Some members in our community have mixed feelings about engaging in interfaith activities. We need take a step back to understand the importance and purpose of dialogue with people of all faiths and traditions. First things first, interfaith is not proselytizing. Interfaith focuses on educating others about how your faith fits into the larger picture of American society; this includes talking about similarities with other religions as well as differences. Interfaith is not pretending that every faith teaches the same morals and ideals. Each faith has its unique belief system that needs to be understood in its proper context. To quote Diana L. Eck from Harvard University’s Pluralism project, Pluralism is “the energetic engagement with diversity” and “the active seeking of understanding across lines of difference”. The keyword: understanding. Read more…
CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Moein Khawaja presents a lecture on understanding the phenomenon of Islamophobia; including where it comes from, its consequences and belief systems. Learn about anti-Muslim hate groups, the recycled talking points used by Islamophobes, anti-Sharia bills, biased law enforcement training and much more.
Philadelphia-area Muslims are offering a $20,000 reward to find criminals cloaking their identities beneath Islamic women’s clothing, saying the crooks are feeding mistrust of their faith.
Members of Majlis Ash Shura, a group representing 71 mosques and congregations in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, and Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said they have zero tolerance for the tactic, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
“Whatever happened to the mask?” Imam Asim Abdul-Rashid of the Masajid of the Delaware Valley said, referring to ski masks often seen worn by bank robbers, the Inquirer reported.
Officials say perpetrators have worn Muslim garb in five Philadelphia bank robberies since December. Also, Sharif Wynn, charged with an April 18 killing in an Upper Darby barber shop, allegedly wore a woman’s robe as part of a robbery ruse that turned out to be a love triangle gone bad. Read more…
Khalid Blankinship, Religion Department Moein Khawaja, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Beth Lawson, Religion Department Elliot Ratzman, Jewish Studies
Muslim civil rights organization supports protesters of anti-Muslim conference at Temple University
(PHILADELPHIA, PA, 4/19/12) — The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia) today expressed concern about the hostile learning environment that may result from an upcoming event at Temple University featuring a speaker who claims Islam is a “poison to a society” and others who are leaders of organizations designated as anti-Muslim hate groups and who were cited by Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik.
“Everyone, even haters, has a right to free speech,” said CAIR-Philadelphia Civil Rights Director and Staff Attorney Amara S. Chaudhry. “Those of us who challenge bigotry must exercise our First Amendment right to speak out against hate speech — especially speech that may encourage others to commit violent acts.”
The April 23 “Islamic Apartheid Conference” features Nonie Darwish, a notorious Islamophobe who has stated that Islam must be “annihilated.” Read more…
Some members in our community have mixed feelings about engaging in interfaith activities. We need take a step back to understand the importance and purpose of dialogue with people of all faiths and traditions. First things first, interfaith is not proselytizing. Interfaith focuses on educating others about how your faith fits into the larger picture of American society; this includes talking about similarities with other religions as well as differences. Interfaith is not pretending that every faith teaches the same morals and ideals. Each faith has its unique belief system that needs to be understood in its proper context. To quote Diana L. Eck from Harvard University’s Pluralism project, Pluralism is “the energetic engagement with diversity” and “the active seeking of understanding across lines of difference”. The keyword: understanding. Read more…
