In 1915, the brothers Henry and Solomon Weil provided an endowment to the oldest state supported university in America, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to sponsor an annual lecture on the meaning of American Citizenship.
Robert Taft, Eleanor Roosevelt, J. William Fulbright and Jimmy Carter are merely a few of many Weil lecturers who have appeared at the ancient venue, Hill Hall.
This year, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of the Cordoba Initiative in Manhattan joined the long and distinguished list of Weil speakers at Hill Hall.
Security was tight at this year's Weil lecture, because the Imam shot to fame last year as the protagonist in the controversy over the establishment of an Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan. In the elegant and stately auditorium of Hill Hall, every seat was occupied, and the sophisticated audience of six hundred academics and intellectuals was expectant and rippling with anticipation.
Since 1983, Imam Rauf served as the leader of a mosque in Lower Manhattan. On 9/11, Rauf was in Denver for the marriage of his daughter, but he swiftly returned to New York where he became the primary Islamic consultant for the FBI on the subject of Islamist terrorism. In the tragic weeks following 9/11, the Imam lectured more than 1000 FBI agents on the culture of mainstream Islam and the radical distortions of the terrorists.
In the intervening years, Imam Rauf has become one of the world's leading interfaith advocates of peace, love and understanding between all faith traditions. Through his work for interfaith dialogue, the Imam became a recipient of the annual Alliance Peacebuilder Award from the Alliance for International Conflict Prevention and Resolution, and he was the major speaker at the Parliament of the World's Religions when it convened in Melbourne, Australia in 2009.
Adopting a conversational format for the Weil Lecture, Professor Hodding Carter served as the Moderator and asked the Imam a series of questions that permitted him to address his subject, "Unfinished Dreams: America, Religion and Citizenship."
During the evening, Imam Rauf assured the audience in Hill Hall, "The American Muslim community is to play an important role in mediating between America and the Muslim world."
Explaining that America's involvement with the Muslim World metamorphosed dramatically after WWII when the USA adopted, "A colonialistic type approach evolving into the Cold War dynamic and how the Muslim World in large part was the chessboard on which the Cold War was played."
Presenting his analysis, Imam Rauf used elegant and diplomatic language to describe the phenomenon of postwar colonialism against the stark backdrop of the Cold War:
How the relationships between the United States and the Soviet Union and their desire to have certain types of leadership in much of the world including the Muslim World that would be advantageous to the pursuit of their policy, rather than pursuing policies that engendered the rise of democracies in much of these countries.
Turning to the current tide of popular pro-democracy revolutions sweeping across the Middle East, Imam Rauf drew his audience back to his theme of American Islam:
And now we see a new chapter which is the post-Cold War chapter, in which the ongoing desires of people to have what we have here; to enjoy the freedoms we have here; to enjoy democracy which means among other things -- a government which is for the people, as Abraham Lincoln said of being, 'of the people, by the people, but for the people.' A government that sees itself at the service of its constituents; not a government that regards the assets of the country and its people as belonging to themselves is the paradigm shift which people in the Arab and Muslim world have been longing for for a long time and want to see. And to the extent that our policies can further that objective, it will no doubt enhance relationships between America and much of the world, the Arab and Muslim World and play an extremely important role in reducing acts of terrorism against the United States of America.
In addressing the long and savage history of the horrors of religion and war, Imam Rauf stated bluntly, "Every regime which tried to destroy religion has been destroyed."
Vividly recalling cases from history, Imam Rauf cited:
In reflecting on the extravagant brutality of violent religious confrontation, Imam Rauf observed, "The notion that you can wage a war against a religion is something that is really dangerous and has never historically succeeded and should not ever be sought."
Returning to his leitmotif of American citizenship and Islam, Imam Rauf frequently emphasized his central thesis that Islamic values resonate strongly with American values.
