Video
Twitter
RSS Feed
Islam and American Politics: Deepening the Dialogue
The roundtable, chaired by Georgetown President John J. DeGioia and moderated by On Faith's Sally Quinn, featured Keith Ellison (D-Minn), the first Muslim member of Congress. It marked the US launch of Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue, a collaboration between the World Economic Forum and Georgetown University. » executive summary » full report
With the 2008 US presidential election campaign in full swing, Muslim voters and issues are having a greater impact than at any other point in US history. The fact that Barack Obama had a Muslim grandfather – and his middle name is "Hussein" – has surfaced as a campaign issue. And John McCain repeatedly calls "the struggle against radical Islamic extremism" the "transcendent challenge of the 21st century." » candidate quotes.
A diverse Muslim community is a growing force in US society and politics. On average, Muslims have higher educational and income levels than their fellow citizens. Nevertheless, Islam remains poorly understood and is a source of broad anxiety. More than six years after September 11th, 2001, most Americans profess a general ignorance of Islam and often associate it with terrorism. » fact sheet
Participants at the roundtable discussion included Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University, Nihad Awad, Executive Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Zahid Bukhari, Director of the American Muslim Studies Program, Georgetown University, Sherif El-Diwany, Middle East Director, World Economic Forum, John Esposito, University Professor, Georgetown University, Ari Gordon, Assistant Director for Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish Committee, Jane McAuliffe, Dean of Georgetown College, Georgetown University, Dalia Mogahed, Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, Jane Ramsey, Executive Director, Jewish Council for Urban Affairs, Rev. Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners ministries and magazine; and, Zainab Al-Suwaij, co-founder and Executive Director of the American Islamic Congress. » Esposito's comments
Georgetown's press release on the roundtable is available on the university's web site. The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs maintains an online database of West and Islam dialogue efforts.
By Thomas Banchoff |
April 4, 2008; 6:03 PM ET
Save & Share:
Previous: Where's the Speech on Religion? |
Next: Baseball: Bad Sport, Bad Religion, National Security Threat
Posted by: Ivan Erickson | July 7, 2008 4:07 AM
Report Offensive Comment
steve: JUST WHAT THE @#$%^& ARE U TALKING ABOUT? WHEN REALITY BITES, WHEN U R TOO ARROGANT TO ADMIT U R ARROGANT, WHEN U DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE WORD ''ISLAMIST'' REALLY MEANS OR HOW AND WHY IT ORIGINALLY COINED OR ANYTHING ABOUT ISLAM EXCEPT WHAT UR MASTERS THE MOST ''OPEN-MINDED, NON BIGGOTED'' SEAN HANNITIES AND O'RILLEYS OF THE US MEDIA BRAINWAHES U AND MILLION OTHERS EVERY DAY THAT IS WHY THIS COUNTRY IS VIEWED AS A RACIST COUNTRY IN THE EYES OF THE WORLD INSTEAD OF A MELTING POT, VERY SAD FOR OUR COUNTRY!!!
Posted by: SydUSA | May 2, 2008 11:35 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Me thinks thou dost protest too much Syed.
Calling Islamophobia and lies when the truth is presented is the worn out taqqiya tool of the Islamist.
You say one think, your belligerent attitude says another
Posted by: Steve | April 28, 2008 12:34 PM
Report Offensive Comment
To Anonymous and his ilk:
u seem very knowledgeable about the culture of fear-mongering, u quote someone who is extreme in his views to make ppl believe that his point of view is one of the 1.5 billion Moslims, any person with a sound mind will not buy into ur illogical biggoted propaganda. 1st of all he's not my ''brotherhood sheikh'', am a proud American and a humanist above all who questions stereotypes and tries to understand the mindset of others. Quaradawi is entitled to his opinions, didn't hear about freedom of speech?!! he does not represent 1.5 billions of the world Moslims nor does alqaida or any nutjob criminal who commits attrocities in the name or Islam, i even suspect vey much that ur quotes are downright fabricated lies that r part of the islamophobic propaganda to demonize anything related to Islam Arabs and Moslims, as one put it here, they were done with Moscow and now they turned their canons towards Mecca, it is the new Red Scare, like, Oh!!! Watch out they r coming to get us! this is total horse crap to justify the oppression, invasion and massacre of the local Arabs and Moslims and exploiut their resources, ppl nowadys have these deep-rooted idea that anybody who's Moslim or Arab who fights occupation and oppression with his life is a terrorist murderer, wow, what if we get invaded by the Iraqis or others, what would we do if we didn't have an army to defend us? i guess a lot of us would rsort to desperate measures to get our country back and chase out the enemy, and don't u tell me that am here justifying violence or in the side of so-called terrorists, off course i condemn terrorism and attrocities against any ppl but we have to educate ourselves about conflicts and about other ppl 's culture and religion before we can pass any judgement on them.
