Mapping the religious wonders of North and South America

Note: CNN found 8 wonders (8 religious wonders to see in the U.S.), and there may be many more depending on the selection or range or more to emerge in the multifaith mosaic of America. No wonder a comment at CNN "missing are: National Cathedral and the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C." Another comment at Newser: "Compared with the cathedrals one can see in Europe, complete with incredible art, calling these marvels is a bit of a stretch.." Yet another comment at Newser: "The archaic structures are very beautiful, and I've always loved Gothic architecture. there's a GORGEOUS Hindu temple down the street from my house. It looks like a giant sand castle. shown here...i cant believe it didn't make the list: Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Lilburn, Georgia

8 Religious Wonders of the American World
This article originally appeared on CNN. Extract:

By Marina Csomor – People visit Jerusalem for the rich history, interwoven religious narratives and crumbling holy walls. They visit Europe for ornate churches with painted ceilings and golden trim. They visit India for peace of mind, finding serenity in its carved and colorful temples scattered along the sacred Ganges River.
But people rarely travel the U.S. in search of such sanctuaries. After all, what religious wisdom could America, a country still in its youth at 236 years old, have to offer?
Although the country may not have a reputation for religious landmarks, America is home to more than just secular city halls and strip malls. Whether or not you practice a faith, visiting these beautiful and historic U.S. religious spots may provide inspiration.

Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois

Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, California

Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan

Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Augustine, Florida

Temple Emanu-El in New York City

Palace of Gold in Moundsville, West Virginia

Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah

St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City continue reading @ mysticpolitics.com or @ Newser

5 Religious Marvels in America, SiliconIndia
Extract:

Bangalore: India is globally recognized as the 'Land of Temples' and Indians are known to be immensely fanatic about their religion. Even though America is not so renowned for its religious landmarks, there are few outstanding shrines in the U.S. which draws people from various parts of the world. Here is a list if 5 religious marvels in U.S., as listed by in CNN by Marina Csomor-

The Bahai House of Worship

Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, California

Islamic Center of America in Dearborn

Memorial Presbyterian Church

Salt Lake Temple
continue reading @ SiliconIndia

Graphic : A demographic breakdown of the world of religion image courtesy: Graphic religion

Canada:

Hindu Mandir, Dollard des Ormeaux, Québec -- more here: Québec’s attractions: Religious heritage

Swaminarayan Mandir, Toronto

Jame Abu Bakr Siddique Masjid, Scarborough

Ismaili Jamatkhana and Aga Khan Museum in Toronto (under construction)

Ontario Khalsa Darbar Dixie

Zen Buddhist Temple, Toronto

Notre Dame Basilica, Ottawa; see more Ontario - Religious Sites

Much more here: Places of worship in Canada

South America:

The Baha'i temple to be built in Santiago, Chile, will be the first Baha'i house of worship in South America.


On the same shelf:

Design Criteria for Mosques and Islamic Centres, Akel Kahera

Houses of Worship: An Identification Guide to the History and Styles of American Religious Architecture, Jeffery W. Howe

Deconstructing the American Mosque [ DECONSTRUCTING THE AMERICAN MOSQUE, Akel Ismail Kahera

Comprehensive Study of U.S. Mosques, A survey by Hartford Seminary

The Global Religious Landscape: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Major Religious Groups as of 2010 PEW Forum 

What a Rabbi Learns from Muhammad: IslamiCity

By: Rabbi Allen S. Maller
IslamiCity

Extract:
I first studied Islam when I was a student at UCLA almost 50 years ago, Then again while I was in Rabbinical school. Over the years I continued to read the Qur'an and other Islamic books. I read these books as the Prophet taught his followers in a Hadith "not as a believer, and not as a disbeliever". What does that mean? ...

...I would like to begin by sharing my understanding of several Ahadith that have taught me about my own religion. My understanding is reflected in my application (gloss) of each insight from my perspective as a Liberal/Reform Rabbi.

...Most Americans that I have spoken are amazed to hear such liberal and flexible statements coming from a religion that they think is ridged and fanatical.

