December 2, 2014

Dear Friend,

I want to share an extraordinary story with you about one of our Convention banquet keynote speakers, Rais Bhuiyan, a 'True American.' Days after 9/11, Rais was the victim of a hate crime and was nearly killed by Mark Stroman, an avowed “American terrorist.” After narrowly surviving the attack, Rais performed the Hajj (pilgrimage), undergoing a journey of soul-searching, mercy and forgiveness. That journey led to the founding of his nonprofit, World Without Hate.

I don’t want to spoil the rest of the story for you, so I’m pleased to announce that his riveting story will be shared at our Convention by Rais himself, along with Anand Giridharadas, the author of a book about Rais' story called “The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas.”

I’m also excited to invite you join a webinar with Anand about his compelling book on Thursday, December 4 at 6 p.m. ET.

This webinar is off-the-record, not for media or organizational purposes,

nor to be reported by news media.

For more than 25 years, MPAC has worked to counter negative stereotyping of Islam. If we want to continue countering those stereotypes, we must replace them with positive stories. I’m excited to share Rais' story with you at MPAC's Convention on Saturday, December 13!

“The True American” will also be coming to a theater near you, starring Tom Hardy (“Batman: The Dark Knight," “Inception”) and directed by Oscar-winning Director Kathryn Bigelow (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Hurt Locker”).

There are less than two weeks left until the Convention, so buy your tickets now! I hope to see you there, as we continue to tell better stories about Muslims in America.

Sincerely,

Salam Al-Marayati

MPAC President