IN FOCUS
 New!
What Muslims Really Think: What Osama bin Laden and George W. Bush get wrong about Muslims
Fawaz Gerges
ISPU Fellow
August 7, 2008
After September 11, 2001 two questions dominated America's public debate: Why do Muslims hate us so much? And where are the Muslim moderates? On the first question, commentators supplied easy, simplistic answers that appealed to the country's wounded egos and prejudices, not critical faculties and common sense. We were told that "they" (Muslims in general, not just the tiny militant minority) hated our freedoms and way of life; that they were jealous of our economic success, political influence, and international prestige. We had nothing to do with their twisted misperceptions of our country and foreign policy.
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more...
Credit: Tribune Interactive
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New!
General Petraeus' Progress
Report Falls Flat
Fawaz Gerges,
ISPU Fellow
Seven months after the "surge" of 21,000 more U.S. troops to
Iraq, the security situation is too "fragile and reversible" to
allow for a drawdown of the 140,000 combat forces that will remain
there in July. That was the key point made by Army General David
Petraeus to lawmakers, some of whom were skeptical of the open-ended
American commitment toward the war-torn country.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
ISPU NEWS
New!
Tyson Foods controversy: The death of good intentions
Junaid M. Afeef, ISPU Research Associate
August 11, 2008
The decision by Tyson Foods and its unions to replace Labor Day with Eid-ul-Fitr in its holiday schedule - pitting Islam against America - was doomed from the start. As a result, the perception of coercing Islam on society will continue.
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New!
Obama Should Embrace His Muslim Heritage
Junaid M. Afeef, ISPU Research Associate
July 3rd, 2008
Many Muslim voters love Barack Obama. They love him even if he doesn't seem to love them back.
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New!
Global order without US
Muqtedar Khan ISPU Fellow
June 17, 2008
The deal in Doha has diminished US influence in Lebanon and, by empowering Hezbollah, has also hurt US interests. Above all, Doha has sent the message that US diplomacy is not always indispensable
We live in an era of global governance. Through a complex network of international organisations like the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Court of Justice and the World Trade Organisation, we have succeeded in creating a pattern of governance without government at the global level.
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New!
When global ordering and peacemaking leave the U.S. behind
Muqtedar Khan ISPU Fellow
June 17, 2008
We live in an era of global governance.Through a complex network of international organizations like the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Court of Justice and the World Trade Organization, we have succeeded in creating a pattern of governance without government at the global level.
Much of this global order was created under the leadership, the financial assistance and the persuasive powers of the United States. It all began with the vision of President Woodrow Wilson to create a League of Nations.
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New!
A Clear Verdict in Pakistan
Hassan Abbas ISPU Fellow
February 19, 2008
The verdict is clear. Pakistan has shown
the door to the mullahs and delivered a stern warning to Musharraf.
Pakistan has backed the opposition to Musharraf's despotic handling
of the judiciary, his high-handedness against independent media and
his political cronyism. As a result, Musharraf's future looks bleak,
while Pakistan gets a fighting chance to puts its house in order.
The drift of the voters is not
unexpected, but few trusted the state machinery to conduct largely
fair elections. Pre-poll rigging was in full swing till the end,
caretakers' partiality towards pro-Musharraf parties was obvious and
the Election Commission's neutrality was in doubt. While a string of
suicide bombings haunted voters, ordinary Pakistanis have shown that
they still believe in democracy. Voter turnout was low but the
message of the electorate is clear.
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New!
Deadly Embrace: How much of the
war on terror is blowback from U.S. policies?
Fawaz A. Gerges, ISPU Fellow
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The new Iraq has set a world record, not in the rapid
construction of democracy, but in suicide bombings. Since the
American-led invasion in 2003, Iraq has suffered nearly 1,000
suicide attacks, more than double the number carried out by the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in
Sri Lanka,
Hezbollah in
Lebanon and
Hamas in
Israel, combined. The majority of these attacks targeted Iraqi
security forces and Shia civilians, not coalition troops.
As Americans contemplate this morass, one of the saddest
questions is whether it is partly "blowback" -- intelligence jargon
for what goes around, comes around. The fact that the United States
once backed
Osama bin Laden and other jihadis against the Soviets in
Afghanistan is well known. But three new books, and my own
recent experience, suggest that there are other kinds of blowback in
the war on terror, some of them little recognized.
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 New!
PBS News Coverage on Pew Muslim-American Study:
Most Muslims Against Iraq War, But
Say U.S. Aid Needed
A vast majority of Muslims in America feel the use of force in
Iraq was wrong -- even more so than the general public, according to
survey results -- but some say a continued U.S. presence is
necessary for stability.
The most recent
Pew Research Center survey on the subject, published May 22,
found that 75 percent of Muslim Americans said the U.S. use of
military force in Iraq was wrong, compared to 47 percent of the
general public.
Farid Senzai, director of research for the Institute for Social
Policy and Understanding, helped advise Pew on its survey. He said
Muslim-Americans in general saw a disconnect between the Sept. 11,
2001 terrorist attacks and the invasion of Iraq, even though the war
on terrorism was one of the main reasons the Bush administration
gave for going to war in Iraq.
To view a copy of the report,
click here.
Read the PBS coverage...
Read the complete study on
Muslim Americans...
Briefing on Pew Muslim-American Survey
There is an imperative need to conduct
further studies on the
Muslim Community
Farid
Senzai, Fellow and Director of Research at ISPU presented the
findings from the report released by the Pew Research Center on
Muslim Americans before Congress as well as staff members from
several federal agencies.
Farid
Senzai Speaks at Pew Research Center Press Conference on Survey of
Muslim Americans
Farid
Senzai, Fellow and Director of Research at ISPU, made comments today
at a press conference in Washington, DC at which the Pew Research
Center released a comprehensive survey of Muslim Americans,
describing the attitudes, experiences and demographics of the group.
Senzai served as a member of Pew's outside advisory board on this
project. In addition ISPU organized the focus groups that informed
the research.
The study is the first ever nationwide survey to attempt to measure
rigorously the demographics, attitudes and experiences of Muslim
Americans. The survey also contrasts the views of the Muslim
population as a whole with those of the U.S. general population, and
with the attitudes of Muslims all around the world, including
Western Europe. Finally, findings from the survey make important
contributions to the debate over the total size of the Muslim
American population.
For media inquiries,
please call (586) 416-1150.
To view a copy of the report, click
here.
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