Akbar Ahmed

Poetry From All Religious Traditions Is A Panacea In Our Troubled World

Manjula Kumar | Posted 01.03.2012

Read More: Smithsonian, Akbar Ahmed, Hinduism, Islam, Sufism, Religious Pluralism, Religious Tolerance, Poetry, Mysticism, Slidepollajax, Religion News

Walking in the footsteps of great Sufi poets Dr. Ahmed expresses "primal emotions that are universal." His poetry touches the heart and soul while reflecting on the past with memories of the partition of India.

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HuffPost Religion Round-Up: July 24-31

Paul Brandeis Raushenbush | Posted 09.30.2011

Read More: Mark Juergensmeyer, Amman Ali, Ruth Messinger, Greg Carey, Asma Uddin, David Wolpe, Bassam Tariq, The Karmapa, Richard Stearns, Khalid Latif, Debt Ceiling, Jim Wallis, Jew in Lotus, James Forbes, Akbar Ahmed, Frank Kirkpatrick, Shais Taub, Religion News

Religious Arrests, the Green Buddha, Ramadan Resources, Hindu Service, Identity Fundamentalism, and the Best NASCAR Prayer Ever - It has been a busy week on HuffPost Religion

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One Reason Americans Think Muslims Want to Stone Them

Jason Salzman | Posted 08.13.2011

Read More: Akbar Ahmed, Colorado Christian University, Gen. William Boykin, Sarah Palin, Islam, Right Wing Talk Radio, Islamic Law, First Amendment, Freedom of Religion, Sharia, Denver News

Retired Gen. Boykin believes Islam shouldn't be given First Amendment protections. I listen to a lot of talk radio, and ideas like his ooze out all the time. So I interviewed an expert on Islam to offer a countervailing view.

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Why Was Osama Bin Laden Buried at Sea?

The Huffington Post | Tim Stenovec | Posted 07.03.2011

Read More: Osama Bin Laden Dead, Sea Burial, Jay Carney, U.S.S. Carl Vinson, Akbar Ahmed, Osama Bin Laden Buried at Sea, Osama Bin Laden, North Arabian Sea, World News

Just hours after he was killed in a United States-led operation, Osama bin Laden’s lifeless body -- bathed, wrapped in a sheet and placed in a weig...

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Poetry, Faith And The Muslim Soul

Frankie Martin | Posted 05.18.2012

Read More: Arab World, Islam, Rumi, Sufism, Pakistan, Books, Islamic Poetry, Suspended Somewhere Between, Akbar Ahmed, History of Islam, Poetry for the Soul, Poetry, Sufi, Muslim World, Religion News

A new collection of poetry by Akbar Ahmed, a world-renowned Islamic scholar, gives an authentic and new perspective on a religion and a part of the world that is so constantly on our minds.

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Jews And Muslims: How Do We Bring Down The Temperature?

Frankie Martin | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Religion, Journey Into America: The Challenge of Islam, Islam, World, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Israel, Akbar Ahmed, Interfaith Dialogue, Judaism, Jewish-Muslim Relations, Blood Libel, Religion News

Wherever one looks, the gap between Jews and Muslims appears to be growing. For the past two years, I have been in a unique position in which to observe relations between the two communities.

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An Appeal by an Islamic scholar to Grand Ayatollah Khamene'i of Iran

Akbar Ahmed | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Ramadan, Religion, Politics, Sarah Shourd, Akbar Ahmed, Iran, World News, Josh Fattal, American Hikers Iran, Grand Ayatollah Ali Hoseyni Kh?Mene'i, Shane Bauer, Religion News

The following is a personal appeal by Ambassador Akbar Ahmed to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Grand Ayatollah Ali Hoseyni Khāmene'i, to show Islamic co...

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Akbar Ahmed On Jon Stewart: Americans' Perception Of Islam Is Way Off Base (VIDEO)

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Islam, Video, Jon Stewart, Books, Mosques, Author Interview, Akbar Ahmed, Muslim, Religious Tolerance, Journey Into America: The Challenge of Islam, Books News

Author and former ambassador of Pakistan to the UK Akbar Ahmed appeared on the Daily Show last night to discuss his new book "Journey Into America: Th...

