veiled4allah

a Holocaust remembrance day service brings faiths together

The Daily Pennsylvanian reports:

A 24-hour reading of the names of those who died in the Holocaust was followed by a memorial service on College Green yesterday evening in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day. Jewish studies scholar Alex Grobman wrapped up the day with a lecture on historical accuracy in Holocaust studies... ...Around 100 students participated in the reading of names, including Muslim Students Association board member Amir Memon. "I thought as far as the whole Holocaust remembrance [was concerned], it was very rewarding to be part of it," said the College and Wharton sophomore, who arrived at 7 a.m. yesterday morning to read names for nearly half an hour. "This past summer, I went to Poland. I visited the concentration camps in Auschwitz, and obviously it was such a powerful experience that memories still remain. When Holocaust Remembrance Day came up, I felt the need to pay tribute to the lives that were lost in this tragic event in history."

Thank you, brother Amir.

religion between war and peace

In Amalek and jihad, Jonathan Edelstein looks at the story of Amalek from the Bible, and explores interpretations advanced by different Jewish groups of the Biblical commandment for Amalek to be exterminated. He then compares this to the concept of jihad in Islam and the different interpretations of it among Muslims. It's a good reminder that Islam is not the only religion that can be and is twisted to justify violence and intolerance. We need to move beyond simplistic denunciations of other religions and begin to work together with people of conscience in all religions to promote peace and justice.

learning about the interactions of Islam and Buddhism

Following up on my post yesterday about Islam in Tibet, I've been browsing an e-book called The Historical Interaction Between the Buddhist and Islamic Cultures Before the Mongol Empire. It is a fascinating read and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about Central Asian history. The author has a large number of other materials on Islam in Central Asia at his site including the historical sketch of the Muslims of Tibet that I linked to yesterday. Beyond that he seems to have a vast collection of resources on Tibetan Buddhism.

the Baha'i faith

You may have heard of Dr. David Kelly, the British scientist at the center of the Iraq intelligence controversy who is believed to have committed suicide. According to this article, Dr. Kelly followed the Baha'i faith. The Baha'i faith is an offshoot of Islam. It arose in Iran in the 1800s by way of the Babi movement (a good overview of its history is here) Like the Nation of Islam and Ahmadiyya, the Baha'i faith believes that its founder was a prophet. Unlike the NOI and Ahmadiyya, the Baha'i faith considers itself to be a separate religion from Islam although related to it in something of the same way that Christianity and Islam are related to Judaism (the Baha'i faith is itself related to Judaism in the same way). Muslims believe, based on the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), that the cycle of prophecy was completed with Muhammad (pbuh) and the revelation of the Quran as a universal scripture. For this reason, Muslims consider Baha'i, Ahmadiyya, and the NOI to be separate, though related, religions. Some Muslims are concerned to refute the teachings of these religions; I however, prefer merely to point out that they are different religious traditions and to present information on the Islamic viewpoint so that people can make their own decision. One of the problems I have with Ahmadiyya and the NOI is that very often they do not clearly distinguish how their beliefs differ from those of orthodox Muslims. They are independent religious traditions now and should be considered in their own right rather than treated as represenatative of orthodox Islam. I do not have a problem with Baha'is since they make it clear where they differ. Here is website about the Baha'i faith and Islam, written from the Baha'i perspective.

trialogue of Abrahamic faiths

I've only looked at Trialogue of Abrahamic Faiths briefly and I'm not sure when it dates from, but it has a series of essays presenting perspectives from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on each of the other two religions, on the nation state and social order in the perspective of that religion, and on the faith community and world order in the perspective of that religion. Those who are interested in comparative religion might check it out, inshallah.

looking back on a better past

Medieval Spain: Arabs & Jews in Cultural Embrace, by Richard Silverstein, is an article about the music of Sephardic Jews. Silverstein also provides some background on the history of Jews in Arab lands. Especially poignant are his introduction and conclusion:

In this venomous age of Arab-Jewish hatred, it is easy to forget that there once was another age in which Jews and Arabs lived shoulder to shoulder in cultural, political & social harmony. During the Golden Age in medieval Spain, Jews played prominent roles in politics, art, commerce and all major areas of social discourse side by side with their Muslim brethren. Jews and Muslims did not hate each others religion. On the contrary, their respective theologians learned from each other & used the wisdom learned to enrich their own religions discourse... ...As I listen to this glorious music, I tell myself: Do not despair. The current hatred and violence cannot long prevail. Mutual respect between the adherents of these two great faiths does not have to be long in coming if both would only remember and honor their own history.

Silverstein lives in the Seattle area and has a blog. I found his site through a directory of Seattle weblogs. He also has a deeply personal article about child abuse.

a Muslim's reflections on Passover

In Matzah, Moses, and Muslims, Hesham Hassaballa looks at Islam's take on the Passover story (like many other stories from the Bible, it appears in the Quran) and shares his thoughts about what it means. He concludes with a prayer:

I pray that peace finally comes to the Middle East and both Israelis and Palestinians live together side by side. Although it has not always been smooth-sailing in the past, Muslims and Jews have lived together in peace before; the greatest example of this was in Muslim Spain, where Moses bin Ma'mun (Maimonides), the great Jewish physician and philosopher, was high advisor to the Muslim Sultan. In large part, I think we are re-living that golden age here in America, where Muslims and Jews live and work together in peace. I pray that the commonalities between Muslims and Jews serve as all-important bridges of understanding between the two faith communities. Together, all people of faith can work to make America and the world a much better place in which to live. Failure can not be an option.

I'm glad somebody is doing this

I'm no longer a Christian but I found it quite interesting to read some recent posts at Slacktivist, in which blog author Fred Clark examines the President's daily devotional reading and what he should, but doesn't appear to, be learning from it. Look for the posts entitled MUFHH & GWB.

a good day in interfaith relations

At least on the personal level. First, I received a very nice email message, which you can read about here. Second, a Wiccan named Autumn visited my blog and wrote up something very nice about me As I said to both people, we don't have to agree on everything, as long as we can respect each others' differences and take what is good from each other. All praise is due to Allah SWT if any work of mine has brought about some good.