09/11/2015 AIFD Remembers 9-11

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Dear Friend of AIFD,

 

We at the American Islamic Forum for Democracy would like to extend our love and ongoing prayers to all of those who lost friends, colleagues and loved ones in the horrific attacks on September 11, 2001. We would also like to express our continued gratitude to our armed forces and first responders, and all those who risked their lives to save others on that day and afterward. We are in awe as we bear witness to your courage.

AIFD was founded in the wake of that horrific attack on our nation and values. As we joined our fellow Americans in grief, we recognized that day as a call to action: we as American Muslims saw that we must do more to combat radical Islam.

Fourteen years after that day, the threat remains real – and grows. ISIS continues its rampage, and too many of our fellow Americans – Muslim and non-Muslim – still refuse to take a stand against Islamism.

Today and every day, we vow to you our steadfast dedication to the cause of liberty and universal human rights. While we have made strides in our mission to advance reform within the Muslim community, we know that our work is far from over – and is more urgent than ever before.

As we remember September 11th and honor those lives lost, we must also continue to focus our attention on America’s vital role in global security and human rights. This week, Dr. Jasser addressed the Syrian refugee crisis and America’s role in the world in an important interview with Fox Business. Click here to view the interview on MSN. For all of Dr. Jasser’s recent media appearances, please visit our YouTube channel.

 

We would also like to take this opportunity to welcome our Arizona and Oklahoma-based friends to our upcoming events where AIFD will be a featured in your area:

Saturday, September 12 (tomorrow) from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Arizona Association for Conflict Resolution, Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law (Tempe). Islamic Reform and Conflict Resolution. with Dr. Zuhdi Jasser and Courtney Lonergan. Click here to learn more and register. Registration is required, and will close at midnight tonight Arizona time.

Thursday, September 17, 7:00 p.m.: Annual Constitution Day: A Conversation on Islam, Modernity and Liberty with M. Zuhdi Jasser, Northwestern Oklahoma State University and the Institute for Citizenship Studies, 709 Oklahoma Boulevard in Alva, OK.

Sunday, September 20, 4:00-6:00 p.m. “Anti-Islamism Update: The Iran Deal, American Muslim opinions, Radicalization, and ISIS” Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, AIFD, sponsored by Americans for a Safe Israel, hosted at the Jewish Community Center, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ. Room 101

We look forward to seeing you at these events if you are able to make it.

 

Yours in liberty,
Team AIFD
 

Happy Fourth of July from AIFD

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This Fourth of July, AIFD wishes you and yours a happy, safe, and powerful day in celebration of our great nation.

It is only because of the sacrifices of those great patriots – our founding fathers and mothers, who came to America in search of a new freedom – that we have the liberty to speak, think, believe and live as openly and as honestly as we do today. Ever since then, those freedoms have been protected by patriots both on and off the battlefield, to whom we owe our most sacred gratitude.

As the enemies of this freedom show themselves in obvious ways: ISIS rages on, calling vulnerable Americans to join them; and while peddlers of hate continue their attempts to divide our great nation, we are rightly inspired to act. Yet we must also remain vigilant in the face of seemingly benevolent actors, whose efforts also compromise our movement against Islamism – and even more so because many remain blind to their true intentions.

Take this tweet, from none other than Bill Gates: he declares the “philanthropic” efforts of Saudi’s Prince Waleed  bin Talal “an admirable milestone.” Does Gates really believe that a man whose wealth is a result of his membership in the House of Saud – which imprisons and tortures dissidents, oppresses women and exported the very ideology behind the 9/11 attacks is capable of “admirable” efforts against the very essence of who he is?

Unfortunately, Bill Gates is not alone in his naivete (or worse). Supposedly well-meaning individuals are blinded to the ways that the likes of Waleed bin-Talal spend their extraordinary wealth – on foundations, for example, that fuel Islamist apologia and damage real reformist efforts like ours. “Benevolent Islamists” like Waleed bin-Talal continue to be the bankrollers of radical Islam’s growth over the past half century.

As we liberty-minded Muslims take this month of Ramadan, and this Fourth of July, to reflect on how to better serve our country and humanity, Bill Gates’s celebration the Saudi regime is a slap in the face.

If Prince Waleed bin-Talal really wanted to serve humanity, he would counter the establishment in his own country, demonstrating moral courage and sincere dedication to reform.

At AIFD, our Muslim Liberty Project inoculates American Muslim youth against the “charm offensive” of nonviolent Islamism. Our youth believe first and foremost in American values, and in the protection of them against malignancies like ISIS and Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabism.

Last weekend, Dr. Jasser spoke to Uma Pemmaraji of Fox News about the wave of attacks in France, Kuwait and Tunisia. The attacks, carried out by Islamist radicals possibly connected to ISIS, have marred another Ramadan with bloodshed. To watch this video, please click here.

While these attacks mark the bloodiest form of Islamism, they are supported by those individuals who see our faith of Islam not as “God-centered,” but “ego-supremacist” – and this form of Islamism is part of what empowers both the theocracy of Saudi Arabia and the viciousness of ISIS.

