Author and terrorism expert will lead Project on Religion, Politics and Radicalism
Washington, D.C. (April 2, 2007) –Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, author of the book My Year Inside Radical Islam, has joined the Foundation for Defense of Democracies as a senior fellow and will lead its Project on Religion, Politics and Radicalism.
"Daveed is one of the few terrorism experts who knows militant Islam from the inside," said FDD President Clifford May. "His experiences as an unwitting member of an al-Qaeda front group give him unique insight into the methods, ideologies, and goals of the terrorists who seek to destroy our way of life. He is an accomplished researcher and creative thinker whose work will help the policy community, the media and the general public better comprehend the nature of the terrorist threat and what we must do to defeat it."
Born into a secular Jewish family, Gartenstein-Ross converted to Islam in his early twenties and worked for the head U.S. office of the Al Haramain Islamic Foundation, an international Wahhabi charity that was a major al-Qaeda financier. Prior to 9/11, Gartenstein-Ross left the Islamic faith for Christianity. By the time the FBI raided the Al Haramain offices where he had worked, he was ready to assist the investigation. This experience is detailed in his first book, My Year Inside Radical Islam.
Gartenstein-Ross will lead FDD's Project on Religion, Politics and Radicalism, which will address difficult ideological questions related to the global war on terror that often go under-studied. The Project on Religion, Politics and Radicalism is designed to help the U.S. better engage in the "war of ideas," and forge more effective alliances with Muslim moderates.
Gartenstein-Ross is a recognized expert on terrorist movements, militant Islam, and the legal aspects of the war on terror. He has testified before the U.S. Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, discussing religious radicalization in prisons. He writes academic articles related to the global war on terror for such publications as Middle East Quarterly, The N.Y.U. Law Review and The N.Y.U. Journal of International Law & Politics. He has also written for a number of popular publications, including Reader's Digest, Commentary, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Weekly Standard, and The Dallas Morning News. A complete list of his articles can be found at http://www.daveedgr.com/publications/.
A frequent commentator on national and international radio and television, Daveed has appeared on al-Jazeera, Hannity & Colmes (Fox News), Paula Zahn Now (CNN), Glenn Beck on Headline News (CNN), Your World with Neil Cavuto (Fox News), The 700 Club (CBN), ABC News Now, NPR, The Laura Ingraham Show, The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly, and The Michael Medved Show.
His previous positions include commercial litigator at Boies, Schiller & Flexner and law clerk on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He received his law degree from the New York University School of Law and his bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University.