The Congressional Muslim Staffer Association (CMSA) seeks to be the premier Federal

Federal government of the United States

The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...

 employee association within the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 representing Muslim-American interests and concerns.

Membership

According to its website before it became defunct, "The Congressional Muslim Staffers Association (CMSA) is a chartered organization within the United States House of Representatives, established in 2006. CMSA is a non-dues paying membership association open to any Congressional employee who defines his- or herself as “Muslim”, regardless of their race, gender, school of thought, personal level of religiosity, and country of origin. Members can be employees of any office, committee, or department within the House of Representatives, Senate, Library of Congress, Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Research Service, and the Capitol Hill Police Department. Any Muslim Congressional employee is considered a CMSA member regardless of their level of participation or the degree that they publicly identify themselves as Muslim.

History

Muslim U.S. Congress staff members first started meeting for Friday prayer in 1998. The Muslim group exists not just for networking and support, but hopes to teach members of Congress about Islam.

The CMSA is overseen by the United States House Committee on House Administration

United States House Committee on House Administration

The United States House Committee on House Administration deals with the general administration matters of the United States House of Representatives.-Jurisdiction:...

.

The CMSA endured attacks criticizing a presumed lack of transparency in the government sponsored group's executive board elections shortly before the website was removed from public view.

Forums

The Congressional Muslim Staff Association holds forums such as a 2010 discussion of the Park51 mosque in New York City. The event “Muslims in America: Myths and Realities” included Muslim Public Affairs Council

Muslim Public Affairs Council

The Muslim Public Affairs Council is a national American Muslim advocacy and public policy organization headquartered in Los Angeles and with offices in Washington D.C...

 (MPAC), and Arab American Institute

Arab American Institute

Founded in 1985, the Arab American Institute is a non-profit membership organization based in Washington D.C. that focuses on the issues and interests of Arab-Americans nationwide. James Zogby, brother of pollster John Zogby, is founder and president of the AAI....

 president Dr. James Zogby

James Zogby

James J. Zogby is the author of Arab Voices and the founder and president of the Arab American Institute , a Washington, D.C.–based organization which serves as a political and policy research arm of the Arab American community. He is a senior analyst with his brother's polling firm, Zogby...

, Muslim Public Affairs Council president Salam Al-Maryati, and Dr. Azizah Al-Hibri, founder of KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights. The panel was moderated by Suhail Khan, a former member of the Bush administration.

Charity

The CMSA helped to promote heads of staff groups including the Congressional Jewish Staff Association and the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association which held a “United for Haiti” fundraising event.