Ori Soltes speaks on Historic Ottoman Exhibition - The Art of Living Together"

Summary
Come see how the Ottomans were able to cohesively and harmoniously live and provide sanctity to their minorities. In a first for Washington DC, Rumi Forum has organized re-prints of Ottoman Decrees regarding their Armenian, Jewish and Greek minorities dating back 550 years, also including documents and letters outlining the transatlantic relations between North America and the Ottoman state.A total of 25 documents are present in this exhibition. All re-prints of original documents from the Ottoman archives with both English and Turkish translation.

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Journey into America The Challenge of Islam by Akbar Ahmed - Rumi Forum

In case you missed it, Akbar Ahmed's talk on 'Journey into America' can be seen below. A great conversation on the developing Muslim community in the United States and some suggestions on how things may improve. A definite watch !

Remember also that full length videos of our talks can be viewed at Rumi Forum or our VIMEO site

YouTube - RumiForum's Channel

Journey into America The Challenge of Islam by Akbar Ahmed - Rumi Forum
From: RumiForum | October 08, 2010 | 162 views


The most comprehensive study ever done on the American Muslim community, Journey into America explores and documents how Muslims are fitting into U.S. society, seeking to place the Muslim experience in the U.S. within the larger context of American identity. In doing so, it is a major contribution to the study of American history and culture.

Renowned scholar Akbar Ahmed and his team of young researchers traveled through over seventy-five cities across the United States—from New York City to Salt Lake City; from Las Vegas to Miami; from large enclaves such as Dearborn, Michigan, to small towns like Arab, Alabama. They visited over one hundred mosques and visited homes and schools to discover what Muslims are thinking, what they are reading, and how they are living every day in America.

Ahmed illuminates unexplored Muslim-American communities through his pursuit of challenging questions: Can we expect an increase in homegrown terrorism? How do American Muslims of Arab descent differ from those of other origins (e.g. Somali or South Asian)? Why are so many white women converting to Islam? He also delves into the potentially sticky area of relations with other religions. For example, is there truly a deep divide between Muslims and Jews in America? And how well do Muslims get along with other larger religious groups, such as Mormons in Utah?

Much like Ahmed's widely hailed Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization(Brookings, 2007), Journey into America is equal parts anthropological research, listening tour, and travelogue. Whereas the previous book took the reader into homes, schools, mosques, and public places in heavily Muslim nations, Journey into America takes us into the heart of America's Muslim communities in America. It is absolutely essential reading for anyone trying to make sense of America today, especially its Muslim population—the challenges it faces, the challenges it poses, and its prospects for the future.


Ambassador Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University in Washington DC, the First Distinguished Chair of Middle East and Islamic Studies at the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He has taught at Princeton, Harvard, and Cambridge Universities and is considered "the world's leading authority on contemporary Islam" by the BBC. He has advised General David Petraeus, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, and Secretary Michael Chertoff on Islam and foreign policy. He is regularly interviewed by CNN, CBS, BBC, and Fox News and has appeared several times on the "Oprah Winfrey Show", as well as The Daily Show and The O'Reilly Factor. He is the author of over a dozen award-winning books, including Discovering Islam, which was the basis of the BBC six-part TV series called "Living Islam". His books have been translated into many languages, including Chinese and Indonesian. His most recent book Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam (Brookings Press, 2010), is an unprecedented study based in fieldwork of Muslims in America.
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'Crashing' Into Each Other - RUMI FORUM Nostalgia

A bit more nostalgia from Rumi Forum's history of interfaith event...

'Crashing' Into Each Other

'Crashing' Into Each Other
Residents discuss fear, bias and human behavior in times of crisis.



An African American FBI agent, a white woman who had formerly served in the Foreign Service, a young white Muslim woman, a white woman from the South and an Indian male Sikh.
Despite their obvious differences, these five people share two things in common — they all live in McLean, and they all sat at the same round table at the McLean Community Dialogue "Bias-Fear-Crisis: How Can Our Community Cope?" on Thursday, April 6.
This was the fourth community dialogue held by McLean Community Connections, a group that was organized in 2003 by local McLean community residents. The goal of the organization is "to promote deeper understandings and conversation within our diverse community, and to strengthen community resilience for times of emergency, unrest or crisis." The dialogues are organized in conjunction with the Fairfax County Community Interfaith Liaison Office in the Department of Systems Management for Human Services.
"This is our fourth dialogue and they have all been hugely successful," said McLean Community Connections Steering Committee member Jackie Eghrari-Sabet, a member of the Baha'i McLean Spiritual Assembly. "Most people describe this as a very worthwhile experience, and a life-altering experience in terms of community awareness.".....

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