Excerpt:
Assad Akhter, the legislative director for a member of Congress, learned an interesting fact when he helped found the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association at the U.S. Capitol in 2005.
"We discovered that holding events brings attention when you're Muslim," he said. "Being Muslim can bring negative attention, but it's also an opportunity to educate and talk to people."
Akhter is president of the 70-member association, which organizes Capitol Hill discussions on religious and policy subjects. He and other Muslim congressional staffers attend Friday prayers in the U.S. Capitol building that now attract more than 100 worshipers, including dignitaries from other countries.
YOUNGER GENERATION ENGAGEMENT
Akhter is hardly unique, especially among a younger generation that is taking advantage of the remarkable diversity and vitality of the Muslim-American population to bring a renewed message of inclusiveness and interfaith alliances that belie any stereotype of Muslims as monolithic in outlook and ideas.