Muslim Power Building Project (MPBP) is a left-of-center community organizing initiative that creates leadership development programs for Muslims in the United States. It is a fiscally sponsored project of Faith in Action and is a collaborative effort whose partners are LA Voice (the Los Angeles chapter of Faith in Action), Inner City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), MPower Change, and the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC).

The initiative was founded to oppose anti-Muslim sentiment and hate crimes targeting Muslims. It explicitly aims to serve as a “progressive faith voice.”

Background

Muslim Power Building Project is housed by Faith in Action ¹ and is a collaborative effort between the LA Voice (the Los Angeles chapter of Faith in Action, formerly known as PICO National Network), Inner City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), MPower Change, and the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC). ²

Muslim Power Building Project claims that Muslims continue to face hostility in America, citing a survey from the Institute for Social Policy (ISPU) that about half of young American Muslims feel unsafe due to white supremacist groups. It also claims that Muslims, like all “people of color from all faith traditions and racial and ethnic backgrounds experience today,” experience unique challenges such as higher than average unemployment rates, greater vulnerability to economic downturns, higher rates of poverty. ³ It advocates policies that employ the critical race theory-influenced concept of equity to address these issues. ⁴

MPBP additionally claims that because Muslim Americans and their organizations do not “consistently” have the ability to team up with other left-of-center organizations, this leaves them open to “divide-and-conquer strategies” led by “national power brokers, law enforcement officials, or local politicians.” ⁵

Activities

To address the alleged challenges that the Muslim community faces in America, Muslim Power Building Project runs a leadership training program for members of the Muslim community. The program intends to cultivate leaders to help promote left-of-center policies, movements, and candidates “that would have favorable impact on the future well-being of all marginalized groups” to the rest of the Muslim population. The group allows people to nominate candidates to participate in the program. ⁶

MPBP cultivates its alumni network, with its more than 50 members, by offering them access to a monthly guest speaker series to help them develop leadership skills. Participants are paired with a mentor who has six years of leadership development experience, and over the course of a year the participant spends time with organizations that pursue equity and social justice. The intention is for the participant to return to their community with knowledge and experience to be able to lead their own racial and economic justice advocacy groups. ⁷

Funding

Muslim Power Building Project is a fiscally sponsored project of Faith in Action. It receives its donations through LA Voice, a member of the Faith in Action network. ⁸

Leadership

The Muslim Power Building Project is led by a steering committee. Its members include Sarah Jawaid, Margari Hill, Namira Islam, Shamar Hemphill, Sara Hamdan, Reza Nekumanesh, Sukaina Hussain, Marta Galedary, Ismail Allgood, Ishraq Ali, and Hazel Gomez. ⁹

1. “Muslim Power Building Project.” Pillars Fund. Accessed August 27, 2023. https://pillarsfund.org/grants/our-portfolio/muslim-power-building-project/.
2.  “Muslim Power Building Project.” LA Voice. Accessed August 27, 2023. https://www.lavoice.org/muslim-power-building-project/.
3. “Muslim Power Building Project.” LA Voice. Accessed August 27, 2023. https://www.lavoice.org/muslim-power-building-project/.
4. “Muslim Power Building Project.” Pillars Fund. Accessed August 27, 2023. https://pillarsfund.org/grants/our-portfolio/muslim-power-building-project/.
5.  “Muslim Power Building Project.” LA Voice. Accessed August 27, 2023. https://www.lavoice.org/muslim-power-building-project/.
6. “Muslim Power Building Project.” LA Voice. Accessed August 27, 2023. https://www.lavoice.org/muslim-power-building-project/
7. “Muslim Power Building Project.” Pillars Fund. Accessed August 27, 2023. https://pillarsfund.org/grants/our-portfolio/muslim-power-building-project/.
8. “Muslim Power Building Project.” LA Voice. Accessed August 27, 2023. https://www.lavoice.org/muslim-power-building-project/.
9. “Muslim Power Building Project.” LA Voice. Accessed August 27, 2023. https://www.lavoice.org/muslim-power-building-project/.