November 29, 2011

For the past three years, the Royal Islamic Strategic Centre named Ahmed Younis as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world. Younis is a Senior Consultant with Gallup and a Senior Analyst for the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies and the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center. MPAC is honored that Younis will participate in a roundtable discussion on "U.S. Policy on the Arab Spring: Potentials & Pitfalls" during our upcoming 11th annual convention on Dec. 17 in Los Angeles.

This summer, the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center with the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies released a survey titled “Muslim Americans: Faith, Freedom, and the Future; Examining U.S. Muslims’ Political, Social, and Spiritual Engagement 10 Years After September 11." This comprehensive report found that the Muslim American community is “thriving” more than ever, and that Muslim Americans are politically, socially and religiously engaged and contributors to society. However, the report also found anti-Muslim sentiments are a significant impediment to continued engagement between Muslim Americans and the community at large.

Additionally, he is the author of "American Muslims: Voir Dire [Speak the Truth]," a post-9/11 study that takes a look at Muslim Americans and the U.S. The story of how we came to be as a nation is told from his perspective as a young Muslim American law student.

"Out with the old and in with the new: 'Voir Dire'... brims with fresh ideas whose time has come." -- Michael Wolfe, author of "One Thousand Roads to Mecca: Ten Centuries of Travelers Writing about the Muslim Pilgrimage"

As part of his Gallup portfolio, from January 2009 to June 2011, Younis served as Director of Strategic Partnership and Communications for Silatech. Silatech’s goal is to promote comprehensive job creation in North Africa and the Middle East.

From 2004 to 2007, Younis served as MPAC's National Director and prior to that he was an intern at the Office of the Legal Counsel of the U.N. Office of Legal Affairs. Younis is a graduate of the Washington and Lee University School of Law and an expert on Muslim opinion worldwide.

-- Miriam Baha
(miriam@mpac.org)
Communications & Media Intern