Wright Mahdi Bray (born "Wright Bray" January 9, 1950), is a Muslim American civil and human rights activist and currently the National Director of the American Muslim Alliance[2] and formerly served as executive director of the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation (MAS Freedom) based in Washington, DC.[3] The foundation supported Muslim activists and religious leaders who have been arrested.[4]
Wright Mahdi Bray | |
---|---|
Born | Wright Bray January 9, 1950 Norfolk, VA |
Other names | Wrighty Bray, Jr.; Wright Bray IV; Herbert Bray[1] |
Occupation | National Director |
Employer | American Muslim Alliance[2] |
Website | Bray blog |
Political activism
Bray used to be political director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).[5][6]
Bray has expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah on a number of occasions.[7] A video of a rally in 2000 shows Bray pumping his fist in the air in support of the groups Hamas and Hezbollah.[8] He asserts, however, that he is not a supporter of Hamas.
In 2001 Bray served as a liaison with United States President George W. Bush's White House Faith-Based Initiative Program, which he later opposed.[5][9][10] After the September 11 attacks, he and other Muslim leaders met with then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.[11] He also served as a congressional affairs representative on behalf of the Muslim community.
Bray served on the board of directors of the Interfaith Alliance and the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, and is a National Co-convener of Religions for Peace-USA. He is a Washington, DC, television and radio talk show host, and has appeared on CBS News, Fox, MSNBC, CNN, C-SPAN, Aljazeera, and many TV and radio talk shows. Bray also organized protests against the U.S. war in Afghanistan,[12] the Iraq war, and the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.[13][14]
References
External links
- Mahdi Bray's personal website
- Mahdi Bray speech at August 2006 rally in Washington DC on YouTube
- Mahdi Bray speech at January 2009 rally in Washington DC on YouTube
- Shadow World: Resurgent Russia, the Global New Left, and Radical Islam, Muslim Public Affairs Council, pp. 499–500, Robert Chandler, Regnery Publishing, 2008, ISBN 1-59698-561-5
- Appearances on C-SPAN