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Home | Mission | Personnel | Activities
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Summary of
MFI Activities in 2006
Prior years activity: 1996-2000
| 2001
| 2002-3
| 2004
| 2005
| 2006 |
2007
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December 2006
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November 2006
- Dr. Ahmad presented a paper on "Text,
Context and Human Agency in Interpreting
Jihad: Struggles of Political
Domination, Faith, and Identity" to the
American Muslim Social Scientists
conference in Hartford.
- Sarah Swick presented a paper on
"Identity Construction of Euro-American
Converts to Islam" to the American
Muslim Social Scientists conference in
Hartford.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by Lewisnews
on Islam and the current situation in
the Middle East.
- Historian,
political scientist, and journalist Carsten
Wieland gave a presentation in the
Minaret of Freedom Institute brown bag
luncheon series on:
"Syria: Part of the Problem or Part of a
Solution in the Middle East?"
- Dr. Ahmad represented the Minaret of
Freedom Institute at a Milton Viorst's
presentation on Islam at the Cosmos
Club, countering an audience member's
assertion that women in the Muslim world
are seen as breeding machines by
pointing out that a number of Muslim
countries have had female heads of state
while America will see its first female
speaker of the house in January and is
still waiting for its first female
President.
- We posted 3 original analysis pieces
on our blog,
"Pakistani Rape Laws: An Unholy
Hybrid," "International
Conference on Progressive Muslims,"
and "Would
Extremists
Accept a “Hudna?" along with
numerous links to other news and
analysis.
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October 2006
- Dr.
Ahmad gave a presentation on
"The Significance of Ramadan and
Special Needs of Muslim Students
in the Public Schools" at the
Muslim Community Center's annual
presentation to Montgomery
County Public School personnel.
- We
organized an iftar co-sponsored
with the Institute for Humane
Studies for IHS alumni to meet
with Muslim community members,
students, and others interested
in the advancement of liberty.
The program included a lecture
on Islam,
Liberty, and the Rule of Law.
A video of the lecture is
available online.
- Dr.
Ahmad led the Children of
Abraham and Aristotle discussion
group on Chapter 1 of Ibn
Rushd's Decisive
Treatise Determining the
Connection Between The Law and
Wisdom.
- The
Minaret of Freedom Institute had
a table at an Institute for
Humane Studies networking brunch
to network with IHS alumnae.
- We
joined representatives of other
Muslim organizations to hear and
assess Turkish Prime minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's address
at Georgetown University.
- We
published an original blog on "How many
Deaths Has the Invasion
Caused?"
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September 2006
- We
co-sponsored an iftar with the
Institute for Humane Studies for
IHS alumni to meet with Muslim
community members and others
interested in the advancement of
liberty at George Mason
University. The program included
a lecture on Islam and free
markets.
- We
were interviewed by CKUT in
Montreal on the significance
of Ramadan.
- We
presented a paper in Istanbul on
Alternatives
to
Violence in Muslim History.
- We
a gave well-received
presentation to the Washington
Summit on Climate Stabilization
organized by the DC-based
Climate Institute on how Islam
supports environmental
preservation through
non-coercive means.
- We
were interviewed by CKUT in
Montreal on the Pope's
controversial quote on Islam.
- At
a conference at the Kluge Center
at the Library of Congress
titled “Islamic Cultures and
Creative Encounters,” we
questioned several of the
panelists about their work,
including pointing out Islam’s
contributions to the development
of the social sciences.
- We
participated in a meeting of
about thirty academics with
former Iranian President
Mohammad Khatemi.
- We
participated in the “9-11
Plus 5 Summit,” a weekend long
event intended to promote dialog
among American and Muslim youth.
- .We
have instituted an online
discussion group for the
formation of an international
association of Muslim social
scientists.
- We
facilitated the most recent
"Children of Abraham and
Aristotle" discussion group on
Ibn Rushd's Decisive
Treatise Determining the
Connection Between The Law and
Wisdom.
- We
published an original blog on "Blinkered Politics:
The U.S. Attitude to Arabs and
Muslims."
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August 2006
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July 2006
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June 2006
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May 2006
- We have inaugurated our weblog
at http://blog.minaret.org.
- We have inaugurated our
Associate's group discussion
list. To become an associate,
just send your donation of at
least $25 along with your
request to become an associate
to Minaret of Freedom Institute,
4323 Rosedale Avenue, Bethesda,
MD 20814 or click
here to donate on line.
(Make sure that you mention
"associates program" in the
remark line.)
- MFI
President
Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad gave a
talk on "Creating a Productive
Discourse on Democracy in the
Muslim World" at the annual
conference of the Center for the
Study of Islam and Democracy.
- Program Assistant Sarah Swick
gave a talk on "Responding to
the Challenge: Moroccan
Women and Democracy" at the
annual conference of the Center
for the Study of Islam and
Democracy.
- Dr. Ahmad conducted a
discussion of Averroes writings
on ethics at a meeting of
"Abraham and Aristotle: All
Their Children.
