Summary of MFI Activities in 2006

December 2006

• We gave a presentation on  "Combating Islamophobia; Role for Government and Civil Society Institutions " at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution in an event co-sponsored by
  the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding and the Association of Muslim Social Scientists.
  
• We were interviewed by the Caravan radio show on CKUT in Montreal on Jesus in Islam and the attitude Muslims should take towards Christian holidays.
• We participated in discussions on the advisability of forming an American-Muslim group to engage the U.S. government on issues of mutual interest.
• We were interviewed on the Islamic perspective on the philosophy of Descartes for "The Scholar's Chair" television program.
  
• We posted six original blogs on "Reflections on the Execution of Saddam Hussein," "The Feast of the Sacrifice is Also About Life, Liberty, and Love," "Muslims Take A Public Stand Against Ahmadinejad’s Denial Of The Holocaust," "“Freedom of Expression Denial”,"The Teachers Also Owe an Apology," and "Where Are the Defenders of Free Speech and Academic Objectivity?" as well as a reprint of our FAQ, "Some Questions on Women."

November 2006

• Dr. Ahmad presented a paper on "Text, Context and Human Agency in Interpreting Jihad: Struggles of Political Domination, Faith, and Identity" to the American Muslim Social Scientists conference in Hartford.
• Sarah Swick presented a paper on "Identity Construction of Euro-American Converts to Islam" to the American Muslim Social Scientists conference in Hartford.
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Lewisnews on Islam and the current situation in the Middle East.
  
• Historian, political scientist, and journalist Carsten Wieland gave a presentation in the Minaret of Freedom Institute brown bag luncheon series on: "Syria: Part of the Problem or Part of a Solution in the Middle East?"
• Dr. Ahmad represented the Minaret of Freedom Institute at a Milton Viorst's presentation on Islam at the Cosmos Club, countering an audience member's assertion that women in the Muslim world are seen as breeding machines by pointing out that a number of Muslim countries have had female heads of state while America will see its first female speaker of the house in January and is still waiting for its first female President.
• We posted 3 original analysis pieces on our blog, "Pakistani Rape Laws: An Unholy Hybrid," "International Conference on Progressive Muslims," and "Would Extremists Accept a “Hudna?" along with numerous links to other news and analysis.

August 2006

• We were interviewed by Caryle Murphy of the Washington Post on the controversy over the Khan (Saudi) translation of the Qur’an.
• We were interviewed by RFE’s Alex Sarotin on the trial of Saddam Hussein.
• We were interviewed by student Sarah Gray on the Muslim position on adoption.
• We participated in an Interfaith Conference meeting with visitors from Saudi Arabia.
• We participated in a brainstorming session at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation on how to effect better networking with free market oriented young people in the Muslim world.
• We met with a representative of Montgomery County police to discuss “hate crimes.”
• We posted a blog on the war in Lebanon: “We Will Not Accept Absurdities as an Excuse for Carnage”
• We a blog on “Disentangling the Human from the Divine.”
• We met with a group of female Saudi religious and education officials at the Interfaith Conference of Washington and wrote a blog about the meeting.
• We posted a critique on the MFI blog in response to an article about Tunisian women.
• We posted a summary and analysis on the MFI blog on a PBS’ Wide Angle show which explored faith and prosperity in Turkey.
• We posted an article on the MFI blog which examined why converts to Islam may be susceptible to extremism.
• We posted an article on the MFI blog which explored Western foreign policies role in radicalizing young Muslims.
• We posted a blog that highlighted her personal experiences as a member of the British Muslim community and examined the roots of radicalism in the community.
• We participated in a day-long summit sponsored by the Hands Across the Middle East Support Alliance to discuss ways which young Americans can help support freedom in the Middle East.
• We posted eight original blogs on "Wide Angle Explores 'Faith and Prosperity in Turkey'," "Article on Tunisian Women Misses the Mark," "Wide Angle Explores 'Faith and Prosperity in Turkey'," "Why are converts susceptible to extremism?," "A Meeting with Saudi Women Educators," "We Will Not Accept Absurdities as an Excuse for Carnage," "My Year as a British Muslim: Why Wasn’t I Radicalized?," "Foreign Policy’s Role in Radicalizing Muslim Youth," "A Vocabulary Lesson for U.S. Policymakers," and "Disentangling the Human from the Divine."

