From Muslim Youths, a Push for Change

"For me, this conference is about trying to find out what it means to be an American Muslim in terms of political and civic engagement. Trying to find out what it means to be a political Muslim but not the one on the cover of a magazine with a gun," he said.

Young Muslim Americans have a limited number of role models in top-level politics. There are none in top positions in the agencies represented at the conference. The summit met with U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the first Muslim elected to Congress, and the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, which started about two years ago and estimates there are 25 Muslims working on Capitol Hill.

The event comes, not by accident, as attention is turning toward Muslim American youths. A Pew Research Center report released in May found a quarter of American Muslims ages 18 to 29 believe suicide bombings against civilians can sometimes be justified to defend Islam, while only 9 percent older than 30 believe that. Congress began holding hearings this spring on homegrown Islamic terrorism, which prompted the Muslim council to release a policy paper last month pressing for Muslim chaplains on every college campus, more influence for young Muslims in large organizations and the government to publicize its cooperation with Muslim leaders.

Watching recent reports about alleged terrorist plots in Fort Dix, N.J., and at New York's JFK Airport, "we began to get really nervous," and planned the paper and the summit, Ghori said. The Muslim council picked participants the organization learned about through Muslim activists and groups.

Summit participants said they were frustrated by the fact that Homeland Security staff members, despite expressing concern about homegrown terrorism, admitted to the group that they don't know enough about the threat to offer suggestions on how to help counter it.

Despite the heavy topic, the tone at the summit was also upbeat with the vibe of hopefulness that comes with a gathering of go-getters. On Thursday night, the group met at a Georgetown office for a coffee hour, to analyze the summit and play an ice-breaker game in which young people raced around the room to find people with whom they shared something in common. After 10 minutes, pairs shouted out their shared interests:

"We both like the Red Sox!"

"We're both Palestinian and we like Mos Def!"

"We both love property management!"

Sabur, whose parents grew up in East Africa, said he ultimately felt energized by the summit.

"Maybe this government isn't ready to seriously dialogue, but Muslim Americans need to continue to advance, to learn the importance of civic engagement," he said, "to make sure our youth grow up the way we want them to be, and [are] respected for who they are."