IN THIS ISSUE
Governor Mitch Daniels continued to reach out to the Muslim community of Indiana at his 2007 State of the State speech. Muslim Alliance of Indiana Executive Director, Shariq Siddiqui, was invited to attend the 2007 State of State address by Governor Mitch Daniels. Muslim Alliance of Indiana was honored to be one of 30 invited guests at the event. Siddiqui was one few guests that had the opportunity to meet Governor Daniels prior to the speech. "This was yet another historic occasion… the fact that a Muslim Hoosier was one of the few guests invited to this special event shows the importance of the 280,000 Muslim Hoosiers to the states dynamism," state Siddiqui. "This important gesture shows yet again how this Governor seeks to reach out to the Muslim community as he seeks to make Indiana vibrant and economically strong."
This is not the first time a Muslim Hoosier has been invited to this special event. In 2002, Governor Frank O'Bannon, invited Dr Sayyid M. Syeed to the 2002 State of the State speech and honored Dr Syeed for the bridges he was building within people of all faith within the state of Indiana. "Indiana has been a great state for Muslims to live in and we hope that through the leadership of people like Governor Daniels, Muslim Hoosiers will continue to be recognized for their contributions to Indiana's progress," stated Dr Ibad Ansari, President of MAI.
On January 24, 2007, the Muslim Alliance of Indiana wrote the following letter to Mayor Bart Peterson regarding its concern over the ownership of the new public funded hotel in Indianapolis and the prospective owners alleged discriminatory practices against Muslim employees. MAI urges Indiana Muslims to write to the Mayor and to express their concern.
January 24, 2007
Mayor Bart Peterson
2501 City-County Building
200 East Washington Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Dear Mayor Peterson,
We, at the Muslim Alliance of Indiana, are concerned about the city's selection of White Lodging to manage the Indianapolis convention headquarters hotel. Our concern was compounded by reports of significant public funding that will subsidize this hotel's development. While the Muslim Alliance of Indiana is strongly in support of economic development activities in Indianapolis as well as your leadership we feel that White Lodging is not a responsible employer. We urge you to protect the citizens of Indianapolis by protecting the rights of employees at this hotel. As you are aware Muslim Alliance of Indiana works to connect 280,000 Muslim Hoosier to their public leadership. We will be working with the Muslim community across the state and especially in Indianapolis to raise our concerns regarding White Lodging.
This past summer, the Bush administration sued White Lodging for discriminating against hotel housekeepers in Louisville, KY (EEOC v White Lodging, Civil Action No. 3:06CV-353-S). The EEOC lawsuit made the following allegation:
Mahdi, Muya, Issa and Fayi are Muslims and wear the hijab headdress as part of their faith. LMD and White Lodging failed to reasonably accommodate Mahdi, Muya, Issa and Fayi's sincerely held religious beliefs, and denied them the opportunity for employment when they refused to remove their hijab.
The EEOC continues to describe these civil rights violations as "intentional" and state that they were "done with malice or with reckless indifference to the federally protected rights of Mahdi, Muya, Issa and Fayi."
As you know, the EEOC conducts substantial due diligence to confirm that the allegations have merit before filing a complaint. Furthermore, the EEOC tried to settle these charges with White Lodging before filing the complaint; however, White Lodging was unwilling to reach a settlement.
The Muslim Alliance of Indiana has been working to attract meetings, conventions and conferences from large organizations like ISNA, CAIR, ICNA, MPAC and so on. The ISNA Convention alone produces over fifteen million dollars in revenue for the City of Chicago over Labor Day Weekend. Muslim Alliance of Indiana is trying to get these organizations to consider the new convention center and hotel in Indianapolis, but your decision to partner with White Lodging on this vital economic development project for Indianapolis makes that difficult.
We appreciate the support that you have given to the Muslim community in Indiana. Your statements to protect the Muslim community after the tragic events of 9/11/2001 and your recent proclamation for Eid-alAdha show us your dedication towards diversity and openness to the Muslim community. However, White Lodging has not treated Muslim employees with the same respect. We look forward to your immediate attention to the pending matters that directly affect the respectable citizens of Indianapolis.
Sincerely,
Shariq Siddiqui
Executive Director
Muslim Alliance of Indiana
A "Goode" Day for New Beginnings
High on the wall of Congressman Virgil Goode's DC office, just as he had noted in his now famous letter to constituents, was a framed poster stating "In God We Trust."
