American Muslims work to counter backlash

(The Christian Science Monitor) Muslim leaders in the United States are mounting a multifaceted campaign to counter Islamophobia.

The effort comes out of a meeting December 20 in Sterling, Virginia, of about 100 Muslim leaders. The campaign will include efforts to register 1 million additional Muslim voters before the 2016 election, more fully engage young Muslims in mainstream communities, and forge stronger alliances with civil rights and interfaith groups.

The impetus for the gathering was “the unprecedented rise in violent incidents targeting American Muslims in the wake of the Paris terror attacks and the San Bernardino killings and recent inflammatory anti-Muslim rhetoric and political incitement,” said Oussama Jammal, secretary general of the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations.