Muslim organizations in the United States were experiencing a significant growth in numbers, influence, and engagement in the later part of the century, but while individual Muslim organizations were making strides in their respective areas, the absence of a strong collective voice remained a challenge and noticeably absent.
The lack of a unified platform limited the community’s ability to effectively advocate for its rights, promote understanding, and address issues impacting Muslims at a broader level. And so came to life USCMO.
In December of 2011, during the annual convention of the Muslim American Society and the Islamic Circle of North America, a group of leaders of major Muslim American organizations met to discuss creating a unified body to better communicate, strategize, and coordinate the activities of American Muslim organizations.
The initiators encouraged representatives from many organizations to attend. Leaders agreed to continue discussions for the purposes of founding a national coordinating council.
Representatives met again at the same event the following year, advancing the discourse enough to plan a Washington DC retreat in February 2012 for the purpose of more focused and intensive dialogue about organizational objectives, culture, and structure.
In addition to the Muslim American Society (MAS) and the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), attending organizations included the Council of American Islam Relations (CAIR), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), The Mosque Cares (Ministry of W. Deen Mohammed), the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), and the Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA). Organizational leadership continued meeting at each subsequent MAS-ICNA convention, and conducted regular meetings in Washington DC through 2012 and 2013.
Candor and open-mindedness characterized the deliberations among organizational representatives. Consultations showed clearly that all participants had an unmistakable, urgent desire to unify American Muslims, and shared a consensus that coordinated communication and organizational work was essential to this goal and to healthy community development.
In April 2013, MAS, ICNA, CAIR, AMP, MLFA, MUNA, and The Mosque Cares joined in the formal founding of the US Council of Muslim Organizations in Washington DC as a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit organization.
Membership in the US Council of Muslim Organizations is open to all American Muslim organizations, including mosques, community centers, local and regional Islamic councils, and all American Muslim institutions.
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