The November/December 2003 issue of Philanthropy Magazine extols the value of the conferences hosted by the Center's Project on Islam and American Democracy.

The Islam and American Democracy Project at the Ethics and Public Policy Center has sponsored a series of seminars and lectures aimed at exploring the role of Muslims in American democracy and how democracy can be exported to the Islamic world. Headed by Hillel Fradkin, the project has brought Washington audiences into contact with a number of Islamic scholars. Zainab Al-Suwaij, who spoke at the Center last June, said in her talk on political reforms in Iraq, "At the Ethics and Public Policy Center you believe that standing up for freedom, democracy, and civil society makes America and the world a better and safer place." (Click here to read the full article.)

The magazine also praises the project for giving a platform for moderate Muslims to comment on the pressing issues of the day.

But other Muslim voices exist. The Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., has embarked on the difficult task of challenging Muslim leaders and scholars to explore possible relationships between Islam and democracy, both in the United States and abroad. Hillel Fradkin, head of the project, notes that "this kind of thinking takes place best in the freedom of America." After a year's effort, he is convinced there are other voices to be heard, able and eager to engage in such a dialogue, and the center is giving them a platform and inviting journalists, policymakers, and scholars to meet and listen to them. This deserves replication in similar projects. (Click here to read the full article.)

The Center's important efforts in this area has been praised by reporters, commentators, and thoughtful observers. To find out how you can support our work, click here.