Rep. Ellison (D-MN) to Speak at D.C. Conference on U.S.-Muslim Relations

Govt. Officials, Scholars, Policy Experts to Convene Tuesday, May 5th WASHINGTON, April 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs Madelyn E. Spirnak, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives Ahmed Shaheed, among many scholars and policy experts will discuss the future of U.S.-Muslim relations at a conference on Tuesday, May 5th in Washington, D.C.

The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID), a non-profit think tank dedicated to studying Islamic and democratic political thought, will be celebrating its 10th anniversary with an academic conference and banquet titled, "How to Improve U.S.-Muslim Relations: Challenges and Promises Ahead."

The conference will bring policy experts and academicians from around the world to discuss the challenges and promises ahead for the future of U.S.- Muslim relations, including whether the current administration's proposed policy changes indicate the beginning of a more positive relationship and what role Islam will play in the development of democracy in the Muslim world.

WHAT: CSID 10th Annual Conference, "How to Improve U.S.-Muslim Relations"

WHEN: Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

WHERE: Sheraton Crystal City Hotel, 1800 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202

SPEAKERS: Keith Ellison, D-MN; Madelyn E. Spirnak, Deputy Asst. Secretary for Near East Affairs, Department of State; Ahmed Shaheed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rep. of Maldives; Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Visiting Professor at Harvard; Shibley Telhami, University of Maryland; John Esposito, Georgetown University, among many others.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives Ahmed Shaheed will also be awarded the prestigious "Muslim Democrat of the Year" award for his work in the past decade and a half to strengthen and promote democracy and human rights in the Maldives.

SEE: www.islam-democracy.org for full program and registration.

"We have brought together some of the well-known scholars, politicians, and activists, and thought leaders from the U.S. and the Muslim world to have a serious and genuine debate about how to improve relations and understanding between the U.S. and the Muslim world," said Dr. Radwan A. Masmoudi, President of CSID. "We hope that the conference will come up with actionable items and recommendations for the new Obama administration as it tries to establish dialogue and improve relations with the rest of the world."

Established in March 1999, CSID celebrates its 10th anniversary with this important conference, launching a new decade of work in creating a modern Islamic democratic discourse. The organization was founded by a diverse group of academicians, professionals, and activists from varied religious backgrounds, united by the conviction that Islam's relationship to democracy is in dire need of greater understanding and clarification to facilitate a more fruitful cross-cultural dialogue.

Source: sunherald.com