Dear Friends

Ramadan Mubarak! May the blessings of the Almighty God be upon you, your family, and all of humanity during this holy month of prayers and fasting!

May the blessings and joy of this month unite the global family together in our collective struggle for peace, justice, and tolerance, both in our private lives and in the governance of our societies.   Please see the following link for a special Ramadan greeting from CSID:

http://www65.123greetings.com/card/10/15/08/58/CU21015085818578.html

(click on PLAY after opening the page)

CSID would also like to invite you for a special Ramadan Iftaar Dinner on Friday, October 29 at the CSID office at 2121 K Street, NW, Suite 700 , in Washington DC . The theme will be, "How to Improve the Image of Islam in The United States?" We are very pleased to have invited two Muslim women, a filmmaker and a scholar, to speak to us on this subject:

Dr. Aziza al-Hibri

Islamic Scholar, Author, and Professor of Law at the University of Richmond and President of Karamah (Muslim Women Lawyers For Human Rights).  Please see: http://www.karamah.org/bio_azizah.htm

Anisa Mehdi

Whetstone Productions, Director of the award-winning PBS Special "Inside Mecca ." For more information about Anisa, please see: http://www.ibaradio.org/aboutus/staff/mehdi.htm

The purpose of the program is to address how we can restore Islam's image and credibility during a time of intense public scrutiny.  Several CSID board members as well as staff members will also be present.

The Dinner will start promptly at 6:00 PM (with Maghrib prayer) and the presentation/discussions will begin at 7:00 and end around 8:30 PM.  Tickets are $20 (suggested donation).  We strongly encourage all to attend and to bring friends, both Muslim and non-Muslim alike.

For more information, please contact CSID at: zahir@islam-democracy.org or 202-942-2183