International Council for Middle East Studies and the Council for the National Interest to host conference on American Islamophobia and Christian Zionism in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The International Council for Middle East Studies, the Council for the National Interest, and the Freda Utley Foundation are hosting “American Islamophobia and Christian Zionism” at the National Press Club (529 14th St., NW, Washington, D.C.) on Wednesday, January 30, at 12:15 p.m. Information on the program is at www.ChristianZionism.us.

“Christian Zionism, the Armageddon Lobby, and the Shaping of American Foreign Policy”

“Little understood is the major support group in America for new and unending wars in the Middle East,” commented Jon Utley, a conference speaker. “All the learned analyses one may read from American think tanks, academia, and business journals are, time and time again, shown to be irrelevant in the formulation of Washington’s foreign policy. Rather it is repeatedly made by a mix of military industrial complex interests, the Israeli (Likud) Lobby, and evangelicals who believe that Israel is part of God’s plan. These and related issues will be thoroughly discussed at our conference on January 30.”

The topics and speakers for the January 30 conference are:

“Evangelical Christian Zionism Views Islam,” by Norton Mezvinsky, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History (emeritus), Connecticut State University, and the President of the International Council for Middle East Studies (ICMES), who will define evangelical Christian Zionism and focus upon its antagonism directed against Islam and Muslims.

“The Cultural and Historical Context of 'Islam in Christian-Zionist thought' in America” by Fuad Sha’ban, Ph.D., Vice President of Yarmouk Private University in Syria, who will survey the development of some concepts of Christian Zionism in American history from the pilgrims to the second half of the nineteenth century.

“The Political Impact of Christian Zionism, ” by Phil Giraldi, Ph.D., Director of the Council for the National Interest, who will address the real world consequences of the alliance of Christian fundamentalists with the Israel/Likud Lobby in the United States.

“Christian Zionism, the Armageddon Lobby, and the Shaping of American Foreign Policy,” by Jon Utley, associate publisher of The American Conservative, who will discuss the Jewish resistance to Likud Zionism, and the push for new wars in the Middle East by evangelical leaders.

Reservations are requested and can be made online at www.ChristianZionism.us or by contacting Fran Griffin at [e-mail].