American Muslim Council
Encyclopedia
The American Muslim Council (AMC) is an Islamic organization and registered charity in the United States. Its headquarters is located in Chicago, Illinois.
An earlier organization with the same name was founded in 1990 by Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi
with the support of the Muslim Brotherhood
. (Al-Amoudi is also the former leader of the Islamic Society of Boston
.) Its stated goal was to campaign for the political and civil rights of all Americans.
The AMC later reorganized itself under a new name and moved its national headquarters from Washington, D.C.
to Chicago. The organization currently using the name "The American Muslim Council" is different than the AMC founded by al-Amoudi; it is much more moderate.
AMC took part in the defense of South Florida Professor and Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Sami Al-Arian
and questioned the US government's allegation that the professor took part in terrorist activities. AMC produced a pamphlet in which it said that "the FBI has a history of harassing and harming minority and immigrant communities". On March 2, 2006, Al-Arian entered a guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to help the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a "specially designated terrorist
" organization. Al-Arian was sentenced to 57 months in prison, and ordered deported following his prison term.
The AMC has participated in interfaith dialogue with the U.S. Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
.
AMC is also a member of the American Muslim Political Coordination Council (AMPCC), along with the American Muslim Alliance (AMA), Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), and Muslim Public Affairs Council
(MPAC). AMPCC's primary concern is to coordinate the member organizations on activism and lobbying.
An earlier organization with the same name was founded in 1990 by Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi
Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi
Abdul Rahman Al-Amoudi, also known as Abdurahman Alamoudi, the founder of the American Muslim Council, pled guilty to financial and conspiracy charges in 2004, which resulted in a 23-year prison sentence.-Biography:...
with the support of the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
. (Al-Amoudi is also the former leader of the Islamic Society of Boston
Islamic Society of Boston
The Islamic Society of Boston is a mosque and cultural center for Muslims in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The current Imam is Basyouny Nehela. ISB offers daily, weekly and annual programs for Muslims including Arabic and English classes on religious and secular topics as well as a religious school...
.) Its stated goal was to campaign for the political and civil rights of all Americans.
The AMC later reorganized itself under a new name and moved its national headquarters from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to Chicago. The organization currently using the name "The American Muslim Council" is different than the AMC founded by al-Amoudi; it is much more moderate.
AMC took part in the defense of South Florida Professor and Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Sami Al-Arian
Sami Al-Arian
Dr. Sami Amin Al-Arian , is a former resident of Temple Terrace, Florida, now living in Northern Virginia, who is a Muslim activist, and former University of South Florida professor of computer engineering...
and questioned the US government's allegation that the professor took part in terrorist activities. AMC produced a pamphlet in which it said that "the FBI has a history of harassing and harming minority and immigrant communities". On March 2, 2006, Al-Arian entered a guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to help the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a "specially designated terrorist
Specially Designated Terrorist
A Specially Designated Terrorist is any person who is determined by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury to be a specially designated terrorist under notices or regulations issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control ....
" organization. Al-Arian was sentenced to 57 months in prison, and ordered deported following his prison term.
The AMC has participated in interfaith dialogue with the U.S. Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
U.S. Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
The Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs is the principal ecumenical and interfaith organization of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops....
.
AMC is also a member of the American Muslim Political Coordination Council (AMPCC), along with the American Muslim Alliance (AMA), Council on American-Islamic Relations
Council on American-Islamic Relations
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is America's largest Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization that deals with civil advocacy and promotes human rights...
(CAIR), and Muslim Public Affairs Council
Muslim Public Affairs Council
The Muslim Public Affairs Council is a national American Muslim advocacy and public policy organization headquartered in Los Angeles and with offices in Washington D.C...
(MPAC). AMPCC's primary concern is to coordinate the member organizations on activism and lobbying.
External links
- American Muslim Council Founder Heads To Jail Daniel Pipes, Capitalism Magazine (originally published in the New York Sun), August 5, 2004
- Feds arrest leading Muslim activist by Art Moore, WorldNetDaily, September 29, 2003