Summary: Arsalan Iftikhar likes to call himself a ldquo;freelance hustler.rdquo; A human rights lawyer by training, over the years hersquo;s become a fixture on CNN, NPR and other media outlets. Iftikhar is working, he says, to reframe the discussion about Islam. ldquo;I think itrsquo;s very important for Muslims, both here in America and worldwide, to tell our own narrative,rdquo; Iftikhar says. ldquo;For far too long after 9/11 we had a bunch of old white guys telling Muslims how we should act or how we should feel.rdquo; Iftikhar says too often Islam and Muslims are portrayed as violent, radical or extremist. He says hersquo;s working to counter those stereotypes and as well as other misconceptions people may hold of the faith and its practitioners. Islamic Pacifism Manifesto On September 11, 2008 he launched TheMuslimGuy.com, a website that features many of his columns and media appearances. Should you visit the site the first thing yoursquo;ll find is what he considers his ldquo;Islamic pacifism manifesto.rdquo; ldquo;I want everybody who visits the website to know exactly where I stand,rdquo; he says. ldquo;I am a proud Muslim pacifist. And, again, to shatter these generalizations about Islam and extremism being interwovenly innate within one another -- again trying to show the diversity of Muslim and Islamic thought and how you can advocate for non-violence and still be a proud, practicing Muslim.rdquo; Iftikhar says another reason he wrote his manifesto is so Muslims who may feel the same way realize they arenrsquo;t alone. ldquo;Itrsquo;s not only for myself and for the world know where I stand,rdquo; he says, ldquo;Itrsquo;s also for other Muslims worldwide to feel the confidence and courage -- to let them know that there are thought leaders out there who trying to not only dispel the stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam but that are also putting forth a new socio-political paradigms.rdquo; 'My Mona Lisa' Iftikhar hopes to reach an even wider audience with the publication of his first book next winter. ldquo;Itrsquo;s a continuation of all the work that Irsquo;ve done and sort of my Mona Lisa if you will.rdquo; He says the book should come out in January of 2011, ldquo;God willing.rdquo;
