Lauve Steenhuisen is a visiting assistant professor in the department of theology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She focuses on how theologies are used by states and governing bodies. She teaches a course called “The State and the Veil” that looks at how the Quran is used by governments in issues that surround the […]

The American Islamic Congress was founded after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and works to fight steroetypes about Islam and battle extremism and terrorism. It runs programs in the U.S. and overseas. Zainab Al-Suwaij is executive director.

Farah Pandith is an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, where she is an expert on the Islamic State group and its efforts to recruit young Muslims. She is writing a book on extremism. Contact via her research assistant, Zach Shapiro.

Angel Rabasa is a senior political analyst for the Rand Corp. in Washington. He has written widely on Islamic extremism in Turkey, India, East Africa and Southeast Asia. Contact via Rand’s Office of Media Relations.

Alyssa Ayres is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on religious extremism in Bangladesh. She testified about religious extremism in Bangladesh before Congress. Contact via her research associate, Ashlyn Anderson.

The Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion is a project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and works to promote dialogue and understanding between scientific and religious communities, groups and individuals. It is based in Washington, D.C., and Jennifer Wiseman is its director.

Nathan C. Walker is president of 1791 Delegates, a public charity named after the year the Bill of Rights was ratified. He regularly writes about freedom of religion or belief in the U.S. and international contexts. Walker is a Unitarian Universalist minister and received his Master of Divinity degree in religion and education from Union Theological […]

Peter Mandaville is a professor of international affairs and a senior fellow at the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University in Virginia. He writes on political Islam and the origins of mainstream Islamism. As a senior visiting expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace with the religion and inclusive societies […]

Michael De Dora is director of the Center for Inquiry’s Office of Public Policy and the organization’s representative to the United Nations. He also serves as president of the United Nations NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief.