Dalia Mogahed: First Muslim Woman Appointed to Advise President

The number of Muslims in the United States today is estimated to be between 6-8 million. According to several surveys commissioned between 2006-2008, African-Americans make up about 25% of the Muslim population of the U.S.

With promises to reign in a new era of diplomacy in the Middle East, President Barack Obama signed an executive order in February creating the first “Office of Religious Partnerships.” The office serves as a resource to nonprofits and community organizations, both religious and secular, and includes an advisory council to help administer interfaith dialogue.

Among the recent appointments to the council is Dalia Mogahed, Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. Most notably, Ms. Mogahed is the first Muslim woman to serve as an advisor to the White House.

“The key idea of the council is to tap into the energy and wisdom of religious organizations and leaders who focus on faith groups to solve common problems”

Dalia Mogahed, White House advisor

The Egyptian-born American who heads the Gallup American Center for Muslim Studies, a non-governmental research center providing data-driven analysis on the views of Muslim populations around the world, became the first Muslim veiled woman to be appointed to a position in the White House.

"I am much honored to be given this opportunity to serve my country in this way," Mogahed, who will be Obama's window into the Muslim American community, told AlArabiya.net.

Most notably, Ms. Mogahed is the first Muslim woman to serve as an advisor to the White House.

She was a key advisor on the president’s trip to Cairo, where she recommended several points to emphasize, which included the need for mutual respect between governments and equal participation and cooperation in addressing global issues.

Qualifications:

"Dalia knows the Muslim community and all that she says comes from her work at Gallup, which is fact based and is the opposite of the experts we often see on TV who speak, not based on facts, but on ideology"

Jihad Saleh Williams, Congressional Muslim Staffers

Mogahed’s appointment comes at a critical time given the rising tide of Islamophobia in the media and within some academic circles.

“I am very happy that Dalia was asked to be part of this advisory group because she represents a unique position,” Jihad Saleh Williams, from Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, told AlArabiya.net.

“There is always the question of who are the experts? Who speaks about Muslims? That is on the minds of policy makers and people in general,” said Williams. “Dalia knows the Muslim community and all that she says comes from her work at Gallup, which is fact-based and is the opposite of the ‘experts’ we often see on TV who speak, not based on facts, but on ideology. Dalia is the fact-based alternative to that,” he explained.

Personal Life:

Dalia Mogahed's family emigrated to the U.S. from Egypt when she was 5 years old. She is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Ms. Mogahed now lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and two sons.

Education:

Ms. Mogahed has an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering and a Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Pittsburg.

Previous Experience:

Prior to being appointed to a White House advisory position, Dalia Mogahed most recently served as a Senior Analyst at Gallup and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. In this role, she organized global research surveys to examine Muslims' beliefs regarding education, religion, democracy, culture, financial prosperity, and the media.

She also has directed the Muslim-West Facts Initiative, a partnership between Gallup and the Coexist Foundation to share findings of the Gallup World Poll with leaders in the Muslim World and the West.

In addition, she is a member of Women in International Security and the Crisis in the Middle East Task Force at the Brookings Institute.

Published Writing:

With John Esposito, Ms. Mogahed is the coauthor of the book "Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think" (Gallup Press, March 2008). Purchase: Compare Prices

Dalia Mogahed has also published her analysis through articles in The Wall Street Journal, the Harvard International Review, the Middle East Policy journal, and many other journals.

For a video featuring Dalia Mogahed visit:
http://evideo.alarabiya.net/ShowClip.aspx?clipid=2009.04.21.12.56.19.998

By Heba Hossam

References:

·         http://www.gallup.com/consulting/worldpoll/26554/dalia-mogahed.aspx

·         http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/04/21/71127.html

·         http://islam.about.com/od/currentissues/p/mogahed.htm