Hudson to Host Conference on “The Other Muslims: Moderate and Secular”

  Washington—The end of 2009 witnessed the Fort Hood shootings and the Christmas Day attempted airline bombing, rekindling among some in Europe and the United States the misperception that Islam (the religion) rather than Islamism (the political ideology) poses a security threat to the West.

The Other Muslims (Palgrave Macmillan), edited by Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Eurasian Studies Zeyno Baran, represents a unique effort to differentiate between Islam and Islamism. It is a collection of essays by moderate Muslims from Europe and the United States, who all agree that Westerners place democracy and universal human rights at grave risk if they ignore the political-ideological threat Islamists pose through their narrow interpretation of Islam.

Joining Baran for the forum will be book contributors M. Zuhdi Jasser, President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, and Hedieh Mirahmadi, President of the World Organization for Resource Development and Education. Juan Zarate, former Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism and CBS News National Security Analyst, will moderate. Hudson Institute CEO Kenneth Weinstein will introduce.

“The most important ideological struggle in the world today is within Islam, between Islamists, extremist activists who hijack Islam and seek political power to reshape societies, and moderate and secular Muslims who embrace the compatibility of Islam and democracy as well as the individual freedoms we all cherish in the West.” — Zeyno Baran, Hudson Senior Fellow and Editor of The Other Muslims. 

When: Wednesday, March 3, 2010

            12:30 – 2:00 PM

Who:   Zeyno Baran, Hudson Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Eurasian Policy

            M. Zuhdi Jasser, President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy

Hedieh Mirahmadi, President of the World Organization for Resource Development and Education

Juan Zarate, former Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism and CBS News National Security Analyst

Kenneth Weinstein (introduction), CEO, Hudson Institute

Where: Hudson Institute

Walter and Betsy Stern Conference Center

Washington, DC 20005

RSVP: events@hudson.org

Lunch will be served. Books will be available for purchase.

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