HomeNews MPAC Rep on NPR's 'IS Islam Dominated by Radicals?' Debate
MPAC Rep on NPR's 'IS Islam Dominated by Radicals?' Debate
Thursday, 24 April 2008
On Sunday, April 27, NPR stations around the country will air a prominent debate on a motion that Islam is dominated by radicals. The event held recently in New York City featured three experts arguing on each side of the motion. Among those to oppose the motion was Edina Lekovic, Communications Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
NPR's New York City affiliate WNYC (am820) will air the debate at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 27th. Check your local NPR listings to find out if the Intelligence Squared U.S. debate will air in your city.
Those in favor of the motion were Asra Nomani (author of Standing Alone in Mecca), Paul Marshall (Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute), and Daveed Gardenstein-Ross (author of My Year in Radical Islam). They characterized Islam as a religion dominated by repressive extremists who run Muslim-majority countries, utilizing sweeping generalizations and frightening anecdotes about the role of countries like Saudi Arabia in spreading radical Islam.
Those opposing the motion were (as pictured from left) Reza Aslan, author of No god but God); Dr. Richard Bulliet, professor of Middle East History at Columbia University; and Edina Lekovic, MPAC Communications Director. They argued that the majority of the world's more than 1.3 billion Muslims are moderates who reject such radical ideology, as has been demonstrated through groundbreaking polling conducted by the Gallup Organization, and that Al-Qaeda and similar groups are rapidly losing their ability to brainwash potential recruits. They also countered that political repression is the fault of brutal dictatorships plaguing some parts of the Muslim world, which are distinctly un-Islamic in orientation.
Moderated by senior host of NPR's "All Things Considered" Robert Siegel, the Oxford-style debate is part of the on-going series Intelligence Squared U.S., sponsored by the Rosenkrantz Foundation. The debates are modeled on a program begun in London in 2002: Three experts argue in favor of a proposition; three argue against.
Before the debate, 46 percent of the audience voted in favor of the motion, agreeing that Islam is dominated by radicals, while 32 percent were against it and 22 percent were undecided. In a vote at the end, 73 percent supported the motion and 23 percent opposed it, with 4 percent still undecided.
Founded in 1988, the Muslim Public Affairs Council is an American institution which informs and shapes public opinion and policy by serving as a trusted resource to decision makers in government, media and policy institutions. MPAC is also committed to developing leaders with the purpose of enhancing the political and civic participation of Muslim Americans.
News 