High on the opposite wall a television played Fox News, most of it centered around the war in Iraq.
Below, as our small delegation of religious leaders took their seats, I recalled the statement from Goode's letter in response to newly elected Muslim representative Keith Ellison's decision to use a Qur'an for his unofficial swearing-in. "When I raise my hand to take the oath on Swearing In Day, I will have the Bible in my other hand. I do not subscribe to using the Quran in any way." Speaking on the subject of immigration, Goode added "… if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Quran."
I introduced the delegation: With me were the Rev. Greg Anderson, a Baptist Minister from Virginia's 5th District, the Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell from the National Council of Churches, Michael Kelly from the Islamic Society of Central VA, Mohamed Elsanousi of the Islamic Society of North America, and Dr. Sayyid Syeed, the Islamic Society's National Director.
We got right down to business. "We come bearing gifts," I began as I handed Mr. Goode the binder containing a petition with 8,000 signatures from concerned persons across the nation. "It is a gift, because these signatures represent people who believe in the power of your words hurt or to heal. We have come to share what we believe is an opportunity for you to help lead the way in promoting a season of understanding around this issue."
Mr. Goode listened as each member of the delegation spoke their minds and hearts. Their points were compelling, from stating how disparaging remarks from an elected official fuels anti-American propaganda abroad, to reminding the Congressman that his words and actions must extend beyond his personal religious views. At one point I was struck by the irony of the moment when I could hardly hear Dr. Syeed, a wise and seasoned man of peace, because of a hair-loss commercial blasting out of the television overhead.
I also wondered if Congressman Goode could hear.
I soon got my answer. When we had finished, Congressman Goode leaned across his desk, thanked us for our remarks, and told us unequivocally that he stands by his earlier statement. "I didn't say anything that was untrue." Indeed, technically speaking, we were all in agreement. What he said could be factually supportable, and each is entitled to his or her own rights under our constitution. It was what was implied in the statements that raised such national concern - though apparently not uniformly throughout Goode's district, where letters of support outweigh letters of rebuke.
Congressman Goode then remarked that America is a nation where religious freedom abounds, "but if this nation had a majority of Muslims," he said, "I'm not sure it would be the case." Then gesturing to Dr. Syeed, he added, "Of course, if they were all more like you, I don't think there'd be a problem."
I held by breath. Privately I thought, "People used to say that about races of men and women… You're not like the rest of them. If more of them could be like you, we wouldn't have to worry. Why, you're a credit to your race."
Yes, it could have gone badly. But it didn't. Instead, it became both a kind gesture and Holy moment, because Mr. Goode was sincere in his compliment, and, in Dr. Syeed's wisdom, he - indeed all of us - understood that this is how seeds of understanding are planted. Despite years of Mr. Goode's apparent preconceptions, misconceptions, misunderstandings, or whatever it is that causes barriers where bridges might otherwise be… despite these and even a blaring television overhead, they were no match for a chance to sit eyeball to eyeball with deep and loving people whose lives are a genuine expression of what they believe.
Perhaps this was one of the first times Congressman Goode has met a peace-loving, broad-minded Muslim who is far more like him than unlike him (though I hear he has had some friendly exchanges with Rep. Ellison) and we hope it won't be his last.
I closed our visit by sharing with the group about my friend Zufar, a Muslim from Pakistan who is now a citizen of the U.S. and lives in Virginia with his American-born wife - who happens to be Catholic. She is dying of ALS. (Mr. Goode immediately asked how she was doing - not feigned, but from a genuine sense of concern.) "Not well," I replied. What keeps her alive after five years battling the disease and what inspires me is the way in which Zufar cares for her day after day, year after year, with little respite. His abiding Muslim faith is one reason for his devotion to his wife, and yet he takes great joy when her Catholic friends come to visit, pray for her, hold her hand, and sing Christian songs. I told Mr. Goode, "When I am stressed and feel like being less than my best as a person, it is my Muslim friend who helps me to be a better Christian."
And so he does.
