Source: The American Muslim
The American Muslim Coalition of Saint Louis is a recently formed group to expand on the local Muslim communities’ civic and interfaith activities through networking, cooperative effort, and organization. The coalition is dedicated to the goals of: increasing the active participation of American Muslims in the activities of our local comunities in Saint Louis and in America in general; increasing our visibility so that our voice will be more likely to be heard by policy makers on issues affecting our community; and enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the Muslim community and the rest of the Saint Louis community. We are a coalition bound by our common faith and commitment to participatory citizenship. The coalition hopes to bring together Muslims from all groups within the diverse 70,000 strong St. Louis Muslim community.
The first project of The American Muslim Coalition was a Memorial Day week-end BBQ for veterans and staff at the VA Hospital at Jeffersons Barracks. About 210 people were served on that day, and the event was well received.
The second event was a fund raising dinner to raise donations for Backstoppers to aid the families of police officers and fire fighters from greater St. Louis who have fallen in the line of duty. This was held on september 7th at Grbic Hall in South City.
The event was opened with an honor guard from both the police and fire departments, followed by a group of young Muslims singing the National Anthem. Brief statements were made by members of the Muslim community as well as: Mayor Francis Slay; Missouri State Representatives, Jamilah Nasheed, and Harry Kennedy; Missouri State Senator Jeff Smith; Fire Chief Sherman George; representatives of Police Chief Joseph Mokwa; and representatives of Backstoppers.
About 300 people turned out for this event, and the Muslim community raised $10,000 for Backstoppers.