Policy Organizations

The descriptions of the policy organizations below are taken from the websites or other material published by the organizations themselves, adapted to the style of this directory.

AMERICAN MUSLIMS FOR CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT (AMCE)
Dr. Abubaker Al-Shingieti, President
P.O. Box 669
Herndon, VA 20170
Tel: 703-471-1133 x-101
Email: amce@amceweb.net
http://amceweb.net

American Muslims for Constructive Engagement (AMCE) is an informal group of Muslim community leaders and scholars organized to follow up on recommendations of conferences between the American Muslim Community and the United States Government on issues of national and mutual interest.

Its mission includes fostering a constructive partnership between the U.S. Muslim Community and the U.S. Government that would enable Muslims to play a positive and patriotic role in the Global War on Terrorism; aligning expectations and goals so as to contribute the Muslim voice and influence to public and political debates and in forging approaches to domestic and foreign policy; charting specific courses of action and conducting specific projects that will establish and enhance informed mutual cooperation between the U.S. Muslim Community and the U.S. Government, enabling the U.S. to make the best use of the American Muslim community's potential for building bridges between the United States and the global Muslim Community.

ASSOCIATION OF MUSLIM HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Arshia Wajid, President
526 39th Street
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Email: contact@amhp.us
http://www.amhp.us/

A listserv was created in May 2004 to connect Muslim health professionals and students from various disciplines across North America. The purpose of the listserv was, and continues to be, a means to serve as a forum for discussion on healthcare issues as well as a networking tool. Recognizing that the Muslim health community is largely fragmented, members expressed an interest in establishing an organization, the Association of Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP), which would serve the needs of a growing population of Muslim health professionals.

The first organizational meeting was held at the 42nd Annual ISNA Convention in Rosemont, IL in September 2004 to discuss the current and future challenges facing Muslim health professionals as well as to establish AMHP’s mission, vision and goals. Three committees have been established in order to execute AMHP’s mission and vision.

AMHP represents a diverse body of health professionals and students including, but not limited to, public health practitioners, pharmacists, nurses, dentists, allied health professionals, health care administrators, nutritionists, social and mental health workers, and physicians. In addition to fostering collaboration among health professionals, AMHP is committed to increasing awareness of the importance of public health as a means to improving the overall health status of our communities.

COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS
Parvez Ahmed, Executive Director
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, DC 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787
Fax: 202-488-0833
http://www.cair.com/
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) grassroots civil rights and advocacy group. CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, with regional offices nationwide and in Canada. The national headquarters is located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Since its establishment in 1994, CAIR has worked to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America. Through media relations, government relations, education and advocacy, CAIR puts forth an Islamic perspective to ensure that the Muslim voice is represented. In offering this perspective, CAIR seeks to empower the American Muslim community and encourage its participation in political and social activism.

COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS--CANADA
Abdul-Basit Khan, Chairman
P.O. Box 13219
Ottawa, ON
Canada, K2K 1X4
Nat’l Tel: 1-866-524-0004
Local Tel: 613-254-9704
Fax: 613-254-9810
http://www.caircan.ca/

The Council on American-Islamic Relations CANADA (CAIR-CAN) is an Ottawa-based, nonprofit organization with a grassroots membership. It shares close but distinct relations with the Washington, DC-based CAIR.

Through activism in the areas of media relations, anti-discrimination and political advocacy, CAIR-CAN aims to educate Canadians and empower Canadian Muslims. They believe misrepresentations of Islam are most often the result of a lack of knowledge on the part of non-Muslims and reluctance on the part of Muslims to articulate their cause.

FIQH COUNCIL OF NORTH AMERICA
Dr. Muzzamil Siddiqui, Chairman
P.O. Box 1250
Falls Church, VA 22041
Tel: 703-575-7737
Fax: 703-575-8755
http://www.fiqhcouncil.org/

The Fiqh Council of North America traces its origins back to the Religious Affairs Committee of the then Muslim Students Association of the United States and Canada in the early 1960s. This Religious Affairs Committee evolved into the Fiqh Committee of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) after the founding of ISNA in 1980. As the needs of the Muslim community and the complexity of the issues they faced grew, the Fiqh Council was transformed into the Fiqh Council of North America in 1986.

