How do American Muslims view their roles within American society and the Muslim world in general? What experiences and perspectives might American Muslims offer to the diversity of views within the wider Muslim world? How have the events of September 11 and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq impacted American Muslims and their thinking about the future both here and abroad? What could American Muslims contribute in promoting freedom and human rights in the Muslim world?

The Ethics and Public Policy Center has invited Ahmed al-Rahim to address these and other questions concerning American Muslim politics after September 11. Born in Lebanon to an Iraqi family and raised in Texas and New York, Mr. al-Rahim is a founding member of the American Islamic Congress, an organization formed after September 11 in the belief that American Muslims should play a leading role in rejecting Muslim extremism and promoting a democratic future in the Muslim world. Mr. al-Rahim is also Preceptor in Classical Arabic Language and Literature at Harvard University, and a doctoral candidate at Yale University, where he is completing a dissertation on Islamic intellectual history in the Mongol period. A frequent contributor to television and radio programs on Islam and politics, Mr. al-Rahim’s publications include, Before and After Avicenna (Leiden, 2003) and "A New Agenda for American Muslims" (Boston Globe, January 16, 2002).

Agenda

We will begin at 12:00 pm on Monday, November 24 with a catered lunch at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, 1015 Fifteenth Street, N.W. Suite 900. Mr. al-Rahim’s presentation will begin at approximately 12:30 pm and a discussion will follow.