This Fourth of July, we at AIFD continue to dedicate ourselves to the fight against Islamism in all its forms, and hope you will join us in those efforts. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter; and for those who are able, please make a tax-deductible contribution today by following this link.

 

AIFD and other Muslims Against Islamism in the New York Times: See the ad, Join the Movement

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We at the American Islamic Forum for Democracy are always seeking new ways to expand our reach and impact. We were honored to be approached by the Gatestone Institute to place a full-page ad in the New York Times featuring text inspired by the writing of one of our fellows, Ahmed Vanya. Ahmed’s piece, “Beautifying Islam,” served as the basis for the ad.

The ad was finalized before the horrific attacks in Paris, but was published today, January 11, 2015. It is exactly the right moment for the ad’s renewed call to action. Please see the ad here, and read the full text below. Please also stay tuned to learn where we will take this movement from here, and for an opportunity to sign onto this document.

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What can Muslims do to reclaim their ‘Beautiful Religion’?

As people observe beheadings and savagery by ISIS, female genital mutilation and honor killings, the abduction of girls by Boko Haram, the execution of innocents in Iran, the slaughtering and enslaving of Christians in Egypt and Africa and Yazidis in Iraq, rampant anti-Semitism and other crimes against humanity committed by those who claim to represent Islam, many people are understandably asking:

  • What is the true nature of Islam?
  • Is it that although there are many peaceful Muslims, Islam itself is not peaceful?

If Islam is a religion that stands for justice and peaceful coexistence, then the quest for an Islamic state cannot be justified as sanctioned by a just and merciful Creator.

Neither jihadism nor Islamism permit the equality of all humans irrespective of their race or religion and should therefore be rejected. Our denial and our relative silence must stop!

It is the duty of us Muslims to actively and vigorously affirm and promote universal human rights, including gender equality and freedom of conscience.

As our Holy Qu’ran states (4:135):

“Believers! Conduct yourselves with justice, bearing true witness before God, even if it be against yourselves, your parents, or your kin.”

We must engage in and promote reforms where necessary, including an honest and critical reinterpretation of scripture and shariah law used by Islamists to justify violence and oppression.

We must also recognize and loudly proclaim that the quest for any and all “Islamic State(s)” has no place in modern times. Theocracy, particularly, Islamism, is a proven failure. The path to justice and reform is through liberty.

It is also our responsibility to reclaim the faith we love from these monsters, forcefully rejecting and combating all components of their ideology.

If we Muslims believe that “true” Islam, genuinely aligned with the will of the Creator, is fundamentally peaceful, comprehensively merciful and objectively just, then it is our duty to do what is necessary to live and promote an Islam that is based in liberty and worthy of being called a beautiful religion.

We must seek out necessary support from non-Muslim allies in order to be successful in our work.

We the undersigned are Muslims who embrace a pluralistic interpretation of Islam, rejecting all forms of oppression and abuses committed in the name of religion or culture and particularly Islamism.

We are joined by non-Muslim allies who sign here to affirm their commitment as Americans to support those Muslims and all people of conscience who courageously speak out against these abuses and who advance reforms within our community.

  • Sherkoh Abbas, Chair Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria, Washington, D.C.
  • Tarek Fatah, Founder, Muslim Canadian Congress, Toronto, Canada
  • Farid Ghadry, Reform Party of Syria, Washington, D.C.
  • Iftikhar A. Hai, President, United Muslims of America, San Francisco, CA
  • Dr. Tawfik Hamid, International Center for Countering Radicalism, Oakton, CA
  • Husain Haqqani, Former Ambassador of Pakistan to U.S., Washington, D.C.
  • Jamal Hassan, Council for Democracy and Tolerance, Baltimore, MD
  • Sheikh (Dr.) Usama Hassan, Quilliam Foundation, London, UK
  • Farzana Hassan, Director, Muslim Canadian Congress, Toronto, Canada
  • Arif Humayun, President, Circle of Peace, Portland, OR
  • Farahnaz Ispahani, Director, Americans for Pakistan, Washington, D.C.
  • Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, American Islamic Forum for Democracy, Phoenix, AZ
  • Naser Khader, Former Member of Danish Parliament, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Zainab Zain Khan, United Nations Association, Chicago, IL
  • Courtney Lonergan, Arizona Interfaith Movement, Phoenix, AZ
  • Hasan Mahmud, General Secretary, Muslims Facing Tomorrow, Toronto, Canada
  • Salim Mansur, PhD., Professor, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
  • Maajid Nawaz, Co-Founder and Chairman, Quilliam Foundation, London, UK
  • Raheel Raza, President, Council of Muslims Facing Tomorrow, Toronto, Canada
  • Munir Pervaiz, President, Muslim Canadian Congress, Mississauga, Canada
  • Oubai Shahbandar, Principle, Dragoman Partners, Washington, D.C.
  • Jalal Zuberi, MD, Associate Professor, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
  • Ahmad Vanya, Fellow, American Islamic Forum for Democracy, San Jose, CA