The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations will host its third annual “Muslim Day at the Capitol” March 2.
The day is for Muslims across Oklahoma to discuss some of the issues affecting the Muslim community — such as Islamophobia, anti-Muslim bigotry and the polarizing political climate — and to interact with their elected leaders. It will start at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City and later move to the Oklahoma Capitol building, according to the event’s Facebook page.
State Rep. Scott Inman, D-Oklahoma, will deliver the keynote speech, and Imam Imad Enchassi, founder of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, will make the closing remarks, according to the Facebook page.
“It has been very clear that some elected leaders don’t want us to exist at all,” said Adam Soltani, executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “Through this event, we are able to enhance the understanding of Islam among those who are elected to lead us, and we are able to create dialogue with our elected leaders and those of other faiths.”
“Some of this advocacy is just advocating for the right to exist, and to be recognized as a community that can contribute to our state and our country. We are advocating for the right to just be who we are,” Soltani said.