Perhaps the most hopeful outcome of our visit was that Mr. Goode said he would accept an invitation to attend a Muslim service or gathering. I suspect he will take some heat in his district back home for that, but imagine all of those faces he will meet - peace loving, broad-minded Muslims, like those in our little group, who love their country and wish the best for all Americans. Imagine that day when a leader on the world stage is confronted with the faces of all of those men, women, and children who understand that with hands open - and not clenched fists - we can nourish one another in wonderful ways.
That should be a very good day indeed.
posted by Vince Isner, FaithfulAmerica at Monday, January 29, 2007
The 17th Annual Lugar Series Luncheon is schedule for February 19, 2007 at Indiana Roof Ballroom, 140 West Washington Street.
Luncheon Speaker: Governor Mitch Daniels, Jr.
Registration 11:15 AM
Luncheon 11:45 AM
Ticket $65 per person
RSVP by February 8th 2007
Contact Sandi Huddleston 317-964-5005
Or Vicky Hunt 317-446-8800 vwhunt@prodigy.net
Reserved tables are available for group of ten
The White House Internship Program offers an excellent opportunity to serve our President and explore public service. We are seeking exceptional candidates to apply for this highly competitive program. In addition to typical office duties, interns attend weekly lectures, tours, and complete an intern service project.
Interns may serve a term in the Fall, Spring or Summer. Every candidate must be a United States citizen, enrolled in a college or university, and at least 18 years of age.
An application and additional information about the program can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/wh-intern.html.
Strong applications exhibit:
- sound academic credentials
- a history of community involvement and leadership
- solid verbal/written communication skills
- a demonstrated interest in public service
Applications should be submitted to Karen Race, Deputy Director and Intern Coordinator, White House Personnel, at intern_application@whitehouse.gov on or before the following deadlines:
- March 6, 2007 for SUMMER 2007 -- (May 22 to August 24, 2007)
- June 26, 2007 for FALL 2007 -- (September 4 to December 14, 2007)
If you have questions you may contact Karen Race at (202) 456-5979 or intern_application@whitehouse.gov
On Wednesday, January 24, 2007, leaders of the House Committee on the Judiciary announced the membership roster of the newly named Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law (formerly the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims). Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) will chair the sixteen-member subcommittee, and Representatives Steve King (R-IA) and Elton Gallegly (R-CA) will serve as Ranking Member and Deputy Ranking Member, respectively.
Immigration Subcommittee members will also include: Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA), Artur Davis (D-AL), William Delahunt (D-MA), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Randy Forbes (R-VA), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Daniel Lungren (R-CA), Marin Meehan (D-MA), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), and Maxine Waters (D-CA). Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ), who served on the Immigration Subcommittee during the 109th Congress and has been an outspoken supporter of comprehensive reform, was not reappointed to the Judiciary Committee by the Republican leadership.
The Immigration Subcommittee is part of the larger House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction not only over matters related to immigration, but also over a range of judicial issues such as judicial proceedings, federal courts, civil liberties, interstate compacts, and patents. In addition to the members of the Immigration Subcommittee, members of the House Judiciary Committee include: Committee Chair Representative Conyers (D-MI), Ranking Member Representative Smith (R-TX), and Representatives Boucher (D-VA), Cannon (R-UT), Chabot (R-OH), Coble (R-NC), Cohen (D-TN), Feeney (R-FL), Franks (R-AZ), Issa (R-CA), Johnson (D-GA), Jordan (R-OH), Keller (R-FL), Nadler (D-NY), Pence (R-IN), Schiff (D-CA), Scott (D-VA), Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Sherman (D-CA), Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Watt (D-NC), Weiner (D-NY), and Wexler (D-FL).
If you were to pick three words to capture the political zeitgeist of the post-Sept. 11, 2001 era, what would they be? I would go with something like "Muslim," "American" and "conflict."
Now, if you were to pick three words that capture the mood of the conservative response Jan. 4, when Keith Ellison, D-Minn., became the first Muslim to be sworn in to the House of Representatives -- doing so with the Quran nonetheless -- what would those words be? I would go with something like "Muslim," "American" and "conflict."
You see, the significance of Ellison becoming the first Muslim to be elected to the House of Representatives is monumental along two different fronts in American society. The first is that Ellison's election is quite possibly the most significant symbol of American democracy at work since the 1916 election of Jeanette Rankin, R-Mont., when she became the first woman to serve in Congress. With nearly 8 million Muslims in the U.S., a population greater than that of Jews or any other religious group other than Christians, the moderate majority voice of Islam finally has a significant representative in the Western world, and it couldn't have come at a more vital time.