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A Journey into America, Past and Present

Akbar Ahmed | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Religion, Islam, Politics, Homegrown Terrorists, Pluralism, Founding Fathers, Akbar Ahmed, US Foreign Policy, Thomas Jefferson, World, Journey Into America, Books, Terrorism, America, Roger Williams, Tripoli, Books News

Muslims are for Americans what the Russians were for Churchill: "A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." While the post-9/11 period brought...

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In Search of Muslim Identity: Akbar Ahmed's Journey into America

John Milewski | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Islam, Pluralism, David Kilcullen, Alexis De Tocqueville, Afghanistan, Terrorism, Pakistan, Muslim Americans, Akbar Ahmed, American Identity, Thomas Jefferson, Melting Pot, Faisal Shahzad Times Square Bomber, Iraq, Diversity, Books News

Author Akbar Ahmed has dedicated himself to building bridges of understanding between worlds. I asked him about the impact of Faisal Shahzad's actions on the larger goal of increasing trust among Muslims and non-Muslims in the U.S. and beyond.

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Film on American Muslims Can Help Europe Understand Islam

Frankie Martin | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Culture and Cultures International Film Festival, France, Europe, Islam, Akbar Ahmed, Journey Into America, Denis Piel, Padies, Film, Movies, World News

Nestled in a medieval village in the French countryside, we ate delicious international food and watched four films a day from all corners of the world.

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Celebrating July 4th with Rick Warren and 45,000 Muslims

Frankie Martin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Akbar Ahmed, Islam, Journey Into America, Politics, July 4th, Rick Warren, Pluralism, Interfaith, Healthy Living News

This 4th of July I celebrated America's Independence with Pastor Rick Warren, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) and 45,000 Muslims as a part of the Islamic Society of North America's annual convention.

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In Search of the "Muslim World"

John Milewski | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Islamic Society of North America, Islam, Isna, Akbar Ahmed, Documentary, Media Criticism, Media, Fourth of July, America, Muslim World, Media News

Journey Into America portrays the experiences of Muslim-Americans, providing much food for thought about how we think about any designated group of Americans.

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Discovering America

Frankie Martin | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Religion, Islam, American University, July 4th, Politics, Media, Keith Ellison, Isna, Thomas Jefferson, Journey Into America, America, Muslims, Entertainment, Independence Day, Akbar Ahmed, Benjamin Franklin, Entertainment News

In every country that we visited, the idea that Americans harbored negative opinions of Muslims was named as the "number one threat to the Muslim world" in surveys we distributed.

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Obama and the Dialogue of Civilizations

Frankie Martin | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Egypt, Dialogue of Civilizations, Islam, Terrorism, Cairo, Media, Akbar Ahmed, World, Foreign Policy, Barack Obama, Isna, Obama Mideast Trip, World News

One of the questions we asked was "what is the greatest threat to the Muslim world?" In each country, the most common answer was: "American negative perceptions of Islam.

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America's Islamic Slave Roots

Frankie Martin | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Islam, Slavery, President Obama, Martin Luther King, Sapelo Island, Obama Inauguration, Akbar Ahmed, African Americans, Muslim World, Cornelia Walker Bailey, Research, Inauguration, Georgia, Family, World News

My team and I were on Sapelo Island, off the coast of Georgia, to investigate links between the US and Islam going back centuries to the Africans brought to this country as slaves.

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Obama Must Learn to Play Cricket

Frankie Martin | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Australia, Islam, War on Terror, Pakistan, Politics, Iraq, US Foreign Policy, David Kilcullen, State Department, Barack Obama, Baseball, US Surge Iraq, Pashtun, Pervez Musharraf, Akbar Ahmed, Afghanistan, Terrorism, Cricket, World News

Americans began to understand tribal culture and tribal codes of honor and hospitality. And they realized that organizations like Al-Qaeda were antithetical to traditional culture.

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