Jarrett, Fulgham Address DC Islamic Convention
FrontLines - August 2009
By Jan Cartwright
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Nadeem Shah, right, a Foreign Service Officer hired under the Development Leadership Initiative,
discusses careers at USAID and provides information about Agency programs to a convention attendee.
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Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor and assistant to the president for intergovernmental
affairs and public engagement, and Acting Administrator Alonzo Fulgham told American Muslims gathered in Washington for a convention over the July 4 weekend that the Obama administration is seeking a new beginning in its relations with Muslims around the world.
More than 30,000 Muslims from the United States and Canada attended the 46th Annual Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Convention. The theme was “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” This was the first time that a senior White House representative and a USAID administrator
had addressed an ISNA convention. Both Jarrett and Fulgham emphasized themes from the president’s June 4 Cairo speech.
After acknowledging Fulgham and the ISNA leadership, Jarrett, the keynote speaker at the convention’s inaugural session, quoted the president in emphasizing
the many contributions of American Muslims to the United States:
“Since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States. They have fought in our wars, served in government, stood for civil rights, started businesses,
taught at our universities,
excelled in our sports arenas, won Nobel prizes, built our tallest building, and lit the Olympic torch…And they are known for their talents and character—not simply their religion. This is a great thing. It is a reflection of the American dream, which is ultimately rooted in these values
that we all share—values that are common to all of humanity. And just as we share common values, we also share common dreams—for security, progress, and opportunity.”
Fulgham said that American Muslims are a significant voice in international
development. “We meet at a time when the United States and the global community are facing new, complex challenges—the global financial crisis, diseases that cross borders, global climate change, and our common food security…Our success
in meeting these challenges must build on our best practices of open dialogue and community
empowerment, beginning here at home with our outreach to Muslim Americans and other communities of interest.”
Fulgham described USAID’s work in Muslim-majority countries
around the world, noting that USAID has a presence in 35 such countries, spending over $6 billion there in fiscal year 2008.
USAID’s David Hunsicker of the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, served on a U.S. government
outreach panel session, along with representatives from other agencies. Hunsicker, Afeefa Syeed of the Asia and Middle East Bureaus, and Ishrat Husain of the Africa Bureau, participated in a government breakfast meeting
with community leaders. USAID also manned an information
booth at the convention throughout the weekend.
Convention participants expressed interest in USAID and asked about its programs, as well as employment and grant opportunities.
ISNA maintains that it is the largest Muslim American organization
in the United States. Its annual convention is intended as “a meeting
place for people and ideas.”
Other prominent speakers at the conference included Dalia Mogahed, who serves on the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Community Partnerships; Rick Warren, the evangelical pastor of Saddleback Church; and Yusuf Islam, the philanthropist and musician whose former stage name was Cat Stevens.
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