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Divine dispatches: a religion roundup
Over at Religion Dispatches Hussein Rashid writes that mosques should have a discussion about LGBT Muslims in their congregations, saying that the “next great challenge will be how do we deal with Muslims who are out.”
My segment begins around 1:16:00. Embed is a WMA, and the link will take you to the MP3.
My friend, Rabbi Jason Klein, did a video about our relationship at Columbia for the My Fellow American project.
Hussein Rashid, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, recognizes this sentiment of bin Laden as a larger than life threat among Muslim-American youth — similar to his generation’s experience during the Cold War.
“We’re now getting a group of young adults whose first conscious memory was formed by Osama bin Laden. Their biggest enemy has always been Al Qaeda and bin Laden,” Rashid said.
from American Muslim Students React to Osama bin Laden’s Death
“For Americans, he became the embodiment of the bogeyman for us, that mythical beast that’s a source of fear,” says Hussein Rashid, a Muslim academic from New York who helps to build relations across communities and faiths.
“His death is incredibly cathartic and here in New York, there’s a massive sense of relief, a sense of ‘We’ve got the monster.’ And that’s the mode most Americans will be in for a while.
“It’s incredibly important that we got him, but operationally it is less significant. He hasn’t been the man in charge [of al-Qaeda] and this isn’t the head of the snake.”
Bin Laden’s videos fanned the flames of fear by using language and symbols that alienated Americans, says Mr Rashid, such as once comparing President George W Bush to Hulagu Khan, a Mongol leader who conquered an Islamic empire.
“It was language they didn’t have access to. I had to explain to people why he [Khan] was so important to Muslims and that made it more powerful.”
from Bin Laden: How he haunted the US psyche
The same article in Portuguese.
Islamic traditions influence American architecture, culture, says speaker – Daily Campus – News.
Although it seems that Arab presence in America is recent, Dr. Hussein Rashid would argue to the contrary. In his lecture, “Everyday Art: the Islamic Contribution on American Arts,” Rashid argues that America has a long tradition of Islamic influence in art and culture.
“I am exceptionally proud to be a New Yorker,” said Hussein Rashid, Ph.D., a principal instructor at Quest, another of the coalition partners. “After the events of 9/11, we came together as a city. Now, 10 years later, we need to actively work to heal our city, to have some of the conversations we never had, and to lead our country by example. This coalition of faith-based organizers and institutions is our contribution back to New York City.”
Approximately half-way through the King hearings today, I am struck by how nebulous the purpose of the hearings are. I am unclear as to why Rep. King has called them, and what goals they will serve
Muslim Baiting: Peter King’s Dangerous Obsession.
Agrees Hussein Rashid, a professor at Hofstra who blogs at HusseinRashid.com: “Most domestic terror does not come from the Muslim community. The equivalent would have made all Irish Catholics suspects in ’80s, Jews in Communist era, blacks in rise of the Black Panthers, or that all Italians would be responsible for the mob. It is unacceptable.
“It shows that King is unaware of his constituency in New York. It shows a real lack of engagement with those constituencies and shows a real lack of awareness of what being in charge of Homeland Security actually means — it means engaging on what unites us rather than [what’s] dividing us. . . . Diverting law enforcement resources away from real threats to investigating our community, well, that opens holes in our safety net.”
Hussein