...Nevertheless as a Reform Rabbi, I realize that in many ways Muhammad showed seventh century Jews in Arabia how to reform Orthodox Judaism to bring it back to the simpler rules of the Torah.. continue reading: What a Rabbi Learns from Muhammad @ IslamiCity* -

On the same shelf:

A Reform Rabbi Learns from Muhammad, By Rabbi Allen S. Maller, in The Fountain Magazine, March - April 2008: Issue 62.

Understanding Islam: The First Ten Steps [Written by a Fellow in Christian-Muslim Relations]

Do I Kneel or Do I Bow?

Did the Jews pray as Muslims do ?!

Building on Faith in Lower Manhattan

By FEISAL ABDUL RAUF, September 7, 2010
- NYTimes.com

Extract:

Above all, the project will amplify the multifaith approach that the Cordoba Initiative has deployed in concrete ways for years. Our name, Cordoba, was inspired by the city in Spain where Muslims, Christians and Jews co-existed in the Middle Ages during a period of great cultural enrichment created by Muslims. Our initiative is intended to cultivate understanding among all religions and cultures.

Our broader mission — to strengthen relations between the Western and Muslim worlds and to help counter radical ideology — lies not in skirting the margins of issues that have polarized relations within the Muslim world and between non-Muslims and Muslims. It lies in confronting them as a joint multifaith, multinational effort.

From the political conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians to the building of a community center in Lower Manhattan, Muslims and members of all faiths must work together if we are ever going to succeed in fostering understanding and peace.

At Cordoba House, we envision shared space for community activities, like a swimming pool, classrooms and a play space for children. There will be separate prayer spaces for Muslims, Christians, Jews and men and women of other faiths. The center will also include a multifaith memorial dedicated to victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. continue reading

Bikini vs. Burka: The Debauchery of Women

This is a chapter from the book: Cruel Hoax: Feminism and the New World Order, by Henry Makow (2007)

September 24, 2009 (Updated from Sept. 18, 2002)
By Henry Makow Ph.D.

"On my wall, I have a picture of a Muslim woman shrouded in a burka.
Beside it is a picture of an American beauty contestant, wearing nothing but a bikini.

One woman is totally hidden from the public; the other is totally exposed. These two extremes say a great deal about the clash of so-called "civilizations."

The role of woman is at the heart of any culture. Apart from stealing Arab oil, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are about stripping Muslims of their religion and culture, exchanging the burka for a bikini.

I am not an expert on the condition of Muslim women and I love feminine beauty too much to advocate the burka here. But I am defending some of the values that the burka represents for me...." continue reading

What America Must Learn from India's 9/11

By Forum Contributor

 - FOXNews.com

"When religious-inspired terrorists use the Web to spread hatred it falls to religious leaders to respond by building bridges. But our efforts will fail unless misguided politicians refuse to stop cloaking the enemies of humanity behind a shroud of dangerous and false political correctness...." Continue reading

Multifaith families and religious tolerance!

Extracts: Ramadan in a multi-faith family:

"Ilana Alazzeh was born in San Francisco to an Israeli mother and Palestinian father. She currently attends Smith College in Massachusetts, where she stays active in community service and interfaith work, regularly speaking on panels regarding Islam and religious pluralism...."

"When my Israeli mother celebrates Ramadan, she always incorporates her heritage into the holiday. For example, while my Pakistani step-father is downstairs making pancakes, she will loudly sing Hebrew songs from her childhood to wake us up for Suhoor. Although she has converted to Islam, she still keeps her Jewish customs alive."

"Once, my mother’s father came to visit during Ramadan. He is a small, mischievous and comical man, a Palmach war veteran of Israel. Unlike my mother, he refused to celebrate Ramadan. He would begrudgingly come to the masjid with us, and even though he knew Arabic, he only spoke in Hebrew or English. While we were inside doing our night prayers, he would smoke outside with my step-grandmother: a Southern Baptist African American who converted to Judaism. It certainly wasn’t the traditional picture of Ramadan."

