[Boston/JP GRP] Muslims attend political convention in Boston

[Karima4483 at aol.com]

Muslims attend political convention in Boston 
Karin Friedemann for the Muslim Observer 
The Green Rainbow Party of Massachusetts, which is affiliated with the  
national Green Party, held its annual State Convention at the Community Church  of 
Boston on August 25, 2007. Ibrahim Hooper, director of CAIR, told organizers  
to tell all area Muslims to come to the convention to learn how a grassroots  
political party is organized. The convention drew about thirty active GRP  
members and fifteen observers.  
After opening remarks, the groups split into three workshops: 2008  Elections 
Strategy, Using Technology to Promote the Party, and Sudan: What’s  Going On 
and What Can We Do About It? Most of the Muslim observers attended the  Sudan 
workshop, which was led by Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed, a retired BU  professor, 
Loay Abdel Karim, who heads Jamaica Plain Residents for Human Rights,  
journalist Keith Harmon Snow, and Yousef Abdallah from Islamic Relief. The  popular 
workshop received reviews of “phenomenal” and “illuminating” by those  who 
attended.  
During lunch, a keynote speaker spoke about predatory mortgages and the  many 
Americans that are losing their homes due to rising interest rates. Another  
speaker spoke about peak oil. 
Elections for the administrative positions of the party were held,  including 
a male and female co-chair. Unfortunately, only 5 of the 8 available  slots 
for delegates to the National Committee were filled, and other  administrative 
positions were also left unfilled because no one volunteered to  run. The GRP 
is desperate for political leadership. Of the five delegates who  were 
nominated, there was no one running against them. 
After a long debate over whether or not the Green Rainbow Party would  
endorse non-Green Party-registered candidates on the primary ballot, a vote was  
called and those in favor of allowing GRP to endorse non-Green candidates won by  
a margin of 21-7. 
Towards the end, Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia  McKinney walked in wearing a 
T-shirt that read, “First Aid for Democracy:  Impeachment.” She made a 
pro-Africa statement during her brief speech and called  Keith Harmon Snow "the best 
investigative reporter in the world."  She also expressed her disapproval of  
the Patriot Act and America’s many wars. McKinney was the victim of the first 
 campaign in history, which was organized by the Zionist community, where  
Republicans as a group switched to Democrat in order to support her opponent in  
the Congressional primaries. Charismatic McKinney told the group she is  
considering running under the Green Party ticket next time. She received a  
standing ovation. 




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