Haris Tarin

MPAC Press Release

(Washington, DC – 11/12/12) – The Muslim Public Affairs Council is honored to announce that The Washington Post today published a feature article about Haris Tarin, the Director of MPAC’s Washington, DC, Office, titled “Rising Muslim American Leader in D.C. Speaks for his Generation.”

Highlighting his personal and professional life, the article follows Tarin as he engages with government agencies including the White House and State Department, speaks to diverse Muslim communities and manages the DC Office, all while trying to be a devoted husband and loving father.

“Haris is an exceptional leader and asset to the American Muslim community,” said Salam Al-Marayati, MPAC’s President. “We are proud that Haris and his work on behalf of MPAC have been highlighted by The Washington Post. His dedication to the community is inspiring.”

SEE: “Rising Muslim American Leader in D.C. Speaks for his Generation” (The Washington Post)

The article reads, in part:

Within the span of about a week recently, Haris Tarin spoke at a Washington panel on how the next U.S. president can combat violent Islamic extremism, delivered a guest sermon for Eid in Alexandria, launched an ad campaign on District buses calling for religious tolerance, and hosted an election night party and discussion in Great Falls.

Tarin, the full-time Washington representative of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), seems to be everywhere at once. Yet he also walks a tightrope between American critics who see his group as a diplomatic front for radical Islamists and conservative fellow Muslims who fear it is going too far to accommodate American values, security needs or misperceptions about their faith.

Tarin, 34, describes himself as a “passionate moderate” who speaks for others of his generation — hundreds of thousands of young Muslim Americans who are trying to find a balance between the enveloping faith of their foreign-born parents and the freewheeling, participatory nature of Western society. . .

Founded in 1988, MPAC is an American institution which informs and shapes public opinion and policy by serving as a trusted resource to decision makers in government, media and policy institutions. MPAC is also committed to developing leaders with the purpose of enhancing the political and civic participation of American Muslims.

[CONTACT: Marium Mohiuddin, 323-258-6722, marium@mpac.org]

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