The Council continues to be an affiliate of ISNA, advising and educating its members and officials on matters related to the application of Shari’ah in their individual and collective lives in the North American environment.

INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL CULTURAL STUDIES AT BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY
Prof. Ali A. Mazrui, Director
Binghamton University
PO Box 6000 LNG-100
Binghamton, NY 13902
Tel: 607-777-4494
Fax: 607-777-2642
http://igcs.binghamton.edu/ 

The Institute of Global Cultural Studies (IGCS) was founded by Professor Ali A. Mazrui in 1991 at Binghamton University, State University of New York. The Institute's primary purpose is to develop new multi-disciplinary approaches to the study of culture and cultural influences across societies in the contemporary world. IGCS promotes the study of these cultural forces through research, publications, teaching, academic conferences, and mass media educational programs. It is particularly interested in the role of culture in the context of global forces.

INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL POLICY AND UNDERSTANDING
Iltefat Hamzavi, Executive Director
43151 Dalcoma, Suite 6
Clinton TWP, Michigan 48038
Tel: 586-416-1150
Fax: 586-416-2028
http://www.ispu.us/

The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) is an independent nonprofit research organization committed to studying US domestic and foreign policy. ISPU's research aims to increase understanding of key policy issues and how they impact various communities within America.

The Institute was established on the premise that every community must address, debate, and contribute to the pressing issues that face our nation. It is our hope that this effort will give voice to the diversity of our country and provide alternative perspectives to the current policy-making echelons of the political, academic and public-relations arenas of the United States. Based on this approach, ISPU produces scholarly publications that build on the ideas of various communities in the United States. Tax Status: 501(c)(3).

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC THOUGHT
Dr. Abdul Hamid AbuSulayman, President
500 Grove Street
Herndon, VA 20170
Tel: 703-471-1133
Fax: 703-471-3922
http://www.iiit.org/

The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) is a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt nonprofit, academic, cultural and educational institution, dedicated to reviving Islamic scholarship through academic research and education on contemporary Islamic issues and methodology in the social sciences and humanities. The Institute was established in the United States of America in 1981 (1401 AH). It is independent of local politics, party orientations and ideological bias.

Its vision is to promote research, publications, and conferences to encourage scholars of Islam, Muslim and non-Muslim, to engage in an ongoing discussion of Islamic thought and encourage dialogue. An example of its working relationships with academic institutions includes its Endowed Chair of Islamic Studies at George Mason University (Fairfax, VA).

ISLAMIC SOCIAL SERVICES ASSOCIATION
Dr. Aneesah Nadir, President
1030 E. Baseline Road
Suite #105, PMB 955
Tempe, AZ 85283-1314
Tel: 1-888-415-9920
Fax: 602-532 7057
http://www.issausa.org/

ISSA was established in 1999 by a group of individuals concerned about the social issues affecting the Muslim community in North America. These community leaders believed it would be important to develop a network of Muslims in the field of human services to begin to address the mental health, social welfare, and general family issues that impact Muslims. Additionally, founders felt that it would be important to work closely with mainstream professionals to develop a partnership in this work, promote understanding about Islamic traditions, beliefs, and practices, as well as provide a forum to discuss contemporary social issues facing Muslims in America.

ISLAMIC STUDIES LECTURESHIP AT UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
Ihsan Bagby, Associate Professor
1075 Patterson Office Tower
University of Kentucky
Lexington KY 40536-0027
Tel: 859-257-9638
http://web.as.uky.edu/IslamicStudies/index.html

Since the early eighties Islamic Studies was part of the Department of Russian & Eastern Studies (RAE) at the University of Kentucky.  The growing interest in understanding the worldwide development of Islam since the mid-nineties, the rapid increase of student enrollment, and the support of the Muslim community encouraged the efforts in the further development of course offerings. With the financial sponsorship of the local Muslim community two endowments of Islamic Books at the UK Libraries were created.  Since the spring semester of 2000 a new phase in the development of Islamic Studies at UK was started through the creation of a full-time lectureship position at the Department of Russian & Eastern Studies.

