Muslim-Americans seek harmony

From New Jersey's The Star Ledger

Prominent Muslims are joining together to brainstorm on countering the isolation and lack of understanding many Muslim-American communities feel in a time of tremendous cultural upheaval.

At a three-day conference titled "Muhammad and the West," held at the Garden State Convention and Exhibit Center in Somerset, hundreds of Muslims from New Jersey and surrounding states attended talks on the role of Muslims in American politics, raising Muslim children in America, and relations with non-Muslims.

The conference, sponsored by some of New Jersey's largest mosques and the Muslim American Society in Somerset, kicked off yesterday and will continue through tomorrow afternoon. The main goal of the weekend workshops, organizers said, was learning how to promote understanding.