Dr. Maher M. Hathout, a leading spokesperson for the American Muslim community, is an international figure who is highly regarded as a positive voice of Islam offering a unique and valuable perspective on national and international issues involving Muslims. An Internist and Cardiologist by profession, Dr. Hathout has had his own practice since 1976 in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease in the city of Duarte, California.

Among the numerous offices he holds, Dr. Hathout is the Senior Advisor of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), which was established in 1988 to make Islamic ethical values available to the American political process. He is the Spokesperson and former Chairman of the Islamic Center of Southern California. He has recently become a Charter Member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, the western partner of the Council on Foreign Relations, and joined the Board of Directors of the Interfaith Alliance.

Dr. Hathout has been invited to Capitol Hill and the State Department several times to address a variety of topics such as "Islam and U.S. Policy," "Islamic Democracy," "Emerging Trends in Islamic Movements," and "the Future of the Middle East." He has traveled to Australia, Egypt, Kuwait, Malaysia, Pakistan, and South Africa to lecture on Islam and Muslims.

Dr. Hathout has written extensively on Islam, human rights, democracy, Middle East politics, and Bosnia. His articles and interviews have appeared in such prominent newspapers as The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Christian Science Monitor. He appears frequently on television and radio talk shows, including C-SPAN, KABC, KCBS, KNBC, KCET, KCAL, KNX, KFWB, KPFK, AND KFI.