Dalia Mogahed

230px|right|thumb|Dalia at the 's National Convention in May 2009. The MAS was founded by members of the which in its own words is dedicated to "a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ’sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands"
==Bio & News==
Dalia Mogahed is Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, a nonpartisan research center dedicated to providing data-driven analysis on the views of Muslim populations around the world. With John L. Esposito, Ph.D., she is coauthor of the book Who Speaks for Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think. Her analysis has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy magazine, the Harvard International Review, the Middle East Policy journal, and many other academic and popular journals.Gallup: Dalia Mogahed
In April 2009, the Egyptian-born Muslimah was appointed to American President Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Her job is to advise the president on the perceptions and problems facing Muslims in America.Muslim woman's appointment as Obama adviser draws cautious optimism - Noha El-Hennaway - The Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2009 According to an article from Al Arabiya News, Mogahed will brief Obama on what Muslims want from the U.S. in a bid to create channels of communication and correct the erroneous image of Muslim Americans.Egyptian-born US Muslim to advise White House - Al Arabiya News, April 21, 2009 In a May 2009 interview with Altmuslimah, she said, "There’s evidence that the media over-represents violence in all communities, but more specifically in regards to the Muslim community.""We're all working for a more well-informed citizenry" - Interview with Dalia Mogahed - Abbas Jaffer - Altmuslimah, May 8, 2009
According to World Net Daily, Mogahed was a scheduled keynote speaker at the 15th annual CAIR banquet to be held on October 24, 2009 along with the controversial Imam Siraj Wahhaj who in 1995 was named as an "unindicted persons who may be alleged as co-conspirators" in the attempt to blow up New York City monuments.CAIR: 'Moderate' friends of terror - by Daniel Pipes Days after the release of the book Muslim Mafia, her name was replaced on the list of speakers with civil rights activist Jesse Jackson; however, Mogahed's assistant said he had not been informed of any change.Meet White House adviser who supports Islamic law - Art Moore - World Net Daily, October 21, 2009 Other sources, however, state that originally she had been scheduled alongside Jesse Jackson, and it was Imam Siraj Wahhaj who replaced Mogahed.Siraj Wahaj, Jesse Jackson To Speak At CAIR Banquet - The Iconoclast - New English Review, October 22, 2009Exclusive: CAIR 15th Annual Banquet Replaces Obama Faith Advisor with Controversial Imam - The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report - Family Security Matters, October 23, 2009
==Giving legitimacy to Islamic terrorism?==
Mogahed gave an exclusive interview with IslamOnline correspondent Muhammad Qasim on April 28, 2009. According to Arab Media & Society, the body behind IslamOnline (IOL) is the Al-Balagh Cultural Society in Qatar, which was established in 1997 on the initiative of Qatari IT specialist Maryam Hasan al-Hajari and Dr. Hamid al-Ansari, a scholar at the Sharica Faculty of the University of Qatar. In its early stages the project was supported by the University of Qatar, especially by , the 1926-born, Azhar-educated Egyptian scholar and theorist of the Islamic Awakening movement who still chairs the Al-Balagh Society as of winter 2008IslamOnline.net: Independent, interactive, popular - Bettina Gräf - Arab Media & Society, Issue 4, Winter 2008 and has defended the legitimate use of against enemy combatants. 
