WASHINGTON, 1 September — Imagine a large arena filled with everything Muslim. Add 40,000 people representing the Muslim American world, a huge “souk” filled with everything from Qur’an copies, calligraphy, paintings, shishas, food, gold, incense, videos, books, films, Arabic language classes, to a variety of ethnic clothing. Parallel the souk with ongoing panel discussions ranging from Islam to coping in a non-Muslim society, and you have an idea of what the 39th conference of the Islamic Society of North America, ISNA, looks like.
Held this weekend at the Washington Convention Center, just two weeks before the anniversary of Sept. 11, much of the convention is focused on the impact of terrorist attacks on Islam, civil liberties and political life in the United States.
“Two to three generations have been raised within these conventions,” said Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, the society’s secretary general. “We have become the growing institution for Muslims in North America.”
Growing, indeed. The convention offers a Muslim-style dating service, fully chaperoned. “Parents are so concerned to find spouses for their sons and daughters in a non-Muslim society. So we have created an alternative. Before attending the conference, parents or young people could look at our website regarding potential marital preferences. Then, when they came to the convention, they could have chaperoned meetings where the families could meet each other.”
“Muslims are creating a new culture within America,” Dr. Syeed told Arab News. “This year’s theme was how to raise a family here as Americans that are sensitive to both diversity within Islam and living within a non-Muslim society.”
And, as proof, tucked between booths offering Islamic mortgages and charity organizations for Palestinian children or the victims of Gujarat, is an FBI stand that is recruiting special agents.
“We have received dozens of inquiries,” one of the FBI recruiters told Arab News. “Some of the people we’ve spoken to are hesitant to become agents, because they don’t want to carry guns, but we explain to them there are other opportunities of professional support that we are seeking.”
This marks the first time that INSA has held their convention in the nation’s capital. There were no demonstrators outside the convention center, instead the sidewalks were filled with throngs of ethnic Muslims, some chatting in groups, others on mobiles phones, some reading papers. There was some confusion over the special entrances for “sisters” and “brothers” (all must pass through a security checkpoint), but organizers assured Arab News that once the attendees register, “they pretty much understand the ropes.”
The event, which runs four days and ends tomorrow, is big business. Last year’s ISNA convention was held in Chicago and brought in an estimated $50 million in revenue for the city, and reaped additional millions for the convention’s venders.
