The Congressional Muslim Staffer Association (CMSA) seeks to be the premier Federal employee association within the United States Congress representing Muslim-American interests and concerns.
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According to its website before it became defunct, "The Congressional Muslim Staffers Association (CMSA) is a chartered organization within the United States House of Representatives, established in 2006. CMSA is a non-dues paying membership association open to any Congressional employee who defines his- or herself as “Muslim”, regardless of their race, gender, school of thought, personal level of religiosity, and country of origin. Members can be employees of any office, committee, or department within the House of Representatives, Senate, Library of Congress, Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Research Service, and the Capitol Hill Police Department. Any Muslim Congressional employee is considered a CMSA member regardless of their level of participation or the degree that they publicly identify themselves as Muslim.
Muslim U.S. Congress staff members first started meeting for Friday prayer in 1998. The Muslim group exists not just for networking and support, but hopes to teach members of Congress about Islam.[1]
The CMSA is overseen by the United States House Committee on House Administration.[2]
The CMSA endured attacks criticizing a presumed lack of transparency in the government sponsored group's executive board elections shortly before the website was removed from public view.[3]
The Congressional Muslim Staff Association holds forums such as a 2010 discussion of the Park51 mosque in New York City. The event “Muslims in America: Myths and Realities” included Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), and Arab American Institute president Dr. James Zogby, Muslim Public Affairs Council president Salam Al-Maryati, and Dr. Azizah Al-Hibri, founder of KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights. The panel was moderated by Suhail Khan, a former member of the Bush administration.[4]
The CMSA helped to promote heads of staff groups including the Congressional Jewish Staff Association and the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association which held a “United for Haiti” fundraising event.[5]