Center for Islamic Pluralism

Center for Islamic Pluralism, which was establish in 2004, describes itself as "a think tank that challenges the dominance of American Muslim life by militant Islamist groups." The CIP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit group.

One of its founders was Stephen Schwartz, who is its Executive Director and, based on its 2005 annual financial return, its only full time employee. Another of the founding members of the group is M. Zuhdi Jasser who also founded another group with the same agenda, American Islamic Forum for Democracy.

Funding
In its 2005 annual return to the Internal Revenue Service, CIP discloses that its total income for the year was just over $107,000. The source of the funds is listed as "direct public support." In the same year its total expenses were just $53,467, of which $30,000 was Schwartz's salary.

Principals

 * Kemal Silay, President; professor of Ottoman and modern Turkish culture at Indiana University
 * Stephen Schwartz, Executive Director; associate of the Faculty of Islamic Studies, Sarajevo
 * Irfan al-Alawi, Western Europe Director

The group of founders includes:
 * Jalal Zuberi
 * Salim Mansur, professor of political science, University of Western Ontario, and columnist, Toronto Sun.
 * Tashbih Sayyed
 * Khaleel Mohammed assistant professor of religious studies at San Diego State University.
 * Nawab Agha, American Muslim Congress
 * Ahmed Subhy Mansour former professor, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, author of Penalty of Apostasy: A Study of Islamic Law.

Institutional Links

 * American Islamic Forum for Democracy
 * Institute for Islamic Progress and Peace

Contact
1711 Massachussetts Ave NW Washington, D.C. 20036 Phone: 1.202.232.1750 Fax: 1.866.792.9439 Email: schwartz AT islamicpluralism.org Website: http://www.islamicpluralism.org

Related Articles

 * Andrew Maykuth, "Call for Moderation Sparks tension", Philadelphia Inquirer, January 03, 2006