Masjid Muhammad, “The Nation’s Mosque”, Awarded $450,000 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Countering Violent Extremism Grant. Greene Street Communications, LLC is their premier communications implementation partner.
Masjid Muhammad, a non-profit organization and the oldest established Muslim community in Washington, DC, and one of the oldest in America, is proud to announce its selection as one of the few recipients to win the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Violent Extremism grant. A total of 31 proposals from various organizations in multiple communities were selected to receive some part of the $10 million appropriated by Congress last year. Masjid Muhammad was one of seven organizations awarded funds to address the spread of violent extremism by challenging the narrative that promotes extremist ideology and violence. Funds totaling nearly a half million dollars ($450,000) were granted to Masjid Muhammad to support the effort.
The project, executed through collaboration with community partners to include mosques and cultural centers throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan region, CVE and counter-terrorism experts, and Greene Street Communications, LLC, a full-service communications firm, seeks to build: 1) an English/Arabic national multimedia online platform targeting one million Muslims that will address and engage online radicalization narratives with positive counter-narratives (2) establish a robust speaking tour throughout the DC region featuring credible counter-narrative voices 3) develop a database that includes compelling anti-radicalization media to support digital marketing and social media campaigns addressing the causes and consequences of terrorism and violent extremism.
“We are thrilled at Masjid Muhammad to be adding our voice to the growing list of Islamic organizations working to combat violent extremism in our country. The voice of the credible, authentic and constructive Muslim is a proven strategy to address and fight extremism. The goal of this project is to go where the need is greatest and that’s more and more in a digital environment. We will build a compelling online multimedia platform that creates a “safe space” of sorts for open dialogue and discussion and we will have a series of community events to complement those efforts. One of our partners, Greene Street Communications, has been instrumental in supporting our efforts and we look forward to working side by side with them on this tremendous opportunity,” stated Imam Talib Shareef, the leader of Masjid Muhammad.
This new grant clearly demonstrates the professional depth and core competencies of Masjid Muhammad in CVE spaces. Additional partners include prominent Islamic organizations, several notable American Islamic scholars and experts.
About Masjid Muhammad
Dating back to the mid-1930s, Masjid Muhammad, The Nation’s Mosque (of America) is representative of the oldest established Muslim community in the Nation’s Capital and America. This community established the first Mosque to be built from the ground up in America’s capital city by its citizens, and the first in America by descendants of enslaved, African Americans and African-Muslims. Also called, “The Nation’s Masjid (Mosque)” or “Washington Masjid”, Masjid Muhammad is the place of worship for several thousand Muslims in the Washington, D.C. area. To learn more, visit: www.thenationsmosque.org.
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