Despite her realistic assessment of the obstacles facing a liberated Iraq, Zainab Al-Suwaij of the American Is-lamic Congress expressed optimism about the future of her homeland at the April 4 Center seminar "The Opportunity Before Us." She used her own experience to illustrate the role American Muslims could eventually play in fostering democracy and civil society throughout the Muslim world. After escaping to the United States in the wake of Saddam’s brutal repression of the 1991 Shia uprising in Iraq, which she witnessed firsthand, Al-Suwaij said that it took her years to emerge from fear and gain confidence to participate actively in a free society.

"Many of the Muslims who live in America today were not born in America, or their parents were not born here," she pointed out. "Growing up in the Muslim world under dictators and oppressive societies has molded our community. Living without freedom shapes us in ways we cannot control." The tendency of Muslims to excoriate the United States while trying to move here is one symptom of their deep-seated anxiety, Al-Suwaij argued. "Accepting contradiction is a simple survival mechanism . . . the only way to keep your options open when you do not know what you are supposed to say or believe. Because the mood of the government can change at any time, people who are not willing to be flexible in their beliefs disappear." She contended, however, that "the American Muslim community is now beginning to overcome the barriers that come with not growing up in a free society." As they increasingly encourage free speech in their own community, stand up for their rights in the United States, and defend such rights abroad, they "will send a powerful message" to all their fellow Muslims.

Moderated by Center president Hillel Fradkin, the exchange that followed focused more specifically on strategies for helping post-war Iraq. Among the participants were Walter Berns of the American Enterprise Institute, David Bernstein of the American Jewish Committee, Nir Boms of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Ladan and Roya Boroumand of the Boroumand Foundation for Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy in Iran, Todd Deatherage of the U.S. Department of State, Arthur Kennedy of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Radwan Masmoudi of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy.