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A democratic education

Myself, and several other members of the islamicate Collective, have been getting lots of requests for books. Specifically, if we were choose a selection of books to represent the highest ideals of liberal democracy, what would they be? In addition, what are some of the key texts representing the richness of Islamic thought that we would include. The work has been proposed for both Iraq and Afghanistan. The endeavor is separate from Juan Cole’s Americana Translation Project (more details here and here), another worthwhile effort. Many of the requests we’ve received so far have been time sensitive. However, going through…

Watch the kids, but then get out.

I admit that I have not been following the immigration debate as closely as I should have. The issue seems to be a watershed event and raised the spector of a new political force, even though the majority of the people interested in this issue cannot as yet vote. This country was founded by immigrants and has become wealthy on the back of immigrants. I am not sure how much of the debate is centered on economic and social issues and how much is plain xenophobia. Certainly since 9/11 the lens by which view immigration has changed. Is this the…

Event: Spring 2014 McGinley Lecture at Fordham on Usury

I am honored to be a respondent to the Spring 2014 McGinley Lecture on "Usury: A Moral Problem for Jews, Christians, and Muslims." The lecture and response will be offered on April 8 (Manhattan Campus) and April 9 (Bronx Campus). Both dates will start at 6PM. Details can be found here: http://www.fordham.edu/audience/mcginley_chair/fr_ryan.asp