In the immediate aftermath of the breaking-news of the massacre at Ft. Hood, a shocked nation and media scurried to find out who did it, how many were killed and injured and why? As is true in all such tragedies, in the initial chaos surrounding such events, facts are hard...

Last week more than 80 religious, political and NGO leaders from around the world spoke to packed audiences at Georgetown University's Common Word conference, at a time when engagement with the Islamic world is more urgent than ever.

In contrast to the past, the world of the 21st century...

The continued detention in Egypt of Dr. Abdel Moneim Abou Fatouh, prominent professional, Muslim Brotherhood leader, and moderate voice for reform is a harsh reminder that despite widespread popular desire for broader political participation, basic freedoms and the rule of law, in Egypt and many parts of the Arab and...

On June 28th while reading my newspaper at breakfast in Cairo, I was stunned to discover that an Egyptian leader I was scheduled to see that evening had been suddenly imprisoned. I was stunned but, as anyone familiar with the Mubarak government, not surprised.

The arrest and detention of...

"How long will this excitement last?" Recent visits and meetings in the Gulf and Egypt reinforce the excitement, hopes, concerns and some cynicism engendered by President Obama's messages to the Muslim world, in particular his Cairo speech. The effects of Obama-mania can be seen at the Sultan Hassan Mosque where...

Much has been written about Muslim responses to Obama's Cairo speech and how it has resonated across the Muslim world. Many have commented on the new President's skillful handling of the political issues that have so deeply affected US-Muslim relations. However, an underappreciated but equally important dimension of his speech...

In what has the potential to be a transformative historical moment, President Barack Obama called for "a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect." While acknowledging the ups and downs of Muslim-West relations, periods of co-existence and cooperation...

New revelations about the use of torture that have captured headlines in recent days are symptomatic of a broader issue. One of the casualties of international responses to al-Qaeda and global terrorism has been human rights and international law. Authoritarian Arab and Muslim governments and Israel have exploited the threat...

I recently returned from Turkey where Barack Obama managed to take the country by storm and, as he had signaled at his inauguration, also reached out to the Muslim world. Why was he so successful? What was his message and does it matter?

Coming off the G-20m, the President and...

After the decades-long failure of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, compounded by eight years of George W. Bush policies that alienated Muslims globally, President Barack Obama moved quickly to distance himself from the Bush legacy, declaring: "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and...

After eight years of the Bush administration, the Arab and Muslim world and many others in the global community greeted an Obama presidency with great expectations. Obama himself in his inaugural address subtly distanced himself from the Bush legacy and expressed the desire that America re-emerge as a global and...

The tragedy of the Iraq War's fourth anniversary is the clear picture of the Bush administration's failed policies: the spiral of violence and terror, bitter sectarian conflicts, continued and at times escalating loss of American and Iraqi life.

Ironically, the administration has unintentionally enhanced Iran's role as a regional player....