“Muslims in America: Life in a Post 9/11 World” is Topic
of La Salle’s Diplomat-in-Residence Conference

Speakers, ranging from a former CIA employee who headed the “bin Laden” unit to diplomats to officials from the  Muslim Public Affairs Council and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) will appear at La Salle University’s annual Diplomat-in-Resident (DIR) program, dedicated this year to “Muslims in America: Life in a Post 9/11 World.”

The program runs from April 2 to April 5, and all events are free and open to the public and will be held in the Dunleavy Room on the third floor of the Student Union Building.

“The Muslim community in America has played and will continue to play an important role in the war against Al Qaeda and international terrorism and in the improvement of our standing in the Middle East and among Muslims around the world,” said Dr. Cornelia Tsakiridou, a Professor of Philosophy at La Salle and Director of the DIR. “We wanted to explore the challenges faced by Muslim Americans in these two areas and particularly in the domain of civil rights. Across the ocean, European Union nations are facing similar problems after the Madrid and London bombings, and this is why our closing session turns to the policies of EU members Spain and France.”

The four topics for the conference are:

 “The Challenges Facing Muslims in America Since 9/11: The Political Context,” will be held on Monday, April 2, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. 

It will be led by Dr. Harvey Glickman. He is Professor Emeritus of Political  Science at Haverford College and Fellow of the Foreign Policy Association.  Professor Glickman is a graduate of Harvard University (M.A. Political Science, Ph.D. Political Science). He has served as Secretary of the American Political Science  Association and as consultant to several U.S. government agencies. His publications include: The Crisis and Challenge of African Development (Editor and Contributor) and Toward Peace and Security in Southern Africa.

“Perspectives on the Impact of Radical Islam on Muslim Youth and Women,” will be held on Tuesday, April 3, from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The discussion will be led by Safiya Ghori, Program Director for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and Dr. Michael Scheuer, who formerly worked for the CIA.

Ghori earned a joint Juris Doctor and Master of Arts in May 2006 from the University of Arkansas. Her most recent article, "Mutah Marriages in the American Legal System" in the Journal of Islamic Law and Culture looks into applying the religious law of Muslim minority communities throughout the United States.

Dr. Scheuer served in the CIA for 22 years before resigning in  2004.  He was Chief of the bin Laden Unit at the Counterterrorist Center from 1996 to 1999.  He is the once anonymous author of Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terrorism and Through our Enemies’ Eyes: Osama bin Laden, Radical Islam, the Future of America.  He is a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation.

“American Muslims and Civil Rights,” will be held on Wednesday, April 4, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Panelists are Mary Catherine Roper, staff attorney for the ACLU in Philadelphia; Nihad Awad, Executive Director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); and Manar Darwish, Saint Joseph’s University, Department of Theology. 

At the ACLU, Roper coordinates litigation on a broad range of civil liberties issues, including discrimination against Muslims and Arabic immigrants.

Awad helped found CAIR in 1994. It is America’s largest Islamic civil liberties and advocacy group, with 32 offices across the United States and Canada.

Darwish teaches courses in Women in Muslim Tradition, Arabic, Arab Society, and Arab Society and the Media. She holds an M.A. in Islamic History of Art, a B.A. in Political Science, and a minor in Islamic Art/Arabic Studies with high honors

“Lessons Learned from Europe: The Impact of the Madrid, London Bombings, and the Iraq War on Muslim Communities,” will be held on Thursday, April 5, from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Speakers are Francois Rivasseau, Minister Counselor, France, Deputy Chief
of Mission, Washington, D.C. and Ambassador Jose Pascual Marco, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Spain, Washington, D.C.

From 2003 to 2006, Marco was Ambassador of  Spain to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. He was also Assistant Head of Cabinet of Foreign Affairs in Madrid. From 1999 to 2002 he was Counselor at the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union, Brussels, and served in many other diplomatic capacities.