By now, all of us are familiar with the mosque two blocks from ground zero, and the conniption it has caused for Muslim and non-Muslim alike across the country. Republicans and Harry Reid are abandoning the constitution in favor of neo-McCarthyism and (in Reid’s case) a boost in the polls. Mosque planners Daisy Khan and Imam Abdul Rauf have come under fire behind the scenes as woefully unprepared to deal with the mounting criticism of the Islamic community center they wish to build. To make matters worse, Eid-ul-Fitr, the Islamic celebration marking the end of Ramadan, might begin on September 11th, 2010. None of this is boding well for a religious community still reeling from several planned and executed terror attacks on American soil from within our ranks. Muslims in America are under siege, and some would argue rightfully so.
Although all minority communities have had trial-by-fire experiences on the way to mainstreaming (and Muslims have had it easy in comparison to Japanese, Italian, and Irish Americans just to name a few), Muslim immigrants come to America with negative views of the country instilled mainly by the pro-Arab media in their nations-of-origin. Add to that the fact that Black Muslims, the largest and largely indigenous group of Muslims in America, feel duly ostracized by Christian Black culture, and by remnants of Jim Crow and socio-economic inequity in modern day America, and we end up with Muslims in America feeling more and more like the American Dream isn’t meant for them—and that’s exactly what Lashkar-e-Taiba and Al-Qaeda want us to think.
While I do not think besieging Muslims will get America anywhere, I do believe Muslims are responsible for our current spate of public relations nightmares. Fortunately for Team Muslim-USA, my generation of Muslims (Generation Y: the millennials) are a brackish bunch of hip coolsters who moonlight as public relations gurus (thank you Facebook and PhotoShop). Plus, let’s not forget: Miss USA is [albeit, a very liberal] Muslim, too. Our smarts (and charismatic good looks) can conquer the Mosque’s PR crisis in a jiff. That’s why below I have compiled a list of ideas I think that can begin to de-fuse the “WTC Mosque” crisis.
Halal Public Relations 201
It’s all in the name: brand and re-brand the Mosque
“It’s the Manhattan Mosque, stupid.”
This one seems simple enough, except it isn’t. A lot of the outrage about the mosque has to do with the Muslim community’s failure to control the debate surrounding the controversy of building a mosque at ground zero, and that has a lot to do with the fact that our opponents have been able to label “Park51” as the mosque at ground zero. The Muslim community’s multiple PR and political institutions have failed to pro-actively develop a suitable, politically correct label for the mosque. I propose the “Manhattan Mosque”, because that’s exactly what it is: a mosque in Manhattan. The truth is, of course, that this is a mosque inside of a cultural center, but the statement is still accurate (the mosque inside the center is still in Manhattan), and besides, it would take 20 minutes to re-frame the debate around a community center, 5 minutes more than our 15 minutes of fame allow for.
Keep it simple: focus on the mosque, otherwise you’ll lose focus from the audience. Further, the current sanctioned title of “Park51″ is just too sterile, though for the chief organizers of the mosque I think it’s a good working title, but not for the rest of us who are working independently to ensure Cordoba House’s construction.
Twitter note: Up till now we’ve seen several different #hashtags floating around on Twitter when referring to the Manhattan Mosque. Some popular ones are: #Park51, #WTCMosque, #NYCMosque, #CordobaHouse, as well as many others not suitable for re-print here. Step 1 in retaking the debate on the Manhattan Mosque is to promulgate via Twitter the #hashtag: #ManhattanMosque. We would first identify “grasstops” social media leaders in our community, and through existing political and PR channels, ask that they tweet 5 times a day (symbolic of the 5 times Muslims are obligated to worship) a status on Twitter pertaining to the #ManhattanMosque, using that exact same #hashtag.
Re-name the building for an American Shaheed.
Muslim Americans gave their lives on 9/11, and in every war since then to protect our country, its people, and its values and constitution. One of the reasons many Americans are so vehemently opposed to the Manhattan Mosque is the idea that we as a community oppose America and all it stands for. That is simply not true, and we need to demonstrate that again and again, until either Arab-inspired Terrorism fizzles out, or the notion of Muslims being monstrous killing machines does. This isn’t just smart politics, it’s a religious obligation. Muslims are required to actively repair and protect our religion’s image, and to maintain friendly relations with all creeds—even those we disagree with (it’s called Surah
Kafiruun).
