Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA)

Mika’il Stewart-Saadiq is the executive director of MANA. ³ Stewart Saadiq supports the Black Lives Matter movement ⁴ and has called former President Donald Trump an “early stage Hitler,” ⁵ claimed the Trump administration was a “white nationalist administration,” ⁶ and said that Israel engages in “apartheid” in the Palestinian territories. ^{7 7}

History and Leadership

Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA) was founded in 2005. MANA developed from conversations among various Muslim leaders in the United States including Siraj Wahhaj and others. The group started working in late 2005 when Wahhaj was leader of MANA at a meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ⁸

MANA was a collaboration of the Islamic communities of Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, Imam Jamil, the community of Imam Siraj Wahhaj, and others. The organization held its first planning meeting and conference in 2006-2007. ⁹

Mika’il Stewart-Saadiq is the executive director of MANA. Stewart-Saadiq previously was the chairman of Imams Council of Michigan. From 2016 to 2021, he advocated for the critical race theory-influenced concept of social equity as a Detroit City Council liaison. ³ Stewart-Saadiq supports the far-left Black Lives Matter movement. ⁴ He has called former President Donald Trump an “early stage Hitler,” ⁵ and claimed the Trump administration was a “white nationalist administration.” ⁶ Stewart-Saadiq has also claimed that Israel engages in “apartheid” in the Palestinian territories and supports the boycott, divest, and sanction (BDS) approach to disengagement from Israel. ^{7 7} On his Twitter page, Stewart-Saadiq shared a link to a speech by 1619 Project founder Nikole Hannah-Jones calling for reparations for slaver at the United Nations General Assembly. ¹⁰

Joshua Salaam is the president of MANA. Previously he managed the civil rights department for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). ¹¹

MANA was previously headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. ¹² The organization regained tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 2021 ¹³ after being added to the IRS’s auto-revocation list for not filing annual tax forms in 2016. ¹⁴

Activities and Funding

Muslim Alliance in North America is a national network of mosques, Muslim organizations, and individuals who work to address certain needs within the Muslim community. ¹ Founded by African-American Muslims and other multiethnic leaders in the United States, MANA primarily focuses its efforts on the interests of the African-American Muslim community, holding seminars and townhall sessions regarding African American Muslim issues, Islamic literacy, community re-entry, and economic development. ⁹ The organization also works to build an alliance of Muslims who are dedicated to strengthening African-American Muslim communities and institutions in the United States. ⁹ As a part of its expansion plans, MANA hopes to have 50 organizations in its network totaling more than 1000 individual members. ¹¹

MANA is committed to the far-left, critical race theory-inspired concept of antiracism, ² and operates a YouTube channel that promotes Islamic topics. ¹⁵

In 2022, MANA conducted a survey of Islamic leaders in the United States to be presented at its townhall meeting on February 25, 2023. ⁹ In May 2022, MANA signed a letter by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) responding to Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt’s comparison of Palestinian activists to individuals who participated in the January 6 Capitol riot. ^{16 17}

In 2009, MANA signed a letter with other Muslim organizations including American Muslim Alliance, anti-Israel organization American Muslims for Palestine, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America, United Muslims of America, and others that alleged the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was sending undercover agents into mosques and threatened to cut ties with the FBI. ¹⁸

MANA is a founding member of the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USMCO). In 2022, MANA participated in USMCO’s National Muslim Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. ¹⁹

Funding

Muslim Alliance in North America receives its funding from membership fees ⁸ and individual donations. ²⁰ In 2020, MANA reported revenue and expenses of less than $50,000. ²¹