Best way to keep a competitive edge

WORK WITH GOOD PEOPLE - too many people, whether it be in business or politics, compromise themselves by working with bad people because they feel that it will further accelerate their goals.

There is something to be said about compromising and working with people who you may not like, but you should respect everyone you work with. And when starting out and creating a foundational structure, you should definitely only work with those you LOVE. Believe me, this world is big enough that you will find people you can work well with, who you both love and trust.

At the end of the day, I only take advice from people who love me - you can take advice from people who are intelligent, but I want advice from well-wishers - people who want to see me succeed! That is more important to me than intelligence.

And be wary of 'intelligent' and 'experienced' people; there are many out there who will use their intelligence to work against your goals, and one has to resist following their advice, no matter how seductive it is.

Guiding principle in life

FULFILLMENT - listen to your heart and figure out what fulfills you. Reflect often and think about what makes you most happy - especially in those quick moments, for example, when you're giving a speech. Seriously, reflect for a few seconds during a pause within the speech and then revisit that reflection later.

Overall, figure out what you love and then pursue it! You'll need that feeling of fulfillment to keep going and you'll especially need it during those times of failure or gruntwork, when everyone else is giving up and looking towards you for energy.

Yardstick of success

There are two things:

Externally, if I can see that there is legislation we have effected, whether it be through a conversation with a politician or a Muslim we connected with a particular office, then I see that as a major success.

Internally though, I think about how much I have learned. Yeah, it sounds kind of cheesy, but if my wisdom has drastically increased and my experience is sharper, then that right there tells me that I'm not only on a good path, but also attaining success. We often take for granted how much we've learned, but I think that's the ultimate sign of success.

Goal yet to be achieved

I want a Muslims For America caucus in every single state, to the point that candidates running for city council and county commissioner are coming to our meetings, seeking the American Muslim vote! This goal will take awhile, but we are working on it!

Best practical advice

STICK TO YOUR GUNS --- there are a lot of negative people out there who hate productive and passionate people. These critics will fight you, argue with you, debate you, and do everything possible to make you APOLOGIZE for what you are doing. Then they'll seduce you into changing your goals and message, so that it suits their purpose for putting you onto a path towards failure. And then when you appease them and fail, they abandon you and continue to criticize you.

The main point is that you don't have to win over everyone - in today's world, winning over 40% is usually good enough! In turn, focus on energizing your own base and getting your own well-wishers excited and active! Never ever attempt to appease a critic - critics want to see you fail, so addressing their concerns will only hurt your own goals. And there's a big difference between critics and 'well-wishers.' If someone loves you and wants to see you succeed then take their advice, not critics - and believe me, you'll know who wants you to succeed and who doesn't.

Lastly, look for opportunities to reject your critics. When critics confront you and try to make you apologize for what you believe in, don't cower and run away; confront them and tell them why they are wrong and why you believe in what you are doing (not all the time - but during big moments, go for it!). Ultimately, people are going to start pointing towards you and saying, "that guy/gal has a set of convictions as hard as steel." And whether people agree or disagree with you, they will respect you and they will know where you stand on things, because they will see that, within you, is a thoughful thinker who will not compromise upon his/her biggest beliefs - this is RESPECT - this is the best you can ask for from a world full of people who are looking to disagree.

Supportive words from a family member or friend on your venture

"Just go out there and have fun!" - Mom, an hour before my first big media appearance for Muslims For Bush

Mentors

Seeme Gull Hasan, my mother - I love her. I do not know of anyone who has a more iron set of convictions and beliefs. When you meet my mother, you know exactly where she stands, but you can't help but to love her back, because she is so loving and accepting of everyone, even people who would normally fear her or hate her. My mother has done non-profit work all her life, and she has made a point of exposing me to all her work since I was little. She always made sure I was humble and thankful for the good things the Lord has given me, in addition to treating everyone better than I would want myself treated. My mother is a wonderful steward, my best friend, and my hero.

