--- title: What American Muslims Can Do Today With Dr. King’s Lessons description: A valuable lesson Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught that American Muslims can apply today is the importance of well-coordinated strategies canonical: https://time.com/5103183/martin-luther-king-day-muslim-lessons/ author: Nihad Awad article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-15T14:39:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:06.076Z article:section: Ideas og:title: CAIR Exec: What American Muslims Can Do Today With Dr. King’s Lessons og:description: Coordination is key og:url: https://time.com/5103183/martin-luther-king-day-muslim-lessons/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d1ccafea6482457/6988f64cfb4eacd431895185/optimist-issue-john-lewis-necessary-trouble.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3040 og:image:height: 1710 og:image:alt: optimist-issue-john-lewis-necessary-trouble og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: CAIR Exec: What American Muslims Can Do Today With Dr. King’s Lessons twitter:description: Coordination is key twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d1ccafea6482457/6988f64cfb4eacd431895185/optimist-issue-john-lewis-necessary-trouble.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # CAIR Exec: What American Muslims Can Do Today With Dr. King’s Lessons > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=cea99f98-cf73-41d9-99f4-75abfac8e036&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: What King Said [Watch (HLS stream): What King Said](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/97BZp3hS.m3u8) (6:11)  _Published 2013-08-13. The night before the March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr.’s advisers offered their opinions on what message he should deliver. But he went his own way._ by [Nihad Awad](https://time.com/author/nihad-awad/) ## Nihad Awad Jan 15, 2018 2:39 PM UTC  John Lewis (second from left) joins American civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King in a march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital in Montgomery, March 30, 1965. John Lewis (second from left) joins American civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King in a march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital in Montgomery, March 30, 1965. William Lovelace/Express—Getty Images by [Nihad Awad](https://time.com/author/nihad-awad/) ## Nihad Awad Jan 15, 2018 2:39 PM UTC Among the greatest lessons that [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr](http://time.com/5099513/martin-luther-king-day-myths/). taught us, and which American Muslims can apply today, is the importance of [well-coordinated strategies](http://time.com/5101740/martin-luther-king-peaceful-protests-lessons/) – carried out by wide coalitions – to change the written and unwritten rules around how an entire community of Americans should and shouldn’t be treated. With the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, Dr. King taught us the importance of direct engagement with decision-makers, and community mobilization. When meeting decision-makers to ask them to do the right thing does not result in the desired change, we exert community pressure in coordination with other American Muslim organizations and allies. Coordination is key. If one group works privately with decision-makers, it is important to coordinate with those who are working publicly. Dr. King taught us the power of the media and its ability to reach everyday Americans with stories of the lives, contributions, challenges, hopes and dreams of our communities. Journalism can inform and inspire Americans to make good decisions after seeing authentic and humanizing stories. The scenes from ‘Bloody Sunday’ were carried live on TV nationwide because of effective pre-event media outreach by Dr. King’s team. Such planning helped mobilize [thousands across the nation](http://time.com/3910062/civil-rights-photographs/) to rise and support the movement. Another lesson Dr. King taught us is the importance of intentional word usage and not using the defamatory code words our opponents use to shift public opinion against us. He consistently used strategic words and phrases that [conjured positive and aspirational imagery](http://time.com/5103094/google-doodle-martin-luther-king-day/) that connected with people’s values to inspire them and advance the dream that he drew through his words. When racism and segregation laws were seen as a problem that only affected the South, Dr. King consistently framed the struggle for equality and fairness as one that defined our nation and our identity as Americans, and an issue of adhering to our nation’s founding principles. In addition to this, Dr. King taught us the importance of well-thought-out strategies in response to so-called “moments of crises.” Rather than acting hastily in response to a situation, his team crafted contingency plans to mobilize the energy and passion of the moment to make changes in systems. Today, we can choose to see even the most violent anti-Muslim hate incidents, which have been increasing over the past few years and are at a record high, as opportunities to mobilize concerned citizens to go beyond frustration and take specific actions that result in changes in defamatory media portrayals of Muslims, which [according to studies](https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/gYWNCo2m2Xs5lxZrSMkU2L?domain=islamfactcheck.org), fuel prejudice resulting in discrimination and hate crimes. Dr. King taught us that young people empowered to tell their stories and mobilize their peers can be a powerful catalyst for change and deserve to be mentored early as leaders and given an equal seat in