Dear Friends and Colleagues:

We have put together a fabulous and amazing program for the 22^nd CSID Annual Conference on Wednesday, April 17, in Washington DC. We hope to see you there!

Please Register for the Conference as soon as possible.

Pre-Registration with a reduced rate has been extended until April 14.

The CSID Annual Conference is the biggest international conference on Islam and Democracy and the future of democracy in the Muslim world. We have stellar and world-renowned speakers, panelists, and moderators, and we expect between 120-150 of the TOP experts and policymakers from the United States, and all over the world.

Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy

22nd Annual Conference

DEMOCRACY DENIED:

Political, Human Rights and Policy Implications for the Arab/Muslim World

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

The ICC Auditorium

Georgetown University

Washington D.C.

TENTATIVE PROGRAM

8:30 - 9:00 Registration & Breakfast

9:00 - 9:15 am Opening Remarks

Prof. Asma Afsaruddin

Chair of the CSID Board

Dr. Radwan Ziadeh

Chair of the Program Committee

9:15 - 10:30 AM - PANEL 1:

The Israel-Gaza War: Implications for Democracy in the Arab-Islamic World

Moderator:

How indifference to Palestinian suffering in Gaza is alienating moderates and tarnishing the appeal of liberal democratic values

• Mustafa Akyol, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity

Epistemicide in Gaza: Implications for Free Speech in Palestinian Universities and Across the Arab World

• Rebecca Ruth Gould, Professor of Comparative Poetics and Global Politics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London

From Palestine to the Muslim Periphery: How the One-State Solution Could Trigger Democratic Reforms

• Dr Abdul Latiff Mohd Ibrahim, International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The War on Gaza: Regional Impact and Future Implications

• Emad El-Din Shahin, Ph.D, Professor at College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar



10:30 - 12:00 Noon - PANEL 2:

Lessons Learned: Arab Spring Uprisings and Failed Transitions

Moderator: Sarah Leah Whitson

Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)

Policy Implications: What have we Learned from Failure to Promote Democracy

• Dr. Abdul G. Dardery, Former spokesperson of the FRC of Egypt’s Freedom and Justice Party

Lessons from an Arab Spring Activist and his shortcomings: Reflecting on the life of Saad Eddin Ibrahim

• Daanish Faruqi, Ph.D., Visiting Researcher, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University

Democracy Destabilized: Protecting the Secular Democratic State, Citizenship Rights and Building a Cohesive Democratic Coalition in Malaysia and Beyond

• Lily Zubaidah Rahim PhD, Honorary Fellow, Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University

The contrasts and contradictions of democracy in a secular state in Central Asia, Uzbekistan

• Anthony Bowyer, Europe & Eurasia Advisor, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

The Rule of Law and Democracy’s Denial in Contemporary Arab Politics: Lessons Learned and Strategies for Change,

• David Mednicoff, Chair, Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies, University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

12:00 - 1:00 PM - Keynote Luncheon

Keynote Speaker:

How States use Social Media to interfere in Domestic elections of other Nations?

Moderator: Radwan Masmoudi

Founder and President of President,

Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy

1:00 - 2:30 PM - PANEL 3

Lessons from the Failure of the Tunisian

“Model” in Democratic Transitions

Moderator:



Unmasking Constitutional Authoritarian Populism: Lessons from Tunisia and the Imperative of a Human Rights Perspective

• Dr. Jose Ignacio Hernandez, Senior Associate of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

The Democratic Backlashes in Tunisia and their Implications on the Media Landscape

• Sahar Khamis (PhD), Associate Professor of Communication, University of Maryland, College Park MD

Tunisian Democratic Decline in Comparative Perspective

• Samuel Greene PhD, Associate Professor and Co-Chair, Dep. of Social and Applied Behavioral Sciences, Shepherd University

Party System Weakness and Democratic Backsliding: Evidence from Tunisia

• Salih Yasun and Bedirhan Mutlu, Department of International Studies and Political Science, Virginia Military Institute & George Washington University

Navigating Women's Rights in Tunisia: The Intersection of Islamic Thought, Human Rights, and Political Realities

• Jumana Al-Ahmad PhD , Visiting Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Washington and Lee University

2:30 - 4:00 PM - PANEL 4

Policy Implications: What have we Learned from

the Failure to Promote Democracy?

Moderator: Wa'el Alzayat

CEO, Emgage

Democracy Is not the Goal of U.S. Foreign Policy

• Tamara Sonn, Professor Emerita in the History of Islam, Georgetown University

Why Palestinian National Liberation Is Inseparable from Arab Regional Democratization

• Nader Hashemi, Associate Professor & Director, Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU), Georgetown University

The rise and fall of the Muslim Brotherhood and the implications on the future of democracy in the Middle East

• Dalia Fahmy, Associate Professor of Political Science, Long Island University

The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea

• Shadi Hamid, columnist and member of the Editorial Board at The Washington Post.

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM -

Keynote Speaker: TBD

Closing Remarks

Co-Sponsored by:



Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU) @ Georgetown University

The International Institute for Islamic Thought (IIIT)

Emgage

American Libyan Alliance (ALA)

Islamic Relief (IR)