Salam Al-Marayati is the president and co-founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), a national advocacy organization headquartered in Los Angeles. Since 1988, he has led MPAC’s efforts to enhance public understanding of Islam and influence policies affecting American Muslims. Born in Baghdad in 1960, Al-Marayati immigrated to the United States as a child and has since become a prominent voice on issues of Islam in the West, human rights, and national security.
Al-Marayati has represented the United States at international conferences on human rights and religious freedom and has spoken at venues including the White House and Capitol Hill. His writings have appeared in major publications such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times, and he has been featured on major media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, and C-SPAN.
He serves as an adjunct faculty member at Bayan Claremont and sits on the board of the Muslim Reform Institute. Deeply involved in interfaith initiatives, he co-chaired the Interfaith Coalition to Heal Los Angeles following the 1992 uprisings. Through his work, Al-Marayati continues to advocate for the integration of Muslims into America’s pluralistic society and for the empowerment of Muslim American voices in civic life.