The Imam stated: "I believe that our Founding Fathers established a country based upon the concept of religious freedom which is something that Islam fundamentally demands -- although not all Muslims do that -- they are violating their own religion."
Driving his point home Imam Rauf defined the origins of modern notions of democracy in the moral dimension of monotheism stating, "The notion of the equality of human beings is something that emerged from the Abrahamic faith traditions."
While describing the ideals of equality and justice that are at the heart of the ideal Islamic society, Imam Rauf surprised many in the audience when he explained, "Many Muslims believe that America is more of an Islamic state than their own countries."
A short distance away from the Imam's address at Hill Hall, the Christian Action Network staged what they hoped would be a huge anti-Muslim rally. Several speakers arrived from New York to upstage Imam Rauf. Led by Tim Brown, a 9/11 responder who has become a professional and peripatetic Islamophobe, a small crowd of around three to five dozen people gathered in a hotel conference room to see a highly publicized free movie and to decry Imam Rauf and his religion.
Tim Brown denounced Imam Rauf as, "an imposter Imam" with a secret agenda to, "victimize the families of 9/11" by building a Muslim "victory tower" near Ground Zero. Expecting a much larger audience in what they had presumed to be the backwoods of the Bible Belt, Tim Brown was visibly disappointed by the paltry turnout and the sparse and intermittent applause. Brown praised the controversial Congressional hearings into Islamist radicalism of Rep. Peter King (R-NY), and his thin audience obediently demonstrated their approval.
One of America's most prominent self-proclaimed Islamophobes, Ilario Pantano, enthusiastically joined Brown to excoriate Imam Rauf. Pantano is a failed Republican politician who got the backing of the Tea Party. However, the voters of North Carolina rejected Pantano's candidacy when they learned about his troubling military record and his extremist Islamophobic ideology. Pantano gained his notoriety as an ex-Marine discharged from the USMC after he was accused of the premeditated murder of two unarmed Iraqi Muslims in his custody. The charges were eventually dropped, but Pantano soon thereafter resigned from the military, claiming terrorist threats to his family.
According to the Raleigh News & Observer, the Christian Action Network, "follows Abdul Rauf to many of his speaking events, often lining up to counter his (appearances)." In effect, the Christian Action Network is now functioning as an Islamophobic posse modeled on the notorious Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas. While the Christian Action Network's original mission was a campaign against the rights of gay Americans, today they stalk their opponents via a national campaign of defamation, slander, libel and disingenuous distortions of facts aimed at demonizing Muslims strictly because of their religion.
It is inescapable, that the Christian Action Network is fueling hatred of Muslims during a period of rising Islamophobia in the United States. The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the Christian Action Network along with hate groups, and the state of Maine has banned them for their "inflammatory anti-Muslim message." The Christian Action Network was founded by Martin Mawyer in Virginia as a political offshoot inspired by the radical religious fundamentalism of the late Rev. Jerry Falwell.
Returning to the Imam's penetrating discourse during the question and answer session in Hill Hall, Imam Rauf explained his new vision of a Muslim community center that would replicate the functions of the YMCA and Jewish community centers as an institution that will be free and open for all members of the increasingly diverse American community: Muslims; Christians and Jews. Imam Rauf's community center will provide services and facilities where people from all walks of life can share a gymnasium, meeting rooms, restaurants, accommodation and classes in physical fitness along with cultural programs and exhibition spaces for art, music, drama and film. For those who attended Imam Rauf's lecture, Brown and Pantano's protestations seem both extremist and ill-informed.
