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From Egypt to America: a new age of idealism
Princeton, NJ There's an electric energy amongst the hundred or so student interfaith leaders gathered at the Coming Together conference at Princeton University: people their age, doing the things they do, just accomplished what most experts and analysts considered impossible as recently as a month ago.
This is the new generation of American idealists. Each one is worth more than a thousand armchair analysts. Those guys specialize in pondering the present, convincing us how similar tomorrow is going to be to today. These kids are building the future.
To prepare for my talk, I re-read accounts of the Egyptian democracy movement from 2005. A grand total of two hundred people gathered at the protest covered by the New York Times. Thirty trucks of riot police showed up - probably outnumbering the protesters - and shoved the small crowd chanting "Khifaya (Enough)" off to the side.
The tone of the New York Times account mixes admiration with dismissal, as if to say, "Gosh, you're brave to go banging your head against that wall, but didn't anybody tell you that all you're going to get is a cracked skull for your efforts."
As if to respond to that, the Egyptian-American writer Mona Eltahawey, who flew back to Egypt to march in the 2005 protests, wrote in the Washington Post: "I am under no illusion that Egypt is on the doorstep of democracy ... But there is a strong sense that this is the time to lay the groundwork for real reform in the years ahead."
But there would have been no January 25, 2011 if there was not an April 27, 2005. There would not have been a few hundred thousand friends and supporters of the "We Are All Khaled Said" Facebook page (widely credited with gathering and channeling the discontent in Egypt) had there not been earlier democracy blogs and Facebook pages that were trafficked by a few hundred.
Every successful movement today has a secret history of steps taken yesterday - steps, like the Egypt 2005 protests, that are routinely dubbed failures when they occurred.
But what those 300 people marching through the streets six years ago did was put the idea in the minds of three million people: If their vocal chords can shout, "Enough," so can mine. If they can imagine a different world, so can I. If they can believe tomorrow does not have to look like today, I can believe it.
It's that dynamic that was so inspiring to the students gathered at Princeton.
On campuses across America, these interfaith leaders are advancing a vision of a society where people of different faiths have their identities respected, have positive relations and are working together for the common good.
They are doing their work. Starting interfaith councils and running programs like the Better Together campaign. Spreading positive knowledge about different religions (countering the hate and ugliness that has come to characterize much discourse about faith). Bringing people from different faiths together in common activities (which social science data shows is the most effective way of increasing tolerance and building relationships).
Right now, it's common to see a few dozen people at a college interfaith service project, maybe a few hundred if a popular lecturer comes to campus. It feels like small potatoes, I know.
But think of the tens of thousands of students on those campuses who are aware of those programs. Think of all the parents who are proud that their kids are leading them.
And now consider this: the young people of Egypt honed their vision, they did their work, and they recognized their moment had arrived with the Tunisian uprisings. The bridge of opportunity had descended, seemingly from the heavens, and when the activists headed over that bridge into a new world, hundreds of thousands of people followed.
The college interfaith leaders of today are honing their vision and doing their work. Who knows when their moment will arrive - maybe the 10th anniversary of 9/11, maybe during the general election campaign of 2012.
Whenever it does, they'll be ready.
By
Eboo Patel
|
February 21, 2011; 12:04 PM ET
| Category:
Interfaith Issues
,
Religion & Leadership
,
Religion & Politics
,
Religious Conflict
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Posted by: Alislam1 | March 1, 2011 1:13 PM
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This article has been reposted by World Faith. To learn more, please visit worldfaith.org
Posted by: worldfaithngo | February 28, 2011 12:05 PM
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The reason why so-called Arab “rulers” hold on their posts for life and pass it on to their children is
not a random fluke of nature but has an underlining reason; Islamic teachings as well as historical precedence. The Muslim prophet ruled as an autocratic sovereign. His successors, the so-called “rightly guided Caliphs’ ruled for life. Many sayings attributed to the prophet state clearly that a Muslim ruler should not be opposed even if he “was unjust and a tyrant” as to “hit you on your back and took away your wealth”. The only time he could be opposed is if he could be proven to have “left Islam”. Many Muslim clerics have recently tried to add a historical perspective to this point by asking Muslims if they ever heard of people demonstrating or having sit ins during the time of the prophet or his successors. This is the same mentality that enabled the Turks to exploit the Arabs for over four hundred years without a single uprising. Almost all condemned the practices (demonstrations, sit ins and civil disobedience) as an “infidel inventions”. Some further added that they had seen a gender “mixings” in these situations and that is strictly forbidden by Sharia (Muslim law); a further “good” reason not bother a tyrant while establishing his dynasty.
