 Vision
2 Approach
3 Motto
4 Controversy
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Vision

MAS is described by it's president as "an Invigorating dynamic organization that is building an American society where Muslims are not only fully-participating citizens, but where Muslim Americans are the exemplary citizens who have elevated what is defined as American to newer heights of humanity, morality, spirituality, social justice and higher citizenry because they derive their values and beliefs not from the limits of the mere human thought, but rather from the limitlessness and vastness of the Divine, the Almighty." Dr. Esam Omeish, MAS President.^{[citation needed]}

MAS's vision is that the American Muslim community be a respected, model community that is fully engaged in shaping a virtuous, compassionate, just, and prosperous American society that champions the cause of peace and justice in the world except where taxi cabs and alcohol are invovlved.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Approach

MAS encourages presenting the message of Islam, family and social and spiritual changes guided by Islamic values and pursued through civic engagement, for which the Muslim community is prepared through personal development and community empowerment.^[2]

A cornerstone of MAS' approach is that one's individual relationship to God ("be conscious of Allah as you ought to be conscious of Him" - Qur'an 3:102) is directly connected to one's commitment to activism ("strive in His cause as you ought to strive" - Qur'an 2:78)^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Motto

MAS's motto is: Conveying Islam, Improving Society^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Controversy

MAS supported a lawsuit against Israel after the Israeli government killed Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin.^[3]

Esam Omeish, President of MAS, told reporters at a news conference on July 25, 2005 that MAS will "deny terrorists any religious, ideological or political legitimacy."^[4]

The society has recently become involved in a dispute over Muslim taxi drivers rights to refuse to carry passengers carrying alcohol in Minnesota. The "fatwa department" of the sociey's Minnesota chapter issued a fatwa dated June 6, 2006, proclaiming that, "Islamic jurisprudence" [prohibits taxi drivers from carrying passengers with alcohol], "because it involves cooperating in sin according to the Islam," and is lobbying the airport commission for a two-tiered taxi system in which Muslim drivers will have a light at the top of their cabs indicating their refusal to carry alcohol. Currently, those that want to do this are required to go to the back of the taxi line if they refuse a fare. It has been suggested that the Society itself has orchestrated the controversy in the first place.^[5] The director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center said

"MAS is an Arab group; we Somalis are African, not Arabs. MAS wants to polarize the world, create two camps. I think they are trying to hijack the Somali community for their Middle East agenda. They look for issues they can capitalize on, like religion, to rally the community around. The majority of Somalis oppose this, but they are vulnerable because of their social and economic situation."^[5]