In Hill Hall, Imam Rauf described the personal mystical experience that led him on his spiritual journey as:
A moment where the boundaries of myself dissolved ... I felt that I was at one with the universe. Poets have written about this. Mystics have written about this. So did Blake when you see eternity in a speck of sand. I felt that moment where I never forget: the yellowness of the sun; the greenness of the green; the sound of the bus; a complete sense of oneness and in that moment a direct and absolute knowledge and conviction that god was there. I was confronted by the awesome omnipotent power of: absolute being; absolute love; absolute knowledge and wisdom that embraced me and embraced everything in creation. To experience that reality in that moment was what our Indian friends call satchitananda, absolute being-consciousness-awareness. Absolute mercy and love and compassion propelled me along to my readings of the Sufis and the mystics and the writers of religious philosophy, and I tried to pull it all together, but -- at every moment in the recognition that it is not about being a Muslim or being a Jew. It's not about being labeled. It's about your personal relationship with the creator.
In closing his comments at Hill Hall, Imam Rauf reassured his audience, "The real battle today is between the moderates of all faith traditions and the radical extremists of all faiths."
In defining faith, Imam Rauf put it succinctly, "True faith is always following your inner conscience."
Imam Rauf received a tumultuous standing ovation from the six hundred North Carolinians in Hill Hall, who moved to the reception where they bought dozens of copies of his book: What's Right with Islam is What's Right with America
Correction: This wording in this post has been changed to more accurately reflect the nature of Mr. Pantano's military discharge.
Follow Michael Carmichael on Twitter: www.twitter.com/alchemistoxford
John Witte Jr.: Lift High the Cross? Religion In Public Spaces
Ryan J. Bell: Conversation is the True Work of Peacemaking
Frank Fredericks: Islamophobia: The Challenge of Our Generation
Jalees Rehman, M.D.: 'Islamophobia' is Not a Phobia
Imam Rauf is a master at telling people what they want to hear.
In his book "Sacred Law" he tells Muslims how Sharia law must be taken as the guide for every aspect of the devout Muslim's life. At what sounds like a fitting session for the Imam's halo, as described by Mr. Carmichael, he tells those who prize their "broad mindedness" above all else just exactly how broad minded they are to disdain any criticism of Islam.
The message is: Islam is one big monolithically good thing. Any bad action by a Muslim is not Islamic.
I don't buy it and neither do some more honest American Muslims:
http://www.mzuhdijasser.com/8966/m-zuhdi-jasser-qa
http://singularvoice.wordpress.com/
"Every regime which tried to destroy religion has been destroyed."
Does that include the Islamic attempt to destroy the religious cultures of pre-Islamic Egypt and Persia?
"During the evening, Imam Rauf assured the audience in Hill Hall, "The American Muslim community is to play an important role in mediating between America and the Muslim world."
No thanks, Imam Rauf. Three hundred million Americans can defend themselves quite well against a largely hostile Muslim world, with or without the mediation of six million American Muslims. It would be better to have you with us, but not something we can't overcome if you decide not to.
But I can see why you would like to have the leverage that comes with that position.
Thank you Michael Carmichael!
Imam Rauf's full discussion can be seen here: http://www.vimeo.com/21171413
It's well worth the watch. This man is an inspiration, and he is so incredibly eloquent. I challenge anyone to watch him speak and then label him a radical or extremist.
FYI to all, if you want to skip the general intro, it lasts about 6 mins. or so, followed by a minute and a half or so of Imam Rauf's bio/background, as he is introduced.
Imam Rauf's actual talk begins at about 7:30 in the video.
And I agree -- Imam Rauf expresses himself clearly, eloquently and with obvious sincerity.
I don't even understand why "critics of Islam" don't seem to like him or appreciate his efforts; he is exactly the type of Muslim they say they want to see.
Curious.
Or something.
Please list the radical extremists in other religions at present triggering bombing attacks on innocenmt civilians. I do not find any.
""True faith is always following your inner conscience."
Very true. William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898) was Prime Minister of Great Britain four times: 1868–74, 1880–85, 1886 and 1892–94. He called the Qur'an an "accursed book" and once held it up during a session of Parliament, declaring: "So long as there is this book there will be no peace in the world." Let us avoid this Book.
"A moment where the boundaries of myself dissolved ... I felt that I was at one with the universe."