Since the beginning of hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, Muslim American soldiers have died defending our flag. While no shaheed is more important than another, it would be a highly symbolic gesture if the organizers of the Manhattan Mosque were to name the building the Cordoba House will come to occupy after one of our fallen heroes. This is different from renaming the cultural center. Instead, the center would be referred to as “The Cordoba House at the Captain Humayun Khan Building”. Before some readers suggest this as juvenile, note that many Jewish cultural and religious centers and synagogues do exactly that. That being naming buildings after either wealthy benefactors, or individuals with noted dedication to public service. Take for example: “Hillel: the Jewish community on campus at the Smokler Center, at the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building” present at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Considering the Jewish community is the exemplary model of what a religious minority should behave like organizationally, I strongly recommend following suit.
Emotional side-project: Another idea the Manhattan Mosque organizers might want to is to name each floor of the 13/15 (depending which news article you read) story center after various American or Muslim American noteworthy figures, as well as to have a memorial to 9/11 victims on the first floor. The first suggestion should be on the coat-tails of the renaming of the building for a fallen Muslim American service member, and included in the same press release as to show multiple symbolic concessions illustrating Muslim sensitivity to 9/11, as well as our dedication to America. The second idea needs to happen regardless, at this point. If we fail to show that Muslims too, mourn 9/11, then the Manhattan Mosque’s detractors will have already won.
Social Media or “How to fight a PR war from sea to shining sea”
Let’s face it, at best there are 6 million of us Muslims in America. At worse, more like 2 million. That’s a drop in the bucket considering we’re over 300 million strong in terms of all Americans. We don’t have the manpower to just “push back” an assault on our religion. But we do have the internet. And the internet has Facebook. Harnessing the power of interns public relations handlers for the Manhattan Mosque should develop a social media strategy (or hire me to do it), and a social media guidebook illustrating how everyday supporters of the Manhattan Mosque can help neutralize its detractors and their arguments through their existing social media platforms. Here are a few thoughts on strategy and tactics:
“I’m a Muslim too.” How YouTube can change the world
There are over a 10 dozen various YouTube campaigns out there right now about Islam. Some call for our arrest, and placing in camps until Jesus Christ returns, others urge us to “holy war” (aside: can war ever be holy?). Still, others (my favorite kind) are educational about what it really means to be a Muslim, and work to dispel the myths about Islam and help foster good will between all faiths. This is probably the best tool on earth for cash-strapped public relations campaigns (read: us).
It takes 8 videos (because there are 8 points on a stylized “Islamic star”) featuring 8 different people, 5 girls, 3 boys. 2 grandparents, 2 couples, 1 college bachelor, and 1 High School student.
In each of the videos, each individual talks for no more than 1:30, with each video being shot in multiple camera angles, alternating after about 20 seconds each. The speaker in each video talks about an Islamic value and overtly connect it to an American value (e.g. freedom of speech, religious freedom, racial equality, common defense, etc.). The last scene of each video should end with “I support the Manhattan Mosque because…” (e.g. “I can teach my children to be patriots and a US Army ranger like me there”, or “building it will show just how much the terrorists are wrong: we are a free society, and no one can take that from us”).
Pushing these videos “virally” would be done through Twitter Tweets (accompanied by #hashtag: #ManhattanMosque), Facebook posts, and private and public e-mail list-serves. With a little luck and some free publicity through video spots on TV News, the videos would easily get a million hits—and that’s just domestic.
Twitter Madness: How 140 characters mean everything.
First, a moment of shameless self-promotion: my Twitter handle is @PatrioticMuslim.
Journalists love Twitter. Bloggers love Twitter. My friend Sharanya (@SharanyaRavi) who tweets every little detail about her life loves Twitter. And so, all Muslim Americans should love Twitter, too. Here’s why:
It’s easy to use, and arguably has the potential to reach niche audiences other social media cannot
Those niche audiences include: politicians, public officials, political party leaders, leading bloggers (or as I like to think of them: “neo-editorialists”), and most importantly, journalists.
Twitter is fast-paced, just like most working adults of my generation. If someone actively uses Twitter, chances are they have access to a private reserve of people on Twitter who do not [want to or cannot figure out how to] use Facebook. That means less “white noise” reaches these reserve audiences, and each tweet they type or read has less competition in terms of catching their immediate attention. That’s a good way to overnight build a “shadow network” of semi-grassroots activists for any cause.
