Civil Liberties or Civil Rights? Muslim American Advocacy Organizations

This paper considers the extent to which two of the most prominent Muslim American advocacy organizations have been able to follow the pattern of advocacy established by the Civil Rights Movement as they have sought to confront Islamophobia in the USA. These two organizations – the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) – have long been at the forefront of Muslim American advocacy. The analysis considers the trajectory of MPAC and CAIR given the cultural and political context of the current ‘post-Civil Rights era’. I begin with an overview of what I call the "civil rights mode" of advocacy, a race-conscious strategy historically used by many civil rights advocacy organizations. This is then contrasted with a "civil liberties mode," a race-neutral or ‘colour-blind’ strategy that has recently gained favour in advocacy circles. My findings suggest that the power of the civil liberties mode in contemporary American advocacy politics has played a crucial role in limiting the effectiveness of Muslim American advocacy efforts.