Prayers for a Swift Receovery

[Saylor note: I have known Mahdi for more than a decade. He is a steadfast ally and servant of our nation. My prayers are with him and his family.]

MAS Freedom Executive Director Mahdi Bray Hospitalized

Mahdi Bray, a veteran civil rights advocate, who serves as Executive Director of the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation (MAS Freedom) based in Washington, D.C. has suffered a massive stroke. He was admitted to Fairfax Hospital in the early morning hours of Wednesday. After, he became ill. He is scheduled for surgery today for angioplasty, a surgical repair to unblock a blood vessel. Coronary angioplasty (AN-jee-oh-plas-tee) is a procedure used to open blocked or narrowed coronary (heart) arteries. The procedure improves blood flow to the heart muscle. Angioplasty is done on more than 1 million people a year in the United States. Serious complications don't occur often. However, they can happen no matter how careful your doctor is or how well he or she does the procedure.

Mahdi Bray has been one of Islam's fiercest champions and most dedicated servants of civil rights causes and whose stellar services to American Muslims is held in the highest esteem. 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.

The staff of MAS-Freedom request that Muslims across America, and all those that share his vision for peace, equality and freedom, pray for a quick recovery and the return of a man that has been so vital to the Islamic movement in America.

Khalilah Sabra, MAS-Freedom Immigrant Justice Clinic director stated, "Mahdi's advocacy work has tripled the last two years. The rise of Islamophobia and religious profiling has left no hours for reflection and relaxation. Every weekend has been dedicated to advancing the religious and civil rights of Muslims in America, which is increasingly being challenged. We look forward to a speedy return and the resumption of all previous activities."

The Muslim American Society Family requests nothing but steadfast prayer for Imam Bray and his family.