American Islamic Congress

From SourceWatch
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The American Islamic Congress is "an organization dedicated to building interfaith and interethnic understanding, in the belief that American Muslims should take the lead in fostering tolerance, respect for human rights, and social justice. It has offices in Boson and Basra and is actively engaged in reconstruction projects in Iraq."[1]

Zainab Al-Suwaij formed the American Islamic Congress in November 2001 and is the executive director of the organisation. She co-founded Women for a Free Iraq with Ala Talabani in 2003 and also works for The Initiative for Inclusive Security. [2][3][4]

Zainab Al-Suwaij notes that: "I gathered a group of Muslims in November 2001 to form the American Islamic Congress, a non-profit organization dedicated to building tolerance and interfaith understanding. We lead tolerance programs, educate for freedom in the Muslim world and encourage American Muslims to speak out and take action. In the work that I do I try to bring a traditional Muslim perspective to a moderate progressive agenda. As you can imagine, this is not easy." [5]

Funders

"Our campaigns have received grants from foundations across the spectrum, including the United States Institute of Peace, Working Assets, the Cato Institute, and the Bradley Foundation." [1]

Their 2009 Annual Report lists the following funders:

Individuals: Najah M. Abdalla, Jamal Fadul, Steven Steiner, Ali Al-Kouraishi, Sabah Hadi, Kathryn Washburn, Rahman Aljebouri, Raghad Alkhafaji, Rudy H. Juburi, Zuhair Zaini, Geneview Zaini, Pamela C. Berger, Chris Rufer, Latifa Ziyad

Other organizations

"The Iraqi Women's Educational Institute (IWEI), a joint project of the American Islamic Congress, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, and the Independent Women's Forum." [6]

Board

Accessed February 2011: [2]

Directors (2007)

Accessed September 2007: [3]

  • Ali Asani, Professor of Indo-Muslim Languages and Culture, Harvard University
  • Zainab Al-Suwaij, Executive Director, American Islamic Congress
  • Hillel Fradkin, Center for Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World
  • Riffat Hassan, Professor in Humanities (Religious Studies), University of Louisville
  • Sa'ad Eddin Ibrahim, Director of the Ibn Khaldoun Center in Cairo, Egypt
  • Sayyed Nadeem Kazmi, Head of International Development, Al-Khoie Foundation
  • Khaleel Mohammed, Imam and Professor of Religion at San Diego State University
  • Emma Nicholson, European Parliamentarian, AMAR Foundation Chair

Contact details

1718 M Street NW, #243
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 1-202-595-3160
Fax: 1-202-315-5838
Web: http://www.aicongress.org

External links

Criticism

Resources and articles

Related Sourcewatch

References

  1. About, American Islamic Congress, accessed February 21, 2011.
  2. Board, American Islamic Congress, accessed February 21, 2011.
  3. Who We Are, American Islamic Congress, accessed September 29, 2007.