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Newsday on America to Zanzibar

Here is a Newsday article on the exhibit America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far, at The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, for which I was the lead academic advisor. It’s a good chance to shout out my friends from high school. “Our goal is to have children deal with differences in a healthy, positive way and encourage them to be inquisitive while exploring the world instead of running away from its differences,” Rashid said, an experience not so different from his years growing up in Elmont.  

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…

MLT – The New Cordoba

New Cordoba 1. Reza Aslan a. Daisy quotes from former CEO of HPs comments on Islam after 9/11 as set-up for Cordoba b. PPT presented as written by Shafique Walji (staff volunteer) c. Challenge master narrative of what went wrong i. Islam achieved something great and then went into steady decline d. Introduce Cordoba to get to the discussion i. Basic history of Islamic expansion ii. Expansion of knowledge, and development of institutions of learning iii. Reasons for decline from zenith 1. Seljuq advancement 2. Mongol invasion 3. Advancement of European pardigm iv. Cultural renaissance with Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals,…