The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), a part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood, has announced that on December 15, it twill hold its annual convention in Long Beach, California entitled “Islam: A Call for Life, Liberty; and the Pursuit of Happiness”. The announcement described the conference as follows:
This year MPAC will take the convention to a new level and explore a myriad of topics in depth with the help of scholars, authors, and public officials. The first main session “Islam: A Celebration of Life”, reinforces Islam’s theology of life and countering the culture of death and extremism. The second main session, “Shaping the Conversation”, will discuss how Islam is being defined in various public arenas within American society, and will highlight means by which Muslim Americans can play a constructive role in the discourse. This session will focus on the sectors of news media, Hollywood, and the Internet. This year, MPAC will also address the importance and methods of effective campus activism, as we will hear from Muslim student leaders from various universities.
The program will include other speakers from the U.S. Brotherhood including Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President of the Islamic Society of North America and Shakeel Syed, Executive Director, Islamic Shura Council of Southern California. Other prominent attendees include:
- Ambassador Lawrence Butler (Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs)
- David Hiller (CEO/Publisher, Los Angeles Times)
- Shaarik Zafar (Office for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Department of Homeland Security)
- Steve Simon (Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies, Council on Foreign Relations)