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ISNA SERVES ON GROUP THAT SEEKS BETTER U.S.-MUSLIM WORLD RELATIONS
WASHINGTON, DC
09/24/2008
Mainstream America needs to carry out a systematic and earnest effort to humanize Muslims, said ISNA president, Dr. Ingrid Mattson. Dr Mattson was addressing the launch of the Report of the Leadership Group on U.S.-Muslim Engagement in Washington, DC.
The Group includes respected names in public service and business such former secretary of state Madeline Albright, president of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Paul Brest, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Stephen Heintz, Bishop Denis Madden, Tufts University professor, Dr. Vali Nasr, and U.S. Special Middle East envoy and negotiator, Dennis Ross .
The Report, entitled "Changing Course: A New Direction for U.S. Relations with the Muslim World" has been prepared after consultations among a group of thirty-four distinguished Americans, including Muslim Americans, who represent both spectrums of the national political setup.The project was borne out of the concern of how America is perceived in the 1.3 billion strong Muslim world, and how the US engages the Muslim world. The participants agreed there is a need to change these perceptions in order to improve relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world.
Earlier, members of the group briefed House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), who welcomed the report, adding: "Congress should give those proposals the fullest possible considerations."
The event also announced the launch of the organization's website,
www.USMuslimEngagement.org.
The report also notes a change in Americas' understanding of Islam, but in the wrong direction. The media, in particular, was called upon to play a leading role in correcting negative perceptions about Islam and Muslims, several million of whom are Americans. The Group aims to engage the new occupant in the White House, as well as the transition team to help get its recommendations incorporated into future American policies toward the Muslim world.
The Group plans to engage with the foreign policy community, work with leading governance and democracy organizations, engage leaders in the education, commercial, and investment communities, both in the US and the Muslim world, continue to expand partnerships, and catalyze the work of philanthropic organizations to coordinate and elevate their funding of activities consistent with the report's recommendations.