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Summary of MFI Activities in 2002-2003
Prior years activity: 1996-2000
| 2001
| 2002-3
| 2004
| 2005
| 2006
| 2007
| 2008
| 2009
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2003
December 2003
- Dr, Ahmad's paper �On
the
American
Constitution from the Perspective of
the Qur�an and the Madinah Compact�
has been published in the American
Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 20
#3-4 (Summer/Fall), 105.
- Dr. Ahmad's article on "The
Prospects for Iraq" has been
published in American
Muslim Magazine (Jan. 2004),
30-31.
- Some members of the International
Property Rights Working Group met with
Bruce Fein on his return from Iraq where
he worked on the reconstitution of the
judicial system to ask what provisions
are being made for the protection of
property rights. Dr. Ahmad conveyed
concerns in the Muslim community that
Islamic law and Iraqi customs be
respected. The group later met
with an aide to the House International
Affairs Committee.
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November 2003
- Dr.
Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad lectured on
"Islam and American Values" at an
Objectivist Center forum at the National
Press Club. Dr. Ahmad noted that the
basic values shared by Islam and
American society are universal values
and noted the role Islamic civilization
played in developing the defense of
private property and free markets.
- Dr. Ahmad's article on "The Patriot
Act" has been published in the Nov.-Dec
issue of American Muslim Magazine.
- MFI Secretary Sharmin Ahmad has
written an article on the significance
of Ramadan.
- Dr. Ahmad addressed an interfaith
gathering at an iftar at Marymount
College on the significance of
Ramadan.
- Several members of the International
Property Rights Working Group met with
an aide to the to the House
International Affairs Committee to
discuss the progress of the
nation-building in Iraq. Dr. Ahmad
expressed concerns about the time-table
for the election of the constitutional
convention, about the protections of the
property rights of Iraqi citizens (and
avoiding the Russian privatization model
that put all the wealth into the hands
of a few), about the care that may be
used in accomodating Islamic law in the
constituional process, about the need to
avoid indigenous Iraqi entrepreneurship
from being squelched by competition from
taxpayer-subsidized politically
influential American corporations, and
about he lack of sensitivity to Iraqi
culture evidenced by recent incidents
that seem to be alienating the Iraqi
public.
- Dr. Ahmad addressed the Salt Lake City
Library Association on the significance
of the Eid-al-fitr.
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October 2003
- Dr. Ahmad met with a delegation from
Kenya sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of
State to explain to them the status of
Muslims in the United States.
- Dr. Ahmad partiucipated in the Imam's
conference in Villanov, PA, at the
Foundation for Islamic Education's
conference on the History of Islamic
Jurisprudence and Development of Fiqi
Schools.
- The second edition of Signs in
the Heavens: A Muslim Astronomer's
Perspective on Religion and Scjence
has been drafted.
- Dr. Ahmad MC'ed the Peace and Justice
Foundation's Civil Liberties conference
at the University of D.C.
- Dr. Ahmad gave an introduction to
Islam to the Foreign Services Institute.
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September 2003
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August 2003
- Dr. Ahmad gave a presentation on
"Islamic Philanthropy" to the Keenan
Institute.
- MFI Secretary Sharmin Ahmad and
President Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad
participated as commentators at a
special interfaith preview of the
Senetics' play "Guests and Hosts,"
exploring interfaith relations, at the
Bethesda Presbyterian Church.
- Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad's article "Just
Like the Rest of the World Iraq Needs
Liberty" appears in the August 2003
issue of Libertarian Party News,
refuting the view that Islam is
inherently opposed to property rights
and freedom.
- Dr. Ahmad moderated a round-table
discussion with the prominent Iranian
religious scholar and judge Ayatollah
Seyed Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad at the
United Associates for Studies and
Research offices. About twenty scholars,
activiists and policymakers met with
Ayatollah Damad for a frank and lively
discussion of the state of both inter-
and intra- civilizational dialogue since
Sept. 11, 2001.
- Campus Watch founder Daniel Pipes has
agreed to publish a correction
to his partial listing of a page from
the Daily Pennsylvanian website
regarding a speech made by Dr. Ahmad at
the University of Pennsylvania.
