February 22, 2012

Earlier this week, MPAC held a private, off-the-record conversation with Wadah Khanfar, president of the Sharq Forum and former director of the Al Jazeera Networks, and a diverse group of Muslim Americans.

Haris Tarin, Director of the MPAC's Washington, DC, office, began the conversation with highlighting the importance of including Muslim Americans into domestic and international discussion. “For too long Muslim Americans have been marginalized from important conversations, and yet we have a lot of relevant and talented community members that can give nuanced insight into global events. Today, MPAC has convened such a conversation.”

Linking his media background to the dynamic developments around the world on topics such as the World Economic Forum, Khanfar brought interesting insights into the conversation. Khanfar shared his thoughts on the Iran’s influence in Syria (which he dubbed as the “Mother of all Revolutions”) to Arab Spring countries looking to Turkey’s model of democracy.

To Khanfar, Iran seems to be playing a tricky game by supporting the idea of a sectarian civil war in Syria. He highlighted the historical trends of the Iranians being masters in the military game. “Iran is a very smart actor when it comes to using proxy wars to their benefit.” Khanfar warned attacking Iran will only lead to an increase in their presence in the Arab World.

When it comes to the Arab Spring, Khanfar viewed the events as “the first time we have choices; we have never before had that opportunity.” As we witness the elections throughout the Middle East and North Africa, he emphasized the importance of working with democratically-elected Islamists. As long as they are playing by the rules of the democratic game, it is within America’s interest to engage them as rational political actors that are knowledgeable on the economy, social and political nuances of the region.

– Hoda Elshishtawy
(hoda@mpac.org)
Legislative and Policy Analyst