AMERICAN MUSLIM COALITION OF KANSAS CITY
Summary of December 16, 2024 Meeting
Attendees: Ahmed Awad (online) Akhtar Chaudry, Ghazala Parveen, Jawaria Khalid, Mohammad (Mo) Hamid, Mohammed Odah, Moussa Elbayoumy, S. Eqbal Hasan, Safdar Chaudry, Shahbaz Khan, Shahzad Zafar, Sophia Khan, and Zulfiqar Malik.
A meeting of the Socio-political Committee (SPC) of AMCKC, convened by Br. Akhtar, and hosted by Drs. Shahbaz and Sofia Khan at their residence, was attended by 13 committed stewards, who affirmed our belief that the community is ready to support AMCKC and is anticipating further direction and leadership from the Board of Advisors (BoA).
The following is a summary of main decisions:
- The microcosm of the KC Muslim community, represented by the select group of attendees, has trust and confidence in AMCKC’s vision and expressed solid support for the BoA’a initiative. They do not want the BoA to stay on the side but urged it to provide the needed leadership and coordination until AMCKC is fully functional. They should develop specific goals, objectives, and tasks, as much hands-on efforts are needed to gain traction.
- AMCKC needs to prioritize its goals with socio-political empowerment at the top. The other three committees will play a supporting role to help accomplish the identified tasks (voter list, potential candidates for public office, mobilizing financial resources, etc.).
- After a lengthy and engaging discussion, a Plan of Action, as detailed below, was envisioned and accepted as an initial roadmap:
A. Build a united coalition of Muslim Voters of Greater Kansas City to increase participation in the political process and to encourage voting as a block.
B. Identify and groom current and future local Muslim leaders to prepare them to enter the political process. Coordinate with and leverage the existing organizations already engaged in this process.
C. Develop a narrative for community use during elections to provide a reliable guide to make voting decision on candidates seeking public office, both locally, statewide, and nationally. This will further enhance CAIR Action’s work.
D. The following core group was formed, under the overall leadership of Akhtar Chaudry, to address Goals A and C:
- Dr. Mohamed Odah (Co-lead)
- Shahzad Zafar
- Asif Siddiqui
- Possible addition. Dr. Aref Qureini.
E. Sofia Khan graciously agreed to be a champion and lead for Goal B.
We are grateful to all attendees for taking time from their busy schedule to join the meeting and share their valuable thoughts and ideas. May Allah reward you for your dedication to serve and channel the full potential of our community for the empowerment it deserves.
Respectfully submitted by
Akhtar Chaudry and S. Eqbal Hasan
18 December 2024.