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July 2003
- MFI President Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad
lectured "On Bringing Peace to the
Middle East" at the International
Society for Individual Liberty world
conference in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Dr. Ahmad emphasized the importance of a
respect for liberty in any realistic
solutions to the problems in Iraq and
Palestine. He spoke of the opportunity
to use established Islamic law to
re-establish property rights in
Iraq and gave a summary of the
dispute over private vs. "collective"
property rights in Palestine/Israel.
- On July 26, Dr.
Ahmad along with representatives of the
different Palestinian American
organizations met with Palestinian Prime
Minister Mahmoud Abbas at a meeting
arranged by the American Task Force on
Palestine. Dr. Ahmad complimented the
prime minister for walking the fine line
between diplomacy and clarity, for
example, by keeping the Palestinian
Right of Return in the public eye by his
refrences to U.N. Resolution 194 at the
press conferenc with President Bush. Dr.
Ahmad encouraged Mr. Abbas to do more
also to make the public aware that the
overwhelming number of Palestinians held
hostage by the Israelis are political
prisoners not charged with any violent
crime. Mr. Abbas affirmed that the list
of prisoners whose release he is seeking
include only political prisoners and no
one enagaged in violent crime.
- An article in
the Christian Science Monitor (July 18)
quotes Dr. Ahmad on the significance of
the decision of the prosecutors of
Zacarius Moussaoui to defy the orders of
Judge Leonie Brinkema and continue
to refuse to produce a key witness
in the case against him. Reporter Warren
Richey describes the civil libertarian
objections to the Justice Dept.'s threat
to try Massouie before a military
tribunal if the case agianst him
is dismissed:
"I. Dean Ahmad, president of the
Minaret Freedom Institute in Bethesda,
Md., says if the president has such
power, there is nothing to prevent the
administration from designating anyone
an enemy combatant.
"'If you can't win in the civilian
court, just call them an enemy
combatant,' Mr. Ahmad says. 'It is a
slippery slope that would leave no
American citizen protected.'"
- Reason
Magazine'sTim
Cavanaugh interviewed Dr.
Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad on "Revealed
Libertarianism."
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June 2003
- MFI President Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad
lead a workshop on "Islam and
Capitalism" as part of a program on
"Capitalism and Ethics" at Northwood
University in Michigan.
- The Minaret of Freedom Institute held
its annual dinner in Bethesda, MD, with
featured guest speaker Dr. Othman Ali
who spoke on "The
Plight
of the Kurds and the Prospects for
Federalism After the War on
Iraq."
- Dr. Ahmad gave a lecture on "Islam and
the Discovery of Freedom at the ADAMS
Center in Sterling, Virginia.
- MFI board member Maysam Alfaruqi gave
atalk at the State Department on
"Islam and Democracy: Possibilities,
Challenges, and Risks of Bringing
Democracy to Islamic Nations,
Government, and People"
- Dr. Ahmad gave a presentation on the
operational unity of the Muslim ummah at
a meeting of "the Coalition of the
Willing" at UDC in Washington, DC.
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May 2003
- Dr. Ahmad lectured on "Economic and
Property Rights in Islam" before the
Islamic Society of Minnesota.
- Dr.
Ahmad
gave a presentation on property
rights
in
Islam
and its implications for the
nation-building effort in Iraq to
the International Property Rights
Working Group in Washington, DC.
- Dr. Ahmad spoke on "New Approaches to
Civil Society" at a program on
"Democracy, Governance and Rule of Law"
sponsored by IRIS and USAID at the
University of Maryland.
- Al-Jazeera Satellite News Channel
interviewed MFI Vice President Aly
R.
Abuzakouk on the latest annual
report issued by the United States
Commission on International Religious
Freedom (USCIRF). The report has issued
policy suggestions regarding a number of
Muslim Countries. To view the report
visit the
USCIRF web site.
- Mr. Abuzakouk was interviewed by Dubai
TV Satellite channel Washington Bureau
Chief Atif AbdulJawwad on the USCIRF
role in US policy making in light of its
latest annual report.