But the second and more socially exposing aspect of Ellison's monumental position is the underscored misunderstanding of said moderate Muslim voice that prevails among many in the conservative coalition of this country. And the frontrunner, the commander of this fleet of false impression, is U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va.
When it became clear that Ellison would be sworn in using the Quran, the first to do so in American history, Goode sent out a public letter that stated that Ellison's taking oath under the Quran was a dangerous threat to "the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America." But nothing could be further from the truth. Except maybe what conservative columnist Dennis Prager said when he wrote: "If American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Quran." Close, but no cigar, Mr. Prager. Try if American citizens don't wake up and realize the importance of electing more Muslims to Congress, then we will have lost a fundamental aspect of our democracy: that of representation.
What Mr. Prager and Rep. Goode have highlighted is a common misconception that Islam and its followers are more prone to fundamentalist tendencies than those who follow more "traditional values and beliefs in the U.S." (We call these people Christians.)
The funny thing is that the terminology of religious fundamentalism was born from Protestant Christianity. It arose in this country when Protestants aimed to halt the seeming monopoly that science was claiming on truth by reverting to the fundamentals of the religion, which manifested itself in the literal interpretation of the Bible. Religious fundamentalism was therefore born, and remains still, as a reactionary position. It is a position no more prone to one faith over the other. You must understand, Commander Goode, that Islam is fully American.
The most glaring evidence of this reality conveniently arose during the swearing-in ceremony of Ellison -- also Minnesota's first African-American representative -- when he used Thomas Jefferson's 1764 copy of the Quran that had been translated into English. This was not only a savvy political move but also a meaningful reminder to all those who may have lingering confusion about the place of religious freedom in American society. After all, Jefferson did originate from Albemarle county of Virginia's 5th Congressional District, currently represented by none other than Mr. Goode.
When commenting on the use of Jefferson's Quran, Ellison accurately relayed a fundamental truth -- not a fundamentalist truth -- that has so often eluded a conservative faction of this country for far too long. When swearing in with Jefferson's copy he said, "It demonstrates that from the very beginning of our country, we had people who were visionary, who were religiously tolerant, who believed that knowledge and wisdom could be gleaned from any number of sources, including the Quran."
Andy Granias (agranias@badgerherald.com) is a sophomore majoring in political science and international studies.
Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress, used Quran once owned by Thomas Jefferson during his ceremonial swearing-in on Thursday, January 4, 2007. Ellison, a Democrat, contacted the Library of Congress about the Quran last month, said Mark Dimunation, chief of the rare book and special collections division at the library. The Quran, an English translation of the Arabic, was published in 1764 in London, a later printing of one originally published in 1734. This is considered the text that shaped Europe¹s understanding of the Quran, Dimunation said.
It was acquired in 1815 as part of a 6,400-volume collection that Jefferson, the third U.S. president, sold to replace the congressional library that had been burned by British troops the year before, in the War of 1812. Ellison wanted this to be a special day, and using Thomas Jefferson's Quran makes it even more special.
Jefferson's Quran dates religious tolerance to the founders of our country, he added. Ellison was born in Detroit and converted to Islam in college.
Jefferson collected books in all topics and languages, said Dimunation. The Quran survived an 1851 fire in the Capitol building. Dimunation described it as a two-volume work, bound in leather with marble boards. As a rare book librarian, he said, there is something special about the idea that Thomas Jefferson's books are being walked across the street to the Capitol building, to bring in yet another session of governmental structure that he helped create.
- The average age is 57. Average age in the House: 55.9; average in Senate: 61.7.
- There are 90 women: 74 in the House, 16 in the Senate. There are 12 women in the freshman class: 10 in the House, two in the Senate.
- There are 42 black members of the House, one black senator.
- There are 27 Hispanic members of the House, three in the Senate.
- There are seven Asian members of the House, two in the Senate.
- There is one Native American member.
- The freshman class of the House has the first Muslim and the first two Buddhists to serve in Congress.
- 102 members in the House have served in the military, 29 in the Senate.
