American Islamic Forum For Democracy

AIFD'S MISSION IS TO ADVOCATE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE FOUNDING PRINCIPLES OF OUR U.S. CONSTITUTION, LIBERTY AND FREEDOM, THROUGH THE SEPARATION OF MOSQUE AND STATE.

AIFD'S PROGRAMMING SERVICES CONTINUE TO PLAY A FORMATIVE AND LEADING ROLE IN THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SPACE ON NATIONAL SECURITY, ISLAMISM, MUSLIM REFORM, AND COUNTER-JIHAD. OUR PUBLIC PLATFORMS REMAIN BROAD, DIVERSE AND HIGHLY ENGAGED. AIFD PROGRAMMING INCLUDES THREE MAJOR AREAS OF FOCUS: 1) PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM: PROVIDES EDUCATION OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON THE THREAT OF ISLAMISM (POLITICAL ISLAM) AND ITS ROLE IN MUSLIM RADICALIZATION AND INCREASING THREATS TO AMERICANS DOMESTICALLY AND ABROAD. OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT BRINGS FOCUS TO ENGAGING MUSLIMS IN GENERATIONAL SOLUTIONS PROMOTING IDEAS OF LIBERTY AGAINST ISLAMIST IDEOLOGIES AND MOVEMENTS 2) THE MUSLIM REFORM MOVEMENT (MRM) PROGRAM: DEVELOPS A PLATFORM FOR A GROWING COALITION OF DIVERSE WESTERN REFORM-MINDED MUSLIM LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT STAND FOR LIBERTY AND AGAINST ISLAMISM. THIS COALITION NETWORKS AND AUGMENTS THE PLATFORMS OF COALITION MEMBERS FOCUSED ON PROMOTING PRO-LIBERTY REFORMS AGAINST ISLAMISM IN THE WEST, THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AND EUROPE. IN 2021, OUR LONG-STANDING PROGRAM OF ENGAGEMENT OF NON-MUSLIM COUNTER-JIHADISTS BROADENED IN PARTNERSHIP AND CO-FOUNDED THE DIVERSE INTERNATIONAL COALITION --CLARITY (CHAMPIONS FOR LIBERTY AND AGAINST ISLAMIST TYRANNY). THIS COALITION UNIFIED DIVERSE ORGANIZATIONS IN PURPOSE AGAINST ISLAMIST MOVEMENTS AND IDEOLOGIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AND EUROPE AND BEYOND. 3) THE MUSLIM LIBERTY PROJECT (MLP) PROGRAM: ENGAGES YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS ON AMERICAN AND WESTERN NATIONAL IDENTITY, IDEAS, AND LIBERTY AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO ISLAMIST MOVEMENTS (WHICH REJECT SECULAR NATIONAL IDENTITY). MLP ALSO WORKS WITH VULNERABLE YOUTH IN COUNTER-RADICALIZATION ALLOWING US TO BETTER UNDERSTAND ENVIRONMENTS THAT RADICALIZE OR PREVENT RADICALIZATION. WE HAVE ALSO ADDED THE MENTORING PROGRAM OF FUTURE MUSLIM LEADERS OF AMERICA WHICH PAIRS FUTURE YOUNG MUSLIM LEADERS IN THE UNITED STATES WITH SOME OF OUR ANTI-ISLAMIST MUSLIM REFORM LEADERS AND MENTORS THEM IN SKILLS, PROFESSIONALISM, AND ENGAGEMENT ON ALL OF OUR PLATFORMS.THE FOLLOWING ARE A FEW HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR PROGRAMS: OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM GREW STEADILY DESPITE CONTINUED RESIDUAL STRESSORS OF THE PANDEMIC AND INCLUDED HUNDREDS OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL MEDIA APPEARANCES, PUBLICATIONS, AND PUBLIC FORUMS AS WELL AS A HEAVY PROGRAMMING EMPHASIS ON SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT ON, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE, AND OTHER PLATFORMS. IN 2021, AIFD ALSO THROUGH THE YEAR PARTICIPATED IN OVER 30 VIRTUAL EVENTS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND INTERNATIONALLY INCLUDING FORUMS ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, ISLAMISM, MIDDLE EAST POLICY, COUNTER-RADICALIZATION, MUSLIM