"But even though my grandfather did not celebrate with us, he did respect the holiday. I remember him giving my younger brother a clap for teasing me with food when I was fasting. Even though he wasn’t fasting with me, he honored my decision."

"I’ll never forget the night during Ramadan that my puzzle of a family and I piled into our van to see the Christmas lights. We sang Jewish, Christmas and Dawud Wharnsby songs. (Watch the YouTube video “We’ve scanned the sky Dawud Wharnsby.”) My family of different cultures and religions were all celebrating together, enjoying each other’s company and acknowledging our diverse faiths. Although our coexistence was rough at times, it was built out of respect and real love."

Continue reading: Ramadan is truly a month of diversity and spirituality, The Saudi Gazette, Tuesday, 01 September 2009 - 11 Ramadan 1430 H

U.S. Views on God and Life Are Turning Hindu ~ Newsweek

We Are All Hindus Now

By Lisa Miller NEWSWEEK
Published Aug 15, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Aug 31, 2009

"America is not a Christian nation. We are, it is true, a nation founded by Christians, and according to a 2008 survey, 76 percent of us continue to identify as Christian (still, that's the lowest percentage in American history). Of course, we are not a Hindu—or Muslim, or Jewish, or Wiccan—nation, either. A million-plus Hindus live in the United States, a fraction of the billion who live on Earth. But recent poll data show that conceptually, at least, we are slowly becoming more like Hindus and less like traditional Christians in the ways we think about God, our selves, each other, and eternity." continue reading

on the same shelf:

• Newsweek says “We Are All Hindus Now”August 18th, 2009 - 11:02 am ICT by sampurn
• We are all Hindus now, so let's say 'Om': Newsweek, ZOPAG.com

What Do Religions Believe? A Website with Answers

By Jeninne Lee-St. John Tuesday, May. 05, 2009

Quick — what's the difference between Methodists and Presbyterians? (Presbyterians believe in double predestination; Methodists that free will can help you get to heaven.) Confused about how Hindus believe the world was created? (So are they; the religion has no single canon and there are many, sometimes conflicting, origin stories.) Why are so many celebrities drawn to Scientology? (A key teaching says personal success can help overcome the human condition.) ...

The vast majority of Americans hold some religious affiliation, but we're often too polite — or maybe too shy — to ask friends and neighbors about the nuts and bolts of their beliefs, let alone sneak into a service in a house of worship that we're not thinking of joining. Enter a new website that sets out to explain the differences among religions as well as illuminate the areas of common ground. Patheos.com, which is launching on Tuesday, is a mash-up of path and theos, the Greek word for "god." ... continue reading

Libraries offer solace in hard times

Sunday, November 30, 2008
Last updated: Sunday November 30, 2008, BY DENISA R. SUPERVILLE STAFF WRITER

PATERSON — Before heading to his job at a carpet company in Hackensack, Jorge Maradiegue stopped by the main library on Broadway to check out three DVDs and browse the Internet from his personal laptop.
"You know how much this [costs] to rent at Blockbuster?" Maradiegue asked, motioning to copies of "The Bourne Identity," "Las Mejores Canciones Del Mundo" and "Da Vinci Code" he had borrowed. "It's more than $4 [each]. That's a lot of money.
As consumers continue to look for ways to save money in a slow economy, more and more are heading to the local public library.
People who otherwise would have gone to Barnes & Noble to buy the latest thriller or to Blockbuster to rent a new release are now giving the public libraries a second look, library directors across Passaic County say.

...They are finding that the library is not just a place to get books. Some libraries now allow users to download entire movies online, something that was unavailable until recently, they said. Others offer yoga classes.
But if the downturn continues, libraries could see their funding decease while having to serve more people.
"If the economy is down and the tax base continues to dwindle, and you have to share services for the dwindling pie of funds, it's not a pretty picture," said Alire of the American Library Association. "We are all affected by the bad economy."... continue reading

Info courtesy: Gail Zimmer

Racism was not... Thought for the day

"A historic first, a newly minted coin, would be an election in which a candidate’s skin colour is as unremarkable as his or her hair colour. When a candidate’s skin colour passes unnoticed, that will be a historic first for America.

