Inter-faith

Growing up Muslim-American in an age of Islamophobia | Pop and Politics

Growing up Muslim-American in an age of Islamophobia | Pop and Politics. But passions over Islam in America became truly inflamed when Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center threatened to burn copies of the Koran to commemorate the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Pop and Politics crew arrived in Gainesville, Florida on September 10th, a day before the the planned burning. In the midst of the worldwide media maelstrom, we met the Qamar family, moderate Muslims trying to convince their fellow Americans that being Muslim does not equal being a terrorist.

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Inter-faith

Park51: Sermons and Essential Observations

The good folks at Jews on First were kind enough to include an essay I wrote at Religion Dispatches as part of their resource kit. Park51: Sermons and Essential Observations. Broad attacks have been launched against the validity of Islam as a religion and the situation of Muslim-Americans has been made more precarious in ways that many Jews have found to be all too familiar. In the course of our research on the issue, we have found many articles and sermons to be very helpful in charting the course of the controversy and in articulating principles that can help guide…

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Inter-faith Politics

American Muslim Statement on Free Speech

I am a signatory. I am listing only the text as The American Muslim is hosting the master document with signatories. —- We, the undersigned, unconditionally condemn any intimidation or threats of violence directed against any individual or group exercising the rights of freedom of religion and speech; even when that speech may be perceived as hurtful or reprehensible. We are concerned and saddened by the recent wave of vitriolic anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic sentiment that is being expressed across our nation. We are even more concerned and saddened by threats that have been made against individual writers, cartoonists, and others…

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Inter-faith

Announcement: Interfaith Training at White House with IFYC

Dear friends, As a leader in interfaith cooperation at your institution, we wanted to let you know about an exciting upcoming opportunity from the White House and Interfaith Youth Core!    On October 22-24, 2010, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will host a two-day intensive training facilitated by Interfaith Youth Core for 100 interfaith student leaders and 50 campus staff allies inWashington, D.C. The program is designed to equip interfaith student leaders with the skills to lead IFYC’s campaign for interfaith cooperation on campus, “Better Together.” Student participants will learn how to speak out on the importance…

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Inter-faith Politics

Chart Of The Day

Image via Mark Shea: It’s easy as pie to generalize to millions of people the crimes of a few. We Catholics have had it done to us. And we can have it done to us again. So we should be bloody cautious about insane schemes to do it to 18 million fellow citizens. The grotesque excuse “But the the first amendment is dead, and Islam killed it. There is no ‘freedom of speech’ or ‘freedom of religion’ with the threat of Muslim violence hanging over your head” is rubbish. Cancelling the rights of 307 million people because you are, by…

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Inter-faith

The Meaning of the Koran – NYTimes.com

Someone who has actually read the Qur’an and figured out like all scripture, it is full of contradiction. The Meaning of the Koran – NYTimes.com. But I should concede that I haven’t told the whole story. Even while calling Jesus the word of God — and “the Messiah” — the Koran denies that he was the son of God or was himself divine. And, though the Koran does call the Jews God’s chosen people, and sings the praises of Moses, and says that Jews and Muslims worship the same God, it also has anti-Jewish, and for that matter anti-Christian, passages.

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