*EPF407 10/17/2002
Muslim American Promotes Democracy in the Muslim World
(Interview with Radwan Masmoudi, Executive Director of the CSID) (770)

By Rizwan Qureshi
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- A prominent Muslim American leader of an Islamic think tank says that problems such as terrorism and violence plaguing the Muslim world have "only one way out -- democracy."

Radwan Masmoudi, executive director of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID), believes that the Islamic world is in a state of disarray because of confrontation between extremist religious movements that see themselves as the "defenders of Islam" and authoritarian political regimes that claim to be "defenders of modernity." Masmoudi says authoritarian attempts to impose Islam or modernity are dead ends.

Masmoudi's CSID is a non-profit organization, based in Washington DC, dedicated to studying Islamic and Western democratic political thought and merging them into a modern Islamic democratic discourse. Masmoudi says CSID seeks to foster the idea that a democratic and representative form of government is the best way to avoid the violence and confrontations that are threatening peace and stability in the Muslim world. He says the notions of freedom, justice, tolerance, equality, human rights and rule of law are common to both Islam and Western democracy.

Born in Tunisia in 1963, Masmoudi came to the United States in 1981 as a student at the age of 18. He earned a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in robotics, automation and control. He worked for eight years as a research engineer, senior research engineer, and advanced control engineer in the Washington metropolitan area. In 1999, he won the prestigious George Olmsted Award for his research on improving environmental control.

In a recent interview with the Washington File, Masmoudi said that as a Muslim-American, he feels privileged to live in the United States and to have enjoyed the freedom and democracy all Americans enjoy. And as a Muslim American, he said, he feels it a sense of duty to help the Muslim world, particularly in proposing solutions to the "political, economic and social problems that are rampant in this area of the world."

Masmoudi says that after living in this country he found himself asking many questions about the Muslim world, particularly, "Why has democracy spread all over the world, except in the Muslim world and why are we behind in terms of democracy?"

Masmoudi discovered other scholars who had the same questions. With a number of Muslim activists and scholars, he decided to create the CSID in 1999 dedicated to answering these questions and to promoting democracy in the Islamic world.

The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy coordinates work by university scholars, Imams, lawyers, engineers, and doctors -- both Muslim and non-Muslim -- from around the United States who are studying and disseminating reliable information on the relation of Islam and democracy.

Masmoudi said the September 11 terrorist attacks have made the need for the study of Islam and democracy more urgent to dispel misconceptions about Muslim beliefs among many Americans.

"September 11 has hurt the image of Islam and Muslims tremendously in this country. Many Americans are starting to believe that Islam is a violent and intolerant religion that justifies and advocates the killing of innocent civilians," he said.

On the hopeful side, Masmoudi said many Americans are now interested in learning about Islam. "And I����m convinced those who do decide to study Islam more in depth will find a beautiful religion of peace, tolerance and compassion," he said.

When asked about the anti-Muslim/anti-Arab backlash that followed September 11 and the Bush administration����s response, Masmoudi said he was grateful for the administration����s efforts. "I applaud President Bush and his administration for making the statement that ����Islam is not the enemy and it is a religion of peace,���� and I also applaud the president����s effort to clarify that our war on terrorism should not be confused as a war on Islam."

Masmoudi said that the first anniversary of September 11 was a critical point for all to stop and think about the current situation in the Muslim world. The Muslim world, he said, is in a terrible situation where "people are driven to kill themselves and thousands of innocent people, only out of hopelessness and despair." He said the lack of legitimate and representative governments is the greatest obstacle in the Muslim world.

"We must go to the root of the problem of why terrorism exists. It is because of the lack of freedom and democracy that is rampant in the Islamic world. Without democracy there is no hope and we are destined to have more violence, more agony, more suffering and more war. And we must become serious in promoting democracy. I believe American Muslims have a very important role to play in this regard," he said.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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