Moderate Muslims speak out against Islamists

Press release                                       No. 06-P 12                     2006-05-10

(Washington, D.C.): The new “Muslims Speak Out” project goes live this month. One of the first public events of this project will be a press briefing in the Zenger Room at the National Press Club on Thursday May 11th 2006 at 2:30 P.M.

Muslims Speak Out is designed to provide a public forum for Muslim scholars, academics, researchers and activists who oppose Islamist extremism and the violent confrontation with moderate Muslims and non-Muslims. It aims to promote understanding and dialogue and provide a resource both for moderate Muslims and for those who are in need of a moderate perspective on Islam such as government and media organizations.

“This will be an important medium for Muslims to connect with each other and the broader community. It should provide a forum for Muslims who are devoted to their faith-tradition, Islam, and who are committed to defeating Islamists who wage war on civilization while perverting Islam.” Said Prof. Salim Mansur who will be the featured speaker at the press briefing.

“This important program will highlight the true moderates. Not the types we have so often seen who say one thing when they are speaking to the media and then turn around and actually support the extremists.” Added Alex Alexiev Vice President for Research at the Center for Security Policy and one of the primary leaders of the Muslims Speak Out project.

Some of the key points of the Muslim Speak Out Project are:

• A website www.muslimsspeakout.org which will be going live before the end of the month. This will provide the moderate Muslim community with a place of their own and an outlet for their voices to be heard.

• Conferences in Washington D.C. and other major cities around the world to bring together the moderate Islamic community and those in the public and private sectors to develop and implement strategies to counter the radical Islamists and their ideology which seeks to hijack Islam.

• Organize meetings between Moderate Islamic leaders and western governments and media leaders to aid in the policy making process.

• Provide a base for the moderate Islamic leadership in the war of ideas.

When asked about the value of this project Prof. Mansur said. “If Muslims want to honor their faith-tradition, if they want others to remain respectful of Islam, the Prophet and the Qu’ran, the time is long past for them to remain silent or on the sideline in this war against Islamists. Ultimately, the war to protect civilization since 9/11 is the war for Islam and to save Islam from those who have so terribly denigrated it by their despicable and indiscriminate violence against women, children and civilian population across the world by evoking God, His messenger and His revelation.”

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Please come and join us for this important event in the ongoing war of ideas –

Where: National Press Club – 529 14th Street NW – 13th Floor Zenger Room – Washington, DC 20045

When: Thursday May 11th 2006 at 2:30 P.M.

Prof. Salim Mansur a prominent Muslim scholar, syndicated columnist in Canada and professor of political science at Western Ontario University

Alex Alexiev is the Vice President for Research at the Center for Security Policy and has worked for over 20 years as a national security analyst directing numerous research projects for the US Government as authoring several books, monographs, and articles.