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The Roles of Muslim-Majority and Muslim-Minority Communities in a Global Context The Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World 2011 U.S.-Islamic World Forum Papers The Roles of Muslim-Majority and Muslim-Minority Communities in a Global Context C o n v e n e d a n d a u t h o r e d by : Imam Mohamed Magid Humera Khan the brookings institution 1775 MassaChusetts ave., nW Washington, d.C. 20036-2103 at Brookings www.usislamicworldforum.org AUGUST 2011 The Roles of Muslim-Majority and Muslim-Minority Communities in a Global Context C o n v e n e d a n d a u t h o r e d by : Imam Mohamed Magid Humera Khan at Brookings AUGUST 2011 the first time in its eight-year history, the 2011 U.S.-Islamic World Forum was held in Washington, DC. The Forum, co-convened annually by the Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World and the State of Qatar, once again served as the premier convening body for key leaders Ffrom government, civil society, academia, business, religious communities, and the media. For three days, Forum participants gathered to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the relationship between the United States and global Muslim communities. This year, the Forum featured a variety of different platforms for thoughtful dis- cussion and constructive engagement, including televised plenary sessions with STEERING COMMITTEE prominent international figures on broad thematic issues of global importance; smaller roundtable discussions led by experts and policymakers on a particular Stephen R. GRand theme or set of countries; and working groups which brought together practi- director tioners in a given field several times during the course of the Forum to develop project on U.S. Relations practical partnerships and policy recommendations. For detailed proceedings of with the Islamic World the Forum, including photographs, video coverage, and transcripts, please visit our website at http://www.usislamicworldforum.org. MaRtIn Indyk Vice president and director Each of the five working groups focused on a different thematic issue, highlighting Foreign policy the multiple ways in which the United States and global Muslim communities kenneth pOLLaCk interact with each other. This year’s working groups included: “America and the Senior Fellow and director Muslim World: The Tale of Two Media,” “The Roles of Muslim-Majority and Saban Center at Brookings Muslim-Minority Communities in a Global Context,” “Higher Education Reform in the Arab World,” “The Role of Entrepreneurship and Job Creation in U.S.- Bruce RIedeL Senior Fellow Muslim Relations,” and “Developing Leadership and Capacity in the Muslim Saban Center at Brookings Nonprofit Sector as a Building Block for Sustaining Partnerships and Change.” SaLMan ShaIkh We are pleased to share with you the second of our five working group papers, director “The Roles of Muslim-Majority and Muslim-Minority Communities in a Brookings doha Center Global Context.” Please note that the opinions reflected in the paper and any recommendations contained herein are solely the views of the authors and do not ShIBLey teLhaMI anwar Sadat Chair necessarily represent the views of the participants of the working groups or the University of Maryland Brookings Institution. All of the working group papers will also be available on our website. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the State of Qatar for its partnership and vision in convening the Forum in partnership with us. In particular, we thank the Emir of Qatar, HRH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani; the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani; the Assistant Foreign Minister for Follow-up Affairs, HE Mohammad Abdullah Mutib Al-Rumaihi; and the entire staff of the Permanent Committee for Organizing Conferences at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their support and dedication in organizing the Forum. Sincerely, Dr. Stephen R. Grand Durriya Badani Fellow and Director Deputy Director Project on U.S. Relations with Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World the Islamic World THE ROLES OF MUSLIM-MAJORITY AND MUSLIM-MINORITY COmmUNITIES IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT n an increasingly interconnected world, the relationship between majority and minority communities, both in the United States and abroad, must be better understood. What is the role of not only the Muslim-minority population in the United States, but also of the majority population toward American Muslim communities? Muslim minorities, especially in the West, are increasingly becoming ambassadors Iand advocates of social justice and freedom in their societies, yet they continue to face a number of challenges. Similarly, what are the roles and responsibilities of Muslim majorities toward minorities, and what can Muslims, both in the West and in Muslim-majority countries, learn from each other’s experiences? This working group, convened at the 