U talk about opression of women in some Moslim countries, just tell me, where in today's world u'd find non-oppressed women among others, in our country statistics about rape ( even in the military), domestic violence, date rape are just scary, not to forget salary discrimination and misogyny, just check out the statistics for women abuse in the US for 2006 u'll realize that women are not worshipped, so if our house is made of glass we should not throw rocks at others.
Posted by: SydUSA | April 11, 2008 5:30 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Oh, there you are, Setof. I was looking for you on Rabbi Kula's post, but you ran away like the towel head you are.
Serena left a post for you. You ought to read it before you scurry back under the hand. Mulimist Mohamedick.
Oh, and Mohamadick, Serena's right. You don't have a set of. You don't even have one. Crawl away now,
Go back to your Madrassah and diddle yourself.
Posted by: Ilan | April 10, 2008 11:38 PM
Report Offensive Comment
@Anonymous pokertov.
Best defence is offence.As a member of AIPAC you have succeeded not only in milking USA's cows, but also in making most of US intellectuals become more allergic to words related to... er,..Islam such as Hussein, Qu'ran, mosque etc. Zionists have them curiously oriented their interests towards Mecca after Moscow. They could no more practise fishing anywhere other than in troubled waters? Americans have other fish to fry, I think.
Shalom " Mr Anonymous"
Posted by: SeTtOf | April 10, 2008 7:45 PM
Report Offensive Comment
With the 2008 US presidential election campaign in full swing, Muslim voters and issues are having a greater impact than at any other point in US history.
If that is true, why is no candidate seeking the Muslim vote? The fact is, to keep their credibility and steadfastness to the US Constitution, they don't even want Muslim supporters. The candidates are running their campaigns oblivious to Muslim voters.
Besides CAIR claimed that the Muslims were influential in Bush getting elected. If THAT is true, are the Muslims happy with what they got?
Should we then blame the Muslims for the ill-fated invasion of Iraq?
To say that Muslims are having a big impact on this campaign is a delusion of grandeur, plain and simple.
Posted by: Steve | April 10, 2008 6:44 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Here Syd and Settof is a bit about your Brotherhood Sheikh:
Yusuf al-Qaradawi is an Egyptian Islamic scholar associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. He is known for his militant religious rulings and political commentary in support of acts of terrorism and repression of women. He is currently the host of Al Jazeera's most popular show, "Shariah and Life," and, largely because of this, has become a very influential force among Muslims worldwide. Al-Qaradawi also serves as chairman of the board of trustees at the Islamic American University, a subsidiary of the Muslim American Society.
Al-Qaradawi's fatwas, or religious edicts, have been numerous and far-reaching. Topics that have been influenced by al-Qaradawi's religious interpretation range from "justified" killings, to familial affairs and domestic conflict. Additionally, al-Qaradawi has made a number of public speaking appearances, both in the U.S. and abroad, where he has further expounded his often contentious doctrine.
In 1995, at a conference held by the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) in Toledo, Ohio, al-Qaradawi said, "Our brothers in Hamas, in Palestine, the Islamic resistance, the Islamic Jihad, after all the rest have given up and despaired, the movement of the Jihad brings us back to our faith."