RADICALIZATION, U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY ENGAGEMENT, LAW ENFORCEMENT, MILITARY OFFICER PRE-DEPLOYMENT EDUCATION, AND VETERANS AFFAIRS TO NAME A FEW. AIFD ORGANIZED A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS VIA WEBINARS (DUE TO THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC) WITH LARGE ATTENDANCE COVERING AREAS OF HUMAN RIGHTS, WOMENS RIGHTS, MINORITY RIGHTS, FREE SPEECH, HONOR CULTURE, EUROPEAN AND WESTERN NATION APPROACHES TO ISLAMIST SEPARATISM, MUSLIM REFORM, AND COUNTER-RADICALIZATION TO NAME A FEW. OUR PUBLIC DEBATES AGAINST ISLAMISTS ALSO EXEMPLIFY OUR MISSION OF REFORM AND THE REALITY OF IDEOLOGICAL DIVERSITY WITHIN AMERICAN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES. THE NEED FOR AIFDS WORK CONTINUES TO GROW EXPONENTIALLY WITH GLOBAL CHALLENGES RELATED TO ISLAMIST RADICALIZATION AND THE SPREAD OF JIHADIST IDEOLOGIES. ADDITIONALLY, THE INSTABILITY IN REGIONS MOST NOTABLY IN AFGHANISTAN, SYRIA, IRAN, SAUDI ARABIA, PAKISTAN, TUNISIA AND ACROSS MAJOR MUSLIM MAJORITY NATIONS HAS CONTINUED TO SOLIDIFY AIFD'S PUBLIC ROLE AND REPUTATION AS A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT. AIFD IS SOUGHT AFTER BY PUBLIC POLICY EXPERTS, GOVERNMENTS, AND UNIVERSITIES, AS WELL AS DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN COMMUNITY NETWORKS FOR ITS EXPERTISE AND TESTIMONY IN NATIONAL SECURITY, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, POLITICAL ISLAM, ISLAMIST TERRORISM AND ASSOCIATED DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN POLICY. AIFD HAS ALSO NURTURED AND BUILT STRONG PARTNERSHIPS WITH NON-MUSLIM, INTERFAITH ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NATIONAL SECURITY, COUNTER-JIHAD, AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM SPACE MOST NOTABLY HELPING CO-FOUND THE CLARITY COALITION.AIFDS OFFICE HAS ALSO RESPONDED TO HUNDREDS OF PHONE CALLS, EMAILS, AND POSTINGS FROM PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH NETWORKING ACROSS THE WORLD ON BEHALF OF AIFD AND THE COALITION OF THE MUSLIM REFORM MOVEMENT.

OUR MUSLIM REFORM MOVEMENT (MRM) INITIATIVE AND PROGRAMMING HAS ALSO GROWN. THIS INCLUDED MAJOR TOWN HALL CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR MRM LEADERS ON RED-GREEN AXIS, SO-CALLED ISLAMOPHOBIA, FREE-SPEECH, LESSONS FROM ISLAMS DEFECTORS, THE WITHDRAWAL DEBACLE IN AFGHANISTAN, WOMENS RIGHTS, COUNTERING ANTI-SEMITISM, IRANS WOMENS MOVEMENT, ANTI-ISLAMIST LEADERSHIP, HOW TO DEFEAT ISLAMISM, AND MINORITY RIGHTS TO NAME A FEW. AIFD HAS CONTINUED TO LEAD DIVERSE AMERICAN AND WESTERN MUSLIM LEADERS IN ESTABLISHING A VOICE FOR REFORM AND AGAINST ISLAMISM. THE MRM CONTINUED TO USE ITS JOINT DECLARATION AS A REFORM TOOL (PLATFORM) FOR ITS MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS AND HAS ENLARGED THE DISCOURSE ON ANTI-ISLAMIST PRO-FREEDOM REFORMS TO BROADER COALITIONS. THE MRM INCLUDES OVER 30 LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS WITH DIVERSE VOICES NOT ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES BUT IN CANADA, AND EUROPE WHO ARE DEDICATED TO REFORM. THESE NETWORKS OF REFORM-MINDED MUSLIM LEADERS CONTINUE TO GAIN MOMENTUM IN THEIR WORK AS EACH LEADER PUBLICIZES AND ADVOCATES THEIR INDIVIDUAL WORK AND THE COLLECTIVE THEN COMES TOGETHER TO SERVE AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE DOMESTIC AND GLOBAL NETWORK OF ISLAMIST ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS, ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA, AND THE MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL. WE CONTINUE TO SEEK OUT AND ADD OTHER LIKE-MINDED MUSLIM LEADERS ACROSS THE WORLD TO JOIN IN OUR FIGHT FOR MUSLIM REFORM TOWARDS MODERNITY. THE GROWING NETWORK OF DIVERSE LEADERS, LED BY AIFD, CONTINUES TO PARTNER AND WORK TOGETHER REGULARLY, COOPERATING IN MONTHLY MEETINGS, JOINT PAPERS, PUBLIC POSITION STATEMENTS, AND HUNDREDS OF MEDIA APPEARANCES AND PUBLIC FORUMS, IN THE PROMOTION OF OUR IDEAS FOR MUSLIM REFORM AGAINST ISLAMISM AND TO AID PUBLIC COUNTERTERRORISM AND COUNTER RADICALIZATION EFFORTS AGAINST RADICAL ISLAMISTS. WE CONTINUE TO SEEK THROUGH OUR PUBLIC PLATFORMS SHIFTING THE WHOLE OF SOCIETYS APPROACH IN COUNTERTERRORISM FROM THE PROVEN INEFFECTIVE COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM (CVE) STRATEGY TO A MORE EFFECTIVE COUNTERING VIOLENT ISLAMISM (CVI) PROGRAMMING AND STRATEGY.

MUSLIM LIBERTY PROJECT (MLP) IS OUR COMMUNITY AND LEADERSHIP BUILDING INITIATIVE AMONG YOUNG MUSLIMS AGE 15-30. WE EMPOWER AND MENTOR FUTURE YOUNG AMERICAN MUSLIM LEADERS WHO ALIGN WITH OUR WORK OF REFORM AGAINST ISLAMIST IDEAS AND WHO ADVOCATE FOR THE IMPORTANCE AND DUTY OF ESTABLISHING A BALANCED AMERICAN AND MUSLIM IDENTITY. MLP YOUTH ENGAGE IN DISCUSSIONS AND COMMUNITY PROJECTS THAT BALANCE THEIR AMERICAN AND MUSLIM IDENTITIES. THESE PROJECTS INCLUDE INTERFAITH COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS, THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNIVERSITY AMBASSADORS, TOWNHALLS, AND FORUMS TO OPENLY DISCUSS CURRENT EVENTS THAT IMPACT THEM AND THE U.S. FINALLY, WE PROVIDE COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES THAT BRING AWARENESS TO THE PLIGHT OF VARIOUS COMMUNITIES AND DEMONSTRATE HOW AMERICAN MUSLIMS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. OUR YOUTH OFTEN ENGAGE IN PROGRAMS AIDING THE HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS IN SYRIA, THE GLOBAL REFUGEE CRISIS, AND OTHER INTERFAITH WORK. WE ALSO ADDED THE MENTORING PROGRAM OF FUTURE MUSLIM LEADERS OF AMERICA WHICH PAIRS FUTURE YOUNG MUSLIM LEADERS IN THE UNITED STATES WITH SOME OF OUR ANTI-ISLAMIST MUSLIM REFORM LEADERS AND MENTORS THEM IN SKILLS, PROFESSIONALISM, AND ENGAGEMENT ON ALL OF OUR PLATFORMS TO LEAD OUR LEGACY WORK IN THE FUTURE.AIFD CONTINUES TO WORK WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT WITH VULNERABLE YOUTH IN OUR PILOT COUNTER-RADICALIZATION PROGRAMS. WE HAVE LED WORKING GROUPS ADDRESSING INDICATORS OF ISOLATION AND EXTREMISM IN VULNERABLE YOUTH. AIFD ALSO BEGAN WORKING INTENSIVELY WITH PILOT PROGRAMMING FOR AT-RISK YOUNG INDIVIDUALS REFERRED BY THE LOCAL AND FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM TO AIFD FOR DE-RADICALIZATION PROGRAMMING AND MENTORING. AIFD ALSO CONTINUES TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR GOVERNMENT, MILITARY, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT PROVIDING, FOR EXAMPLE, ITS RADICAL ISLAMISM FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT (RILE) COURSE WITH A FULL DAY CURRICULUM TO EDUCATE ANY APPROPRIATE LAW ENFORCEMENT OR SECURITY PERSONNEL ON OUR COUNTER-RADICALIZATION STRATEGIES.