Posted by: abrahamhab1 | February 27, 2011 6:59 AM
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A synopsis of Islam in the 21st century:
Mohammed was an illiterate, womanizing, lust and greed-driven, warmongering, hallucinating Arab, who also had embellishing/hallucinating/plagiarizing scribal biographers who not only added "angels" and flying chariots to the koran but also a militaristic agenda to support the plundering and looting of the lands of non-believers.
This agenda continues as shown by the ma-ssacre in Mumbai, the as-sas-sinations of Bhutto and Theo Van Gogh, the conduct of the seven Muslim doctors in the UK, the 9/11 terrorists, the 24/7 Sunni suicide/roadside/market/mosque bombers, the 24/7 Shiite suicide/roadside/market/mosque bombers, the Islamic bombers of the trains in the UK and Spain, the Bali crazies, the Kenya crazies, the Pakistani “koranics”, the Palestine suicide bombers/rocketeers, the Lebanese nutcases, the Taliban nut jobs, the Ft. Hood follower of the koran, and the Filipino “koranics”.
And who funds this muck and stench of terror? The warmongering, Islamic, Shiite terror and torture theocracy of Iran aka the Third Axis of Evil and also the Sunni "Wannabees" of Saudi Arabia.
Current crises:
The Sunni-Shiite blood feud and the warmongering, womanizing (11 wives), hallucinating founder.
Posted by: YEAL9 | February 25, 2011 1:08 AM
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. by Dr. Harry W. Theriault (1989)
. . . .A SCHOLARLY TEXT
. . . .ON HUMAN BELIEFS
. . .TOWARD A NEW AGE
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."A Prophecy Who's Time is Come"
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Posted by: iamamerican | February 24, 2011 5:22 PM
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Posted by: iamamerican | February 24, 2011 5:21 PM
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To advance the freedom movement in Egypt et al:
The Five Steps To Deprogram 1400 Years of Islamic Myths:
( –The Steps take less than two minutes to finish- simply amazing, two minutes to bring peace and rationality to over one billion lost souls- Priceless!!!)
Are you ready?
Using "The 77 Branches of Islamic "faith" a collection compiled by Imam Bayhaqi as a starting point. In it, he explains the essential virtues that reflect true "faith" (iman) through related Qur’anic verses and Prophetic sayings." i.e. a nice summary of the Koran and Islamic beliefs.
The First Five of the 77 Branches:
"1. Belief in Allah"
aka as God, Yahweh, Zeus, Jehovah, Mother Nature, etc. should be added to your cleansing neurons.
"2. To believe that everything other than Allah was non-existent. Thereafter, Allah Most High created these things and subsequently they came into existence."
Evolution and the Big Bang or the "Gi-b G-nab" (when the universe starts to recycle) are more plausible and the "akas" for Allah should be included if you continue to be a "crea-tionist".
"3. To believe in the existence of angels."
A major item for neuron cleansing. Angels/de-vils are the mythical creations of ancient civilizations, e.g. Hitt-ites, to explain/define natural events, contacts with their gods, big birds, sudden winds, protectors during the dark nights, etc. No "pretty/ug-ly wingy thingies" ever visited or talked to Mohammed, Jesus, Mary or Joseph or Joe Smith. Today we would classify angels as f–airies and "tin–ker be-lls". Modern de-vils are classified as the de-mons of the de-mented.
"4. To believe that all the heavenly books that were sent to the different prophets are true. However, apart from the Quran, all other books are not valid anymore."
Another major item to delete. There are no books written in the spirit state of Heaven (if there is one) just as there are no angels to write/publish/distribute them. The Koran, OT, NT etc. are simply books written by humans for humans.
Prophets were invented by ancient scribes typically to keep the un-educated masses in line. Today we call them for-tune tellers.
Prophecies are also invali-dated by the natural/God/Allah gifts of Free Will and Future.
"5. To believe that all the prophets are true. However, we are commanded to follow the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
alone."
Mohammed spent thirty days "fasting" (the Ramadan legend) in a hot cave before his first contact with Allah aka God etc. via a "pretty wingy thingy". Common sense demands a neuron deletion of #5. #5 is also the major source of Islamic vi-olence i.e. turning Mohammed's "fast, hunger-driven" hallu-cinations into horrible reality for unbelievers.
Unfortunately, there are not many Muslim commentators/readers on this blog so the "two-minute" cure is not getting to those who need it. If you have a Muslim friend, send him a copy and help save the world.
Posted by: YEAL9 | February 22, 2011 10:57 AM
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yeal9 needs anger management.He needs to get out of the gutter. The Muslims are coming ....Run...no where to run
visit muslimsforpeace.org