- Dr. Ahmad advised the Dept. of
Defense's Middle East
Orientation Course on their
Iraqi interfaith initiative.
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April 2006
- MFI
President
Imad-ad-Dean
Ahmad gave a talk on the revised
and expanded 2nd edition of his
book Signs in
the Heavens: A Muslim Astronomer's
Perspective on Religion and Science before
the Islamic Society of Southern Prince
Georges County. Copies may be purchased
for $19 postpaid or get a signed copy of
the proof edition for a donation
of $60. (To get the proof edition,
just make a donation
and type "proof edition" in the remarks
line or else mail in your donation to
the address on the right with a request
for the proof edition.)
- MFI Board member Sharmin Ahmad
attended the Canadian inaugural of her
book The
Rainbow in a Heart in
Ottawa and met Senator Jaffer and
members of Voice of Women for Peace to
network on liberty, human rights and
peace education.
- Dr.
Ahmad was MC for Arab Heritage
month at Montgomery County Executive
Office Building.
- Dr.
Ahmad made a presentation on
Islamic philosophy at a meeting of the
"Abraham and Aristotle: All Their
Children" discussion group.
- Program Assistant Sarah Swick
represented the Minaret of Freedom
Institute at the Third Annual
International Women’s Conference on
‘Women’s Struggle for Emancipation’ at
Temple University in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Sarah presented a
paper titled “Reforming Muslim Women’s
Rights Through International Human
Rights Law and Islamic Law.”
This paper, which has been accepted for
publication in a book on Muslim women,
analyzes the possibility of using
Islamic Law, aided by International
Human Rights Law, to create reforms for
women living in the Muslim World,
specifically highlighting the recent
family code reforms in Morocco as
evidence of this possibility.
- Sharmin Ahmad gave presentations
on "Islam, Feminism, and
Imperialism" based on her interview in
the book Voices of American Muslims
at the
Barnes and Noble bookstore in the
Montrose Crossing shopping center (12089
Rockville Pike) in Rockville, MD and at
the White Oak Library in Silver Spring,
MD.
- Dr. Ahmad participated in the Heritage
Resource Bank meeting and ATLAS Economic
Research Foundation Liberty Forum in
Colorado Springs.
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March 2006
- Imad-ad-Dean
Ahmad and director
Sharmin Ahmad spoke at the MFI's
workshop on "Gender Equity and Gender
Equality: Lessons from Muslim
Experience" at the U.N. Commission on
the Status of Women. The room was packed
(capacity 60) and the evaluations
overwhelmingly positive.
- Several MFI board members and advisers
(including Dr. Ahmad, Aly Abuzakouk, and
Prof. Sulayman Nyang) participated
in an Institute for Defense Analysis
program on American Muslims in Public
Diplomacy.
- Sharmin Ahmad, was interviewed on the
television program Bangla Bhalobashi on
the Bangladesh war of independence in
1971 and her late father, first Prime
Minister Tajuddin Ahmad's role in
leading his nation. This interview, in
three sequels, was aired on northern
Virginia channel 56 (Montgomery County
cable channel 98).
- Program Assistant Sarah Swick attended
a gathering of Muslim women educators
from Azerbaijan at the Interfaith
Conference of Metropolitan
Washington. The group of women,
which included teachers of ethics and
history, are visiting the United States
in order to learn more about religious
education in America. The women
discussed their visit to Gaithersburg
High School where they gave a
presentation on Islam in Azerbaijan to a
World Religions class. The women
seemed most interested in the
relationship between American Jews and
Muslims, specifically in light of the
Middle East conflicts and in the
treatment of Muslims post 9/11.
- Dr.
Ahmad was interviewed by Javier
Méndez of El Mercurio (Chile)
on American
immigration reform.
- Dr.
Ahmad wrote an op-ed piece for the
Washington Post on the death penalty
threatened against the Afghani
convert to Islam. Declined by the Post
it is available here.
- Sharmin Ahmad was interviewed on
"Women, Economics and Freedom" on the
Peace Hour" radio talk show aired from
New York and also appeared on the live
radio talk show "Hello Washington"
hosted by Voice of America on
International Womens' Day (March 8),
answering caller's questions on various
issues related to women. She also shared
information about Minaret's recent
workshop at the Conference on the status
of Women at the United Nations.
- Dr.
Ahmad was interviewed by Radio
Free Europe's Alex Serotin on the
significance of the American vacation of
the Abu Ghuraib prison.
- Dr.
Ahmad gave a presentation on Islam
to teachers in the Montgomery County
School system.
- Radio Free Europe quoted Dr.
Ahmad on the confusion
between apostasy and treason.
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February 2006
- Minaret of Freedom Institute president
Imad-ad-Dean
Ahmad and director Sharmin Ahmad
hosted a reception at the U.N.
Commission on the Status of Women. About
50 people participated in the event,
most staying for the entire two hours in
a wide-open discussion of the
relationship of the mission of the
Minaret of Freedom Institute to women's
issues. The participants were extremely
diverse and comments were very positive.