At that same conference, he declared what he saw as the fate and goals of his faith:
What remains, then, is to conquer Rome. The second part of the omen. "The city of Hiraq [once emperor of Constantinople] will be conquered first", so what remains is to conquer Rome.' This means that Islam will come back to Europe for the third time, after it was expelled from it twice… Conquest through Da'wa [proselytizing], that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da'wa.
…
But the balance of power will change, and this is what is told in the Hadith of Ibn-Omar and the Hadith of Abu-Hurairah: "You shall continue to fight the Jews and they will fight you, until the Muslims will kill them. And the Jew will hide behind the stone and the tree, and the stone and the tree will say: ‘Oh servant of Allah, Oh Muslim, this is a Jew behind me. Come and kill him!' The resurrection will not come before this happens." This is a text from the good omens in which we believe."
In January 1998, the Associated Press quoted al-Qaradawi as writing, "There should be no dialogue with these people [Israelis] except with swords." And in April 2001, commenting on suicide bombings, he said, "They are not suicide operations…These are heroic martyrdom operations."
In the June 2002 Fatwa section of The American Muslim, a publication of the Muslim American Society, al-Qaradawi was asked "Prophet Muhammed said that nations will haunt against us. Can we say that this is happening right now?" He responded, "The emergence of the Islamic awakening has breathed in the Muslim nation a sense of confidence and hope in the future. Such movement is worthy of leading the Muslim nation to utter victory once there are leaders who are rightly guided by Almighty Allah and filled with wisdom."
In 2004, in response to a question regarding the permissibility of female suicide bombers, al-Qaradawi encouraged such acts, stating, "The martyr operations is [sic] the greatest of all sorts of Jihad in the Cause of Allah."
Al-Qaradawi issued a fatwa stating that Muslims killed fighting American forces in Iraq are martyrs. "Those killed fighting the American forces are martyrs given their good intentions since they consider these invading troops an enemy within their territories but without their will," Qaradawi also stated, "Although they are seen by some as being wrong, those defending against attempts to control Islamic countries have the intention of Jihad and bear a spirit of the defense of their homeland."
Criticizing religious rulings against suicide bombings, al-Qaradawi stated, "I am astonished that some sheikhs deliver fatwas that betray the mujahideen, instead of supporting them and urging them to sacrifice and martyrdom." Regarding one of these fatwas issued by the imam of Mecca's Grand Mosque, al-Qaradawi said, "It is unfortunate to hear that the grand imam has said it was not permissible to kill civilians in any country or state, even in Israel."
Posted by: Anonymous | April 9, 2008 11:23 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Dave,Gringo,Steve and company:
I swear you are the guys who love to call other people terrorists while being terrorists yourselves.
Posted by: SeTtOf | April 9, 2008 8:25 AM
Report Offensive Comment
...Then, how come they roam freely in the US without being arrested? how come they meet frequently with the FBI to cooperate? why you are adamant about accsuing 1.5 billion Arabs and Moslims of being terrorists while only the very fringes of that number is actually commiting attrocities? why don't u accuse all Christian Irish ppl of being Christian terrorists because of the horrible bloodshedding terrorist bombings done by the terror Christian organization I.R.A. in Ireland? or all the Christian Spanish ppl because of all the terrorizing masacres perpetrated by the terrorist Christian organization E.T.A.? u want more examples? just sit down and read little about History? u r full of blind hatred of Islam, Moslims and Arabs that u don't even stop to question ur deeply anchored prejudice and biggotry, i don't understand how u all come here and accuse all 100's of millions of Arabs and Moslims of being terrorists just because a few scores committed criminal acts, no logic or whatsoever, just sheer ignorance and biggotry.
Posted by: Syd | April 9, 2008 3:16 AM
Report Offensive Comment
THE FOX AND THE SOUR GRAPES.PERIOD.
Posted by: SeTtOf | April 8, 2008 7:34 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Jacob, Jacob, what's the matter, baby? Is your daddy not treating you nice?
