Dear CSID Friends, Members, and Subscribers:
For the past 12 years, CSID has been at the forefront of two major struggles: supporting and encouraging freedom, human rights, and democracy in the Arab and Muslim Worlds, and educating the American people about Islam, Islamic cultures and civilizations, and Muslims. These two struggles have never been as critical as they are today, but CSID cannot succeed without your support.
We need to raise at least $80,000 before the end of October, to support our efforts and activities in the US and in the Muslim World. We're running behind right now, but we can get there if more first-time donors begin pitching in and if current and previous members and supporters renew their support. If you appreciate what we do and want to see it continue, please support CSID today.
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Sincerely,
Radwan A. Masmoudi Asma Afsaruddin
President Chair of the Board
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A DEFENSE OF FREE SPEECH BY AMERICAN AND CANADIAN MUSLIMS
We, the undersigned, unconditionally condemn any intimidation or threats of violence directed against any individual or group exercising the rights of freedom of religion and speech; even when that speech may be perceived as hurtful or reprehensible.
We are concerned and saddened by the recent wave of vitriolic anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic sentiment that is being expressed across our nation.
We are even more concerned and saddened by threats that have been made against individual writers, cartoonists, and others by a minority of Muslims. We see these as a greater offense against Islam than any cartoon, Qur'an burning, or other speech could ever be deemed.
We affirm the right of free speech for Molly Norris, Matt Stone, Trey Parker, and all others including ourselves.
As Muslims, we must set an example of justice, patience, tolerance, respect, and forgiveness.
The Qur'an enjoins Muslims to: bear witness to Islam through our good example (2:143); restrain anger and pardon people (3:133-134 and 24:22); remain patient in adversity (3186); stand firmly for justice (4:135); not let the hatred of others swerve us from justice (5:8); respect the sanctity of life (5:32); turn away from those who mock Islam (6:68 and 28:55); hold to forgiveness, command what is right, and turn away from the ignorant (7:199); restrain ourselves from rash responses (16:125-128); pass by worthless talk with dignity (25:72); and repel evil with what is better (41:34).
Islam calls for vigorous condemnation of both hateful speech and hateful acts, but always within the boundaries of the law. It is of the utmost importance that we react, not out of reflexive emotion, but with dignity and intelligence, in accordance with both our religious precepts and the laws of our country.
We uphold the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Both protect freedom of religion and speech, because both protections are fundamental to defending minorities from the whims of the majority.
We therefore call on all Muslims in the United States, Canada and abroad to refrain from violence. We should see the challenges we face today as an opportunity to sideline the voices of hate-not reward them with further attention-by engaging our communities in constructive dialogue about the true principles of Islam, and the true principles of democracy, both of which stress the importance of freedom of religion and tolerance.
SIGNATORIES: - Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, PhD, Director, Minaret of Freedom Foundation
- Prof. Akbar S. Ahmed, PhD, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University
- Prof. Parvez Ahmed, PhD, Fulbright Scholar & Assoc. Prof. University of North Florida
- Wajahat Ali, playwright, journalist, and producer of "Domestic Crusaders"
- Sumbul Ali-Karamali, JD, LLM (Islamic Law), author of "The Muslim Next Door"
- Salam al-Marayati, Pres., Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)
- Shahed Amanullah, Editor-in-Chief, Altmuslim
- Shahid Athar, M.D., Editor, Islam-USA
- Hazami Barmada, Pres, American Muslim Interactive Network (AMIN)
- M. Ali Chaudry, PhD, President, Center for Understanding Islam (CUII)
- Robert D. Crane, JD
- Mohamed Elsanousi, Director of Communications and Community Outreach for the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
- Mona Eltahawy, journalist
- Prof. Mohammad Fadel, PhD
- Hesham Hassaballa, M.D., author, journalist, blogger - "God, faith, and a pen"
- Arsalan Iftikhar, author, human rights lawyer, blogger - "The Muslim Guy"
- Jeffrey Imm, Director, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)
- Prof. Muqtedar Khan, PhD, author of several books, Blogger - "Globalog"
- M. Junaid Levesque-Alam, writer, blogger - "Crossing the Crescent"
- David Liepert, M.D., blogger and author of "Muslim, Christian AND Jew"
- Radwan A. Masmoudi, PhD, President, Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID)
- Melody Moezzi, JD, MPH, writer and attorney
- Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore, author of many books of poetry
- Sheila Musaji, Editor, The American Muslim (TAM)
- Aziz H. Poonawalla, PhD, scientist and blogger - "City of Brass" on Beliefnet.com
- Hasan Zillur Rahim, PhD, journalist
- Prof. Hussein Rashid, PhD, blogger - "Religion Dispatches"
- Robert Salaam, blogger - "The American Muslim"
- Tayyibah Taylor, Editor, Azizah Magazine
- Amina Wadud, PhD, consultant on Islam and gender, visiting scholar Starr King School for the Ministry
- G. Willow Wilson, author of "Butterfly Mosque" and "Air" graphic novel series
- and over 150 other American and Canadian Muslim scholars and leaders.....
***************
NOTE: If you would like to add your signature, please send an email with your name, title, and organizational affiliation (if any) to: tameditor@aol.com
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Does the Qur'an Really Sanction Violence Against 'Unbelievers'?
By Musalman Times
Though we may not be able to influence those who are hell-bent on hatred, an explanation is owed to all reasonable people who are interested in the truth of the matter and are not looking to create enemies. The vast majority of Muslims deserve to be seen as allies in a common quest for social justice and human dignity - assuming, of course, that we as Americans have the same goals in mind.
A careful and unbiased study of these and other verses, in their proper context, will reveal that the exhortations to fight "idolaters" and "unbelievers" are specific in nature and are not general injunctions for the murder of those who refuse to accept Islam as their way of life.
Among the most often cited verses is this one: "Kill the idolaters wherever you find them, and capture them, and blockade them, and watch for them at every lookout..." (Quran 9:5).
According to Islamic belief, the Quran was "revealed" to Muhammad in a process of dialog with the Divine, and some parts of the Quran refer to specific situations, while other parts offer universal spiritual principles. To understand this passage, we must take into account the historical circumstances at the time of its revelation.
The "idolaters" (Arabic: mushrikeen) were those Meccan "pagans" who had declared war against Muhammad and his community. The Meccan oligarchs fought against the Prophet's message from the very beginning. When they realized that the flow of converts to Islam was increasing, they resorted to violent oppression and torture of the Prophet and his followers. The Prophet himself survived several assassination attempts, and it became so dangerous for the Muslims in Mecca that Muhammad sent some of his companions who lacked tribal protection to take asylum in the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia. After 13 years of violence, he himself was compelled to take refuge in the city of Medina, and even then the Meccans did not relent in their hostilities. Eventually, various hostile Arab tribes joined in the fight against the Muslims, culminating in the Battle of the Trench, when 10,000 soldiers from many Arab tribes gathered to wipe out the Muslim community once and for all. As we know, the Muslims survived these challenges and eventually went on to establish a vast civilization.
Read Full Article |
Where's the Dove?
Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution in Islam
By Qamar-ul Huda | U.S. Institute of Peace
Qamar-ul Huda  | Amid the controversy over the Islamic cultural center in NYC and Pastor Terry Jones' threats of burning the Quran in Florida, a recent Pew Research Center poll revealed that 42 percent of Americans believe Islam encourages violence while 55 percent admit that they do not know very much about Islam. In at least 11 states, hostile demonstrations have been staged around proposed sites for mosques, and on Sunday mornings it is common to hear vitriolic sermons by religious leaders against Islam. While none of the world's religions is impervious to fomenting conflict, Islam has often been singled out as particularly and intrinsically violent. It is nearly impossible to speak about contemporary Islam without referring to the subject of violence.
Behind the explosive headlines and images of violence, there is a neglected story of how ordinary Muslims around the world, including in the U.S., draw on their faith and tradition to build peace, engage in dialogue, resolve conflict, and use nonviolent strategies in everyday affairs. There are existing principles, tools, and resources inherent in Islam to promote cooperation and resolve conflict nonviolently.
Crescent and Dove: Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam [Paperback] ![Crescent and Dove: Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam [Paperback]](http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1102084408196/img/543.jpg?a=1103773770619) | Islamic principles of peace-building affirm that all humanity has a common origin, and that human dignity must be respected regardless of ethnicity, religion, tribe, or nationality. Diversity amongst people encapsulates the richness of traditions. Dialogue with others means to cooperate, collaborate, and identify practical steps for real mutual understanding. To be actively involved in one's tradition means not to lead exclusivistic, hermetic lives, but to be engaged with others in a respectful manner.
There are astounding similarities and overlapping themes in Islamic and Western peacebuilding efforts. However, unfortunately, Muslim scholars and practitioners are unrecognized for their remarkable contributions in the fields of human rights, governance, gender rights, conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peace education, development, educational reform, interfaith dialogue, and other areas.
