What was the inspiration behind the founding of AMIN?

It all began in the fall of 2007 as a "Ramadan Potluck" group that spun out of a dormant Muslim networking group on meetup.com.  A small and extremely diverse core group of - what were at the time - strangers, began meeting regularly for iftars (breaking of the fast) during Ramadan 2007.  As our "core group," including Robert & Bahiyyah Salaam (African-American Muslims and parents of 5 beautiful boys), Beth & Tamer Olibah (an Arab-American Muslim and white-American convert, parents of 2 beautiful girls), Mika'il Petin (African-American convert) and Hazami Barmada (Arab-American Muslim student) began to grow, we were struck by the diversity in age, background, ethnicity and interests that existed amongst our group.  Our potlucks turned into small discussion groups, which then turned into attending lectures, movies, and events as a group. We tripled in number during Ramadan as members of our group began inviting their friends and families to our activities.  We felt a growing hunger in our community to gather with diverse Muslims, to enjoy good company, learn and grow together and have a safe place to share our stories, experiences and news.

In less than a year, what began as a 'potluck group' of seven people, grew to an email and facebook membership of over 600 members engaging in diverse activities in the DC area.  Hazami Barmada took the initiative to begin "formalizing" our group activities which lead to the birth of the American Muslim Interactive Network.  

What are the main goals of AMIN?

Community development through education and service are among the primary focus of AMIN.  We hope to keep our members engaged with networking opportunities, social and educational activities, professional development opportunities and much more!  But we do not aim to do this alone nor do we believe in 'recreating the wheel'.  We have called ourselves the "interactive" network because we aim to do just that-- to create an interactive network by working in collaboration with and in support of diverse Muslim communities and organizations to "centralize" information that is relevant to Muslims and about Islam.

Our network sheds light on great achievements of Muslims in the United States, highlights the work of Muslim organizations and institutions who are doing great work in the community, and also provide educational forums both to educate Muslims about opportunities on how to get engaged in the American community at large, and the American public and media about Muslim-Americans and our positive contributions and diversity in America. 

Through our diverse initiatives, in the larger American context, we aim to combat negative stereotypes by putting a positive one out there that can be used as an alternative. An alternative image that is not necessarily only based on what the Quran or Hadith say, but one that is based on the good acts of Muslims; fellow Americans who are contributing and engaging for the betterment of the American society as a whole.  We aim to translate who we are, what we aim to be, and the peaceful nature of our faith, into something visible. We believe that often times - actions speak louder than words.

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Why and how does AMIN engage in interfaith service and dialogue?

Often times instead of dialogue, people engage in opposing monologues.  We do not talk with each other, we talk at each other.  In engaging in interfaith dialogue, AMIN aims to break down the barriers of having opposing monologues.  We want to emphasize that interfaith dialogue is NOT about dialogue between faiths, it's dialogue between PEOPLE of those faiths.  It's about a personal exchange.  Sharing of our narratives.  We believe that dialogue should be used to enhance mutual understanding; it is not about convincing someone of your viewpoint, but is rather about gaining a new respect for the experiences, views and ideologies of others.  As Rick Warren said, "Just because we do not see eye to eye, doesn’t mean we can not walk hand in hand."

A great example of this in action is our work with interfaith Habitat for Humanity. Recently AMIN was featured on the Habitat for Humanity homepage and here is what they had to say:

"This year, The American Muslim Interactive Network (AMIN), has become one of those groups who helps us out in a pinch! ...  Groups like this, who are called to serve and do all they can to support our mission make us smile!  They are fun to have on site, very open to sharing how their faith contributes to their call to serve, and are happy to enlighten other volunteers about the Muslim faith.  But mostly, they want to build homes!...  This partnership allows AMIN members to fulfill their civic duty to give back to the community, while also participating in key interfaith dialogue with other religious groups—building bonds of friendship while also building homes.  The Habitat for Humanity builds are extremely popular events among AMIN members, who relish the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with our faith partners, learning about other faith traditions, and showcasing the dynamic nature of the American Muslim community."  (Thank you Ridah Sabouni for your leadership!) Read full Habitat article

How does AMIN define "Muslim" or "Islam"?

One of the main objectives of AMIN is to highlight the diversity that exists in the Muslim community.  AMIN acknowledges that diversity not only exists in the United States at large, but also within the Muslim-American community.  We hail from many backgrounds, ideologies, educational levels, economic levels and political affiliations. We are born-Muslim, converts and bicultural/religious.  We are American-born and immigrants.  We are of all races, ethnicities, linguistic backgrounds and upbringings.  We are of all ages, single, with families, widowed.  We believe in embracing these differences and showcasing the diversity of our community!  We operate by the saying: "Diversity: the art of thinking independently together."  AMIN is an all-inviting and inclusive network and we do not believe in excluding people based on their cultural/religious views, ideologies, age, gender or ethnicity.  We do however expect all members to adhere to a high level of conduct and not forcefully promote their personal ideological views and/or philosophies over others.

What does the AMIN Tag-line "Connect, Learn, Serve, Grow" mean?

Connect: To develop friendships and collaborative networks within the Muslim community and between Muslims.  Also to connect Muslim-American communities to engage with American communities at large, and vice-versa, to connect non-Muslim-American communities to engage with Muslim-American activities and communities.

Learn: Takes place on several levels: Providing an opportunity for personal growth amongst Muslim-Americans to explore community building, identity and the Muslim-American experience.  Providing an opportunity for the American public to learn about Islam and the Muslim-American community.  And providing Muslim-Americans with ways to get involved in the American community at large through educational and service opportunities.

Serve: Providing opportunities to engage in issues for the betterment and support of humanity.  Through service we aim to grow in our faith while also building bridges of understanding, mutual exchange, and respect.

Grow: Our activities provide an avenue for personal and community growth and reflection.  We hope to continue to grow as a community but also to continue to build bridges of support and collaboration between diverse groups with a shared vision of furthering peaceful relations, respect, and understanding between people of different faiths, beliefs, ideologies and cultural backgrounds.

How and from where does AMIN get its funding?

AMIN is a 100% volunteer organization. Our funding is obtained by individual donors and through membership dues ($25.00 per year).  Funding of our events and programs is made possible through in-kind donations, partner organizations and individual donors.

The kind and generous donations of people who believe in our mission and have seen the positive impact of our work make our events and initiatives possible.  Please make a donation today!  To make a donation of a service, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

Do you have creative fundraising ideas for us?  We'd love to hear from you!

Does AMIN plan on opening chapters around the country?

Yes!  The Washington DC Chapter of AMIN is the first to open.  We do plan on having chapters of AMIN around the United States and we are happy and eager to work with diverse Muslim communities around the country to make this a reality!  We will begin opening chapters in the Fall of 2011.  If you are interested in having an AMIN chapter in your city, please send a letter of interest to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Why does AMIN list other organizations' events on its calendar?

The AMIN calendar lists several types of events:

• AMIN hosted/sponsored events
• Events hosted by Muslim organizations/institutions
• Events hosted in the DC area at large, including art shows, lectures, film screenings that might be of interest to Muslim-Americans or that are about Islam/Muslims
• Interfaith events hosted by our interfaith partner organizations

This fulfills our mission in helping create an 'interactive' network!  Please send event information to be included in our calendar to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .