Daisy Khan
Daisy Khan
Co-Founder
American Society of Muslim AdvancementDaisy Khan is a builder. Formerly an interior architect for corporate clients, Daisy now constructs intellectual and emotional bridges between the Muslim community and the American public, encouraging a pluralism movement extending beyond the United States. Following the events of September 11, 2001, Daisy worked with Muslim-American youth, helping them cope with the public response to the attacks and the subsequent backlash against the Islamic faith. As the wife of an imam, Daisy felt compelled to transition from her internal leadership role in her mosque to an external one, acting as a counsel and representative in a time of great uncertainty. Daisy is now working to dispel the myths associated with her religion, focusing on three fundamental issues: the belief that Islam is a violent religion; the suppression of Muslim women; and the absence of a Muslim spokesperson in the United States. First, she hopes to tackle the enormous disparities in treatment faced by Muslim women. In November 2006, Daisy organized over 100 prominent Muslim women to promote unity and equality and create a worldwide support network. In addition to her work with women, she is fostering discussion among the next generation of Muslim-Americans on issues of tolerance and interfaith understanding. Through her initiatives with women and youth, Daisy is creating an alliance of change makers to challenge the violent strain of Islam throughout the world. Daisy maintains: “Islam shares the ethical foundations of Christianity and Judaism: To love God and our fellow human being, commit to social justice, diversity, and pluralism, and struggle for moral uprightness.”
Daisy co-founded the American Society for Muslim Advancement in 2001 with her husband Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. She was born in Kashmir, India. She frequently lectures in the United States and internationally about religious pluralism and women’s rights. Daisy has appeared on numerous television networks, including PBS, BBC, CNN, National Geographic, and Al Jazeera. She has also been featured in Time magazine, Newsweek, The New York Times, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Saudi Gazette, and Khaleej Times. She is the recipient of the Interfaith Center Award for Promoting Peace and Interfaith Understanding, the Auburn Seminary’s Lives of Commitment Award, and the Annual Faith Leaders Award.
For more on Daisy Khan:
Ground Zero Mosque Founder: ‘We Want to Repair the Breach’
By Tamer El-Ghobashy, Wall Street Journal
August 2, 2010
Proposed Muslim Community Center Near Ground Zero: 'A Slap in the Face' or 'Repairing the Breach?'
By Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Huffington Post
May 21, 2010
Cordoba House: Hope from the Ashes of Tragedy
By Sheila Musaji, The American Muslim
May 20, 2010
Possible New Neighbor to WTC Hopes to Build on Good Faith
By Ishita Singh, Downtown Express
May 14-20, 2010
New York Mosque Reveals Muslim Understanding of Religious Tolerance
By Martin Barillas, EnerPub
May 10, 2010
Near Ground Zero, a Mosque Moves In and Meets the Neighbors
By Aaron Rutkoff, Wall Street Journal
May 5, 2010
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