International Institute of Islamic Thought
| Abbreviation | IIIT |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1981 |
| Type | non-profit |
| Purpose | Working from an Islamic perspective to promote and support research projects, organize intellectual and cultural meetings, and publish scholarly works. |
| Headquarters | 555 Grove Street, Herndon, Virginia |
| Website | IIIT.org |
The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) is a privately held non-profit organization.
The Institution is concerned with issues of Islamic thought. It was founded in 1981 in Pennsylvania, and is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, in the suburbs of Washington DC.
Controversy has surrounded Islamist radicalism at the Institute, which was founded with seed money from the Muslim Brotherhood. The FBI has raided the Institute seeking evidence of contributing terrorists, while members have been arrested and found to be active leaders of terrorist organizations. An Institute book justified jihad against Israel and as liberation struggle, not terrorism.
The Executive Director and Director of Research at IIIT, Dr. Louay Safi, is currently professor at Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies in Doha, Qatar and political spokesman for the Syrian National Council.
The Institute describes itself as an intellectual forum working from an Islamic perspective to promote and support research projects, organize intellectual and cultural meetings, and publish scholarly works.
The Institute publishes works produced by its own research programs, as well as contributions from around the world, in Arabic, English, and other major languages. IIIT publications include over 400 titles, distributed in various series and topics, in addition to quarterly journals in English and Arabic.
A book by IIIT official Abdul Hamid AbuSulayman entitled "Violence," published in 2001, said Israel is a "foreign usurper" that must be confronted with "fear, terror and lack of security." The book maintained "Fighting is a duty of the oppressed people." Palestinian fighters must choose their targets "whether the targets are civilian or military," it said, adding that any such attacks should not be "excessive." The book said such attacks were justified acts of a liberation struggle, not terrorism.
The Institute was founded in 1981 by members of the Muslim brotherhood (i.e. Dr. Jamal Bazinji, Dr. Hisham Yahya Altalib, Dr. 'Abdul Hamid Ahmad Abu Sulayman, etc.) and with seed money from the Muslim Brotherhood. It has branches and offices in a number of major cities worldwide.
...
Wikipedia