Civic action and involvement

After two years of conceptual planning United Muslims - a website designed to "aggregate the energy and talent of the global Muslim community and to actively put it to use in making the world a better place" - is up and running.

The site is launching simultaneously in the US, UK, and Canada, with more countries coming online soon.

Excerpt from the launch e-mail from founder Shahed Amanullah (of altmuslim.com and zabihah.com):

There are many things that we as Muslims can do to head off a "clash of civilizations", but the most effective and dignified way, in my opinion, to "win the hearts and minds" of our fellow citizens is to show that we care about causes important to everyone, not just ourselves.

...I feel that our collective talent and energy is greatly underutilized in the defense of our community. I designed this site to tap into the collective creativity of the Muslim community.

When you create a volunteer profile on unitedmuslims.org, you will be actively matched to online and real-world projects based on your availability, geographic location, and activist/political preferences. Within minutes, you can be emailed about a project, take action online, and then move on with your day.

The site is also designed with an eye towards the 2008 US elections...It is my wish that in 2008, candidates for public office will start paying attention to our real clout, in terms of money and mobilized voters, instead of using us as political fodder.

You all have causes you care about. Perhaps you're even trying to rally support around a time-sensitive issue. I encourage you to join unitedmuslims.org and create groups or projects that can be shared with others.