First, back to re-branding the Manhattan Mosque. This begins with a core network of grasstops Muslims in every state, and the District of Columbia re-tweeting to their followers to use the #hashtag
#ManhattanMosque when talking about CordobaHouse. It’s too late in the game to build a following around any hashtag or “re-brand” without the word “mosque” in it, and that is why re-branding as #CordobaHouse/”Cordoba House” will fail. People have busy lives, and “mosque” is now tied in both in traditional and social media to the issue.
Once re-branding via Twitter has begun, the next step is to disseminate the social media guidebook as a .pdf, .svg and .png document/graphic to the general public, using existing Muslim American political institutions’ e-mail lists and social media platforms (e.g. Facebook Pages, Twitter, Blogs, websites), as well as the grasstops network’s followers. Once the guidebook is out there, a general sense of excitement and cohesion will take root in across the Muslim American community, and a grassroots network of Tweets will emerge, proliferating positive spin, blog posts, and press release updates regarding the #ManhattanMosque. This will then trickle down to those who write the news, and then to those who video-anchor the news, slowly helping to shape the debate around the Manhattan Mosque to our suiting.
Facebook: the ultimate social-anything tool.
Facebook is the most versatile and simplest multimedia communication platform on the net. To put it simply: it rocks. The options for how Muslim Americans can win the PR war just through Facebook are endless. Therefore, I will only mention a few general items here:
The creation of multiple (or a single authorized) Facebook group/page (either has positives and drawbacks) through which to mobilize supporters of the Manhattan Mosque to action.
The coordination, development and dissemination by talented Muslim graphic designers multiple attractive .jpeg format flyers and posters in support of the Manhattan Mosque to be used in lieu of a profile picture for several days or hours every few days or weeks.
The re-posting on Facebook walls of links, status updates, audio and video links, and messages of support for or pertaining to the Manhattan Mosque
The writing of Facebook Notes in favor of the mosque.
The development of Facebook-specific talking points for supporters of the Manhattan Mosque to draw on when writing notes, and creating other user-generated content on Facebook.
Ground War: winning the battle next door
While on the national scale, the Manhattan Mosque has made big news, local Muslim activists (those who focus on affair & issues in their immediate area) apparently have not gotten too involved with the larger debate. Here in Maryland, for instance, neither the county Muslim Councils, nor the statewide Muslim council has issued a public statement regarding the controversy surrounding the Manhattan Mosque’s construction. Some might argue local activists are avoiding the foray to protect the social and political capital they have generated for Muslim Americans in their local area since 9/11. Regardless of the case, they need to be engaged and involved by regional and national actors in the Muslim community to help in the public relations effort surrounding the Manhattan Mosque.
All-Area sponsored Iftars to talk about the Manhattan Mosque
This has always been an effective way to begin dialogues with non-Muslims. Muslim community leaders from across every metropolitan area should coordinate with their local regional organizations (ISNA/ICNA sub-chapters, local “Muslim Councils”, mosque conferences, etc.) to organize a single iftar at a central location with non-Muslim community group leaders, religious figures, local journalists and editorialists (be clear the invite for media is not just a photo-op, it’s a chance to build relationships) where during the meal three members of the community, each of different cultural backgrounds from the others, each under the age of 30, should speak for 2 minutes in front of the audience about what they love most about being an American—the fact that someone is a Muslim should be obvious in this case (you’re speaking at an iftar), and the focus should be on Muslims as multi-faceted people with deep loyalty and love for their country. Conversations should casually but overtly drift towards why Muslims support the mosque, with Muslim American community leaders fully briefed and talking points gone over in advance.
Letters to editor, editorials, and guest columnist opportunities
Water moves from areas of greater concentration to areas of less concentration. The human mind to a great degree follows the same rule. As the decline in local readership begins to thin-out and shutter a lot of local newspapers, the focus and emphasis local leaders and politicians put on these same news journals increases. This is because the only people still writing and reading them are habitual voters, and other local community leaders (of the non-political variety), who command the respect of local voters. Furthermore, local papers are desperate for well-written letters to editor and op-eds. This provides a unique opportunity in the Manhattan Mosque PR war. On the encouragement of local councils, and following talking and writing points disseminated by national groups regarding how to address the Manhattan Mosque’s controversy when speaking to others, Muslims should independently write to their local papers every week in support of the mosque’s construction and how it benefits America. This constant stream of attention will help shore up public and media support for the mosque, and help challenge its detractors on multiple fronts, thereby weakening their control over the debate, by eroding support from a grassroots level on-up.
