Saturday, AIF hosted "A Glimpse of Islam in America", which was a panel of Muslims representing different facets of Islam in the Atlanta area. Each panelist told a bit about their beliefs and how their beliefs could shape and benefit the communities of which both panelists and participants are a part.
The goals of the panel were:
1. To raise audience awareness (both Muslim and Non-Muslim) of some of the many different expressions of Islam in the United States.
2. To familiarize the audience with some unique characteristics of these expressions of American Islam.
3. To share unique ways these various facets enhance the greater Islamic community as well as the society at large.
4. To demonstrate tolerance, respect, understanding, cooperation and value in the discussion of differences of faith and practice as fellow seekers of God's Mercy and Grace.
5. To spiritually enrich the panelists and audience in the discussion of faith and help us strengthen our faith/ submission to God and to serve our communities in more compassionate and grace-filled ways.
I believe the goals were met and each partcipant walked away with something on which to do and/or ponder.
This, I hope, is just a start to a larger dialogue with and a move towards building bridges both inside and outside the Islamic community.
To hear audio of the event, please visit the following links:
A Glimpse of Islam - Part I - Introduction, Jannah Godlas, Dr. Jalal Zuberi, Dorrah Nensey
A Glimpse of Islam - Part II - Fereydoun Taslimi, Melissa Robinson, Patrick Muhammed
A Glimpse of Islam - Part III - Question and Answer session
Note: These audio files are in Mp3 format and are large, so they may take awhile to download.
We have several Questions that could not be addressed due to time constraints. In the new few days, parts of the questions will be posted to help you see into the mind of the audience.
~~~~~
Kelly
American Islamic Fellowship
blog@americanislamicfellowship.com
Showing posts with label Speaker Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Speaker Series. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Thursday, March 5, 2009
AIF Speaker Series - Why Islam and Democracy?
AIF was blessed to have Dr. Abdullahi An-Na'im join us as part of the AIF Speaker Series.
I learned a lot from the brief two hours we spent in discussion.
Democracy, according to Webster's Dictionary is "a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections."
Islam, Dr. An-Na'im stated, is "radically democratic" because religious authority lies with the individual, not with a higher entity. A muslim defines what it means to be muslim for him or herself. "Every Muslim," he said, "is responsible for every choice or failure to choose." We have an inescapable responsibility to ourselves and one another.
There was discussion about the terms "State" "Religion" "Politics" and the "Church." When Dr. An-Na'im said there is no "Church" in Islam- he did not mean the term 'church,' he meant, there is no high authority- because of Islam's inherent individualism.
Contrary to common perception, in the history of Islam there was no unification of religion and the State- the Caliph was a political leader but not a religious authority. The governing bodies and princes did work collaboratively with the scholars but did not seek to co-opt their positions. Politics, he said, are always influenced by faith. Our morals and values will be reflected in the laws of the land due to democratic rule of the people.
When I was studying the Italian women's movement a few years ago, one of the slogans, "The Personal is Political" carried the momentum. I thought about that during this discussion. Our personal choices, which are influenced by our faith, are political, in that we do what we feel is best for ourselves and our communities.
Learn more about Islam and Democracy at http://www.law.emory.edu/aannaim/.
~~~~~~
Melissa
American Islamic Fellowship
blog@americanislamicfellowship.com
I learned a lot from the brief two hours we spent in discussion.
Democracy, according to Webster's Dictionary is "a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections."
Islam, Dr. An-Na'im stated, is "radically democratic" because religious authority lies with the individual, not with a higher entity. A muslim defines what it means to be muslim for him or herself. "Every Muslim," he said, "is responsible for every choice or failure to choose." We have an inescapable responsibility to ourselves and one another.
There was discussion about the terms "State" "Religion" "Politics" and the "Church." When Dr. An-Na'im said there is no "Church" in Islam- he did not mean the term 'church,' he meant, there is no high authority- because of Islam's inherent individualism.
Contrary to common perception, in the history of Islam there was no unification of religion and the State- the Caliph was a political leader but not a religious authority. The governing bodies and princes did work collaboratively with the scholars but did not seek to co-opt their positions. Politics, he said, are always influenced by faith. Our morals and values will be reflected in the laws of the land due to democratic rule of the people.
When I was studying the Italian women's movement a few years ago, one of the slogans, "The Personal is Political" carried the momentum. I thought about that during this discussion. Our personal choices, which are influenced by our faith, are political, in that we do what we feel is best for ourselves and our communities.
Learn more about Islam and Democracy at http://www.law.emory.edu/aannaim/.
~~~~~~
Melissa
American Islamic Fellowship
blog@americanislamicfellowship.com
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