Hussein Rashid

Quoted: KtB on Park51

Hussein August 4, 2010

So I called him up. He is an adamant defender of the right for the center to be built. “Everyone is talking about the right of religious freedom,” he said of the center. “No one,” he went on, “is talking about what good the center will do.” Once you move past the “mosque” hysteria, it’s fairly easy to learn that Park51 is modeled after other religious centers. The Cordoba Initiative consulted with the Jewish Community Center and hopes to host an interfaith board. “They’ve done a really good job of getting interfaith support,” Hussein continued, “but I don’t think they’ve got a lot of intra-faith support.”

from Ground Zero for American Islam

Quoted: New York Times on Park51

Hussein August 4, 2010

“There is some ambivalence within the community,” said Hussein Rashid, a visiting professor of religious studies at Hofstra University who specializes in Islam in America. “We still want to know who is going to be involved in this. So far, we have heard from just a few Muslim voices. If this is meant to be a community center, who in the community will be involved?”

from Mosque Plan Clears Hurdle in New York

The Takeaway: On Park51

Hussein August 3, 2010

My interview on The Takeaway about Park51, the so-called Ground Zero Mosque.

In light of this local issue that’s quickly morphed into a national cause, we turn to a larger question surrounding the debate: what are our country’s views toward Islam, nine years after 9/11? In regard to the extreme opposition to the proposed Islamic center, Hussein Rashid, a religion professor at Hofstra University, believes it is symbolic. Rashid says, “It’s ‘anti-other people’ hysteria… there’s no other mechanism to [vent] frustration [against Muslims].”

Quoted: Jewish Week on Interfaith Marriage

Hussein July 21, 2010

But Hussein Rashid, an American-born Muslim who teaches religion at Hofstra University, said he couldn’t make a “blanket statement” on the subject.

“Depending on how the parents managed it, it could be an enriching experience,” he said.

One Family, Two Faiths, A Multitude Of Questions | The Jewish Week

Quoted on PRI’s The World on Arab Poetry in modern music

Hussein July 9, 2010

The full piece can be heard on PRI’s website for the The World. Lots of good music.

Quoted: Fox News on Honor Killings

Hussein July 3, 2010

“It is poorly named since there is no honor in killing a woman. What these crimes are about is controlling a woman and it is not something unique to just Muslim society,” Hussein Rashid, a visiting instructor at Hofstra University’s Department of Religion, told Fox411.com. “I can’t put words in these men’s mouths, but it sounds like they had real issues with the success of a woman in their household and that this is about a loss of power.”

‘Harry Potter’ Star in Family Feud Over Hindu Beau

Bloggingheads.tv Appearance: My God is Bigger than Your God

Hussein June 20, 2010

Quoted on American and Muslim-Majority World Cultural Exchanges

Hussein June 15, 2010

Salt Lake Tribune

Washington Post

Huffington Post

Quoted on Fox411 on Free Speech

Hussein May 13, 2010

From Fox411 (they will hopefully fix the affiliation):

Hussein Rashid, religion professor and religion dispatches associate editor at Hofstra University, said he is concerned that self-censorship will lead to a shutdown of the dialogue that must continue if people can be brought to understand the true meaning of Islam.

“I don’t think it is ever smart to self-censor,” Rashid told Fox411.com. “I am a big believer that the response to speech should always be more speech. I think this ‘South Park’ episode has been good for that conversation.”