Not for all countries or all periods, by the way. Some had shortcomings galore, but racism wasn’t among them. The Umayyad Caliphate ruled a fair chunk of the world without racism. The Doge’s Venice was perfectly content to entrust its fleet and Desdemona to the “blackamoor” Othello. " in George Jonas: Obama victory no historic first, The National Post : November 08, 2008.

Muslim Holiday Recognized by America's Favorite Building

Washington Post, United States

For the second year, the Empire State Building will shine its world-famous tower lights in green on Tuesday, September 30 and Wednesday, October 1, 2008 for its annual celebration of Eid-al-Fitr, the Festival of Fast-breaking, which marks the end of Ramadan.The lighting for Eid is an annual event in the same tradition of the Empire State Buildings yearly lightings for Christmas and Hanukah. The Empire State Buildings tower lights are world renowned for celebrating different nationalities, holidays, parades, and events of importance to the world.

• Muslim Holiday Recognized by America's Favorite Building Washington Post, United States
• The Empire State Building shines green for Muslim Holiday Eid Antara, Indonesia
• Happy Eid! Today's a day of feasting and festivity worldwide Budget Travel, NY

Nonviolence as a Tactic for Change

By Dan Tow • Feb 5th, 2008 • Category: Pakistan Vote'08, Worth A Second Look • (9,853 views) • 22 Comments

I have recently finished reading the excellent biography Benjamin Franklin, by Edmund S. Morgan. Franklin is my personal favorite among the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, an inspirational example, and, by all accounts, a delightful and brilliant human being. I can’t presume to speak for what Franklin, dead more than 200 years, would say on current events, but I found profound inspiration from this fine book, nonetheless, and let it be to Franklin’s credit if anything I say here rings true, and to my own discredit if it does not. continue reading

My sweet Lord: Top ten religious treats

Joanna writes: Scripture candy and Bible bonbons - were these what King Soloman was talking about when he wrote
"Fraudulent food is sweet to a man, but afterwards his mouth is filled with gravel" - Proverbs 20 v 17? Decide for yourselves with our list of the top ten religious treats available.
These soft peppermint puffs allow you to learn a verse while sucking on a mint.

Extract: The seven foods of Deuteronomy, Wheat, Barley, Raisins, Honey, Figs, Pomegranates, Olive Oil, are packed into this Bible Bar providing "nutrition God's way".

Faith Central - Times Online - WBLG: continue

See also on the same shelf:

• Kosher is hot, but don’t ask for owl -Times Online
• McDonald's to offer Halal burgers Metro.co.uk
• Halal Select Snacks Launches America's First Rice Crispy Treat for ...
  

Dealing with Mosquitoes: A Faith-based Survey

NB. This is only a sample survey. Ask me for more faith-based resources.

The Sixth Day
A group of wise men gathered to discuss the work of God; they wanted to know why he had left it to the sixth day to create man.
"He thought about first organising the Universe well, so that we could have all the marvels available to us," said one of them.
"First of all He wanted to run some tests on animals, so that He would not make the same mistakes with us," argued another.
One wise Jew showed up at the meeting. They told him the theme of the discussion: "In your opinion, why did God leave it to the last day to create man?"
"Very simple," commented the wise man. "So that when we were moved by pride, we would remember that even a simple mosquito enjoyed priority in the work of the Divine."
How to live with others By Paulo Coelho, © Translated by James Mulholland

KNOW YOUR MOSQUITO!

