Salam Al-Marayati
Nationally recognized for his commitment to improving the public understanding of Islam and policies impacting American Muslims, Salam is president and co-founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. He oversees MPAC’s groundbreaking civic engagement, public policy, and advocacy work.
He is an expert on Islam in the West, Muslim reform movements, human rights, democracy, national security, and Middle East politics. He has spoken at the White House, Capitol Hill and represented the U.S. at international human rights and religious freedom conferences.
His writings have appeared in every major national news publication (including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times). Read his most recent op-ed in the Chicago Sun Times on why Muslims will keep facing hate crimes if Congress stays silent.
Over the years, his interviews have been featured on national and international news outlets (including ABC, CNN, CBS MSNBC, Fox News, and C-SPAN). Listen to Salam on CNN Newsroom discuss why American Muslim voters are hesitant to trust the Biden-Harris Administration.
Abstract
Salam Al-Marayati offered an in-depth reflection on the foundational compatibility between Islam and democracy. Drawing upon the Medina Constitution, he illustrated how its principles, religious freedom, justice, consultation (shura), and the rule of law, mirror the values enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. He criticized modern Islamic governments and political movements for betraying these values, despite invoking Islamic legitimacy.
Al-Marayati also warned of parallel trends in the West, where rising oligarchic control mirrors the decline of democratic principles in Islamic history under dynastic and tribal rule. He urged a revival of democratic commitment rooted not only in religious tradition but in national identity and civic engagement. His remarks concluded with a call to reclaim the democratic spirit of Medina to counter both regional authoritarianism and global democratic erosion.
