THE CORDOBA INITIATIVE’S FOUR PRINCIPAL PROGRAM AREAS:

1. Issue & Policy Research
The Cordoba Initiative provides U.S. and Muslim policy makers and the international press with informed research and critical thinking regarding ways to improve the relationship between America and the Islamic world. This effort produces issue-specific research, as well as policy white papers, editorials, magazine articles and books. Examples include consulting with influential leaders, the Shariah Project (below), and the Fortune magazine
article by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf on Bringing Muslim Nations into the Global Century. Cordoba is a reliable source for fresh ideas and new thinking on Islamic issues, America’s communication with the Middle East, values-based peace building, and similar issues.

The Shariah Project – Shariah (Islamic holy law) requires a nation to care for its citizens’ welfare, provide religious freedom, offer educational opportunities, protect minorities, and allow citizens to participate in their own governance. The Shariah Project will enumerate the societal – as opposed to religious – obligations that Shariah requires of a nation governed according to Islamic principles. The Project will strengthen the capacity of moderate Muslims to employ the vocabulary and principles of Islam to reduce conflict and promote democratic values in Islamic societies.

2. The Dialogues
A. The Jerusalem Dialogues – The Jerusalem Dialogues is convening a series of thoughtful dialogues between Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders to build trust and explore common ground in the urgent search for a peaceful, just and secure a solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. An example is Cordoba’s planned series of conferences – Why Israel? Why Palestine? – which is aimed at illuminating the separate cultural narratives cherished by Arabs and Jews and exploring how these narratives, if better understood, could become powerful peace building tools.

B. The Spirit 21 Dialogues (“Difficult conversations in difficult places”) –
Religion, which has sparked so many conflicts throughout world history, must play a far greater 21st Century role in helping to resolve them. This program will host dialogues between spiritual leaders in regions of the world where religious intolerance and violence are a daily reality. The dialogues will seat local religious leaders, who may never before have experienced an interfaith conversation, next to their international peers for discussions aimed at deepening understanding between religions.

C. The Civil Society Dialogues – A program convening influential opinion leaders and scholars from America and the Muslim world for bilateral roundtable dialogues focused on improving communication, increasing trust and building civil society. Different dialogues will explore specific issues appropriate to the interests of the group. Examples include international trust-building, conflict avoidance, economic development, political reform,
the role of religion and the media in the public arena, the challenge of adapting principles of participatory self-governance and democratic capitalism to specific cultures, and the building of institutions that support the infrastructure of civil society.

3. Cultural & Educational Programs
Lectures, Symposia & Conferences – The Cordoba Initiative organizes a variety of special public educational events. Examples are the 2003 - 2005 panel discussions in Paepcke Auditorium on the Aspen Institute’s campus. These discussions, titled When Cultures Collide, have featured Rabbi Bradley Hirschfield of CLAL, Princeton Professor Elaine Pagels, Harvard professor and minister Peter Gomes, and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Walter Isaacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute, has moderated. Another example is the 2005 Palm Beach conference, Searching for Shared Values in a Divided World—A Conference of Jews, Christians & Muslims, on whose speakers and program the Cordoba Initiative and the Aspen Institute collaborated.

Seminars/Cultural Events – The Cordoba Initiative plans a series of seminars for Jewish, Muslim and Christian high school students to explore the great ideas of western civilization and the cultural relationship between the West and the Muslim world. In addition, Cordoba supports the ASMA Society’s youth and community programs, which employ education, art and culture to build bridges between the Abrahamic traditions. The ASMA Society’s Cordoba Bread Fest, for example, gathers Christians, Jews and Muslims to break bread together and celebrate the sacred significance of bread in the three Abrahamic cultures. In partnership with Jewish organizations, ASMA also convenes small groups of young Jewish and Muslim professionals to increase cross-cultural understanding.

Curriculum Development Symposium – The Cordoba Initiative will convene a symposium of scholars to focus on curriculum development issues in Muslim education. Leading educators – Muslim and non-Muslim – will share knowledge and identify best practices for developing successful multicultural curricula. The symposium will address curricula within both Muslim and non-Muslim schools. Topics will include curriculum design, teacher training, support materials, a resource website, outreach efforts and educational alliances. The symposium will explore ways to dispel stereotypes while increasing understanding and tolerance at home and abroad.

4. The American Muslim Initiatives
Organized in partnership with the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA)

A. The Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow (MLT) – The leadership of young American Muslim professionals represents one of the best hopes for bridging the chasm between the Islamic World and the U.S. The Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow project (MLT) convenes urbane, mostly Western-born, emerging Muslim leaders who embody a moderate expression of Islam that promotes pluralism, respect for other cultures, and human rights. By leveraging the leadership and pooling the talents of these young Muslim doctors, lawyers, bankers, artists, writers, academics and media professionals, the MLT can greatly amplify Islam’s peaceful and moderate voice as a source of hope and inspiration for Muslims and non- Muslims alike.

B. The Muslim Women’s Summit – A pioneering project to convene and empower influential Muslim women leaders from around the world. The first conference is planned for the summer of 2006.