July 2006

• MFI President Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad met with Mary Beth Sheridan of the Washington Post and other journalists at a press forum hosted by the  Peace and Justice Foundation to discuss media coverage of Muslim issues.
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Alex Sarotin on Radio Free Europe on the al-Maliki-Bush press conference and its implications on the future of Iraq and the Middle East.
• Sabah Al-Jadooa spoke on the situation in Iraq at our brown bag luncheon.
  
• MFI hosted a meeting of community leaders on establishing "Islamic" credit in the DC area.
  
• Dr. Ahmad represented the Minaret of Freedom Institute at a round table meeting with the Indonesian ambassador Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat at the Institute of Religion and Public Policy. In response to Dr. Ahmad's inquiry on how Indonesian and American-Muslim civil society organizations could better interact, the ambassador recommended contacts with Indonesian students in the U.S. through the State Dept.'s office on public diplomacy. 
• MFI Program Assistant Sarah Swick participated in an Institute for Humane Studies seminar on liberty. Her report A Muslim’s Personal Account of a Week Exploring Liberty is available on our blog.
  
• Dr. Ahmad led the discussion at a meeting of Abraham and Aristotle: All Their Children on Majid Fakhry's "Averroes: Ibn Rushd," chapters 8 (Ethics and Politics) and 9 (Averroes as Jurist and Physician).
  
• We published seven original blogs on "Moroccan Female Religious Leaders Featured on PBS’ Wide Angle," "What’s Next in Iraq?" "A Muslim’s Personal Account of a Week Exploring Liberty," "Is There Religious Neutrality in the Enforcement of the Neutrality Act?" "Law Journal Publishes Article on Freedom of Religion in Islam"

June 2006

• Dr. Ahmad's article on “American and Muslim Perspectives on Freedom of Religion,” has been published in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law.
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed on Jamaica radio on the freedom of access to the holy places in Jerusalem.
  
• Sarah Swick's essay on how to bring a student movement for liberty to the Middle East won second place in the HAMSA "Dream Deferred" competition.
  
• Dr. Ahmad's  talk on "Creating a Productive Discourse on Democracy in the Muslim World" has been published on the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy website.
• We have instituted the Minaret of Freedom Institute weblog.
• Dr. Ahmad spoke at a Peace and Justice Foundation conference on Propaganda Challenges Confronting Muslims in America.
  
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Radio Free Europe's Alex Serotin on the need for cultural understanding in negotiations between America and Iran.
  
• Dr. Ahmad lectured at Dar-al-Hijrah on the controversy over the Islamic calendar.
• Dr. Ahmad participated in a IIIT workshop on the desirability of the formation of a new Islamic think tank.
  
• Dr. Ahmad's article on "Bridging the Divide? The Role of the American Muslims in U.S. Relations with the Islamic World" has been published in the April 2006 issue of Muslim Public Affairs Journal.
• Dr. Ahmad signed copies of the expanded revised 2nd edition of his book Signs in the Heavens: A Muslim Astronomer's Perspective on Religion and Science at a celebration of its publication in Arlington, VA.
  
• We published six original blogs on "Modest Beginning for a Global Student Movement," "Is Forcing Children to Engage in Religious Ritual Education or a Mockery?," "Who is Ultimately Responsible?," "Smart Bargaining: the New Approach to Iran and Somalia," "Bridging the Divide?," "efending or imposing the Veil?," plus a guest blog by Mauri' Saalakhan titled "Martyr or Murderer?."