Talking Points, Talking Points, Talking Points: How to uniformly train the troops, and route the detractors
If they’re out there, then I haven’t seen them. We need talking points, and a lot of them. Social media guidebooks aside, we need colorful flyers, Photoshop images, handouts, pamphlets, training workshops and seminars, bulleted talking points and even an ad-hoc speaker’s bureau to effectively advocate change in public sentiment in favor of our cause. This doesn’t too much time to do, it just takes dedication from a collective of Muslim American volunteers across the country for 2-3 hours a day for two weeks to pull off. YouTube returns as your friend, when Muslim Americans become citizen journalists, posting amateur videos of them organizing iftars, talking to the pulic, and posting personal messages of support for the Manhattan Mosque—all routinely inspired by talking points published both locally and nationally (and disseminated over the net through sites like issuu and scribd) by Muslim American advocacy groups.
Let’s wrap it up
By the end of this post, you have read the term “Manhattan Mosque” 25 times, including this one. You have read the #hashtag
#ManhattanMosque six times. This was no accident. According to several reputable studies, it now takes up to 14 impressions for an advertisement to become ingrained in your memory. Similar to all of us now memorizing the phrase “Manhattan Mosque”, repeating a message and theme again and again is the best way for it to get others to remember it as well. This was no accident, by the way. I was purposefully trying to brand the term Manhattan Mosque into your mind. Evil Muslim mind control? Not really, just smart market placement.
Re-energizing the base
Much talk has been made of the legitimacy and American-ness of the proposal and decision to build an Islamic community center a mere 2 blocks from where Arab Terrorists committed acts of genocide on our fellow Americans. In this section, I make an impassioned case for the justness, and the necessity for the construction of what will come to be by God’s grace, the most important Islamic building in North America.
Under the American constitution, a document seldom abrogated by man, and divinely protected for posterity, the freedom to worship as an American so chooses is an inalienable right. Captain Humayun Khan, Corporal Kareem Khan, Sergeant Omar Albrak, and many others died to uphold our constitution, and therefore to protect the freedom to worship freely in a free land.
While our country’s detractors in Iran and Pakistan have made it illegal for non-Muslims to hold their highest offices, our President’s father was a Muslim. Moreover, a former chief of general staff argued compassionately that Muslims are Americans, and are just as worthy as holding higher office as anyone else. Today, two members of Congress are practicing Muslims. Since 9/11, Muslim American has struggled to fight the demons of our past, and today we embark on the most emotionally-charged journey yet: to prove that we too, are Americans.
Building the Manhattan Mosque symbolizes more than just our intention as Americans to mainstream and be accepted as part of our greater society. It represents the passionate dedication we as Americans have to the upholding of the law and the protection of our freedoms, no matter how unpopular the acting of doing so might be. Building Cordoba House, if and when done right, symbolizes the defeat of all Terrors by declaring: Americans cannot and will not be bullied into giving up our principles and beliefs. We will not be divided and ruled by passions intended to take away our sense good and humanity. We are a free and ultimately just society, built on the rule of law, not the rule of mob. We are all Americans.
In the coming months and weeks, America will re-live the pain and horrors associated with 9/11, and Muslims in America will re-live the endless feelings of sorrow and regret for not doing more to prevent it. But together, as Americans, we will build a mosque, insha’Allah (by God’s will), two blocks from ground zero. And by doing so, we will forever change the world: by showing that we as men (and women) can live up to our principles and do the right thing, no matter how much it might sting to do so. Because that is the essence of being an American.
Pax Americana, always and Ramadan Mubarik.
These are some general thoughts on steps the Manhattan Mosque’s (27th time) organizers, national Muslim American groups, and the Muslim American community at-large might take to at least begin to win the PR war in favor of the mosque.
Please: re-tweet, re-post, and re-share this article with as many of your friends and colleagues as you see fit.
-Hamza Khan
