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June 29, 2009
Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy Bulletin
In This Issue
Iran's Second Islamic Revolution?
How to Make an Islamic Democracy
U.S. taps envoy for Muslim outreach without fanfare
Yemen Aims to Halt Next Generation of Terrorists
Egypt Arrests Muslim Brotherhood Leaders
Poll about Muslim Brotherhood Popularity in Egypt
Journey into America
74% Pakistanis say democracy is an important tenet of Islam
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Bulletin Archive


Iran's Second Islamic Revolution?


By Matthew Duss and Lawrence Korb
  |  huffingtonpost.com


Using Atomic Energy Protest in IranLast week, Ali Gharib made the important point that what's happening in Iran is thus far not a rejection of the Islamic republic, but a struggle over its founding principles. Reviewing Moussavi's formal statement Saturday, Gary Sick described it as diagnosis of "a revolution gone wrong," writing that Moussavi has "issued a manifesto for a new vision of the Islamic republic."

In an especially good post, Spencer Ackerman flagged a key passage from Moussavi's statement:

"If the large volume of cheating and vote rigging, which has set fire to the hays of people's anger, is expressed as the evidence of fairness, the republican nature of the state will be killed and in practice, the ideology that Islam and Republicanism are incompatible will be proven."

"This outcome will make two groups happy: One, those who since the beginning of revolution stood against Imam and called the Islamic state a dictatorship of the elite who want to take people to heaven by force; and the other, those who in defending the human rights, consider religion and Islam against republicanism."

As Spencer notes, that last bit is a pretty clear rebuke to those Western critics who, in criticizing the brutality of the Iranian regime, have tried to present Islam and democracy as irreconcilable.

Speaking of which, conservative scholar-activist Martin Kramer, in a comically mendacious (and, as usual, Rashid Khalidi-obsessed) dispatch, tries to argue that the "events in Iran have left Obama's simplistic mental map of the Middle East, first learned from a few Palestinian activists and an old Hyde Park rabbi, in shreds."

But, in fact, what is in shreds is the representation of Islamism -- peddled for years by Kramer, Daniel Pipes, and ideologically affiliated think tanks and publications -- as wholly and irretrievably hostile to modernity, to human rights, and to democracy. Having spent years vilifying the Islamist discourse of struggle and sacrifice as deployed by Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, these pundits have now been pantsed by the Iranian demonstrators deploying the very same discourse on behalf of freedom and reform. Moussavi has declared himself "ready for martyrdom" -- will conservatives now condemn his "death cult"?

Even in the best outcome, it is likely that the Iranian government will continue to be, in key respects, Islamist-controlled (matching the Islamist-controlled government in neighboring Iraq.) But it's important to understand that this, much more so than any Western-implanted concept of "secularism," has the potential to really spur the already vigorous debate in the region over the arrangement of a fair and just society, by underscoring Islamism's contribution to that debate. As with President Obama's wise caution in regard to the demonstrations, the most productive thing the U.S. do, while continuing to voice support for human rights, is to get out of the way and make space for the debate to occur.

Full Article
How to Make an Islamic Democracy


By Tobias Grey | Washington Post

HOW TO WIN A COSMIC WARHOW TO WIN A COSMIC WAR
God, Globalization And the End of The War on Terror
By Reza Aslan
Random House. 228 pp. $26







Aslan argues that a cosmic war is distinct from a holy war, which pits rival religious groups against each other in an earthly battle: "A cosmic war is like a ritual drama in which participants act out on earth a battle they believe is actually taking place in the heavens." For Aslan, the moment President George W. Bush went on television and either intentionally or through clumsiness framed "the war on terrorism" in terms of "this crusade," he fell into a well-laid trap. "He responded with precisely the cosmic dualism that those who carried out the attacks had intended to provoke," Aslan writes, before reminding us that the idea of the United States as a cosmic force dates back to the Founding Fathers, who "drew up a seal that depicted Moses on the shores of the Sea of Reeds, his staff raised, the waters surging over Pharaoh's army."

But Aslan's new book -- his second, after the bestselling "No God but God," about the origins and evolution of Islam -- provides more than just historical precedent; it also offers a very persuasive argument for the best way to counter jihadism and its many splinter groups, such as al-Qaeda. "Islamism," Aslan says, "can act as a foil to Jihadism. Unlike Jihadists, whose aims and aspirations rest on a cosmic plane, Islamists have material goals and legitimate ambitions that can be addressed by the state." He defines Islamism as a "nationalist ideology" based on religion, distinct from jihadism, which wants to "erase all borders" and aspires to "an idealized past of religious communalism."

Aslan credits Bush for promising to promote democratic elections in the Middle East, then lambastes him for not following through on that promise: "By refusing to engage the democratically elected leaders in Lebanon and Palestine, and by looking the other way as its allies in Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia reverted to their despotic behavior, the United States was telling the world that the promise of peaceful political reform through democratic participation was a lie."

Full Article


U.S. taps envoy for Muslim outreach without fanfare
   

Farah PandithWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has picked an official to help carry out President Barack Obama's strategy of reaching out to Muslims around the world -- but chose not to formally announce the fact.

The choice of Farah Pandith to serve as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's "special representative to Muslim communities" was disclosed in an internal memo to State Department employees dated on Tuesday.

Asked about news reports of the appointment, the department spokesman, Ian Kelly, confirmed it.  Obama has made improving U.S. relations with Muslims around the world a signature theme of his presidency.

Kelly said he could not say whether Pandith was a Muslim, although two U.S. officials said privately that they believed she was. Pandith was not immediately available for comment.

Full Article
Yemen Aims to Halt Next Generation of Terrorists


By Laura Kasinof | The Christian Science Monitor


Islam & Democracy Textbook CoverThe "Imam Democracy Training Program" is based on the CSID training manual on "Islam & Democracy - Towards an Effective Citizenship".


Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, has a history of being a safe haven for Islamist militants. Although a top financier for Al Qaeda was reportedly arrested in the country over the weekend, the terror network has increased its visibility in Yemen, carrying out a number of fatal attacks against foreigners and foreign institutions in the past few years, including an attack on the US Embassy in Sanaa in September 2008.

Reaching out to religious leaders

But Shawki al-Qadhi believes such a result is possible. This imam from the mountainous province of Taiz doesn't buy the whole "clash of civilizations" idea. Rather, he believes that rifts between the West and East, between America and the Muslim world, can be mended through dialogue and education.

Thus, seven years ago, Mr. Qadhi founded the Imam Democracy Training Program, an effort to teach ideas like human rights, women's rights, and political participation to Yemen's clergymen.

In a traditional country like Yemen, where the Islamic faith is at society's core, Qahdi and Alansi say that working through religion is the only way to change the popular perceptions and try to prevent violent, fundamentalist ideas from taking root. He adds that the approximately 500 imams who have participated in his year-long program now integrate what they have learned into their sermons, reaching a broader audience.

"Rules regulating society are shaped to a large extent by opinions and rulings of the imams. When one imam discusses women's rights at a Friday sermon, he will impact many people at the mosque," says Atiaf Alwazir a researcher at the American University in Cairo, who has studied Qadhi's program.

Jamal Moulaky, an imam from the Yemeni province of Ibb, completed the Imam Democracy Training Program two years ago and now travels around Yemen organizing children's rights workshops at different mosques throughout the country.

"Before I didn't have a problem with democracy, but I wasn't sure how it fit with Islam," he says. "But I learned that there are no problems with Islam and democracy working together."

Full Article
Egypt Arrests Muslim Brotherhood Leaders



Cairo ProtestEgyptian riot police block the way for Muslim Brotherhood protestors during a demonstration in Cairo, ...




Egyptian security forces have arrested a leading member of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood and three others in pre-dawn raids on Sunday, the group said on its website.

Abdel Moneim Abul Futuh, a member of the Islamist group's politburo, Fathi Lashin, a former judge, Gamal Abdel Salam of the Arab doctors union, and teacher Abdel Rahman al-Gamal, were detained.

"The arrests are part of the regime's attempt to cut the Brotherhood off from Egyptian political life," the group's number two Mohammed Habib said on the website.  He said more than 140 members had been arrested in recent weeks.

The Brotherhood, Egypt's main opposition movement, is officially banned but members operate openly in the name of the group despite frequent government crackdowns.

It fielded candidates running as "independents" in the 2005 election, clinching one fifth of the seats in parliament, which is controlled by President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party.

Egypt's next legislative election is scheduled for 2010.

Full Article

Poll about Muslim Brotherhood Popularity in Egypt


A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll finds Egyptians continue to view US foreign policy quite negatively and see President Obama as closely aligned with it. At the same time, Obama has much better ratings than Bush had, and there are signs of thawing feelings toward the US.

Confidence in Obama v BushAsked how much confidence they have in Obama to do the right thing in international affairs, 39 percent say they have some or a lot of confidence--up sharply from the 8 percent who viewed George W. Bush positively in January 2008. Views of the United States government have also improved with favorable views rising to 46 percent from 27 percent in an August 2008 WorldPublicOpinion.org poll.

However, there has been little change in the views of US foreign policy. Sixty-seven percent say that the US plays a negative role in the world.

Large majorities continue to believe the US has goals to weaken and divide the Islamic world (76%) and control Middle East oil (80%). Eight in 10 say the US is seeking to impose American culture on Muslim countries (80%). Six in ten say it is not a goal of the US to create a Palestinian state. These numbers are virtually unchanged from 2008.

Muslim Brotherhood

Among the Egyptian public, views of the Muslim Brotherhood are positive. Sixty-four percent express positive views, 19 percent say they have mixed views and just 16 percent express negative views.

An even larger majority (69%) believe that the Muslim Brotherhood favors democracy. Only 22 percent think that it is still too extreme and not genuinely democratic.

At the same time, the Egyptian public shows sympathy for some Islamist ideas about democracy. Six in ten think the Egyptian government should be based on a form of democracy unique for Islam, as compared to 39 percent who say it should be based on universal principles of democracy. Three-quarters agree with the Muslim Brotherhood's idea that a body of religious scholars should have veto power over laws it believes are contrary to the Koran. While two-thirds say a non-Muslim should be able to run for elected office, only 36 percent say a non-Muslim should be able to run for President.

Download Poll Results
Journey into America

World Premiere of the new film


"Journey into America"

 July 4th, 2009 from 9:00-11:00 p.m.
at ISNA Convention
Washington, DC Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Pl NW
Washington, DC 20001


 
A Muslim professor sets out to discover America with a team of young Americans. They visited over 70 cities and more than 100 mosques on an unprecedented project interviewing countless Americans in their homes, schools, and places of worship.
 
The film will be followed by a panel discussion of distinguished speakers which include Congressman Keith Ellison, Imam Magid, executive director of ADAMS Center, Senior Rabbi Bruce Lustig of the Washington Hebrew Congregation, Dr. Ingrid Mattson the president of ISNA, and Ambassador Akbar Ahmed.

Film produced by Ambassador Akbar Ahmed of the U.S. Naval Academy and American University, and Board Member of CSID. Project sponsored by the Brookings Institution, American University, and Georgetown University.

74% Pakistanis say democracy is an important tenet of Islam: Survey
     

According to this study more than two thirds (74%) of all Pakistanis believe that democracy is an important tenet of Islam or at least the two are compatible in some situations. Twenty three percent (23%), however, argue that Islam and democracy have nothing in common with each other.

Pakistan in CrisisWhen the respondents were asked "Some people believe that democracy is against Islam. Some believe Islam is actually democracy, meaning without democracy there can be no Islam, where as others believe that it depends on the situation; at times they can coexist while at other times Islam and democracy will remain at odds with each other?" Majority (40%) said that without democracy there can be no Islam. Thirty four percent (34%) believe that it depends on the situation whether Islam and Democracy can coexist, whereas according to 23% of the respondents Islam and democracy are not at all compatible. Three percent (3%) gave no response.

The data reveals majority of all respondents, across all demographics, are of the view that democracy and Islam are very closely linked. However, a proportionately higher percentage of ruralites (25%) compared to urbanites (18%) think that democracy is against Islam.

Full Poll Results
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Sincerely,
Radwan A. Masmoudi
President
Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy