Category: Dr. Ahmad’s blog

[These are my notes of President Rouhani’s meeting with American Muslim community leaders during his visit to the United Nations (UN) on Sept. 19, 2017. Pres. Rouhani spoke in Farsi. These notes are NOT a transcription of the official translation, but they represent my impression of the meaning of his remarks. I apologize in advance…

Blog posts have been appearing that quote Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman from Tripoli in 1786, in the era of the Barbary pirates, saying that it is the “right and duty” of Muslims “to plunder and enslave” any who did not acknowledge the Prophethood of Muhammad “and that every [Muslim] who was slain in this warfare…

At New America in Washington DC on Thursday, June 22nd, Souad Mekhennet, author of I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad, shared her experiences as a journalist interviewing terrorist operatives face to face and getting to the root of why these people were joining these organizations: Recruiters are successful…

Evaluating the Iran Deal [This is my summary of the panel on evaluating the Iran deal held at the Cato Institute in Washington DC on May 16. My notes are my paraphrase and not a verbatim transcript.] Wendy Sherman, Senior Counselor, Albright Stonebridge Group (interviewed by Laura Rozen, Diplomatic Correspondent, Al-Monitor) The bottom line is that Rex…

[An interview with Minaret of Freedom Institute President Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad reprinted from glibertarians.com] Islam: The Religion of Libertarianism? Posted by Old Man With Candy | Mar 13, 2017 | Interviews, Religion, Society | 116 | Dr. Dean Ahmad, President and Director, Minaret of Freedom In which a Palestinian Arab Muslim and a secular Zionist Jew find…

[This is the substance of Reza Saiedi’s interview with me for Tasnim New Agency on the occasion of the 38th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution.] Q. It has been 38 years since  the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and during this time, we have witnessed the hostile acts of America against the Iranian nation,…

[These are my answers to questions by Javier Méndez of El Mercurio newspaper on the Attack on St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo.] Q. Who could be the perpetrators of this attack against the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo and for what purpose they did? A. Although ISIS supporters have celebrated the attack on social media, no…

[This is a summary of the 16th Annual Tachmindji Event for Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding held on Sunday, October 30, 2016 at American University. It is not a transcript, but my paraphrase of Sr. Mohammed Abu-Nimr’s presentation.] “Alternative Responses to Violent Extremism: Islamic Approaches to Peacebuilding” Dr. Mohammed Abu-Nimer shared experiences of the past few years. A Palestinian…

[These are selected highlights excerpted from Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr.’s address to the Middle East Policy Council’s 86th Capitol Hill Conference. The complete video and transcript of the entire conference are available at: http://mepc.org/hill-forums/middle-east-and-next-administration.] The Middle East and the Next Administration: challenges, opportunities and recommendations [Excerpts selected by Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, Ph.D., Minaret of Freedom Institute]…

The single biggest source of Middle East and Muslim resentment over American foreign policy is certainly aid to Israel, but it is a sacred cow to the major parties. As long as America gives unconditional foreign aid to the apartheid state it will never have an incentive to treat the Palestinians justly or to negotiate…