Posted by: Anonymous | April 8, 2008 5:31 PM
Report Offensive Comment
as you can see mr banchoff, there is an enormous reserve of hatred and fearful paranoia prevalent to counter-
Posted by: VICTORIA | April 7, 2008 10:11 AM
Report Offensive Comment
Very nice. Criticize the rest of us for "Associating Islam with Terrorism" while having an unindicted co-conspirator in a terrorism trial on your panel.
Maybe the reason Americans associate Islam with Terrorism is that the Terrorists tend to associate themselves with Islam.
How many times have we read of a "youth" who yells "Allahu Ackbar!" before blowing himself up?
Mr. Awad, when you unequivocally condemn Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorists, then MAYBE you will have earned the right to speak on the subject. Until then, you have no credibility whatsoever.
Posted by: Dave | April 7, 2008 9:41 AM
Report Offensive Comment
Hey CAIR, even though Newsweek and Georgetown University have blinders on, we're watching you...
Posted by: Allat | April 6, 2008 6:32 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Oh, yes, let us have deepening understanding with subhuman, terrorist, murdering, misogynistic scumbags... Great.
"CAIR"? You mean the terrorist front group? So if we have conferences at Georgetown University which has taken millions of dollars from Saudi dirtballs-is going to help us to "have deeper understanding" by pandering to terrorist apologist scumbags?
Brilliant...Hey, here's an idea-how bout we find some terrorist scumbags and kill them before they kill us.
Posted by: dd | April 6, 2008 3:38 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Gee whiz, " ...... Islam remains poorly understood and is a source of broad anxiety......" DUH? Well if you got guy's like Nihad Awad and John Esposito promoting Islamist propaganda no wonder the true Islam is poorly understood. Taquiiya at it's best.
Posted by: Roscoe | April 6, 2008 2:31 PM
Report Offensive Comment
They tell us "Islam" is unconnected to terrorism, yet they have a Muslim Brotherhood front group as part of the table?
Please. Pull the other one.
Posted by: Mike | April 6, 2008 1:48 PM
Report Offensive Comment
It’s more than a little ironic for the round table to chide “ignorant” Americans for “associating Islam with terrorism,” when they have an unindicted co-conspirator in a terrorism trial sitting on their panel (Nihad Awad, head of the radical Islamic front group CAIR).
Posted by: Robert | April 6, 2008 1:08 PM
Report Offensive Comment
What a joke - We're told not to associate Islam with terrorism and yet they have a known associate of terrorists on the board!
Posted by: Ted | April 6, 2008 1:02 PM
Report Offensive Comment
I agree, what a joke to have Brotherhood thug Awad there.
Posted by: Steve | April 4, 2008 9:43 PM
Report Offensive Comment
what is an an unindicted co-conspirator in a terrorism case doing in Georgetown?I am speaking of CAIR.
Posted by: Gringo | April 4, 2008 8:14 PM
Report Offensive Comment
The comments to this entry are closed.
Extract from: “The Truth and the Light Regarding the Christian and Islam Faiths”, by Ivan Erickson, author of the spiritual novel, “Song of the Storm Winds”, available via direct links to amazon.com on my website, http://www.ivan-erickson.com - Other discourses are also available for viewing and comments on my site.
The following is the second of six total premises from the above discourse, “The Truth and the Light Regarding the Christian and Islam Faiths”, of which the rational person will find irrefutable. Please know that I love all people of all faiths and ethnicities of whom God loves, and this is the reason why I continuously toil to bring the Truth and the Light to all those who are seeking:
“The second premise to address is the Islam belief that Jesus Christ was only a prophet – that He was not deity or the only Son of God. In 1 John, 2:18-23 we read: “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of our number; if they had been, they would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number. But you have the anointing that comes from the holy one, and you all have knowledge. I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth. Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. No one who denies the Son has the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.”i In 1 John 4, 1-3 we read: “Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world.”ii Also, Jesus Christ professed many times in the Gospel that He was the Messiah, the only Son of God the Father. If the Islam faithful sincerely believes that Jesus was a prophet, how can they at the same time not believe that He was God’s Son? – For a prophet is one who speaks the Truth for God, you see”.