Source: The Baltimore Sun

http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-md.muslim11jan11,0,3506779.story

On January 11, 2004 The Baltimore Sun reported that hundreds of Muslims gathered at the Idara-e-Jaferia Islamic Center in Burtonsville, Maryland for a daylong "Current Awareness" program to mobilize Muslim political participation in post-9/11 America. The program included seminars on building relationships with non-Muslims, improving the image of Muslims in the news media and balancing Islamic faith with American identity. John L. Esposito, a Georgetown University professor and one of the nation's leading Islamic scholars, pressed the audience to "become more educated about its faith, reach out to neighbors, set a good example in the workplace and resist those who preach isolationism."