"A mosquito by any name...
The Spanish called them, "musketas,", the native Hispanic Americans "zancudos." "Musketas" is a Spanish word meaning "little fly" while "zancudos," means "long-legged." Scandanavians called them by a variety of names including "myg" and "myyga" while the Greeks called them "konopus." The use of the word "mosquito" is apparently of North American origin and dates back to about 1583. In Europe, mosquitoes were called "gnats" by the English, "Les moucherons" or "Les cousins" by French writers, and the Germans used the name "Stechmucken" or "Schnacke." In 300 BC, Aristotle referred to mosquitoes as "empis" in his Historia Animalium where he documented their life cycle."

PUNCHLINE from an interview with Church Militant: Ann Coulter on God, Faith, and Liberals
@ Beliefnet.com:

Many arguments in favor of Darwinian evolution strike me as actually being arguments against the existence of God--that is, why would a creator create tapeworms, disease viruses, and other bad things? Why do you think such things exist in a world of intelligent design?

Your question is incomprehensible. I assume you are trying to ask me: "Why would God create tapeworms?"

My answer is: God also created mosquitoes, which I hate. But purple martins love mosquitoes and would probably all starve without them. It's kind of a “big picture” thing. Of course that doesn't explain why He created Michael Moore. For that, I have no explanation. My guess is that disease, pestilence, and Michael Moore are all perversions of the good that God created, a result of sin entering the world through Adam and Eve.

Faith in '08: Meet God-o-Meter

News & Blogs -- Beliefnet.com

Hillary's buoyed by Bill's Baptist banter. A hedge on abortion sends Romney tumbling. Our new and highly scientific God-o-Meter rates the candidates based on their God-talk. See Their Current Ratings"

See also on the same shelf:
Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives, by Mohamed Taher, Scarecrow Press, 2006. Check Amazon.com sample from Chapter Three:

3.23 Developing World Wide Worship Mindmaps – Survey, Tools, Responses…

• Religion Selector: An Exploration of World Belief System:

www.speakout.com/activismtools/selectors/religion
• Belief System Selector: An Exploration of World Religions
www.selectsmart.com/RELIGION
• Ten Questions for Evaluating Corporate Worship:

• “Bagley Baptist Form Mail Survey System.” (Questionnaire) www.bagleybaptist.freeuk.com/Survey.htm
• Worship Survey
http://www.cumc-wf.org/worship_survey.htm
• Jatinder Singh. “Sikh Internet Users Survey.” FormMail.to/cybersikhi or www.cybersikhi.com (2 Jan. 2004)
• “Christian Online Resource Center Survey.” (Questionnaire)
www.influencer4christ.com/survey/survey.php?opt=new (dead link 2 Jan. 2004)
• Divining America: Sharing your questions - Multifaith Issues
www.nhc.rtp.nc.us/tserve/getback/getback.htm
• WCC Worship Questionnaire
http://www.woodstockchristian.org/wccwq.html
• Daily spiritual diary Questions
http://www.thedivinelifesociety.org/download/practicekarma.htm
• How Well WORSHIP Questionnaire

Even Athiests pray … figures don't lie!

CORRECTED: Even Atheists pray … figures don't lie!

November 4th, 2007 by Nancy Reyes
Surveys show that 52% of Americans pray every day, 57% of Catholics pray every day, 41% of those who aren’t sure of life after death pray every day, and 15% of people who aren’t sure there is a God pray every day.***

He said, with a grin, that people pray “to whom it may concern” or […] Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Nancy Reyes in All News, Society and Culture, US News, Religious News No Comments » 73 Views

See also on the same shelf:

The scandal of particular prayers, Posted by dpulliam

Comparing Muslim Beliefs and Practices

PEW Surveys

Catch Hell: Newsweek/Beliefnet poll results -- Beliefnet.com
A new poll points to growing importance of 'spirituality'; most believe people of other faiths can go to heaven

Finding Our Own Path, By Jerry Adler, Newsweek
Americans favor individual spirituality and personal empowerment--which has influenced even traditional, institutional religion. To read the entire article, click here. (C) 2005 Newsweek, Inc.

Spirituality in Action: The Road Ahead

If you don’t like the word God, substitute Nature, All Being, or Reality. If you don’t like the word “Word,” substitute something like “impulse.”

Google it

Spirituality: The Age of Aquarium:

Schools of Fish and Thought
The theists prayed and said “Amen,” while atheists said “Ahem . . .”
“There’s no such thing, you silly goofs; you haven’t any proof.”
Panentheists sought elbow room, they tried to wriggle in.
That en’s a tricky syllable; it splices God’s hair thin. continue reading @ Faithcommons

***Survey sources are listed below, courtesy Nancy Reyes:

The talk was given at a local university and reviewed in the local Catholic paper in western Massachusetts, where I am visiting my brother. They don't have a website, but the announcement is here.

But this NYTimes article refers to the same data:

This article on his website examines the belief in life after death and notes that not all atheists are "hard core" atheists. http://www.agreeley.com/articles/hardcore.html

The NORC website is here.

Presumably the research is published in journals...several of his surveys can be found at JSTOR, but since I don't have access, I can't read the hard sociological data.

American youths bridge religious divides

By Jane Lampman Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
from the October 24, 2007 edition

Teens in a Boston suburb lead the way in building relationships among religious faiths in their community through Interfaith Action, a program that has captured attention abroad.

Teenagers of different religious backgrounds participated in a Hindu dance inside a synagogue in Sharon, Mass., on Sept. 30. It's one of various teen-led interfaith activities.

Together: As part of the 'Sacred Seasons' event, Muslims broke their Ramadan fast at a Sukkot meal at the Temple Israel synagogue in Sharon, Mass.

Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu families gathered at a dinner arranged by high-school students in Sharon, Mass. The teens made sure the food met the dietary requirements of all the faiths. Read the full article [info courtesy: AL Reynolds]

Church bans toddlers' yoga group - Faithwise Review of the Week

A children's group has been banned from a church hall after their yoga lessons were denounced as "unchristian".
Teacher Louise Woodcock from Taunton, Somerset, was told the Yum Yum Yoga classes for pre-school children did not share the church's Christian ethos. continue reading BBC News 31 August 2007 / Watch the news Video

International reaction to kids yoga ban, Sommerset County Gazette, UK - 4 Sep 2007

Sikhs flay RSS for saying Granth Sahib known for Ram's praise
New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Sikh religious leaders opposed to the BJP today condemned the RSS for stating in its mouthpiece 'Organiser' that their sacred texts were "known for their salutations to Sri Rama".

Britain's First Hindu School Gets Okay

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar raps government for Ram affidavit
Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Thursday criticised the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for its judicial affidavit that said there was no historical evidence to prove the existence of Lord Ram.

In a statement issued from Germany, Sri Sri said: "Ramayana and Mahabharata are called "Itihasas" (histories). Itihas means it happened. That Sri Ram did exist is recorded in the epic Ramayana.

"The ancient seers had made clear distinction between "Puranas" (classical literature) and Itihasas. Puranas are mythological, symbolic stories, while Itihasas are that which actually happened."

God, math, and Ramanujan's fascinating story
For his 12th novel The Indian Clerk, David Leavitt, one of America's distinguished writers, chose to work on the relationship between mathematicians G H Hardy and Srinivasa Ramanujan.

Leavitt, a National Endowment for the Arts fellow and professor of literature, offers a complicated and intriguing story starting with Hardy receiving a letter filled with prime number theorems from Ramanujan, a young accounts clerk in Madras (now Chennai).

Hardy and his collaborator J E Littlewood soon decide Ramanujan is a genius and invite him to work with them.

The book explores the difficult relationship between Hardy and Ramanujan, and the various indignities and health problems the Indian genius suffered, leading to an avoidable tragedy. continue reading the process of writing the book with Rediff India Abroad Managing Editor (Features) Arthur J Pais.

Inside the beggars' jail, nemesis of every Indian panhandler
Activists working on behalf of the beggars call the system inhumane.

"One has the right to dignity, right to life, which the government today is denying by putting these destitute people into jails," said Indu Prakash Singh of ActionAid, a nonprofit activist aid group.

