Islamic Partnership Initiative - Additional Information

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Purpose:

The purpose of the Islamic Partnership Initiative is to promote mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation between U.S. communities and Muslim communities through Sister Cities partnerships, educational outreach and joint programs.

Goals:

• Strengthen the existing Sister Cities partnerships in the Muslim world and form new partnerships.

• Demonstrate through these sisters city partnerships that mutual respect and understanding can be built and sustained between the United States and the Muslim world.

• Tell the remarkable stories of these partnerships and programs to help inform and educate the American public about the positive impact of citizen diplomacy.

Why is the Islamic Partnership Initiative a priority?

• Sister Cities International believes that our unique international network of community-based partnerships with cities and villages abroad can foster better mutual understanding and positive engagement between nations and cultures.
• The Muslim world is underserved by Sister Cities International. Sister Cities International represents more than 2,400 partnerships worldwide, but less than 4% of these are in Muslim communities.
• Sister Cities International seeks to positively impact public perception and opinion of Muslim countries and people.
  • Forty-six percent of Americans have a negative view of Islam. (up by 7% over October 2001) (Washington Post/ABC News, March, 2006)
  • One-in-four Americans believes that Islam is a religion of hatred and violence. (CAIR, March, 2006)
  • About 50% of Americans are unable to respond to the question "What do you admire most about the Muslim world?"(Gallup, February, 2006)
  • Thirty-nine percent of Americans feel some prejudice towards Muslims. (USA Today/Gallup, August, 2006)
  • Roughly two-thirds of Americans (65%) say they know little or nothing about Islam and its practices. (Pew, July, 2005)
  • Anti-Americanism is intensifying and spreading in the Muslim world. (Pew, March, 2007
    
• In spite of the negative findings, evidence suggests that partnerships and programs between the U.S. and Muslim world have a positive impact:
  • A Gallup poll found that when an American personally knows a Muslim, their view of Islam become more positive. (Gallup, August, 2006)
  • Muslims that have had contact with Americans and/or the United States have better impressions of the United States. (Zogby, 2004)
  • Majorities of both Americans and residents of the Muslim world care about improving relations. (Gallup, 2006)
  • Muslims responded to a question about what the West could do to improve relations with the Muslim world by saying that the West could demonstrate more understanding and respect for Islam. (Gallup, 2006)
  • Americans have more positive views of Muslims than they do about Islam. (Pew, July, 2005)
  • Following significant U.S. humanitarian efforts to Muslim countries, anti-Americanism has declined. Example: Before the tsunami in Indonesia in 2005, favorable views of the U.S. were at 15%. After the tsunami and U.S. assistance, favorable views of the U.S. jumped to 38%. (Pew, March, 2007)

Ongoing Activities:

1. Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program: Sister Cities International collaborates with four other organizations to administer a high school exchange program for students from Muslim majority countries to spend one year in the United States and attend a leadership summit sponsored by Sister Cities International. (2003-present)
2. Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program: Sister Cities International collaborated with Legacy International, AMIDEAST and the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) to create a unique month-long experience, in which Iraqi high schools students live with an American host family, attend a Global Citizens Camp and lastly spend a week in Washington, D.C.
3. Waging Peace in our Communities: Sister Cities International has launched an innovative trans-continental project in France.One hundred community leaders from both countries discussed how to foster minority participation and inclusion within community life. Four U.S. - France sister city pairs participated in the three-day dialogue in Lyon. (2007-present)
4. Wheelchairs for Peace: With this humanitarian project, local communities fundraise to send wheelchair shipments to international Sister Cities communities. (2002-present)
5. Islamic Partnership Initiative Task Force: the IPI Task Force advises on strategies to increase the number of U.S. communities partnering with Muslim communities. (2004-present)
6. Sister Cities International Annual Conference sessions: Sister Cities International has organized a variety of educational conference sessions and workshops related to the Islamic Partnership Initiative at the organization's annual conferences. (2004-present)

Completed Activities:

1. U.S - Iraq International Partners for Peace: this public-private partnership program was designed to increase communication, cooperation and understanding between the people of the United States and the people of Iraq. The U.S. Department of State funded each partnership with a $20,000 seed grant over a 24-month timeframe. The partnerships focused on humanitarian assistance projects. (2004-2005)
2. Peace and Friendship Mission to Morocco: Sister Cities International coordinated a joint trip package to Morocco in March of 2006. The delegation visited the cities of Rabat, Fez, Marrakech, and Casablanca. In addition to day trips, delegates attended a one-day conference titled "Islamic Dialogue: The Future of Citizen Diplomacy." (2006)
3. Partnership and Peace Tour to Egypt: Forty-two delegates traveled to Egypt as part of the 2007 Tour. In addition to site-seeing, delegates attended events aimed at raising the visibility of sister cities in Egypt. Delegates visited Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and Alexandria. (2007)
4. Partnership and Peace Tour to Israel and Jordan: Nineteen citizen diplomats traveled to Israel, Jordan and the West Bank to promote sister cities activity in the region and attend the Union of Local Authorities in Israel International Conference on Twinning and Municipal Organizations. (2008)
   

How can communities get involved in this effort?

• Participate in a Sister Cities International Partnership and Peace Tour.

• Plan a community dialogue about Islam or a related issue. Invite Muslims in your community to participate. Toolkits for dialogues can be found on our website.

• Visit the Cities Seeking Cities portion of the Sister Cities International website to find Muslim or U.S. cities currently seeking new partnerships.

• If you cannot find a suitable match for your city, contact Jennifer Oliver to explore other communities for partnership.

• Host a high school exchange student from a Muslim country through the YES program. Contact Mary Ferrara from AYUSA for more information.
  

• Launch a fundraising project to aid a Muslim community in need. Other U.S. communities have fundraised for Wheelchairs For Peace, Operation Iraqi Children, and American Corners.

• Visit the Islamic Partnership Initiative portion of the Sister Cities International website for a wealth of information about the Initiative and related activities.

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