American Islamic Forum for Democracy
Encyclopedia
American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) is a Muslim American think tank
formed in March 2003 by a small group of Muslim
professionals in the Phoenix Valley of Arizona
. The group's founder is M. Zuhdi Jasser
, M.D. AIFD advocates for the separation of mosque
and state and confronts the ideologies of political Islam
and openly counters the belief that the Muslim faith is inextricably rooted to the concept of the Islamic state.
states, "is to advocate for the preservation of the founding principles of the United States Constitution, liberty and freedom, through the separation of mosque and state."
in March 2003. A former Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy
, Dr. Jasser served 11 years as a medical officer. His tours of duty included Medical Department Head aboard the USS El Paso
which deployed to Somalia
during Operation Restore Hope; Chief Resident at Bethesda Naval Hospital; and Staff Internist for the Office of the Attending Physician to the United States Congress
. He is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal
.
Timothy R. Furnish said that Jasser's quest is to resurrect the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah, a group in early Islamic history which stated that reason was as important as revelation, and that the Qur'an
was a human created book and that humans had free will
.
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
formed in March 2003 by a small group of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
professionals in the Phoenix Valley of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. The group's founder is M. Zuhdi Jasser
Zuhdi Jasser
Zuhdi Jasser, also known as M. Zuhdi Jasser, and Mohamed Zuhdi Jasser, is a medical doctor specializing internal medicine and nuclear cardiology in Phoenix, AZ. Jasser is a former Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy where he served as staff internist in the Office of the Attending...
, M.D. AIFD advocates for the separation of mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
and state and confronts the ideologies of political Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and openly counters the belief that the Muslim faith is inextricably rooted to the concept of the Islamic state.
Mission
AIFD's mission statement as found on their websiteWebsite
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
states, "is to advocate for the preservation of the founding principles of the United States Constitution, liberty and freedom, through the separation of mosque and state."
Principles
AIFD's principles, according to their website, include:- To be a voice of Muslim American citizenry in strong support of the following:
- The devout practice of Islam and the Islamic concept of consultation and consent (shura) as being wholly compatible with the American form of democracy
- The support of the separation of religion and state as being perfectly non-contradictory with Koranic principles.
- As United States citizens we support our American armed forces.
- As United States citizens we support absolute and literal adherence to our citizenship pledge.
- We support our American interests, domestic and foreign.
- To raise the public consciousness regarding the core principles above and the following additional goals and beliefs:
- We will promote tolerance in Islam as being a fundamental principle of the Holy Koran.
- We recognize the fact that there are no clergy in Islam and we accept the Koran as our main reference for discussions regarding our faith.
- We as a group in recognition of democratic principles believe that each Muslim is equally entitled to their opinion concerning the religion of Islam.
- We will work to educate the public regarding the existence of a special relationship between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
- We will work to educate the public regarding the current threat to America of radicals who exploit Islam through militancy.
- We explicitly refuse to acknowledge the justification of any form of terrorism (the targeting of civilians and non-combatants).
- We believe in that religion is a matter for individual beliefs without any role for the direct involvement of religion in government.
- We believe in the equality of the sexes which is well established in the Koran.
- We will work to promote and enhance the understanding of Islam in America.
- We will work to express the consistency of the principles of Islam with economic principles of free markets and capitalism.
- We will work to promote and enhance the education of Muslims in their history and development as it relates to American democracy and freedom.
- We will work to promote the appreciation of the integral role of American patriotism and nationalism in the life of Muslim youth in America.
- We will work to stimulate the principles which bring about increased understanding and involvement of American Muslim citizens in American life
- We will work to formulate expressions of positions on specific areas of American foreign and domestic policy as they relate to American interests and as relevant to the discussion of Islam and democratic principles
- While as Muslims and American citizens we will take stands on many of the diverse foreign policy positions of our government, we feel it is necessary to make a foundational position statement regarding the state of Israel. We stand in support of the existing unqualified recognition of the state of Israel behind internationally recognized borders.
- We also separately stand in recognition of the need for the completion of the formation of an independent Palestinian state on the current “occupied territories” living side by side next to the established state of Israel.
Founder
AIFD was founded by Dr. M. Zuhdi JasserZuhdi Jasser
Zuhdi Jasser, also known as M. Zuhdi Jasser, and Mohamed Zuhdi Jasser, is a medical doctor specializing internal medicine and nuclear cardiology in Phoenix, AZ. Jasser is a former Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy where he served as staff internist in the Office of the Attending...
in March 2003. A former Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, Dr. Jasser served 11 years as a medical officer. His tours of duty included Medical Department Head aboard the USS El Paso
USS El Paso
USS El Paso has been the name of two ships in the United States Navy. Both are named for the city of El Paso, Texas.*USS El Paso , a Tacoma-class frigate commissioned in 1943 and decommissioned in 1946....
which deployed to Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
during Operation Restore Hope; Chief Resident at Bethesda Naval Hospital; and Staff Internist for the Office of the Attending Physician to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. He is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (United States)
The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
.
Timothy R. Furnish said that Jasser's quest is to resurrect the doctrine of the Mu'tazilah, a group in early Islamic history which stated that reason was as important as revelation, and that the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
was a human created book and that humans had free will
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
.