The interdisciplinary minor in Islamic Studies provides the opportunity to study the culture, literature, religion, history and philosophy of Muslim peoples throughout the world from antiquity to the present. Students will acquire a rounded understanding of Islamic culture, the ability to interpret information and news from the Middle East and elsewhere in an independent way, with understanding of the issues from the perspective of the Muslim countries, and will be prepared to pursue careers that require knowledge of Islamic civilization.

MINARET OF FREEDOM INSTITUTE
Dr. Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, President
4323 Rosedale Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
Tel: 301-907-0947
Fax: 301-654-4846
Email: mfi@minaret.org
http://www.minaret.org/

The Minaret of Freedom Institute was founded in 1993 with a dual mission for educating both Muslims and non-Muslims. Its mission revolves around independent scholarly research (ijtihâd) into policy issues of concern to Muslim countries and/or to Muslims in America, translation of appropriate works on the free market into the languages of the Muslim world with introductions and commentaries by Muslim scholars, and the operation of a scholars exchange program to permit libertarian Muslims from abroad to spend time in contact with market-oriented Muslim scholars in America and have access to resources not available in their home countries.

The Minaret of Freedom Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, tax-exempt entity. It relies upon voluntary contributions from private corporations, foundations, and individuals to continue its work.


MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL
Salam Al-Marayati, Executive Director
3010 Wilshire Blvd. #217
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Tel: 213-383-3443
Fax: 213-383-9674
http://www.mpac.org/

The Muslim Public Affairs Council is a public service agency working for the civil rights of American Muslims, for the integration of Islam into American pluralism, and for a positive, constructive relationship between American Muslims and their representatives. Since 1988, MPAC has worked diligently to promote a vibrant American Muslim community and enrich American society through exemplifying the Islamic values of mercy, justice, peace, human dignity, freedom, and equality for all. Over the years, MPAC has built a reputation as a consistent and reliable resource for government and media, and is trusted by American Muslims as an authentic, experienced voice.

In all its actions, MPAC works diligently to offer the public a portrayal that goes beyond stereotypes in order to elucidate that Muslims worship God, abhor global terrorism, stand against oppression, and are part of a vibrant American pluralism. MPAC operates on the core belief that change in U.S. policy requires more from our community than attending meetings. It requires organized, sustained efforts in coalition with like-minded groups both at the grassroots and national levels. It requires a strong voice in the media, thoughtful analysis and authentic dialogue.

PRINCE ALWALEED BIN TALAL CENTER FOR MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
Prof. John Esposito, Founding Director
3700 O Street NW
Intercultural Center (ICC) Suite 260
Washington, DC 20057
Tel: 202-687-8375
Fax: 202-687-8376
cmcu.georgetown.edu

The Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding was founded in 1993 by an agreement between the Fondation pour L'Entente entre Chretiens et Musulmans, Geneva and Georgetown University to build stronger bridge of understanding between the Muslim world and the West as well as between Islam and Christianity. The Center's mission is to improve relations between the Muslim world and the West and enhance understanding of Muslims in the West. The geographic scope and coverage of the Center includes the breadth of the Muslim world, from North Africa to Southeast Asia, as well as Europe and America. Since its foundation, the Center has become internationally recognized as a leader in the field of Muslim-Christian relations.

In December 2005, the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (CMCU) received a $20 million dollar gift from HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, an internationally renowned businessman and global investor, to support and expand the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. The Center was renamed the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU). This endowed fund is the second largest single gift in Georgetown University history.

SALAM INSTITUTE
Prof. Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Director and Co-Founder
P.O. Box 39127
Friendship Station
Washington, DC 20016
Tel: 202-558-4026
Fax: 202-244-6396
Email: info@salaminstitute.org
http://www.salaminstitute.org/

The Salam Institute is a nonprofit organization for research, education, and practice on issues related to conflict resolution, nonviolence, and development with a focus on bridging differences between Muslim and non-Muslim communities. The Salam Institute was founded by a group of academics and practitioners in the fields of conflict resolution, peace studies, Islamic and cultural studies, and international development.