This research project was co-sponsored by KARAMAH and the Pluralism Project at Harvard University. The KARAMAH project emerged in response to the expansion of the Muslim community in the United States. This expansion, naturally, was accompanied by an increase in the number and types of conflicts within the community. For example, Recent studies showed that the divorce rate among Muslims living in the United States increased to 30% in recent years. In addition, the sprouting of mosques in most cities and towns was also accompanied by increased conflicts among mosque members on how to run the affairs and activities of their mosques. Within this context, KARAMAH's Dispute Resolution Board decided to conduct research with members of the Muslim community in the Washington, DC area. The purpose of the research project was to assess community members' perspectives on the prevalence of certain conflicts in their communities. In particular, the project focused on such questions about how conflicts are handled and how models of professional Islamic mediation could contribute to the effective resolution of such conflict?

This project has been successfully completed, and the Conflict Resolution Board is studying the results in order to plan further educational programs.