Ilhan Cagri has a background in business, education, research and community outreach.

Dr. Cagri’s passion is promoting social justice and human rights. As a Research Fellow with the MPAC’s DC office, Dr. Cagri’s current project is a study of how compliant Muslim countries are to human rights requirements under sharia law. The outcome of the project will be a human rights report card based on 38 factors for countries whose constitutions and governments are purportedly based on and follow Islamic sharia principles. The detailed report will inform policy makers and the general Muslim and non-Muslim population as to what Islamic governance should mean and the reality of that governance on the ground.

Dr. Cagri has held faculty positions in teaching and research as well as in university administration. In addition she has conducted research in linguistics for the US government. Her professional experience includes organizational development and training and curriculum and program design. Having lived and worked in Afghanistan, Turkey and the UAE, Dr. Cagri has knowledge and insight into how cultural norms affect organizations, businesses and social issues. One of the businesses founded by Dr. Cagri provided cultural and diversity training in the U.S. and for businesspeople working overseas. At the local level, Dr. Cagri has been active in promoting intra-mosque relations. She has helped found a Muslim homeless shelter in Washington, DC and a Muslim women’s organization tackling domestic violence.

Ilhan Cagri has a degree in Sociology and a Ph.D. in Theoretical Linguistics from the University of Maryland. She can be reached at ilhan@mpac.org.