Ramadan Kareem
Time of reflection, prayer and fasting.
Please meet Karen Armstrong
A British original thinker on the role of religion in the modern world. She has written more than 20 books on faith and the major religions, studying what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common, and how our faiths shaped world history and drive current events.
Video, Karen Armstrong makes her TED Prize wish:
The Charter for Compassion http://www.ted.com/talks/karen_armstrong_makes_her_ted_prize_wish_the_charter_for_compassion.html
Another article worth reading about two American convert clerics : U.S. Muslim Clerics Seek a Modern Middle Ground by Jim Wilson/The New York Times
“.. They say that Islam must be rescued from extremists who selectively cite Islamic scripture to justify terrorism. Though Mr. Yusuf and Mr. Shakir do not denounce particular scholars or schools of thought, their students say the two are challenging the influence of Islam’s more reactionary sects, like Wahhabism and Salafism, which has been spread to American mosques and schools by clerics trained in Saudi Arabia. Where Wahhabism and Salafism are often intolerant of other religions — even of other streams within Islam — Mr. Yusuf and Mr. Shakir teach that Islam is open to a diversity of interpretations honed by centuries of scholars…”
“.. When it came time for questions, one young man stepped to the microphone and asked: “You said we have an obligation to humanity. Did you mean to Muslims, or to everyone?”
Mr. Shakir responded: “The obligation is to everyone. All of the people are the dependents of Allah.”“
Wishing you a peaceful and rewarding month of fasting, may God show us all His wisdom!
Mona