Sources: Congressional Research Service, CQ.com, politics.ap.org
Rodney Wilson - Islamic banking has become a substantial industry over the last four decades. It's central component: the avoidance of interest. Does its emergence segregate Muslims from Western values and norms, creating a financial ghetto?
I contend that as increasing numbers of people in the West become dissatisfied or skeptical about the banking services they receive, and see them as exploitative or even unethical, the emergence of Islamic banking with its own distinctive morality could help project a much more positive face to Islam. Islamic banking and finance can help foster dialog between Westerners and Muslims.
Islamic retail financial institutions, including the Islamic Bank of Britain, the European Islamic Investment Bank and Lariba Bank in California, are now well established in a number of Western countries. Furthermore, the leading international banks, including Citibank, HSBC Amanah, Deutsche Bank and UBS of Switzerland, all offer Islamic deposits and shari'a-compliant financing facilities.
There has been much dialog between the Western bankers working in these institutions and the shari'a scholars who advise what is, and what is not, permissible. This dialog extends to insurance, where Islamic companies have become increasingly active, their distinguishing feature being that they do not hold conventional interest-yielding bonds, and that shareholder funds and premiums paid by policy holders cannot be co-mingled.
As shari'a is about universal, divinely inspired principles rather than national laws, leading international law firms have also become involved in Islamic banking and finance, as contracts need to be drafted under English or American law in a way that is consistent with shari'a. Indeed, the main job of the shari'a committee members who serve on the boards of Islamic banks and conventional banks offering Islamic products is to ensure that new contracts are compatible with shari'a principles and, if they are not, to pursue a dialog with the lawyers concerning amendments and redrafting.
Islamic banking and finance can point the way forward: it is about extending choice, not restricting options. As each institution has its own shari'a board, shari'a compliance is effectively privatized, rather than being a matter of national law. Indeed, each shari'a board passes its own fatwas, or religious rulings, which further extends choice in the marketplace for religious ideas. Religion, of course, flourishes under competitive conditions and Islam is no exception, whereas when it is nationalized, its adherents soon become alienated.
The Islamic Republic of Iran can be regarded as an example of how not to encourage the development of Islamic banking and finance. There, all banking has been shari'a- compliant since the Law on Interest Free Banking was passed in 1983. Bank clients have therefore no choice but to use the shari'a system. The banks, however, are state-owned and have little autonomy, even in determining what deposit and financing products to offer. They also do not have shari'a committees, the argument being that this is unnecessary as the law ensures shari'a compliance in any case.
The result has been that banking development has been slow, there is little financial innovation, and most Iranians do not have bank accounts. In contrast, on the Arab side of the Gulf and in Malaysia, where Islamic and conventional banks compete, Islamic banks have attractive products on offer and a growing client base. Al Rajhi Bank of Saudi Arabia has become the world's largest Islamic retail bank, and its range of services and delivery channels compares favorably with the best that Western banks can offer.
Islamic banking is here to stay, is an opportunity rather than a threat, and has an exciting future. Gaps remain -- there is no Islamic bank in Israel for example to serve its Muslim population. But if the Central Bank of Israel licensed such an entity it could create much goodwill. It might also encourage the Jewish population living there to question whether the operations of their own banks are compatible with religious teaching in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
Ultimately, Islamic banking and finance is about the emergence of a distinctively Islamic form of capitalism that may co-exist and interact with Western, Chinese, Russian or any other capitalism. Such a development should be welcomed and facilitated, and not hindered or suppressed.
Rodney Wilson is Director of Postgraduate Studies at Durham University's Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. He is co-editor of The Politics of Islamic Finance and co-author of Islamic Economics: A Short History. This article is part of a series on economics and Muslim-Western relations distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews), and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org
"Civil Liberties and Immigration in America" is the topic of a public forum on Wednesday, February 7, 2007 sponsored by the Bloomington chapter of American Civil Liberties Union. The event begins at 7 p.m. in the Monroe County Public Library Auditorium. The general public is welcome free of charge.
ACLU-Indiana executive director Claudia Porretti, the child of Cuban immigrants, will participate, as will Indianapolis immigration attorney Angela Iza, Harold Sabbagh of the Arab American Association, Peter Guardino (a leading specialist on modern Mexican history), and Russell Hanson (a national authority on American politics). Among the topics to be addressed are: undocumented immigrants and their legal rights; current issues on the Mexican/U.S. border; discriminatory patterns against Muslim immigrants; and the politics behind efforts to "reform" immigration policy. Considerable attention will be given to current developments in Indiana, where some local government officials have been instructing citizens to inform authorities about purported "illegal" immigrants.
