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MLT – Opening Comments

Ministry of Integration in Denmark 1. Daisy Khan’s opening a. Conference planned before cartoon crisis in Copenhagen b. Now need to heal wounds c. Introducing Susanne Clausen from Integration Ministry 2. Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs 3. Danish gov’t had no control over publication of cartoons in private newspapers a. Could emphasize freedom of speech, freedom of religion were co-existent b. Protests in Denmark were peaceful i. International scene clouded scene in Denmark c. 210,000 (3.9%) population is Muslim d. 85 approved communities, 19 of which are Muslim (aside from National Church) e. 120 prayer rooms f. Muslims are free…

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,…

PFBC – Pluralism [updated]

In anticipation of a panel I’m on on diversity, here are two quotes from Diana Eck on the topic. (Thanks to one of the other panelists, Emily Ronald, for finding and supplying them.) “What then, is pluralism? The word has been used so widely and freely as a virtual synonym for such terms as relativism, subjectivism, multiculturalism, and globalism that we need to stop for a moment and think clearly about what it does and does not mean. Pluralism is but one of several responses to diversity and to modernity. It is an interpretation of plurality, an evaluation of religious…