our movements’ decision-making tables. This was clear in sit-ins, most of which were conducted by youth and in marches which prominently featured youth and children. Today, [American Muslims](http://time.com/4565528/cair-donald-trump-american-muslims/) can benefit a great deal by empowering young people in our work, as well as prominently featuring in our public efforts our youth and children, whose futures we are fighting for and whose prominent presence reminds the public of our humanity and desire for a brighter future. Dr. King also taught us the important roles of allies. He ensured that non-black allies were seen and heard by fellow Americans, who would be moved to action often just by seeing the diversity of people who supported freedom. Dr. King once noted: “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. The Quran, Islam’s revealed text, states: “God will not change the condition of a people until they change that which is within themselves.” (13:11) As the new year begins, and as we remember Dr. King’s lessons, as an organization, we at [CAIR](http://time.com/4268569/ted-cruz-plan-to-target-muslim-neighborhoods/) commit to putting these lessons to work. We are committed to building broader, stronger coalitions than ever before. We are committed to being thoughtful and disciplined in our work to change media portrayals of our communities, and thus change how our families and children are treated by society. We commit to doing this work – not by ourselves but together with other American Muslim organizations and allies – so that when millions of American Muslim children, from Seattle to Savannah, turn on the TV or look at their phone, the message they see and hear is that they have the right to live, hope, and dream like any other American. ## Transcript >> I grew up hearing Dr. King. There was something about his voice, maybe about his appeal. >> Dr. King had collected a lot of social themes, and couplets, and words, and language. And he brought all the best of those years of speaking together in one gloriously magnificent knowing. >> I have a dream-- >> When he spoke that day on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he was preaching from his heart, from his soul, from his guts. >> As the day of the march drew near, I stayed at the Willard Hotel where Dr. King was staying. Now, among his advisers, there were those who were suggesting, " Martin, people are coming to the march in Washington because they're coming to hear you preach and there were others "-- And he said, " No, Dr. King, we have to give the kind of political direction that treats us to where we are. I was part of that group. And he was being very gracious. He said, " Well, thank you so much, but I'm gonna go up and work in speech and counsel with the Lord ." >> At the day of the speech, I'm standing on the platform about 50 feet behind him. >> I had no credentials, but I kind of crawled up the steps and backed my way in. >> Everybody was curious as to what this young man is going to say. As you would expect, We have large crowd like that. people had their own mini conversations going on, you know. >> But when Dr. King got up, it got quiet. I mean, it was like they were at church. [ unk ] A. Philip Randolph in this enormous voice. >> I have the pleasure to present to you, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. >> I couldn't get to him to wink my eye or to say to him like come on, come on, you can do it, you can do it. >> And after a couple of perfunctory introductory senses, I'm listening to his-- >> Five score years ago-- >> I concentrated on his words and what he was saying. As I'm listening, I see that he is reading. I had written out in longhand a possible opening paragraph. >> America has given the Negro people a bad check. >> And I did notice at a certain point he starts off reading. And at a certain moment, Mahalia Jackson, it erupted to him while he's speaking. Tell them about the dream, Martin. Tell them about the dream. His whole body language changed and he changed to what I call the baptist preacher's stance. And I said to the person standing next to me, whoever that was, I said, " These people don't know it, but they're about ready to go to church ." >> I have a dream that one day-- >> Yes! >> this nation will rise up. >> Like the greatest jazz musician, he just does an incredible solo. It was as if some transcendental terrestrial force had come down and taken over his body. >> I didn't know that Dr. King had left a script, but that's what was in there. >> And you stood in wonder as he spoke, as his words came out. >> My 4 little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today-- >> When-- In his talking and my mind wandering back to what I had been through and when he started talking about his children, you know, I felt like, wow, he's talking about me. >> You know it by then Dr. King is a musician. And if he was reciting a telephone book, the rhythms and transition to phrasing, you know, would be-- would bring you to an emotional acceptance. >> And once in southwest Georgia, he heard people signing a song about over my head I can see freedom in the air. And I think all of it just saw the King together. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation. >> We live in realities lots of times and somebody talks about the dream, you know, you get a certain image, but the image that he gave was a future. And it wasn't beyond our reality to think that certain things could happen. >> We were looking for leadership and he was offering it. The I have a Dream speech was a summon, a call to the collective conscience of America that we can be better than this. >> Free at last! >> Yes. >> Free at last! 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