When asked: What kind of advise[sic] would you be giving Obama to improve relations with US Muslims and the Muslim world? Dalia answered:
==Advocate of Shari'a?==
In October 2009, she appeared on Islam Channel's Muslimah Dilemma, a London-based TV discussion program hosted by Ibtihal Bsis, a member of the extremist Hizb ut-Tahrir party. Nazreen Nawaz, the group's national women's officer, appeared alongside Mogahed. Hizb ut Tahrir is also known as the Islamic Liberation party, and it calls for a global Islamic regime (the "caliphate") under shari'a law, and the destruction of the West.What do Muslims Want? A White House adviser defends sharia. - Stephen Schwartz - Weekly Standard, October 20, 2009 Islam Channel's CEO Mohamed Ali Harrath has been the subject of the Interpol red notice since 1992 because of his alleged activities in Tunisia, where he co-founded the Tunisian Islamic Front (FIT).Terrorism adviser to Met is on wanted list - Richard Kerbaj & Dominic Kennedy - Times Online, December 14, 2008
When the two members of Hizb ut-Tahrir demanded that Shari'a should be "the source of legislation" and that women should not be "permitted to hold a position of leadership in the government," Mogahed failed to challenge their views and instead defended shari'a as being misunderstood: Barack Obama adviser says Sharia Law is misunderstood - Andrew Gilligan & Alex Spillius - The Telegraph, October 8, 2009
In her first media interview following her appearance on Muslimah Dilemma, Mogahed explained that had she known the program's host or other guest were affiliated with Hitz ut-Tahir, she never would have gone on the show. She also explained that she reports, and not endorses, the views of Muslims around the world according to scientific survey research:Exclusive: White House Faith Adviser Defends Sharia Remarks - Dan Gilgoff, God & Country - U.S. News and World Report, October 22, 2009
In regards to her statements she made on the show, she said she had no regrets. She claimed that she is being falsely portrayed as endorsing sharia for women and that this has been "a case of shooting the messenger."Exclusive: White House Faith Adviser Defends Sharia Remarks - Dan Gilgoff, God & Country - U.S. News and World Report, October 22, 2009
The Spittoon blog venue posted a letter it claims was written by Mogahed to The Sunday Telegraph who originally published the article "Barack Obama adviser says Sharia Law is misunderstood." Since the letter was never published in the newspaper and the blogger's source remains anonymous, there is no way of verifying the authenticity of this letter:
==Supporting the Muslim Brotherhood?==
Dalia Mogahed is a leadership group memberLeadership Group Members - member of the U.S.-Muslim Engagement project of the U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project, which called for engagement with the Muslim Brotherhood.Changing Course - A New Direction for US Relations with the Muslim World - (US Muslim Engagement Project) The Muslim Brotherhood is dedicated, in its own words, to “a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ’sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.” An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Brotherhood in North America Mogahed was a scheduled speaker at the Islamic Circle of North America and Muslim American Society's National Convention in May 2009.The Islamic Circle of North America and Muslim American Society's National Convention, Image 1 caption - Tia Ann Chapman - Hartford Courant, May 23, 200934th ICNA-MAS Convention, Speakers 2009 The Muslim American Society (MAS) also has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. According to an article in the Chicago Tribune:A rare look at secretive Brotherhood in AmericaNoreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Sam Roe and Laurie Cohen - Chicago Tribune, September 19, 2004
Jihad Watch quoted Joseph Abram's January 8, 2009 Fox News article titled "Group That Funded Rep. Ellison's Pilgrimage to Mecca Called a Front for Extremism":
==Criticism==
Stephen Schwartz, a prominent American convert to Islam and ardent critic of Muslim fundamentalism is critical of Dalia Mogahed's views:
Dr. Elham Mane'a, a reformist Yemeni journalist, reported anxiety over Mogahed's appointment to Obama's Advisory Council because she has likely been influenced by a religious ideology more conservative than the one prevailing in Arab countries, and also because of the enthusiasm shown by Saudi-funded media outlets and the message of congratulations from a particular Muslim-American organization known for its affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. After giving some time to observe Mogahed's orientation and views, he discovered that her perception of Islam is an extremist one.Yemeni Liberal Criticizes Appointment of Dalia Mogahed as Obama's Advisor on Islam - MEMRI: Special Dispatch - No. 2518, September 4, 2009
Regarding the book she co-authored with John Esposito, he said:
Hillel Fradkin, senior fellow of the Hudson Institute where he directs its Center on Islam, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World, wrote a devastating review of Mogahed's book. The following is an excerpt from his article:
==External Links==
*Mogahed’s Excuses Don’t Add Up - Cinnamon Stillwell - Front Page Magazine, October 30, 2009
* Muslims Should Show The World Who They Are: Dalia Mogahed (interview) - The Journal of Turkish Weekly, August 29, 2009
*Gülen movement an inspiration for all, says Obama’s Muslim advisor Mogahed - Today's Zaman, June 14, 2009
*Obama's Muslim adviser calls "the Turkish Khomeini" an "inspiration" - Robert Spencer - Jihad Watch, June 14, 2009
*Fethullah Gülen: the Turkish Khomeini? - Robert Spencer - Jihad Watch, May 6, 2009
*Obama's Dangerously Multicultural Muslim Advisor: Dalia Mogahed [incl. John Esposito] - Infidel Blogger Alliance - Campus Watch, April 24, 2009
* Who speaks for Islam? How Esposito and Mogahed cooked their data to increase the number of Muslim "moderates" - Robert Spencer - Jihad Watch, May 5, 2008
*Dr. Esposito and the seven-percent solution - Martin Kramer, April 9, 2008
*Bio on Wikipedia: 
==References==
Category:MuslimsCategory:Public Figures