February 12, 2010

The Islamic Information Center is proud to announce that a member of the IIC Board of Advisors, Dr. Hassan Abbas, recently interviewed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

As a preview, here is an excerpt:

"Dr. Abbas: This U.S. administration has certainly set a new tone of dialogue, reconciliation and respect in this realm. President Obama's speeches in Turkey and Cairo were absolutely great and gave the right message to the Muslim audiences around the world. What is the follow-up on that? What are the next stages of that relationship?"...

Dr. Hassan Abbas is an Affiliate with the Belfer Center and a former joint research fellow with Project on Managing the Atom and the International Security Program from 2005-2009. Hassan joined Columbia University's South Asia Institute as Quaid-i-Azam Chair Professor in January 2010.

His research interests are nuclear proliferation, religious extremism in South and Central Asia, and relations between Muslims and the West. In association with the Belfer Center, he is currently working on a project focusing on police reforms and counterinsurgency in Pakistan.

March 1, 2010

The Islamic Information Center is proud to announce its second annual convention, the American Leadership Initiative for Muslims, to take place on August 6 - 8, 2010. We are seeking the best and brightest from each community, professionals, students, community activists, and anyone who wants to make a difference to attend this action-oriented convention. Over the past several years, it has becoming increasingly important for American Muslims to take on leadership roles in the community and engage the government in dialogue. Specifically this convention will focus on professionalism, civic engagement, citizenship and activism.

The American Leadership Initiative for Muslims Convention is dedicated to brainstorming actionable ideas, plans, and initiatives to elevate the status of our community in the United States. At the conclusion of the convention, attendees will return to their home communities with specific plans of action to effectuate these goals, and the Islamic Information Center will help to coordinate these nationwide initiatives throughout the year.

This convention includes site visits to crucial U.S. government agencies and meetings with government officials.  Each day, attendees will work together to strategize and establish goals to be achieved enact throughout the year. These meetings will not discuss hypothetical topics - but actual plans to implement the knowledge gained at the convention to help ALL Muslims, both locally and abroad!

The first step of leadership is having a vision.

March 5, 2010

Bahrain needs to take urgent steps to end torture and ill-treatment of security suspects during interrogation, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The government should promptly investigate all torture allegations and prosecute security officials suspected of abusing detainees. The 89-page report, "Torture Redux: The Revival of Physical Coercion during Interrogations in Bahrain," is based on interviews with former detainees and a review of forensic medical reports and court documents. It concludes that since the end of 2007, officials have repeatedly resorted to torture for the apparent purpose of securing confessions from security suspects.
"Torture is back in the repertoire of Bahrain's security services," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The return of torture is especially distressing since Bahrain showed the political will a decade ago to end this scourge."

Bahrain's reversion to these discredited practices has come with rising political tensions. Street demonstrations by young men from the country's majority Shia Muslim population protesting alleged discrimination by the Sunni-dominated government have deteriorated with increasing regularity into violent confrontations with security forces. Arrests have often followed. Security officials appear to be using painful physical techniques to elicit confessions from many of those arrested.

The use of these techniques, separately and in combination, violates Bahrain's own laws as well as its obligations as a state party to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention against Torture) and other international treaties.