This is universal caliphate and world wide imposition of shariaa.
"what our Indian friends call satchitananda, absolute being-consciousness-awareness."
Let us see what Islam did to the Indians. Read this:
""The Mohammadan conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precarious thing, whose delicate complex of order and liberty, culture and peace may at any time be overthrown by barbarians invading from without or multiplying within." - Will Durant
"
""A moment where the boundaries of myself dissolved ... I felt that I was at one with the universe."
Pranav1941 writes:
"This is universal caliphate and world wide imposition of shariaa."
LOL!!!
Literally.
WOW (is all I can say.)
You had to work for that one.
& FYI ... it didn't work.
No one can have such an experience, and remain oriented toward divisiveness.
Some of us in this country are weary of the damage caused by Christian fundamentalism.
With that said, let's just say we are not exactly thrilled about Islam or any other "Abrahamic" faith either.
I watched a BBC documentary recently, which was a hidden camera operation on the hateful teachings promulgated in Madrassas in UK. These are run by the Deobandi seminary, "Darul Aloom" headquartered in India and teaching in the West for decades. The cameras showed young pupils being taught that "Hindus worship cows", "Drink cow piss" and assorted hate speech. Darul Aloom was said to train 80% of UK Imams. The show also featured the enlightened response of moderate Muslims to this outrageous behaviour as well... it is well worth watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ0rsUofpQM
'Channel 4 TV Dispatches goes undercover to investigate the 2,000 Muslim schools in Britain run by Islamic organisations. The programme shows that, behind closed doors, Muslim secondary schools teach a message of hatred and intolerance.'
Work to be done, and I appreciate Imam Rauf's efforts here.
"Divide & Conquer" Policy of Colonists!
Thanks to Mahatma Ghandi who kicked out the British Imperials and liberated India!
Imam Rauf was the catalyst inspiring my involvement. I'm not Muslim, and had no idea who to believe, or what to think, about the proposed Islamic community center in lower Manhattan, at first.
The only difference between myself and many others, apparently, was my willingness to do my own research, and to learn about Imam Rauf and his project from independent sources, and via his own words.
The man I learned of is essentially the opposite of the man his detractors portray. Imam Rauf is a man of peace, and dedicated goodwill toward all, as evidenced by his thirty year career displaying those qualities, combined with the vast amount of interfaith support he has, especially in New York City.
I highly, highly recommend his book What's Right With Islam as a great general overview of Islam for non-Muslims, as well as solid and inspirational insight into the mind of a man whose dedication and character transcend any religion, and which highlight, at the risk of sounding a bit corny, what is indeed "right with Islam", in a very significant way.
Why would you assume that 'The only difference between myself and many others, apparentlyÂ, was my willingnesÂs to do my own research, and to learn about Imam Rauf and his project from independenÂt sources, and via his own words.' ?
I do my own research too, yet come to a different conclusion than yourself. It's a tad condescending to claim those who disagree with you did not bother making research.
For instance, if someone reviews his actual statements and behavior, and for whatever reason decide they don't like him ... that's fine, and anyone has a complete right to come to their own conclusion about anyone, of course.
However, almost universally, what I've seen, especially last summer when the "mosque controversy" was making national news, is that a lot of people were literally making things up about Imam Rauf.
All of the strongly negative opinions I've seen about him to date have been based on information that has been made up, based on listening to the highly-negative yet poorly-informed opinions of others, or "camping out" on one or two out of context statements that might possibly be able to be construed as negative.
I'll (again) use the Birthers as an analogy of how I feel about Imam Rauf, and "criticism of Islam" overall:
President Obama doesn't have to be born in Kenya for someone to dislike him - especially since he wasn't born in Kenya. Someone can take an honest look at the President's life and/or policies and simply decide they don't like him, and will vote for another President, next election. Great.
Ditto Imam Rauf: if you don't like him based on facts; great.
I have yet to see that, though.