Is it 1909 or 2009 in Philly?

Chair Shiraz Hajiani. Raised in E. Africa, of S. Asian descent. Talks about Texas cyanide arrests; Saudi banning of Jewish tourists; Title VI issues. Mentions they relate to each of the three panels: Public Policy, Interfaith, and Education. Mentions this is the fifth conference. First four chairs were all women; mentions ethnicities: African-American, European-American, South Asian American, Central Asian American. Observant Jews will not be in attendance today because of Sabbath and Purim. Will be present tomorrow. Introduces Karen Leonard.

Islamoyankee gave me the opening by speaking of urbanism, so I am going to commence by walking through the door of architecture. It is probably apparent to those who have read my previous postings that I am not a scholar of Islam. I am infact an architect by training and an project administrator by profession. It is through my affiliation with architecture that my understanding of the problems that afflict and affect the Muslim world are framed. I would like to share with you some readings on architecture that may also help the reader understand the current crisis in the…

lotfollah mosque, isfahan oct. 2007 Originally uploaded by seier+seier+seier. It’s just an awesome photo.