- Mr. Abuzakouk appeared on John
Watson's WILM AM 1450 (Willmington North
Carolina) talk show to discuss the
future of Democracy in Iraq in light of
the Sunni -Shi'i differences, and the
religious and ethnic diversity of the
Iraqi people.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Nicolle
Safi of the Chilean publication al-Damir
on Abu Mazen and the "Roadmap" for
Middle East Peace.
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April 2003
- Dr.
Ahmad
conducted a leadership seminar focussing
on Islam and the Middle East for
students in the Montgomery County Public
Schools (Maryland).
- MFI Associate Prof. Grace Goodell
spoke on Islamic Civil Society at a
conference at the Johns Hopkins School
for Advanced International Studies..
- MFI Vice president Ali Abuzakouk was
interviewed by the Cairo journal Sawt-al-`arab
(Voice of the Arabs) on the situation in
Iraq. He emphasized the need for the
American regime to allow Iraqis to rule
themselves.
- Mr. Abuzakouk was interviewed on the
London TV outlet al-Mustaqillah on the
role of the Minaret of Freedom Institute
as one of the few Muslim think tanks
educating Muslims and Americans on
public policy.
- Dr. Ahmad appeared on Anisa
Abdel-Fatah's Islamic Broadcasting
Network program Civilizational Dialogue
program to discuss the War on Iraq.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed
by
Daniela Sentilices of Que Pasa
magazine on the war on Iraq.
- Dr. Ahmad's speech on "Is the War on
Terrorism a War on Liberty," delivered
to the Libertarian Party of
Pennsylvania" was carried by
Pennsylvania Cable Television.
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March 2003
- Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad's review
of
John Cooley's Unholy
Wars: Afghanistan, America, and
International Terrorism will
be published in the Journal
of Islam and Christian-Muslim
Relations.
- Dr.
Ahmad
spoke on "Muslims in the Cross-fire
Between an Oppressive East and a
Suspicious West" at Islamic Awareness
Week at Johns Hopkins Universoty's
Homewood Campus.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by the
Islamic Broadcasting network on American
Muslims and the Iraq War.
- Dr. Ahmad addressed the ar-Rahma
School Science Fair in Baltimore on"
Science and Shari`a."
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February 2003
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January 2003
- Dr.Ahmad's article on "The
Importance
of Distengangling Culture from
Religion" was published in the
AMSS Newsletter.
- MFI Secretary Sharmin
Ahmad was the keynote speaker at
the conference on "Re-examining
Reconciliation: Visions for Renewal" at
Valparaiso University sponsored by the
Valparaiso Interfaith Program. She spoke
on the Qur'anic message on effective
dialog for peacebuilding abd how to
reach out to people of other cultures
and religions.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewedby the
Islamic Broadcast Network (IBN)'s
"Counterpoint" program on the
controversy over Rowe v. Wade.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed on the IBN
"Civilizational Dialog" program on
Bush's state of the Union address.
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2002
December 2002
- The
Wall Street Journal declined to
print Dr. Ahmad's letter
noting the oversights in their op-ed
piece on Islamic higher education.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed at the
Middle East Studies Association
Conference for a special program on
Palestine for al-Jazeera television.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by the
Islamic Broadcast Network (IBN) on the
significance of Secretary of State Colin
Powell's
"Middle East Partnership."
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Katherine
Liepens of Que Pasa? on the
impending War with Iraq,
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Susan
Roberts of the local ABC affiliate on
the raids on Muslim charities.
- Dr. Ahmad sent a letter to the
Crescent Newspaper Web site regarding disagreements
over the dates of Eid observations.
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November 2002
- Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad gave a
talk at a roundtable discussion with
George Mason University students on
"Islam and Democracy and Two Definitions
of Secularism."
- Dr. Ahmad presented a paper on "Muslim
Culpability in Distortions of Islam" at
a IIIT/AMSS/ISESCO seminar on "Peace,
Jihad and Conflict Resolution."
- Islamic Horizon's published Dr.
Ahmad's piece on "The
Dangers of Vouchers."
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed at the
Middle East Studies Association
Conference for a special program on
Palestine for al-Jazeera television.
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October 2002
- Dr. Ahmad's gave a lecture on "Why
Is
the
Muslim
World So Angry? Islamic Doctrine,
Global Politics, and Prospects for
Peace" at the University of
Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
- Dr. Ahmad presented a paper at the
annual meeting of the American Muslim
Social Scientists on "Disentangling
Culture from Religion."
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Darryl
Owens of the Orlando Sentinel on the
Muslim reaction to the arrests in the
Washington area sniper case.
- We provided WJLA-TV with information
on threats against Washington area
mosques inspired by the sniper attacks
that resulted in an aired broadcast.
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September 2002
- Dr. Ahmad gave a talk on the "Ethics
of Industrialization" to the American
Muslim Scientists and Engineers at the
Islamic Society of North America
convention in Washington, DC.
Congress.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by the
Islamic Broadcast Network on the war
since 9/11/01.
- Dr. Ahmad participated in an
interfaith prayer service at the Unity
Church in Washington, DC.
- Dr. Ahmad gave a lecture on the
political and sociological
considerations to the Islamic Calendar
to the Foundation for Islamic Education
in Philadelphia, PA.
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August 2002
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by James
Oliphant of the Legal Times on the
status of Muslims in America today.
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July 2002
- Dr. Ahmad's interventions in a seminar
on "Combating Terrorism: Possible
Lessons for U.S. Policy from Foreign
Experiences" have been included in a
summary prepared by the Congressional
Research Service for the members and
committees of Congress.
- Dr. Ahmad, together with other Muslim
and non-Muslim academics, met with
representatives of the Muslim World
League to brief them on the status of
Islam in America.
- Dr. Ahmad's review
of Bernard Lewis' What Went Wrong?
has been published in the current issue
of Middle East Affairs Journal.
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June 2002
- Dr. Ahmad participated in a
conference on "Faith and Reason:
Convergence and Complementarity" at the
Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane,
Morocco sponsored In collaboration with
the �Science and the Spiritual Quest II�
program of the Center for Theology and
the Natural Sciences (CTNS), the
Interdisciplinary University of Paris
(UIP) and UNESCO, with the support of
the John Templeton Foundation. His
talk was on
"The Rise and Fall of Islamic Science:
The Calendar as a Case Study."
- MFI Vice President Ali Ramadan
Abuzakouk was a participant in a full
page dialog in Egyptian Al-Ahram
newspaper Arabic on the subject of Muslim
Organizations in America.
- Dr. Ahmad gave a talk on "the
Importance of Religious Groups in Civil
Society" to fifty guests from the Center
for Russian Leadership vistiting
Catholic University in Washington, DC.
for the Library of Congress' Openb World
Program on �Leadership Dialogue on
Freedom of Religion and Belief.�
The aims of the program are: 1) to
introduce key Russian leaders who are
responsible for shaping and implementing
religion policy in Russia to the
institutions of religious freedom in the
United States, and to U.S. experts on
these themes, and 2) to acquaint U.S.
political, academic, and church leaders
with Russian views and issues concerning
religious freedom.
- Dr. Ahmad participated in a workshop
on Islam and Democracy sposnored by the
Center for Islam and Democracy at the
United States Institute for Peace.
- Dr. Ahmad gave a talk on "Islam and
Libertarian Issues Since Sept. 11" at
the Queens Libertarian Party in New
York.
- Dr. Ahmad gave an introduction to
Islam to students at the Foreign
Services Institute.
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May 2002
- Dr. Ahmad addressed the Wheaton Rotary
Club on the history of Jerusalem.
- Dr. Ahmad gave an introduction to
Islam to the Foreign Services
Institute.
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April 2002
- The MFI
Annual Dinner featured Prof. Sami
Al-Arian, the Palestinian fired from the
University of South Florida when he
became the target of death threats and
Merve Kavakci the Turkish
parliamentarian removed from office
because she wears a headscarf. They
spoke on the Threat
of Secular Fundamentalism.
- Dr. Ahmad gave a talk on Muslims and
the free market at the Atlas Economic
Research Foundation's 2nd
Annual Liberty Forum in
Philadelphia.
