“Between Social Conservatism and Progressive Resistance: Muslims in Trump’s America” with Dalia Mogahed & Dr. Abbas Barzegar

After over a decade in the security spotlight, Muslims in the US now find themselves in the cross-hairs of the Trump movement. Islamophobia arguably provides the common thread and rallying call for the various forces that brought the new president to power and for much of the Republican Party. Muslim leaders in the US continue to debate how best to address the challenges of Islamophobia and new policies such as the ban on Muslim immigration. And they continue to debate how and with whom to form alliances. This panel will discuss these urgent questions.

Abbas Barzegar is an Assistant Professor of Religion at Georgia State University and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. At GSU he co-directs two interdisciplinary research projects: 1) “Civic Approaches to Conflict Resolution in the Muslim World”, and 2) “After Malcolm: Islam and the Black Freedom Struggle.” He received his Ph.D. in 2010 from Emory University specializing on the Sunni-Shiite conflict, Islam in America, and transnational political Islam. In addition to numerous articles and book chapters, he is the co-author of Islamism: Contested Perspectives on Political Islam (Stanford, 2009). His work has been supported by The Carter Center, The National Endowment for the Humanities, The British Council, The European Union, The US Institute of Peace, The Mellon Foundation, and the Georgia Humanities Council. His public commentary and analysis can be found in a variety of print and broadcast media outlets, including The Huffington Post, The Guardian, CNN, Aljazeera, and Fox News.

Dalia Mogahed is the Director of Research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, where she leads the organization’s pioneering research and thought leadership programs on American Muslims. Mogahed is former Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, where she led the analysis of surveys of Muslim communities worldwide. With John L. Esposito, she coauthored the book “Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think.” President Barack Obama appointed Mogahed to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in 2009. She is also the CEO of Mogahed Consulting.