CSID Bulletin Header in JPG

Washington D.C. - The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) has bestowed its 2014 Muslim Democrat of the Year Award to the Nahdha Bloc in the Tunisian National Constituent Assembly (NCA).

During its 15th Annual Conference, CSID president Dr. Radwan Masmoudi announced to the Nahdha Bloc leader, Mr. Sahbi Atig, that the prize was awarded "in recognition of your role in building democracy and preserving it in the face of hardship, for helping write a progressive, democratic, and consensual constitution, and for opening a window into a century of reason, freedom, human rights, and democracy in Tunisia and in the Arab World."

 


Dr. William Lawrence, the conference chair added that "for more than a decade, CSID has recognized exceptional efforts made in advancing freedom, democracy, and human rights in the Muslim world. We believe that the Nahdha Bloc has succeeded with its partners in achieving a consensus that paved the way to ratifying a remarkable and enlightened constitution for all Tunisians."

The ceremony was attended by many dignitaries including Mr. Aly Larayedh, former Prime Minister, Mr. Nejib Chebbi, leader of Joumhouri Party, and William Roebuck, U.S Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs. In a statement Mr. Atig said "I wish to thank the Center for recognizing our efforts in reaching an agreement along with many other deserving partners within the NCA. We are committed to this path that our people have chosen, and we hope that our experience here in Tunisia will serve as a model to other countries."

Previous recipients of the Award include Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, Abdol Karim Soroush of Iran, Saadeddine Ibrahim of Egypt, Saadeddine Othmani of Morocco, Ahmed Shaheed of the Maldives, and Amina Rasul of the Philippines.


CSID is a Washington based nonprofit organization that focuses on promoting freedom, democracy and good governance in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Muslim world.

Contact: Dr. William Lawrence, Director of MENA programs, or Mongi Dhaouadi, Senior Program Officer, at CSID, Tel. 202-265-1200 or[email protected] 

 


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 2014  
      
Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
 
Institution:___________________________________________________________________________
 
Address: ____________________________________________________________________________
 
City____________________________State______________Zip _______________________________
 
Tel.:________________________________________________________________________________
 
Fax.:_______________________________________________________________________________
 
E-mail:______________________________________________________________________________
 

I would like to join CSID as:
 
  Student Member            ❑ $20              Newsletter Subscription      ❑ $20
  Institutional Member      ❑ $200            CSID 500 Club                    ❑ $500
  Associate Member         ❑  $50             Founding Member               ❑ $1000
  Member                         ❑ $100             Lifetime Member                 ❑ $2500

  National Advisory Board          ❑ $1,000
  International Advisory Board   ❑ $5,000

I would like to make a tax-deductible donation for:   $__________

I would like to make a pledge to CSID for:
❑  $1000  ❑ $500  ❑ $200   ❑ $100  ❑ $50   Other________  


Please mail, along with payment, to:
 
Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID)

1050 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 1000

Washington, D.C. 20036


Donate Button

Become a Member button

CSID Brochure in English
Click here to read Brochure



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.

 
"In just a few years, CSID has done remarkable work in facilitating the vital discussion about Islam and democracy in the United States and beyond. In so doing it has made an invaluable contribution to breaking down prejudice and misunderstanding and to meeting the crucial challenge of advancing human rights and democracy in the Muslim world."

                               Neil Hicks, Director  
                               Human Rights Defenders Program
 
 

"The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) plays an absolutely vital role in creating a platform for the voices of democracy and reform throughout the Muslim World. Equally vital is the role they play in bringing a better understanding of the diversity within Islam to the people of America. CSID's advocacy of Islamic values coupled with democratic principles needs and merits our support."                       

                              John D. Sullivan, Executive Director                              
Center for International Private Enterprise
 

"CSID's role is crucial in Muslim societies and in the West. It is instrumental in contextualizing democracy in Muslim societies by underscoring the areas where Islam values and democratic principles meet. The CSID also bridges this arbitrary and unnecessary gap between the Muslim democrats and the secular democrats, an essential step for making the establishment of democracy and effective participatory systems a mainstream quest. Further, the CSID's role in the US is equally important in presenting the moderate, tolerant and pluralistic nature of Islam."


                              Emad El-Din Shahin, Professor 
                              University of Notre Dame
 




For more on What they Say about CSID please visit our website:  www.csidonline.org
 



      Back to topbottom