Dalia Mogahed's Interview Regarding Sharia Law

October 10, 2009

Dear Mr. Harnden,

I am writing in response to the Oct. 8 article "Barack Obama adviser says Sharia Law is misunderstood" by Mr. Gilligan and Mr. Spillius.

I was on the Muslimah Dilemma program as an independent pollster, not a pundit and certainly not "Obama's advisor." I did not take issue with the objectionable remarks of the host or the guest because, as a Gallup analyst, my job is to explain the opinions of others, in this case Muslims around the world, and not to present my personal opinions. I do not in any way endorse Hizb ut Tahrir. My participation in the program does not serve as endorsement of any group or cause.

My staff and I did not find out the affiliation of the host nor other guest until she was introduced on air during the program, and we would not have agreed to the interview had we known ahead of time. It appears that my appearance was meant to score propaganda points for the ideological movement. Unfortunately, the Daily Telegraph's publicity and misrepresentation of my appearance may have delivered to the group exactly this victory.

Sincerely,

Dalia Mogahed

Executive Director & Senior Analyst

The Center for Muslim Studies

GALLUP

901 F Street NW

Washington, DC 20004

Articles relating to the appearance:

• Watch the complete interview from Muslimah Dilemma
• Read an interview with U.S. News & World Report about the appearance and subsequent media coverage
• Read an article in The Washington Post about the appearance
• Read the Media Matters report on how her appearance was incorrectly reported
• Iranians, Egyptians, Turks: Contrasting Views on Sharia
• Many Turks, Iranians, Egyptians Link Sharia and Justice
• Who Are Muslims? An Excerpt From Who Speaks for Islam?
• Islam and Democracy
• Perspectives of Women in the Muslim World