Hundreds Attend Michigan 9th Muslim Capitol Day

Hundreds of Muslims from across Michigan came together on Wednesday to celebrate the 9th Annual Michigan Muslim Capitol Day, WLNS.com reported.

“We as Muslims, we’re not marginalized. We do have a voice,” Former Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) Project Manager Anas Alkatib said.

“We are all one. Whether we’re white, brown, black– what ties us together is our religion.”

During the event, people had the chance to speak about issues they see in their communities as well as hear from Abdullah Hammoud, the only Muslim state representative, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, among others.

“I came with my class who are sixth, seventh, and eighth,” seventh-grader from the Greater Lansing Islamic School said.

“We feel like all Muslims and like Christians, Jewish are like the same race basically.”

Aslan Raheem was among Muslims who attended the Michigan Muslim Day for the second year in a row.

“As a minority, we get overlooked,” Raheem said.

“Every citizen of this great state should visit the Capitol because this is our house. We pay for it and I think we should let our voices be heard,” he added.

According to an MMCC press release, “Muslim Capitol Day seeks to further empower citizens to find ways they can improve their local communities and make their voices heard.”

Muslims make up 1% of America’s 322 million population, according to the Pew Research center.

A recent Pew research found that American Muslims are the most moderate around the world.

It showed that US Muslims generally express a strong commitment to their faith and tend not to see an inherent conflict between being devout and living in modern society.

Earlier this month, about 75 students attended the ‘Muslim Creatives Collect’ event which was hosted on April 1 by the Muslim Students’ Association at the University of Michigan.

Muslim students in New Jersey Seton Hall University also hosted Islamic Awareness Week last month to foster interfaith unity and encourage the university’s community to come together.