Physically aligned as they are toward Mecca, the daily prayers and lifetime pilgrimages of Muslims around the world--hundreds of millions of spokes of religious practice--surround and sustain the Arabian hub of Islam as religious practice. Yet the demographic center of gravity of the Muslim world could hardly be farther from the Middle East. For it is in the vast arc of Asia, in countries such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Malaysia, that the great majority of the world's Muslims live. How, if at all, does this striking difference between ritual focus and social fact affect the outlooks and actions of Asian Muslims? What, roughly, is the balance of militancy and toleration in this Asian context, especially in ethnically and religiously plural societies such as Malaysia? Is it realistic to think that Asian attitudes and behaviors could form the basis for a 21st-century reformation and renaissance of Islam in which the jihadist passions of Al Qaeda and the purist strictures of the House of Saud would be refuted and shunned in favor of intercultural cooperation and liberal democracy? Or has the American-Afghan crisis, on the contrary, ignited a chain reaction of sympathy for Arab (and Pashtun) resentments that will inflame Asian Muslims against unbelievers? Finally, what relevance do these questions have for the people and policies of the United States? Karim Raslan is one of Southeast Asia's leading public intellectuals. His diverse interests run from constructing fictional plots to restructuring all-too-real bankruptcies. When he is not writing short stories and newspaper commentaries, or appearing on CNN or the BBC, he partners a highly regarded Malaysian law firm, Raslan Loong. His first novel, Desire--the first of four planned volumes about a family of Malay Muslims--will be published next fall. A third collection of his short stories should be out next spring. His syndicated column, "Eye in Asia," appears weekly in newspapers in Malaysia and Singapore, and is often reprinted elsewhere in Asia and Australia. The specialties of his law firm include corporate finance, capital markets, and information technology. He is presently a visiting scholar at Columbia University. When he is not traveling, Mr. Raslan lives in Malaysia.

A one-day conference organized by Shorenstein APARC brought together 110 distinguished participants from India, the United States, Israel, Taiwan, Europe, and Latin America. The program's objective was to inform and educate India's IT policymakers and practitioners on India's enabling environment with respect to regulation, governance, access to capital, and technological capabilities. The proceedings of this conference are available as an Shorenstein APARC publication, prepared by Dr. Rafiq Dossani.

Mr. Bhatnagar will focus on the considerations that guide and motivate large companies to seek markets in developing economies and the risks that they face in being early pioneers. He will speak from his experiences in developing projects and working in Asian economies, with special reference to Enron's experience in India in developing and financing the Dabhol Power Project, the largest independent power plant and LNG terminal in India.

The Dabhol Project is a $3 billion investment in an LNG-fired power plant and port infrastructure in India and typifies the challenges large investments face in developing economies such as India. Projects such as Dabhol can help kickstart infrastructure investments in developing economies; investments that these countries sorely need and the talk will focus on the the hurdles the project has faced over the years and overcome and the efforts of a country to balance the vested interests in the economy with the need for new investment.

Sanjay Bhatnagar is currently working on developing and investing in several energy and telecommunication projects in India and the U.S. as a free agent based out of New York. Until recently, Mr. Bhatnagar was the CEO of Enron Broadband Services in the Middle East and Asia in Singapore responsible for developing Enron's telecommunication business in the region. Mr. Bhatnagar received his MBA from Harvard University in 1993, a Master's in Engineering from Stanford University in 1989 and a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering with distinction from the Indian Institute of Technology in 1983.

Elaine Sciolino, Senior Writer, Washington Bureau, New York Times, will speak on her new book Persian Mirrors: The Illusive Face of Iran.

The Israeli economy is in an age of change. It is changing at a fundamental level from labor-intensive, low technology industries to cutting edge high technology products aimed for export markets. Now that Israel is a major source of innovation, technology has become a source of significant connections with Silicon Valley. Major activities between the US and Israel are growing, and the trend, particularly with Silicon Valley, is now stronger than ever. What are the major kinds of ties between Israel and Silicon Valley? And what factors are driving the economic activities in Israel? Yishai Laks holds the position of the Government of Israel's Consul for Economic Affairs for the United States Northwest region (including Northern California, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana). From his headquarters in Santa Clara, California, Mr. Laks directs all aspects of economics relationships between the region and Israel, assisting US companies in establishing investments, joint ventures, and trade relationships with Israel and Israeli companies. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Laks served as Economic Advisor to the Director General in Israel's Ministry of Industry and Trade from 1994 to 1997. During his tenure, he advised the Director General on all aspects of the Ministry tasks and work. From 1992 to 1994 Mr. Laks was in charge of the trade between Israel and the East European and EFTA countries at the Foreign Trade Administration. Mr. Laks received his B.A. and M.B.A. from Tel-Aviv University, Israel emphasizing in Marketing and International Management.