Traditionally, Muslim theologians, jurists, and scholars have promoted Islamic teachings of ethics to prevent, mediate, and resolve conflicts, ultimately stressing the need for personal transformation and striving toward elevating spiritual awareness and overcoming neglectfulness through fasting, prayer, charity, meditation, service, rituals of reconciliation, recitation of the Quran, love of others, adoption of orphans, and, most importantly, displaying compassion and forgiveness to oneself and to others who have done harm. This approach on personal inner transformation -- moving away from greed, egocentric desires, suffering, negative materialism, harming others -- humans then can act peacefully in the world.
Early on in Islamic history, jurists legalized and institutionalized peacebuilding efforts from the top-down approach, which is the use of a judge to oversee the process of mediation, arbitration, and reconciliation. Conflicting parties also had an option to agree on a process of resolving a dispute with a third-party mediator, where the mediator would ensure that all parties were satisfied by the outcomes.
Read Full Article Back to top |
Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies
New Approaches to Qur'an and Exegesis
New scholarly approaches to the Qur'an and its interpretation have led to an increasing appreciation of the wide variety of ways the Qur'an has been understood by Muslims in the past and an awareness that Qur'anic interpretation (tafsir) is an ongoing process that continues to be dynamic in our own time.
This conference will bring together a number of national and international scholars to discuss the significance of Qur'anic interpretation for understanding the Islamic intellectual heritage and for shaping new Muslim responses to contemporary challenges.
October 23-24, 2010 George Mason University, Harris Theater4400 University DriveFairfax, VA 22030
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
University Professor
George Washington University
Keynote Address and Banquet Dinner: $25, limited space
PRESENTERS:
- Asma Afsaruddin, Indiana University
- Qamar al-Huda, U.S. Institute of Peace
- Caner Dagli, College of the Holy Cross
- Juliane Hammer, George Mason University
- Feras Hamza, American University of Dubai, UAE
- Muzaffar Iqbal, Center for Islam & Science, Canada
- Todd Lawson, University of Toronto, Canada
- Joseph Lumbard, Brandeis University
- Daniel Madigan, Georgetown University
- Farhana Mayer, Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK
- Mohammed Rustom, Carleton University, Canada
- Walid Saleh, University of Toronto, Canada
- Kristin Sands, Sarah Lawrence University
Download Conference Flyer
Click here to RSVP
For questions please contact:
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Akbar Ahmed's journey into America
By Yasser Latif Hamdani | Daily Times
Akbar Ahmed - CSID Board Member  | That both Muslims and the U.S. have to come to grips with each other is
now abundantly clear to both sides. Neither is going anywhere any time
soon, which makes the situation of Muslims living in the US all the
more important. It is their responsibility more than anyone else's to
explain Islam to Americans and America to Muslims.
Perhaps the most striking contrast to Aafia Siddiqui and Faisal Shahzad
can be found in the efforts of Dr. Akbar S Ahmed - that indefatigable
defender of Islam and Islamic tolerance. Pakistan's diplomat and more
famous for his film on the life of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah,
Akbar S Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair at the American University, has
done more than any other living Pakistani to challenge perceptions of
Pakistan and Islam in the West. He is not the first though in the US.
We would do well to remember the intellectual par excellence, the late
Dr. Eqbal Ahmad who, through his work and interaction in the US, won
numerous admirers. His interviews with David Barsamian echo to this day
for sheer relevance and clarity of vision the man had. There is one
main difference though. While Eqbal Ahmad came from a tradition of
resistance and the Left, which often left him at odds with his critics,
Dr. Akbar S Ahmed is a hard-boiled civil servant, polished by the
dictates of diplomacy. Even Daniel Pipes, who is regarded as a
Muslim-baiter of sorts, is very careful when dealing with Akbar S
Ahmed. Consequently, Dr Ahmed has the ear of those who matter in
Washington, including President Obama. He interacts with a broad
spectrum from the establishment to anti-establishment, from Right to
Left, and this makes him a unique anthropologist.
Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam [Hardcover]  | His recent book Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam should be
prescribed reading for all Pakistanis traveling to the US, especially
for an education. It gives a remarkable account of identity formation
in America, its numerous waves of immigration and also within the
American Muslim subset, which are the subsets of two distinct large
sets. Dr Ahmed's journey, where he was accompanied by a team of
enthusiastic researchers, is in many ways more monumental than the 19th
century French politician and author Alexis De Tocqueville's journey
and work on the US, which seems to have inspired Dr Ahmed. Tocqueville
had come from France at a time when the US had already inspired one
revolution and a republic there. There was no gap there to bridge
unlike the festering fistula that now separates the Muslim world and
the US. Akbar S Ahmed seems to have dedicated his entire life to the
cause.
Read Full Article
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Should we fear Islam?
By Congressman Keith Ellison | The Washington Post
Imagine a respected TV show or news magazine article with the title, "Should Americans Fear Black People?"
Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN)  | Imagine staccato hip-hop music for the teaser, with clips of black gang members toting guns, hanging around urban scenes, looking scary. Imagine the zoom-in close up of a shoulder tattoo, proclaiming "Thug for Life."
As the host (some household name) opens the show, imagine that the white expert opining about the root causes of urban decay is a nationally recognized racist, like for instance, David Duke. With a straight face, and no sense of irony, the host solicits Duke's views, who proceeds to declare, "when the American people saw the LA riots, they received a peek into their future."
Imagine the television cameras going in search of voices of 'real' black people. Where do they go? The 'hood of course! I mean, where else do black people live?
The intrepid host invites regular Americans to ask the experts to explain black pathology: "Why is their rap music so degrading to women?" Cynthia from Wyoming wonders. "Why are so many blacks at the bottom of the economic and educational ladder?" Chuck from New York State muses.
Is this starting to get a little uncomfortable? Of course, it is. Just ask Don Imus about the wisdom of indulging in racial stereotyping against blacks. Add Jews, Catholics, gays and others as well. Not a good idea.
Now replace black with Muslim, and that's just about how ABC News treated Islam and Muslims this past weekend, on 20/20 and This Week with Christiane Amanpour.
There were the obligatory clips of terrorist training camps, the planes flying into the twin towers, the victims of so-called 'honor killings.' The Muslim experts - looking officially 'Islamic' in their long beards and hats - included one declaring that one day the flag of Islam would fly over the White House. The non-Muslim experts - Robert Spencer (leading anti-Muslim advocate in the Park51 Project controversy), Ayaan Hirsi Ali (prolific anti-Muslim writer), and Franklin Graham (said Islam "is a very evil and wicked religion") - are well known, even famous, for spewing anti-Muslim hate. Of course, these characters emphatically agreed with the caricatures with long beards and white hats, repeating the propaganda that Islam requires its adherents to dominate people. Among the 'normal' Muslims interviewed were a woman in niqab (fewer than 1% of Muslim women in America wear the full face veil and accompanying robes), and Muslims in the Muslim 'hood', cities, like Dearborn, MI, and Patterson, NJ.
Do some Americans fear black people? For sure. But we don't validate those fears by allowing them to be expressed with fake innocence on respected news shows. Why are fears of Muslims validated by television airings?
But the conversation must continue. And I hope it continues in our mosques, churches, synagogues and other holy places, with Americans of all faiths talking face to face about differences and about our shared humanity - free of the stereotypes that, lately, are so prominent in our TV shows and magazines.
Read Full Article
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Intolerance
By Lawrence Wright | The New Yorker
Lawrence Wright  | Last year, when plans were announced for Cordoba House, an Islamic community center to be built two blocks north of Ground Zero, few opposed them. The project was designed to promote moderate Islam and provide a bridge to other faiths. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the Sufi cleric leading the effort, told the Times, in December, "We want to push back against the extremists." In August, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously against granting historic protection to the building at 45-47 Park Place, thereby clearing the way for the construction of Park51, as the center is now known. A month later, it is the focus of a bitter quarrel about the place of Islam in our society.
In the dispute over Park51, the role of the radical imams has been taken by bloggers and right-wing commentators. In this parable, Pamela Geller, who writes a blog called Atlas Shrugs and runs a group called Stop Islamization of America, plays the part of Ahmed Abu Laban. Geller has already contributed to the phony claim that President Obama is a Muslim (which twenty per cent of the American public now believe is true), by promoting a theory that he is the bastard son of Malcolm X.
The cynicism of this rhetorical journey can be traced in the remarks of Laura Ingraham, who interviewed Daisy Khan, Abdul Rauf's wife and partner in the project, in December. "I can't find many people who really have a problem with it," Ingraham told Khan then. "I like what you're trying to do." Ingraham has since been brought into line. "I say the terrorists have won with the way this has gone down," she said last month, on "Good Morning America." "Six hundred feet from where thousands of our fellow-Americans were incinerated in the name of political Islam, and we're supposed to be considered intolerant if we're not cheering this?"
Culture wars are currently being waged against Muslim Americans across the country. In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where Muslims have been worshipping for thirty years, a construction vehicle was burned at the site of a new Islamic center. Pat Robertson, the fundamentalist Christian leader, warned his followers on the "700 Club" that, if the center brings "thousands and thousands" of Muslims into the area, "the next thing you know, they're going to be taking over the city council. They're going to have an ordinance that calls for public prayer five times a day." As in the Park51 controversy, fear-mongering and slander serve as the basis of an argument that cannot rely on facts to make its case.
The best ally in the struggle against violent Islamism is moderate Islam. The unfounded attacks on the backers of Park51 and others, along with such sideshows as a pastor calling for the burning of Korans, give substance to the Al Qaeda argument that the U.S. is waging a war against Islam, rather than against the terrorists' misshapen effigy of that religion. Those stirring the pot in this debate are casting a spell that is far more dangerous than they may imagine.
Read Full Article
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U.S. needs to be more critical of Egypt's diminished democracy
By Neil Hicks | The Washington Post
Neil Hicks  | The Sept. 30 editorial "Beyond Mr. Mubarak" was right to point out that advancing democracy in Egypt is in the United States' interest and that pending elections are likely to be anything but democratic. Political and social tensions are increasing in Egypt, not least because of the government's uncertainty about how to manage the succession process from octogenarian President Hosni Mubarak. The denial of basic rights and freedoms to nonviolent government critics and political opponents is widespread and persistent.
The U.S. government should be more willing than it has been to criticize the Egyptian authorities in specific terms for violations that take place. It should make the case forcefully to Egyptian leaders, in public and private, that such practices harm Egypt's long-term interests in development, social peace and prosperity for its people.
The U.S. government will lose nothing by calling things by their proper names in Egypt, even if Egypt's leaders object. Failure to speak out against human rights violations will be seen as complicity by many people in Egypt and throughout the Arab world, which would risk further tarnishing America's already battered reputation in the region.
Read Full Article
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About CSID
By supporting CSID, you help to: - Create a better future for our children so they can have more opportunities for improving their lives and realizing their dreams.
- Educate and inform Americans about Islam's true values of tolerance, peace, and good will towards mankind, including peoples of other faiths.
- Improve U.S. relations with the Muslim world by supporting popular movements rather than oppressive tyrannies and corrupt regimes.
- Replace the feelings of hopelessness, despair, and anger in many parts of the Muslim world, especially among the youth, with a more positive and hopeful outlook for the future.
- Encourage young Muslim Americans, and Muslims everywhere, to participate in the political process and to reject calls for destructive violence and extremism.
- Build a network of Muslim democrats around the globe who can share knowledge and experience about how to build and strengthen democratic institutions and traditions in the Muslim countries.
Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy Membership/Donation Form 2010
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Please donate generously. Your contribution to CSID is both tax-deductible, and zakat-eligible. Your contribution will make a world of difference.
The Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy is a non-profit think tank, based in Washington DC - dedicated to promoting a better understanding of democracy in the Muslim world, and a better understanding of Islam in America. To achieve its objectives, the Center organizes meetings, conferences, and publishes several reports and periodicals. CSID engages Muslim groups, parties, and governments - both secularist and moderate Islamist - in public debates on how to reconcile Muslims' interpretation of Islam and democracy. CSID is committed to providing democracy education to ordinary citizens, civil society, religious and political leaders in the Muslim world, and has organized meetings, workshops, and conferences in over 25 countries, including Nigeria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Iran, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, etc.
"Today, more than ever, we in the United States of America and
beyond need to hear, understand, and promote the voices of reason,
moderation, and democracy among Muslims. The CSID is one of the most
articulate platforms serving this need. Through the CSID we can and
have been tackling the deficit of democracy, human rights, especially
women's rights in many Islamic societies. By supporting CSID we help
support dialogue and understanding, instead of clash, among
civilizations."
Nayereh Tohidi
Professor & Department Chair
Women's Studies, CSUN & UCLA
"There are few issues of greater concern to the future of the Muslim
world than the prospects for democracy. CSID has pioneered the
promotion of democracy at the practical level, and in this regard has
provided invaluable service through education and social activism."
Vali Nasr, Professor
Naval Postgraduate School
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