Prioritizing Politics Over Unity Hurt the Community

Unfortunately, last month differences between board members boiled over, and the Maryland Muslim Council split into two parties, each claiming leadership, and each declaring the other party illegitimate.

Community and masjid activists know this fracture is not something new or unheard of. Political upheavals hit many area masajid over the last few years resulting in board dissolutions, smear campaigns, and even law suits.

The Muslim Link’s editorial policy, made in consultation with our Islamic advisers in light of the Qur’anic injunction to not spread rumors or any news harmful to the unity of the Muslim community, has always been to avoid reporting on organizational or community in-fighting. We’ve been aware of all the political wrangling and fighting for leadership, and in many cases we’ve received documents and “evidence” of wrong doing from one party or another – unsolicited of course – but we’ve always kept the unity of the Muslim community in mind.  Printing news about in-fighting would serve no purpose except to expand the circle of combatants from a few dozen to a few thousand.

We feel the Maryland Muslim Council fracture is a bit different, and so we decided to run a story on the confusion resulting from the split, as well as to offer some perspective.

The Maryland Muslim Council interacts with local politicians and lawmakers, including Governor O’Malley and even federal officials. Last month, each faction organized a high profile “Muslim Legislative Night” at the Senate Building in Annapolis, one on March 18, 2010 and the other on March 31, 2010. Both factions called themselves the “Maryland Muslim Council”, and both factions invited the Governor and scores of other state senators and delegates. 

Legislators were confused. The Governor’s office accepted one invitation and declined the other. The split occurred in the open – literally on a stage –  in full view of legislators who scratched their heads, not knowing who was who.

The message was loud and clear: Maryland’s Muslim community is petty, fractured, and not ready for serious political engagement; fighting one another had a higher priority than fighting for the Muslim community. Each faction contacted the Muslim Link with their version of events, but the fact remains that both parties are responsible for this humiliating debacle.

If working for the interest of the Muslim community was uppermost on the priority list, the parties involved could have avoided making their disunity a harm to the hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Maryland they chose to represent. Those in power could have stepped down as a last resort if that would prevent a public fracture. Those who disapproved of the existing leadership could have quietly ceased their involvement and support of the Council, and later could have continued their work using other platforms. Instead, both parties wanted to claim the organization and its name, forgetting that the biggest loser in such a fight is the community itself.

No organization is more valuable than our unity. Both parties would do well to prioritize and cherish that unity.