"The panel consists of specialists on central aspects of the current national debate over immigrants to the United States and their rights and responsibilities," announces the executive board of the Bloomington ACLU. "We seek to go beyond the polemics of the debate and offer nuanced analysis of current immigration law and litigation, proposals for legal and policy reform, comparison of the experiences of recent Hispanic and Muslim immigrants, and ways the immigration issue has impacted national political discourse. While ACLU positions and actions on matters of immigrant rights will be presented, alternative perspectives shall also be offered in the interests of a rich, complex discussion."
For more information, call Larry Friedman at 812- 333-7007 or email LJFriedm@Indiana.edu.
PRESENTS
THE PREVENTIVE AND RELATIONSHIP ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM (PREP)
A PRE-MARITAL/MARITAL EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM
BASED ON RESEARCH FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER
CENTER FOR FAMILY AND MARITAL STUDIES
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2007
12 NOON- 6PM
DINNER AT 2PM
MASJID AL-FAJR
2846 COLD SPRING ROAD
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46222
317-923-2847
The Indiana Association of Muslim Imams and Chaplains is very concerned with two major issues that belong to our community. The first is the meaningful reintegration of recently released Muslims from the Penal institutions of our nation. Each year more than 600,000 individuals are released from confinement and enter into society. Many of these men have recently reverted to Islam while incarcerated. The second major issue we are concerned with is the strengthening and preservation of marriages and family in our community.
As part of the Muslim Alliance of North America (MANA) which has two initiatives, Reentry and the Marriage initiative, Saturday February 17, 2006 at Masjid Al-Fajr we will bring to our community the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP).
The Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) is a pre-marital/marital educational curriculum. PREP has been continually refined and based on up-to date research, particularly in the areas of communication, conflict management, affect regulation, commitment, expectations, intimacy enhancement and gender differences. PREP helps couples reduce or limit risk factors and raise e protective factors, with the overarching focus being to help couples develop and maintain safety in terms of long term security and commitment. The program includes the following topics: communication danger signs of future problems, gender differences, using structure to promote safety, the Speaker/Listener Technique, problem solving, Ground Rules for handling conflict, strategies for dealing with issues and events, clarifying core beliefs and expectations, forgiveness, commitment, and how to preserve and enhance fun\, friendship, and sensuality.
The Prep approach is based on research in the field of marital health success over the past few decades, with much of the specific research conducted at the University of Denver since 1980 when the Center for Marital and Family Studies was opened. Drs. Markman, Stanley, Blumberg, and a host of colleagues and research assistants, have been studying what happy couples do right and what unhappy couples do wrong. One focus of this work has been how to take this information and teach couples skills and attitudes associated with marital success.
Because of its roots in sophisticated research and a very straightforward approach, PREP has received a great deal of attention from couples, religious leaders, marriage counselors, and the media (including segments on Oprah, 20/20, 48 Hours, NPR, and many others including articles on PREP in the New York Times, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The London Times, Health Magazine, Redbook, Psychology Today Readers Digest, The San Francisco Chronicle, Parade Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal etc.)
Most people desire a satisfying marriage that lasts a lifetime. Yet couples marrying today still have a fifty percent chance of getting divorced (Raley and Bumpass, 2003). What starts out, as a relationship of great joy and promise can become the most frustrating and painful endeavor of a lifetime? The damaging effects of destructive marital conflict and divorce on spouses and children include economic problems, medical problems, and mental health problems. Yet it is also clear that not being married is also risky. On average people who are married live longer, have better health, and do better financially (see Waite and Gallagher, 2000). The best of all worlds (in this World) is to be securely committed in a healthy and happy marriage. That is what we want to help couples do.
While there is much more to be learned, research has shed light not only on key risk factors for marital failure, but also on the most promising avenues to help couples to build and maintain great marriages. Can couples learn how to avoid the pitfalls, and learn to deepen and maintain love for a lifetime? Yes, if they work at it-and if they keep working at the things that work for them.