Especially encouraging was the comment
that the MFI reception was a safe space,
a fact reflected in the openness of the
remarks by the Muslim women present.
- The Minaret of Freedom Institute and
our allies in the Coalition for the Free
Exercise of Religion scored an important
victory in the Supreme Court's unanimous
opinion (written by Chief Justice
Roberts) in the Uniao do Vegetal case.
The Court rejected the government's
"uniform application of laws" theory as
inconsistent with the Religious Freedom
Restoration Act (RFRA)'s statutory
requirement that the Government
demonstrate a burden to the person in
furtherance of a compelling government
interest by the least restrictive means
possible.
- MFI Program Assistant Sarah Swick
attended a meeting with delegation of
young European Muslim leaders at the
Interfaith Conference Metropolitan
Washington (IFC). The theme of the
meeting was the importance of interfaith
dialogue; the current political issues
facing Muslims in Europe were also
discussed, including the recent cartoons
of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). All
agreed that freedom of expression
protects such cartoons, yet respect for
other’s beliefs should also be
valued. The discussion then moved
to political representation of Muslims
in Europe.
- Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan (author of The State
of the Union 2003: Don't Say You
Didn't Know and Target
Sudan: What's Really Behind the Crisis
in Darfur") made a presentation
entitled "The Propaganda Challenges
Confronting Muslims in North America" on
his newest book Islam
& Terrorism: Myth vs. Reality
(Awakening Publications) at the
MFI brown bag luncheon series.
- Attending the unveiling of American
Task Force on Palestine (ATFP)'s
unveiling of its report "A
Vision for the State of Palestine,"
MFI President Dr.
Imad-ad-Dean
Ahmad urged the group to make it
clear that its call for a
"demilitarized" Palestine was not a call
to deny the people of Palestine their
right to keep and bear arms. He also
urged that in the context of the
"two-state solution" the ATFP's vision
will only be credible if it is paired
with a similar vision of an Israel
without apartheid.
- Dr. Ahmad was interviewed by El
Mercurio newspaper (Chile) on HAMAS's
electoral
victory
and
its consequences.
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January 2006
- Dr.
Ahmad was interviewed by Alex
Serotin of Radio Free Europe on the
tragic death of over three hundred
pilgrims in Mecca. Responding to Mr.
Serotin's query as to whether the State
Dept. should advise American Muslims
against going on the pilgrimage for
safety reasons, Dr. Ahmad responded that
300 death out of over 2 million people
made a trip to Mecca less dangerous than
a trip to Iraq, and the State Dept. was
not advising against travel there.
- Dr. Ahmad represented the Minaret of
Freedom Institute at a press conference
on Darfur at the National Press Club. He
noted that there is a serious
humanitarian crisis that needs to be
resolved. Branding the violence as
genocide serves political ends that
obscures the reality that atrocities are
being committed, that they are committed
by both sides, that the Sudanese
government must bear responsibility for
arming some of the parties to the
atrocities but that it does not
"control" Darfur, nor much far beyond a
modest radius around Khartoum. The peace
treaty between the north and south of
Sudan demonstrates that it is possible
to peacefully end such violence. The
international Muslim community,
including American Muslims must be
mobilized to assist in the peacemaking
since they have credibility: both sides
of the Darfur fighting are Muslims. Dr.
Ahmad cautioned that the terms "Arab"
and "black" are misleading as applied to
Darfur as both sides speak Arabic and
both have black skin. The term "Arab"
there means those who live a nomadic
(actually semi-nomadic) lifestyle rather
than designating a linguistic or ethnic
group.
- Dr. Ahmad gave a presentation on "Bridging
the
Divide?
The Role of the American Muslim
Community in U.S. Relations with the
Wider Islamic World" at a
Brookings Institution program in
Washington DC. At the same program,
Assistant Secretary of State for Near
Eastern Affairs David Welch called for
more democracy in the Muslims world with
the observation that the United States
did not wish to see anyone silenced by
imprisonment or exile. Dr. Ahmad
welcomed the remark and asked if the
State Dept. could encourage the Justice
Dept. to abide by that principle and
release Dr. Sami Al-Arian, who, although
a jury recently acquitted of the charges
of violence (while deadlocking on less
serious charges), is still imprisoned
and threatened with deportation. Mr.
Welch responded that the prosecution of
American citizens was outside the State
Department's area of responsibility. In
fact, Dr. Al-Arian never was granted
citizenship despite having applied for
it over a decade ago.
- Dr. Ahmad presented an introduction to
Islam at the Marine War College.
- Dr. Ahmad
was interviewed on "The Scholar's Chair"
program (carried on Bridges TV) about
"Intelligent Design" (in three parts: 1,
2, 3)
- The
Minaret of Freedom Institute has sent a
statement
on the continued detention of Sami
Al-Arian to Attorney General
Alberto Gonzalas.
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