Asma Gull Hasan, my sister - There were a lot of American Muslims who hid behind closed doors right after the tragic 9/11 attacks. My sister, on the other hand, opened the door and spent so many hours defending Muslims, definining Islam, and building harmony between America and Muslims. I remember one day in October of 2001 - she was in bed and got a call on her cellphone at 4 AM (California time) from a Cleveland, Ohio radio station that wanted to do an unscheduled interview. She got out of bed and did a 30 minute interview, addressing the concerns of each caller, despite missing time to sleep; phone calls like that were often in 2001. She worked so hard those months right after 9/11 and she was a real hero - for both America and Muslims. Thus, Asma taught me what leadership is all about - people are not going to see your good efforts, but one's love and fulfillment in making this world a better place is what ought to motivate you to get out of bed at 4 AM for those early morning interviews.

President George W Bush - Everything I know about leadership has been reinforced by President W Bush and my mother. I treasure any time spent with him, because I am always impressed with his ability to strategize within the reality of the situation, yet stay true to his goals and convictions. I think President W Bush and my mother were made from the same mold.

Dennis Miller - I was really honored to be a regular guest on his show. I learned a lot about political commentary from him. His balance of humor and intelligence was natural, in addition to his ability to equally field each opposing opinion, in an effort to create discussion, rather than debate. It's a shame his show was cancelled - he was television's best political moderator.

John Badham - Professor Badham has taught me almost everything I know about film directing. He is a Professor of mine at Chapman University and he directed Saturday Night Fever and Short Circuit, among other films. He has taught me how to go deep into someone's soul, for the purpose of putting that emotion on film.

David Ward - Another Chapman Professor of mine, who is an Oscar winner for writing The Sting. Watching him write a screenplay is the same as watching a painter brush strokes over a mural - he gets into a character's head and goes for it! I learned a lot about artistry and writing from him.

Norm Olson - Professor Olson was my Education Professor at Occidental College and mentored me when I worked as a TYRO teacher in the Los Angeles Public School system. He once told me, "you can't be an effective teacher until you love your students and see them as your own children."

James Sadd - Another Professor mine at Occidental College. He was my Environmental Science Professor and he taught me how to think like a scientist, in compiling good research and making solid conclusions. His mentorship has been excellent for politics, because it's forced me to have my research straight, whenever making a policy decision or making a debate.

Dana Plays - Another Professor of mine from Occidental College. She taught me much of what I know today about filmmaking; in particular, she encouraged me to use filmmaking for the purposes of telling stories and unravelling subjects that most would find deeply disturbing or uncomfortable. She taught me how to be comfortable with controversy and how to maintain a positive soul, while confronting difficult subjects. It is an education that has served me greatly in politics, probably more so than filmmaking.

What motivated you to get started?

We started as Muslims For Bush, so our original intention was to support President W Bush and get him re-elected in 2004 because getting him back in office, in our opinion, was the best thing for both America and the global Muslim Ummah (community); we continue to stand by that opinion today.

In starting Muslims For Bush though, we made so many political connections and found so many Republican officials who wanted to interface more with American Muslims. In turn, we saw that we could start using our resources towards getting American Muslims more involved at the grassroots level within both major political parties. Thus, the creation of Muslims For America was not planned at all, but we are thankful for how it all shook out.

Like best about what you do?

Meeting new people is a lot of fun, whether it be current politicians or other activists. Going to the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Committee) Conference, for example, was a blast because we ingratiated ourselves with many 'conservative' groups through simply meeting people and getting to know them. The media appearances are always a lot of fun too.

Like least about what you do?

I love every aspect of it! However, running a political organization involves a lot of managerial scut-work, like keeping our network of activists informed and keeping the website updated. A lot of this work is done alone, behind a computer, and that can be a drag sometimes. However, the more good people that are involved, the more that this kind of work is distributed across other hands, making it less time consuming for all the managers involved.