WASHINGTON, DC (MASNET) Mar. 10, 2010 - MAS Freedom (MASF), the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS), has a new series of interactive workshops for mosques, community leaders, youth and student groups, and Muslim organizations.

The new MAS Freedom workshop series include:

Muslim Youth Leadership Forum 'Building Young Muslim leaders for a better America'

The goal of the forum is to mentor and prepare young Muslim leaders to provide leadership not only to the Muslim community but the greater American society at large. The institutional design focuses on developing and enhancing leadership skill sets of Muslim youth that will impact America's civic, social, economic and religious life. Youth participants will be placed in a leadership social mentoring network that will allow them to communicate after the initial forum on an ongoing basis with qualified mentors and other forum participants. Upon attending the forum, a comprehensive leadership tract will be developed for each participant with recommended projects, follow up, and opportunities for peer and mentors feedback. Forum participants will meet annually in Washington DC for a 2 day intense leadership retreat. The forum is highly recommended for Muslim youth who are interested in university and campus leadership, social and economic justice, foreign policy, environmental issues, interfaith work, civil and human rights, politics, public policy, and legal and legislative affairs. Note: For a partial list of participating leadership forum mentors, see contact information below.

Activism 101

This workshop is designed for community activists especially students. It covers all the various techniques used by activists in public advocacy such as petition drives, direct action campaigns, vigils, grassroots lobbying, fax blitzes, rallies, op-eds, editorial meetings and many other advocacy techniques.

Immigrations Rights and Reform

Learn how to understand and navigate the immigration process such as permanent residency (green card), citizenship, asylum and appeal petitions). Also, receive training in the area of immigration reform that is fair and equitable to all immigrants regardless of country of origin, religion or race. The workshop also provides an intense session on immigrant rights, current immigration law and how to network and build a strong immigrant rights coalition with other immigrant groups outside of the Muslim community.

Civic Engagement 101

Receive valuable information from legal experts on what a mosque can and cannot do in civic and political activities. Learn how to successfully impact public policy at the local, state and federal level. Also learn how to be effective in electoral politics (i.e., voter registration, education, and mobilization). Receive training from political experts in exit polling, developing Political Action Committees (PACS), fundraising, candidate forums, endorsements, guide ballots and political coalition strategies.

History of Religiosity and Nonviolent Activism in America 'Pursuing Social and Economic Justice through Religious and Nonviolent Principles'

Learn the history of religious faith traditions in America addressing social and economic justice issues. Discover the impact of non-violent strategies by American religious communities on important social transformational movements i.e. abolitionist movement, women's movement, labor justice, civil rights, peace movement, etc. Examine restorative justice through faith and non-violence. This workshop also puts special emphasis on the principal of non-violence in Islam as an agent for social change.


To schedule a workshop and reserve a workshop for your mosque, school or organization, please contact the MAS Freedom office at (202) 552-7414, (703) 642-6165, or toll free at 1-(888) 627-8471, or contact us by email addressed to: info@masfreedom.org.

MAS FREEDOM ALERTS

MAS Freedom Applauds Election of First Muslim to Chair Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions

WASHINGTON, DC (MASNET) Dec. 9, 2009 – MAS Freedom (MASF), as the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS), applauds, together with thousands of representatives from the global interfaith community attending the 2009 Parliament of the World's Religions in Melbourne, Australia, the election of Chicago's Imam Abdil Malik Mujahid, as the first Muslim to chair the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions (CPWR). (more)

MAS FREEDOM IN THE NEWS

MAS Freedom’s Voting Is Power Campaign Gears Up for 2010 Registration and Mobilization Push Share

WASHINGTON, DC (MASNET) Mar. 09, 2010 – For anyone who has not resided in a cave or been on the planet Mars over the last two years, the ferociously partisan struggles (of late) in the body of American politics are hardly news.  The health care policy wars may be the tip of the iceberg, but there are dozens of other important issues that will motivate droves of voters to the polls in November, 2010. (more)

MAS Straight Path Youth Initiative Encourages Muslim Youth to Increase Civic Engagement Share

WASHINGTON, DC (MASNET) Mar. 05, 2010 – These are difficult times, both in America and in the world. But young Muslims are moving beyond despair and resignation to serve their community and nation in responsible and creative ways.

But the MAS Freedom Straight Path project will, insha’Allah, serve to educate young people about the dangers of irrational religious extremism, while offering them practical nonviolent alternatives that can better serve the legitimate interests of Muslim communities, while striving to make the overall society better as well. (more)