April 2006

• MFI President Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad gave a talk on the revised and expanded 2nd edition of his book Signs in the Heavens: A Muslim Astronomer's Perspective on Religion and Science before the Islamic Society of Southern Prince Georges County. Copies may be purchased for $19 postpaid or get a signed copy of the proof edition for a donation of  $60. (To get the proof edition, just make a donation and type "proof edition" in the remarks line or else mail in your donation to the address on the right with a request for the proof edition.)
• MFI Board member Sharmin Ahmad attended the Canadian inaugural of her book The Rainbow in a Heart in Ottawa and met Senator Jaffer and members of Voice of Women for Peace to network on liberty, human rights and peace education.
• Dr. Ahmad was MC for Arab Heritage month at Montgomery County Executive Office Building.
• Dr. Ahmad made a presentation on Islamic philosophy at a meeting of the "Abraham and Aristotle: All Their Children" discussion group.
  
• Program Assistant Sarah Swick represented the Minaret of Freedom Institute at the Third Annual International Women’s Conference on ‘Women’s Struggle for Emancipation’ at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Sarah presented a paper titled “Reforming Muslim Women’s Rights Through International Human Rights Law and Islamic Law.”   This paper, which has been accepted for publication in a book on Muslim women, analyzes the possibility of using Islamic Law, aided by International Human Rights Law, to create reforms for women living in the Muslim World, specifically highlighting the recent family code reforms in Morocco as evidence of this possibility. 
• Sharmin Ahmad gave presentations on  "Islam, Feminism, and  Imperialism" based on her interview in the book Voices of American Muslims at the Barnes and Noble bookstore in the Montrose Crossing shopping center (12089 Rockville Pike) in Rockville, MD and at the White Oak Library in Silver Spring, MD.
• Dr. Ahmad participated in the Heritage Resource Bank meeting and ATLAS Economic Research Foundation Liberty Forum in Colorado Springs.

March 2006

•  Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad and director Sharmin Ahmad spoke at the MFI's workshop on "Gender Equity and Gender Equality: Lessons from Muslim Experience" at the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. The room was packed (capacity 60)  and the evaluations overwhelmingly positive.
• Several MFI board members and advisers (including Dr. Ahmad, Aly Abuzakouk, and Prof. Sulayman Nyang)  participated in an Institute for Defense Analysis program on American Muslims in Public Diplomacy.
  
• Sharmin Ahmad, was interviewed on the television program Bangla Bhalobashi on the Bangladesh war of independence in 1971 and her late father, first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmad's role in leading his nation. This interview, in three sequels, was aired on northern Virginia channel 56 (Montgomery County cable channel 98).
• Program Assistant Sarah Swick attended a gathering of Muslim women educators from Azerbaijan at the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.  The group of women, which included teachers of ethics and history, are visiting the United States in order to learn more about religious education in America.  The women discussed their visit to Gaithersburg High School where they gave a presentation on Islam in Azerbaijan to a World Religions class.  The women seemed most interested in the relationship between American Jews and Muslims, specifically in light of the Middle East conflicts and in the treatment of Muslims post 9/11.
  
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by  Javier Méndez of El Mercurio (Chile) on American immigration reform.
• Dr. Ahmad wrote an op-ed piece for the Washington Post on the death penalty threatened against the  Afghani convert to Islam. Declined by the Post it is available here.
  
• Sharmin Ahmad was interviewed on "Women, Economics and Freedom" on the Peace Hour" radio talk show aired from New York and also appeared on the live radio talk show "Hello Washington" hosted by Voice of America on International Womens' Day (March 8), answering caller's questions on various issues related to women. She also shared information about Minaret's recent workshop at the Conference on the status of Women at the United Nations.
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Radio Free Europe's Alex Serotin on the significance of the American vacation of the Abu Ghuraib prison.
• Dr. Ahmad gave a presentation on Islam to teachers in the Montgomery County School system.
• Radio Free Europe quoted Dr. Ahmad on the confusion between apostasy and treason.

February 2006

• Minaret of Freedom Institute president Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad and director Sharmin Ahmad hosted a reception at the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. About 50 people participated in the event, most staying for the entire two hours in a wide-open discussion of the relationship of the mission of the Minaret of Freedom Institute to women's issues. The participants were extremely diverse and comments were very positive. Especially encouraging was the comment that the MFI reception was a safe space, a fact reflected in the openness of the remarks by the Muslim women present.
  
