Sounds of Faith at the National Museum of American History

Islam in America: What you don’t know about Islam’s U.S. roots. “A lot of people might assume Muslim immigration started in 1965 when the U.S. had a period of immigration reform, others will date it back to the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, yet others to the 9/11 attacks, but usually no one looks farther back than the 1960s and certainly not beyond the 20th century for this history at the popular level,” said Hussein Rashid, who teaches at Columbia University.

Islam scholar Bernard Lewis left unfair legacy of disdain for Muslims – Religion News ServiceReligion News Service. Lewis’ transformation from scholar to neo-imperialist was not sudden, but there is a hint to be found in “The Assassins.” Originally published in 1967, it is an erudite work that sought to correct the record on the Nizari Isma’ilis, a Shiite Muslim community that had long been maligned as consumers of hashish, known in Arabic as “hashashin,” which transformed into the word “assassin.” The book fascinated me because it was a scholarly book at a time when scholarship was rarely applied to such topics.…

I will be a panelist after a play at Princeton. McCarter Theatre. Hoodwinked is a riveting exploration of Islamist extremism sparked by the 2009 mass shooting on the Army base in Fort Hood, Texas. Created by the multi-award-winning playwright, Emily Mann (McCarter Theatre Artistic Director), the play asks us: how do we make sense of the questions, confusion, and misinformation surrounding one of the most pressing issues of our time, namely global Jihadism.      Be a part of the conversation: join us immediately following each intimately-staged presentation for moderated discussions with Emily Mann and expert panelists, who will engage…