Source: The Baltimore Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.muslims05jul05,0,680827.story
On July 5, 2004 The Baltimore Sun reported, "When Baltimore City Council candidate Melvin Bilal held a fund-raiser at a local mosque in May, the black Republican drew 250 fellow Muslim Americans, including immigrants from India, Pakistan and the Arab world. Among them was retailer Ahzar Ansari, originally from Karachi, who donated $1,000 to help put one of his brethren in office... Bilal's fund-raiser captures what American Muslim political organizers have been working for: cooperation across ethnic lines. At a time when many Muslims are anxious about civil rights and opposed to President Bush, organizers want to develop a unified voice and gain a foothold in the political system."