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.