Muslim American Society
Encyclopedia
The Muslim American Society (MAS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 that describes itself as an Islam
ic revival and reform movement.
It was created after a debate among Muslim Brotherhood
members in the U.S. about whether to remain underground or to have a public face. Both Mohammed Mahdi Akef, now the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood
Supreme Guide, and Ahmed Elkadi, leader of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood, were pivotal in the founding of the MAS. The new organization instructed its members to evade questions about the group's ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, and to define jihad
as a "divine legal right" of Muslims to be used for defense and the spread of Islam
. MAS leaders have said that these views are not now held by MAS leaders.
MAS also has an affiliate, the MAS Freedom Foundation, whose Executive Director is Mahdi Bray
.
MAS has participated in interfaith dialogue with the U.S. Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic revival and reform movement.
It was created after a debate among 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...
members in the U.S. about whether to remain underground or to have a public face. Both Mohammed Mahdi Akef, now the Egyptian 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...
Supreme Guide, and Ahmed Elkadi, leader of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood, were pivotal in the founding of the MAS. The new organization instructed its members to evade questions about the group's ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, and to define jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
as a "divine legal right" of Muslims to be used for defense and the spread of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. MAS leaders have said that these views are not now held by MAS leaders.
MAS also has an affiliate, the MAS Freedom Foundation, whose Executive Director is Mahdi Bray
Mahdi Bray
Wright Mahdi Bray , a Black American convert to Islam, is a civil and human rights activist who serves as Executive Director of the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation based in Washington, DC...
.
MAS 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....
.