Muslim World Initiative
part of the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention
Building trust and dialogue between political, social and religious leaders
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This initiative was designed to help to mobilize moderates, marginalize militants, and bridge the U.S./Muslim-world divide.
USIP's Muslim World Initiative culminated in late 2009 with the release of the USIP book, "Conflict, Identity and Reform in the Muslim World," as well as the release of the USIP Study Group on Reform and Security in the Muslim World's final report, "In Pursuit of Democracy and Security in the Greater Middle East." Over its multi-year span, the initative aimed to make sense of the diverse peoples, cultures and societies that constitute the Muslim world, all animated by a common ethical and religious heritage. From Jakarta to Cairo, from Dakar to Paris, Muslims sense that they form one grand community, or umma. Yet, this feeling coexists with social, political, cultural and religious forces that pull Muslim regions and states in different directions. Indeed, at no time in recent history has the Muslim world experienced such a degree of ideological, political and sectarian fragmentation.
In this challenging context, the United States Institute of Peace's Muslim World Initiative (MWI), played a special role. The initiative built trust and dialogue between political, social and religious leaders in the United States and their counterparts in the Muslim world. Moreover, USIP assisted religious, political and social activists in the Muslim world in their efforts to overcome a range of domestic and regional disputes. While it is ultimately up to Muslims themselves to forge such common ground, the Muslim World Initiative helped USIP share its expertise in the fields of conflict resolution, religion and peacemaking, and political reform.
Projects
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The Iran Working Group regularly convenes specialists from the D.C. policy community, a number of research projects, and an exchange program between U.S. and Iranian religious leaders |
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Mounting security challenges have raised concerns about how the United States can best promote political reform while safeguarding its security interests. Co-chaired by Larry Diamond and Francis Fukuyama, this Study Group, which culminated in the release of its final report in fall 2009, addressed this complex problem through a series of meetings that highlighted the interplay of security and reform in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. |
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