2011 U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Washington, DC, brought together theologians, clergy, academics, activists, and politicians from across the United States and the Muslim world to discuss the roles and responsibilities of minority and majority communities toward each other and in a global context. The working group discussed these questions in the context of five major issues: integration and identity, the impact of media and politics, security and counterterrorism, the treatment of marginalized communities, and interfaith relations. The group’s participants also came up with a number of recommenda- tions, summarized at the end of this paper. Working Group Participants Jasser Auda Janab Mehlam Hakimuddin Shahid Malik Qatar Foundation dawat-e-hadiyah Global Cooperation and attalim development partnerships Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah king abdulaziz University Hisham (H.A.) Hellyer Rabbi David Saperstein University of Warwick Religious action Center Amina Rasul Bernando philippine Center for Islam and Ayatollah Ahmad Iravani M. Din Syamsuddin democracy Center for the Study of Islam Muhammadiyah and the Middle east Marshall Breger Sheikh Muhammad Tahir-ul- Catholic University of america Humera Khan Qadri Muflehun Minhaj-ul-Qur’an International The Right Reverend Suheil Dawani Imam Mohamed Magid Krista Tippett episcopal diocese of Islamic Society of north On Being radio show Jerusalem and the Middle east america; Muflehun Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Bishop Jane Dixon Sanaa Makhlouf Zaytuna College Interfaith alliance american University in Cairo Imam Makram Nu’Man El-Amin Masjid an-nur t h e S a ba n C e n t e r fo r M i d d l e e a St P o l i Cy at BROOKINGS t h e r o l eS o f M u S l i M -M a j o r i t y a n d M u S l i M M i n o r i t y C o mm u n i t i eS i n a G lo ba l C o n t e x t i i i AUTHORS Humera Khan is Executive Director of Mufle- Mohamed Magid is President of the Islamic hun, a think tank specializing in preventing radical- Society of North America and a board member of ization and violent extremism in the American Mus- Muflehun. Currently serving as the Executive Di- lim community. Her combined research and experi- rector of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, he ence in security strategy and Islamic Studies provide has helped establish exemplary religious services analysis of recruitment and prevention mechanisms for Islamic communities across the nation. Imam for domestic radicalization and violent extrem- Magid has a long history of commitment to public ism. Humera specializes in scenario planning and service through organizations such as The Peaceful strategy formulation using agent-based modeling, Families Project, Annual Twinning of Mosques and morphological analysis, and system dynamics. Pre- Synagogues, Fairfax Faith Communities in Action, viously, as a principal at a DC-area think tank, she Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington designed and integrated methodologies for threat Assembly, and the Buxton Interfaith Initiative. Part anticipation and risk assessment for the Singapore of his work with the Buxton Interfaith Initiative government’s Risk Assessment and Horizon Scan- included forging a partnership with Rabbi Robert ning initiative. Humera holds an S.M. degree in Nosanchuk, then leader of the Northern Virginia Technology and Policy and in Nuclear Engineering, Hebrew Congregation in Reston. Both men were and an S.B. degree in Art and Design and in Nucle- recognized by the Washingtonian as “2009’s Wash- ar Engineering, all from the Massachusetts Institute ingtonians of the Year” for building bridges between of Technology. She also has an M.A. in Islamic Stud- their faith communities. Imam Magid attained his ies from Cordoba University, an affiliate seminary of religious education in various Islamic disciplines as the Washington Theological Consortium. a Resident Scholar at Al-Medina Institute. t h e S a ba n C e n t e r fo r M i d d l e e a St P o l i Cy at BROOKINGS t h e r o l eS o f M u S l i M -M a j o r i t y a n d M u S l i M M i n o r i t y C o mm u n i t i eS i n a G lo ba l C o n t e x t i v TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................1 Issues of Concern for Majority and Minority Communities ............................2 Roles of Muslim-Minority and Muslim-Majority Communities .........................5 Conclusions and Recommendations .............................................10 t h e S a ba n C e n t e r fo r M i d d l e e a St P o l i Cy at BROOKINGS t h e r o l eS o f M u S l i M -M a j o r i t y a n d M u S l i M M i n o r i t y C o mm u n i t i eS i n a G lo ba l C o n t e x t v INTRODUCTION he first step toward understanding the role With a population of 1.62 billion (23 percent of the of Muslim communities around the globe world’s population), Muslims live in every country is to define the concept “minority.” Where- of the world.
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