Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)

The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) is one of the first and oldest American Muslim nonprofit organizations focused on policy and civic engagement. Its work focuses on improving policies impacting the Muslim community by lobbying in Washington, D.C. In addition, it seeks to improve the public perception of American Muslims, especially through its advocacy work in Hollywood. While it shares common goals with similar groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), MPAC is distinct in that it does not focus exclusively on civil rights for the American Muslim community as CAIR does. Founded in the late 1980s by Dr. Maher Hathout and Salam Al-Marayati through the Islamic Center of Southern California, MPAC continues to advocate for its mission of having American Muslims become an integral part of American diversity and pluralism by grounding itself in its understanding of the American Muslim identity. Its work has focused on bringing the American Muslim community and wider American society closer together while also educating non-Muslims about Islam and Muslims to combat Islamophobia. A quote from Dr. Hathout summarizes the intent of MPAC to create an American Muslim institution: “Home is not where my grandparents are buried but where my grandchildren will be raised.” It has committed to engaging the government to improve policies that impact American Muslims and Americans as a whole while also advocating the media and Hollywood to improve their narratives about Islam and Muslims. MPAC has published many books and policy papers that have influenced the discourse on Islam in America. Its work reflects a unique approach from its founders that distinguishes it from other American Muslim organizations and that has yielded criticism over the years. However, they remain committed to their vision for American Muslims based on their understanding of the Qur’an and an interpretation of Islam in modern American context. This article seeks to provide one of the first broad academic overviews of the history and work of MPAC given that they have not been studied in academic works before beyond short references to them as an organization in the American Muslim community.