• The Minaret of Freedom Institute and our allies in the Coalition for the Free Exercise of Religion scored an important victory in the Supreme Court's unanimous opinion (written by Chief Justice Roberts) in the Uniao do Vegetal case. The Court rejected the government's "uniform application of laws" theory as inconsistent with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)'s statutory requirement that the Government demonstrate a burden to the person in furtherance of a compelling government interest by the least restrictive means possible.
  
• MFI Program Assistant Sarah Swick attended a meeting with delegation of young European Muslim leaders at the Interfaith Conference Metropolitan Washington (IFC). The theme of the meeting was the importance of interfaith dialogue; the current political issues facing Muslims in Europe were also discussed, including the recent cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). All agreed that freedom of expression protects such cartoons, yet respect for other’s beliefs should also be valued.  The discussion then moved to political representation of Muslims in Europe. 
• Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan (author of The State of the Union 2003: Don't Say You Didn't Know and Target Sudan: What's Really Behind the Crisis in Darfur") made a presentation entitled "The Propaganda Challenges Confronting Muslims in North America" on his newest book Islam & Terrorism: Myth vs. Reality (Awakening Publications) at the MFI brown bag luncheon series.
• Attending the unveiling of American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP)'s unveiling of its report "A Vision for the State of Palestine," MFI President Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad urged the group to make it clear that its call for a "demilitarized" Palestine was not a call to deny the people of Palestine their right to keep and bear arms. He also urged that in the context of the "two-state solution" the ATFP's vision will only be credible if it is paired with a similar vision of an Israel without apartheid.
  
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by El Mercurio newspaper (Chile) on HAMAS's electoral victory and its consequences.
  

January 2006

• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Alex Serotin of Radio Free Europe on the tragic death of over three hundred pilgrims in Mecca. Responding to Mr. Serotin's query as to whether the State Dept. should advise American Muslims against going on the pilgrimage for safety reasons, Dr. Ahmad responded that 300 death out of over 2 million people made a trip to Mecca less dangerous than a trip to Iraq, and the State Dept. was not advising against travel there.
• Dr. Ahmad represented the Minaret of Freedom Institute at a press conference on Darfur at the National Press Club. He noted that there is a serious humanitarian crisis that needs to be resolved. Branding the violence as genocide serves political ends that obscures the reality that atrocities are being committed, that they are committed by both sides, that the Sudanese government must bear responsibility for arming some of the parties to the atrocities but that it does not "control" Darfur, nor much far beyond a modest radius around Khartoum. The peace treaty between the north and south of Sudan demonstrates that it is possible to peacefully end such violence. The international Muslim community, including American Muslims must be mobilized to assist in the peacemaking since they have credibility: both sides of the Darfur fighting are Muslims. Dr. Ahmad cautioned that the terms "Arab" and "black" are misleading as applied to Darfur as both sides speak Arabic and both have black skin. The term "Arab" there means those who live a nomadic (actually semi-nomadic) lifestyle rather than designating a linguistic or ethnic group.
  
• Dr. Ahmad gave a presentation on "Bridging the Divide? The Role of the American Muslim Community in U.S. Relations with the Wider Islamic World" at a Brookings Institution program in Washington DC. At the same program, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch called for more democracy in the Muslims world with the observation that the United States did not wish to see anyone silenced by imprisonment or exile. Dr. Ahmad welcomed the remark and asked if the State Dept. could encourage the Justice Dept. to abide by that principle and release Dr. Sami Al-Arian, who, although a jury recently acquitted of the charges of violence (while deadlocking on less serious charges), is still imprisoned and threatened with deportation. Mr. Welch responded that the prosecution of American citizens was outside the State Department's area of responsibility. In fact, Dr. Al-Arian never was granted citizenship despite having applied for it over a decade ago.
  
• Dr. Ahmad presented an introduction to Islam at the Marine War College.
  
• Dr. Ahmad was interviewed on "The Scholar's Chair" program (carried on Bridges TV) about "Intelligent Design" (in three parts: 1, 2, 3)
  
• The Minaret of Freedom Institute has sent a statement on the continued detention of Sami Al-Arian to Attorney General Alberto Gonzalas.