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Grass Roots Development May Hold Promise in the Muslim World

I would actually hope that it holds promise for everyone: There is, Khan averred, a “dominant player fallacy” or the tendency to place “too much reliance in national governments and other institutions which may have relatively superficial connections to life at the grass-roots level.” Thus, “urban-based outsiders often look at these situations from the perspective of the city center looking out to a distant countryside, searching for quick and convenient levers of influence.” The secret, then, is to work “from the bottom up” and not from the top down, as is so often the case. As he told the dinner…

The Cordoba Initiative

I would like to direct your attention to the Cordoba Initiative. Although their tagline “Improving Muslim-West Relations” would have you think that they are unaware of the last generation of civilizational debates and identity politics, they actually show a lot of potential. There are some good people working there and their contacts are deep. Poke around, have fun, and tell them to change their tagline. The best part is that they promise to be a media portal. If they would only supply donuts, I would be truly happy.

MLT – Pluralism in Islam

Faiz Khan need to define terms or can’t have a conversation share points of view don’t walk on eggshells shari’a: etymology-path [to water]; often translated as law; more similar to dharma, why you conduct your life pluralism: acceptability/embrac e of more than one way or modality of expression or behavior pluralism as applied to doctrine: pluralism of world-view theocentric (taqwa) theoreductionist (only worried about God occasionally) theophobic (God not on the radar, but not atheism) inter-religious pluralism exclusivisim vs. pluralism (only we are saved) peaceful coexistence at the level of worldly operations convert them?/tolerate and pity them?/embrace and recognize their…