In 2006, the National Peace Foundation was awarded a competitive grant through the U.S. Department of State. The grant, entitled Islam in America: New Dimensions in Activism, Pluralism, and Thought, allows for  study through observation of the role religion plays within various societies around the world. This NPF program, co-sponsored with the Islamic Society of North America, is a citizen exchange program focused on building a dialogue between Muslim thinkers, practitioners, writers, and activists from Arab countries with leaders in the United States from various religious backgrounds, fostering an environment of multi-faith exchange. Additionally, participants meet with Muslims in America who are active in religious and cultural Islamic work in the US. The program was divided into two sections, Religion and Society for the 2008 delegations and Faith and Community for 2009. Multi-faith delegations of citizen leaders from the United States also travel to the Middle East to meet with their counterparts.   Participants attend workshops, meetings, seminars and other experiential events related to themes such as:

• Day-to-day Practice of Islam in America


• Experience of America’s Religious Pluralism


• Successful Experience of Women: Muslims and Others


• Building Religious and Social Communities


• Scholarship of Religious Study

Several goals of the Interfaith Dialogue Program are:

• To create and sustain a mutually beneficial relationship where both groups learn from each other about their experiences and thinking.


• To discuss the compatibility of religious practice and democratic social and political values and structures.


• To discuss the benefits produced by coexistence among religious communities, and religious practice in a multicultural, multi-religious context. 

These delegations have built multi-national partnerships around an issue that is often times fraught with ignorance and fear. Our exchanges work to dispel myths and have resulted in mutual understanding and respect.