Summary of MFI Activities

Upcoming Events

• On Sunday, January 15, 2012, the Minaret of Freedom Institute ANNUAL DINNER will be held beginning at 6 p.m. at the Marriott Residence Inn in Bethesda MD. Special guest Dr. Mohamed Nimer will speak on "What's Next in Egypt. Click here for details and reservations.
  
• Sr. Nancy Kebe will be distributing our pamphlet on Female Genital Mutilation: An Islamic Perspective to community leaders in Sierre Leone.
  

• Internships
• Fellowships

Current Projects 

• We initiated a collaboration with Thompson Ayodele of Nigeria for a conference on Islam and Markets for the benefit of African Muslims.   
• Planning a project to educate Muslims on civil liberties, civic participation, and basic American Law.
  
• Preparation of a book on disentangling culture from religion.
• Preparation of a pamphlet on "Women in Islam: Hard Questions: Intelligent Answers".
  
• Preparation of a paper on the politico-economy of the classical Islamic civilization.

Recently Completed Projects and Events

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad's interview with El Mercurio on "Afghanistan After the Death of Osama Bin Laden" has been published on our blog.
• Alejandro Beutel’s report on the MFI study on “Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in Western Muslim Communities: Lessons Learned for America” is in use in the West Point course on counter-terrorism: http://www.ctc.usma.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/SS465-Syllabus-Spring-2011-Final.pdf.
• Scott Horton interviewed Dr. Ahmad on the prospects for "The Third Intifada" at antiwar.com.
• Dr. Ahmad responded to an inquiry about "Condemning Terrorism in the Levant" on our blog.
• A "Letter from Palestine" from a refugee visiting his homeland on the day of the Nakba demonstrations has been posted on our blog.

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad gave a presentation on “the History of Muslims in the United States” at the University of Maryland.
• Dr. Ahmad moderated an American Muslim Alliance debate on the intervention into Libya. 
• Dr. Ahmad's interview with Fars News on the U.S. and the Middle East has been published on our blog.
• Dr. Ahmad participated in two panels on "Western Religion Dialogue: How have the Western faiths impacted the Eastern ones, and vice versa" at Frederick Community College.
• Dr. Ahmad participated in a panel discussion on same-sex marriage at the First Seventh Day Adventist Church in Washington, DC.
  
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by AU Ph.D. student Muhammad Loutfi on interfaith dialogue.

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad AMA forum on “Global Implications of Democratic Uprisings” at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
• Dr. Ahmad's commentary on Donald Trump’s speculation that even if President Obama has a birth certificate he might not want people to see it because it lists his religion as Muslim was published on our blog.
  

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad spoke on a panel discussion on the Egyptian Revolt at the NUR Center in Falls Church.
• Minaret of Freedom Institute Director Dr. Omar Altalib presented a panel on "Peace and Conflict: Lessons from Iraq" at a session on "Experiences & Expectations from the Warzones" at the Peace & Conflict Studies Seminar at the International Islamic University of Malaysia.
• Dr. Ahmad appeared on an episode of “The Scholar’s Chair” to discuss Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics.
• MFI Director Sharmin Ahmad's on-the-spot report and photos "Celebrating the Egyptian People's Victory in Tahrir Square" on our blog.
• The edited transcript of Dr. Esam Omeish's presentation on The Muslim Brotherhood: Past, Present and Future: Conservatism, Extremism, or Violence? is now available on our articles page.
• Dr. Ahmad addressed Dr. Virginia Green’s class on Islam at American University.

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad met with Congressional representatives and with interfaith and civil rights leadersto discuss the King commission hearings.
• Dr. Mohamed Nimmer assessed the implications of the revolts in Egypt and Tunisia in "Decision Making at a Crossroads of History: The Test to Western Leaders" on our blog.
• Dr. Ahmad's paper on "Natural Law and Sharia" has been accepted for publication in the proceedings of the 2009 IIIT Summer Institute on "Contemporary Approaches to Qur'an and Sunnah.'
• Dr. Ahmad reported on "The Tunisian Uprising and U.S. Relations with the Muslim World" on our blog.

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad met with American Muslim Alliance Foundation president Agha Saeed to discuss think tank coordination.
  

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad was interviewed by Panjereh Weekly on "The Effect of the Elections on U.S. Foreign Policy"
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed on CKUT's Caravan radio program on the significance of the Hajj.
• Regarding the arrest of the alleged Portland Christmas Tree bomber, Dr. Ahmad observes that "Sometimes a Sting Operation Isn’t Entrapment" on our blog.
  

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad represented the Minaret of Freedom Institute at the Forum for Progressive Muslims in Berlin of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.
• We promoted the development of a ”Palestinian Narrative” at a meeting of prominent Muslims in Virginia.
  

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad spoke on “Freedom of Religion and Speech: We Can, but Should We?” at Georgetown University.
• We conducted our Encounter Islam program at St. Like’s Church in Darien CT.
• We co-produced a program on “Religion and Jeffersonian Democracy” for "The Scholar’s Chair" program on CTV.
  
• Dr. Ahmad participated in a panel discussion on “Islam and Religious Freedom” at the Oxon Hill Library.
  
• Dr. Ahmad presented a talk on Islam, Science and Liberalism at American University.
• Dr. Ahmad spoke on religious freedom at the MCC annual iftar for Montgomery County Schools.
  

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad presented his paper on "Methodological Considerations Regarding Approaching the Qur'an & the Sunna in the Context of Contemporary Life" at the IIIT summer institute.
• Dr. Ahmad gave a talk on the role of Muslim think tanks at an American Muslim Alliance workshop in DC, and was interviewed by Voice of America about the workshop.
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Voice of America’s Dora Mekour on how “Ramadan Tests US Teen Athletes.”
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by PressTV on the drone attacks in Pakistan.
  

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad participated in the the Council on Foreign Relations’ fourth annual Religion and Foreign Policy Summer Workshop in New York.
  
• Summer Intern Kevin Duewel reorganized our daily news and analysis into a separate announcement list. Sign up for direct delivery to your inbox on our home page.

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad was interviewed by Scott Horton for antiwar radio on Israeli apologists, Ottoman sanctuary for Jews persecuted in Europe, the land (not religious) dispute at the core of Israeli/Palestinian conflict and other issues in the wake of the Israeli attack on the freedom flotilla.
• Dr. Ahmad published a blog: “Attack on the Flotilla: Stupid, Arrogant, and Evil.”
  

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad was interviewed by Family Research Council radio on "Asking and Telling About 'Don't Ask; Don't Tell."
• A video overview of our Encounter Islam program may be seen on the St. Stephen's web site  or on YouTube.

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad rebuts Elie Wiesel's Washington Post ad in "You Can't Be 'For Jerusalem' with Falsehood" on our blog.
• Our annual dinner featured speaker was Tariq Ramadan, addressing the vital question "Is Liberty an Islamic Value?" 
• Dr. Ahmad rebutted Elie Wiesel's Washington Post ad in "You Can't Be 'For Jerusalem' with Falsehood" on our blog.
  
• Dr. Ahmad appeared on the Freedom News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network with Walt Theissan and Melinda Pillsbury-Foster to discuss recent developments regarding Palestine/Israel.
  
• We had an informational table at the CMSA hosted Muslim Organizations Information Fair for the first annual “D.C.-Region MSA Day on Capitol Hill” and distributed copies of the Directory of Experts on Islam and Muslim Affairs to Congressional aides. 
  
• Dr. Ahmad gave a talk on “Islam and the Free Market” at a GWU event hosted by the Muslim Students Association and the Liberty Society.
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by David Byrd of Voice of America on the National Day Prayer controversies regarding Franklin Graham’s disinvitation from the Pentagon and the challenge to the constitutionality of the Day of Prayer itself.

• Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad's article "The Apartheid Blind Spot" responds to Richard Cohen’s op-ed piece in the Washington Post on our blog.
  
• Dr, Ahmad participated in the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty roundtable discussion on “Combating Anti-Muslim Bigotry: Social and Legal Responses.”
• Our article "Alternatives to Violence in Muslim History: Parallels to American Cases and Prospects for Future Applications" has been reprinted on Imam Johari's new Call to Nonviolence website.
• Dr. Ahmad's commentary "The Worst Part of the 'Healthcare' Bill" is posted on our blog.
  

• Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad participated in a summit on national security issues regarding American Muslims and US Government relations.
  
• We inaugurated our “Encounter Islam” program in Richmond, VA to an audience of 60 and received very favorable feedback.
• Farspress's interviewed Dr. Ahmad about the U.S. Missile Umbrella Over the Persian Gulf.
• We published Hajj Mauri Saalakhan’s analysis of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's testimony on our blog.
  

• Dr. Ahmad's keynote address on Islamic Contributions to Civilization was read to an Institute of Objective Studies conference in India when Dr. Ahmad’s visa was delayed.
  
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Judith Latham on Voice of America on new flight security measures.
  
• Dr. Ahmad participated in a panel discussion of “Principles of Respect” from Dr. Crane’s book, “Natural Law of Compassionate Justice, An Islamic Perspective” on “The Scholars Chair” TV program.
• A crew era filmed a biographical sketch of Dr. Ahmad at the Minaret of Freedom Institute offices for an al-Jazeera TV series.
• Dr. Ahmad attended an American Muslim Association program on Pakistani-American relations and asked panelist Wendy Chamberlain how the government’s strategy for Afghani development takes into account the particular difficulties of the FATAs.