- Dr. Ahmad addressed the Third Annual
Conference of the Center for the Study
of Islam and Democracy:Democratization
and Political Violence in Muslim
Societies on "The
Anti-Correlation
Between Democracy And Political
Violence In The Experience Of The
Khulufah Rashid�n."
- Dr. Ahmad lectured at the Libertarian
Party of Minnesota state convention on
"Islam and Politics." He
addressed three themes (1) the
libertarian nature of Islam in the
Qur'an and in the classical era; (2) the
authoritarian nature of the Muslim world
today; and (3) the problems wrought by
America's interventionist foreign
policy.
- Dr. Ahmad lectured at the University
of Maryland on the history behind
current situation in Palestine/Israel.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by
Springfield, Massachusetts radio
personality Tony Gill on the Israeli
seige of the Church of the Nativity.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed on WWTL
Radio on the causes of the current
violence in Palestine/Israel.
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March 2002
- MFI President Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad
and MFI Secretary Sharmin Ahmad
addressedthe Natural Resources
Conservation Service of the US
Dept. of Agriculture on their Diversity
Day on Muslim Culture.
- Dr. Ahmad addressed the Federalist
Society on Muslims in America at the Ave
Maria Law School in Ann Arbor, MI.
- Dr. Ahmad addressed Montgomery County
(MD) homeschoolers on the Muslim history
of the Middle East.
- Dr. Ahmad moderated a UASR round
table meeting betweeen Muslim activists
and intellectuals and the leadership Neturei
Karta the Orthodox Jewish
anti-Zionist movement. The meeting
ended in a commitment for a new
coalition of Jews and Muslims for a
faith-based resolution to th evilence in
Palestine beginning with a cooperative
effort to establish the right of return
of Jews to Arab countries from which
they originated as well as Palestinians
to their homes.
- Dr. Ahmad lectured on the Muslim
History of Jerusalem at an Islamic
History Day celebration sponsored by the
Islamic History Association at the
Muslim Community Center in Silver
Spring.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Judith
Latham of Voice of America and by WWTL
radio on the current violence in Israel
and Palestine.
- Dr. Ahmad met with Mr. James Wani
Igga, Secretary-General, Sudan Peoples�
Liberation Movement (SPLM) to discuss a
fact-finding mission to the Sudan.
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February 2002
- Dr. Ahmad spoke on "Contributions of
Muslims to Science and Civilization"
before the Islamic Society of
Afghans.
- Dr. Ahmad presented an introduction
to Islam at the Foreign Service
Institute of the State Dept.
- Dr. Ahmad spoke on Islam and American
values to the Potomac Presbyterian
Church.
- Dr. Ahmad met with Mr. Phagan Umum
(SPLM, Secretary General, National
Democratic Alliance, Mr. Ahmed Abdel
Rahman, Secretary, Council of
International Peoples� Friendship, a
Senior Minister in the Khartoum
Government, and Ambassador Khidir H.
Ahmed, Head of Mission, Embassy of
Sudan, Washington, D.C. to discuss a
fact-finding mission to the Sudan.
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January 2002
- MFI President Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad
participated as a resource person at a
Congressional Research Services program
at the Library of Congress on "Combating
Terrorism: Possible Lesson for U.S.
Policy from Foreign Experiences,"
to comment on the presentations of Prof.
Martha Crenshaw of Wesleyan University,
Prof. Christopher Hewiott of the
University of Maryland, and Mr. Peter
Probst, formerly of the CIA. Dr.
Ahmad corrected misimpressions by which
the American government has
underestimated the significance of
foreign policy blunders in creating the
violence that has been misdirected
against American civilians.
- Dr. Ahmad's article "Islam
Demands a Response to the Terror of
September 11" has been published
in the Middle East Affairs Journal.
- Dr. Ahmad met with Hisham El-Tinay of
the Salam Sudan Foundation to develop
plans for an interfaith fact-finding
mission to Sudan.
- Dr. Ahmad gave an introduction to the
tenets of Islam at the National
Presbyterian Church in Washington,
DC.
- Dr. Ahmad participated in a press
conference at the National Press Club on
the background and circumstances of the
arrest of Jamil
Al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown).
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