One law for one and all, consistently applied (veiled voting vent), Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star, September 13, 2007

Voters almost split on funding of religious schools, survey finds

Prayers of the Day: Relationships in a Multifaith Domain

Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
not so much to be understood as to understand,
not so much to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.

- St. Francis of Assisi [source: @ Prayer of the Day Beleifnet.com]
See also:

Prayers By Faith Christian | Catholic | Eastern Orthodox | Protestant | Buddhism | Hinduism | Islam | Native American | Other Faiths | New Age | Multifaith |

Indian imams to work with Israel for peace - Faithwise Review of the Week

Historic Israel mission to boost Jewish-Muslim relations

Time to end violence

Indian imams to work with Israel for peace
The All-India Organisation of Imams has entered into an agreement with the Chief Rabbinet of Israel to “work together” for peace. Funded by the American Jewish Committee, a group of maulanas led by the general secretary of the Organisation of Imams, Mr Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, spent eight days in Israel and found commonalties with “our cousins, all sons of Ibrahim” to a point where they have decided to help enthuse other Indian Muslims to visit Israel.

The visit sparked off a storm of protest here with the Urdu media in particular highlighting the controversy in detail. Most other Muslim organisations attacked the visit, maintaining that Mr Ilyasi and others in the delegation had basically supported the Israeli position on Palestine. Mr Ilyasi, however, termed the opposition as motivated, saying that those opposed to the visit were working to foster fundamentalism. He held the view that he had communicated in Israel to a Washington Post reporter, who asked him about Osama bin Laden and jihad, that the mission of the delegation to Israel for peace was “Islam’s real jihad”.

Jamiat Ulema Hind secretary Abdul Hameed Naumani did not even want to speak of the visit, seeing it as highly condemnable. Muslim leaders pointed out that the delegation went to make peace with those who were at war with the Palestinians and did not share Mr Ilyasi’s optimism that he could work as an effective mediator between the two sides. The maulanas, accompanied by three journalists from the Urdu media, were given a grand reception and participated in several high-level meetings during their visit to Israel.

They spoke at length on terrorism with their Israeli hosts with both sides condemning this in no uncertain words. It was not clear, however, whether these maulanas looked upon the Palestinian struggle for their own land as terrorism. This is the first Muslim group from India that has had such an extended stay in Israel. Mr Ilyasi’s father, Khwaja Iftikhar Ilyasi, had earned some fame for tying a turban on the late Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Mr Ilyasi was contacted by members of the American Jewish Committee, who arranged a meeting for him with Israel’s chief rabbi, Yona Metzel, at a five star hotel in Delhi earlier this year. The Australian Jewish Council was also involved with their members visiting India and meeting Muslim leaders like Mr Ilyasi.

Mr Ilyasi was particularly happy with his visit where he reminded almost everyone he met that Muslims and Jews were “cousins”, both being sons of “Ibrahim (Abraham)”. He said he had suggested that visas should be made easily available for Indian Muslims to encourage them to visit Israel. The government leaders he had met, Mr Ilyasi said, were amenable to the idea. He is now waiting to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi to apprise them of the visit, and communicate to them the new understanding that had been forged between his delegation and those they had met in Israel. He appeared to think that this was going to be a long-term relationship where “both sides have developed a lot of affection for each other”.
[source: Deccan Chronicle]

Joel Kilpatricks Field Guide to Evangelicals

Homosexuality: The Creative Work of Conservative Evangelicals

Faith Binds Society Together and Powers Civilization's Development

Let your house have the zing things
Your home reflects your personality. Liven it up with accessories that give it that special look and literally transform a dull picture of bricks and stones to an exciting one of imagination and colour, says Bindu Gopal Rao.

MXODUS: The Search for Knowledge
By Mother Tynnetta Muhammad

Nepal follows in Turkey's footsteps
Nepal's state run airline sacrificed two goats earlier this week in the hope that it would please the gods and resolve technical problems with a troubled jet, reports said yesterday, an incident akin to officials at Turkish Airlines (THY) sacrificing a camel.