The events in Toronto, which spurred a firestorm of criticism and debate within the Muslim American community, were foreshadowed by another instance of black Muslim erasure at the 2016 Islamic Society of North America conference in Chicago, an annual gathering of approximately 50,000 Muslim Americans featuring panels on culture, faith, politics, and advocacy. After speaking on a panel addressing poverty, racism, and surveillance within the Muslim American community, a prominent Egyptian American Muslim activist told me about "a secret meeting for Muslim American leaders" to be held in the hotel that Saturday evening. Unsure who would be attending and uncertain about the meaning of "Muslim American leader," I asked him about the roster of invitees. He reeled off a series of names; I was familiar with some and did not recognize others. I did realize, however, that none of the African American Muslim individuals I knew and routinely worked with were on the list of invitees. I made some phone calls and sent some texts; ultimately it was revealed that none of the African American Muslim activists and leaders I knew were invited to this secret meeting of "Muslim American leaders" at one of the most important Muslim American gatherings of the year.

XREF: Connects to broader themes of intra-community racial exclusion and Black erasure within predominantly immigrant Muslim American institutions. QUESTION: What enabled the secret meeting's criteria for 'Muslim American leader,' and who ultimately defined that category?

Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Unde…, loc. 447