The learning model employed by the PREP Approach is educational, with the focus on teaching couples the kinds of attitudes and actions that make for marital success. While the bad news is that marriage is risky business and the costs of failure are staggering, the good news is that couples can learn powerful, proven strategies for beating the odds.
AS CHRISTIAN EUROPE entered the Dark Ages, a spark in Mecca ignited a spiritual movement that spread like a sirocco-blown fire across Arabia and beyond to India and Africa and Eurasia roaring into Spain licking at France. A brilliant civilization based on the teachings of Muhammad rose and declined. Now, 14 centuries after its start, Islam claims more than 1.2 billion adherents and beholds a West with which it has been variously partner, competitor, and blood enemy.
Especially for Americans after Sept. 11, ignorance about Islam, in its orthodox or terrorist-perverted form, is a civic misdemeanor. But the Fredericksburg Council of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom can help you beat that rap. Together with the Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion at the University of Mary Washington, the council is hosting a lecture this week by one of the world's top Islamic scholars, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, who will speak on "The Meaning of Freedom in a Global Context."
Dr. Nasr, professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, is a man of Jeffersonian breadth--fitting inasmuch as Jefferson wrote the statute that the council annually celebrates. The Tehran native has undertaken high-level studies in physics, mathematics, philosophy, geology, cosmology, and history--reflecting the cultural richness of his co-religionist ancestors who gave the world boons ranging from Arabic numerals to the majesty of the Alhambra. Dr. Nasr's free lecture, which relates to President Bush's global democracy project, will begin Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in MWC's Dodd Auditorium.
The scholarly talk, though, is just one part of this year's religious-freedom theme, "Understanding Islam: A Celebration in Sight and Sound." The "sound" takes place Friday at 7 p.m. when "Music of Moslem People and Cultures," a free concert, fills the Great Hall of the university's Woodard Campus Center. Meanwhile, starting today and running all week, the Central Rappahannock Regional Library will present the "sight" element: a photo exhibit titled "A Pictorial Survey of Islam in America." There's no charge for that, either.
"The discussion that Jefferson began in Fredericksburg in 1776," says former Fredericksburg mayor Bill Beck, president of the council, "is a discussion we want to keep going." That's important, because the idea put forth in the statute--that "no man [should] suffer on account of his religious opinions or beliefs"--is not one that most people in most times automatically embrace. But it's a principle that helps keep another Dark Age from swallowing, for uncounted centuries, the human spirit.
As the Muslim world, and now Iran, make increasingly hostile overtures toward Israel, it's hard to imagine that relations between Jews and Arabs were ever harmonious.
But as biblical scholar Elsie Stern pointed out, during the pinnacle of Islamic power, Jews and Muslims often had a "really fertile" relationship -- one based on shared religious convictions and intellectual and cultural progress.
A new lecture series sponsored by the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies of the University of Pennsylvania aims to shed light on this formerly symbiotic relationship.
Beginning this week, the five-month "Jewish Life Under Caliphs and Sultans" program will bring leading Judaic scholars to synagogues in Center City, Elkins Park and Montgomery County to give both a basic primer on Muslim beliefs and practices, and to examine special topics in Jewish-Muslim history.
The latter will illuminate issues such as Islam's effect on the Hebrew Bible, and how Jewish-Muslim relations in the Middle Ages waxed and waned between cooperation and conflict.
Stern, assistant director for public programs at the center, said that all attending speakers -- which include Bible experts, Jewish medievalists, a trade economist and a member of the Israeli Knesset -- will aim to dispel the popular misconception that the antecedents of modern Judaism lie in Christian Europe.
"Most American Jews, when they think of Jewish culture and the roots of Jewish culture, they think about Judaism in Christian settings," said Stern. "But the reality is, that from the seventh to 13th centuries, 90 percent of Jews lived under Muslim rule."
Islamic lands were "the heart of sophisticated culture -- where philosophy was happening, where math was happening," she continued." 'The dark ages' were really a period when Christian Europe was a backwater."
By way of example, Stern referred to the pre-eminent Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides, whose thoughts on Jewish ethics and law were developed in conjunction with Muslim intellectuals. She explained that, by valuing classical thinkers like Plato and Aristotle, those Muslim intellectuals provided much of the fodder for Maimonides' work.
Jews can also trace their economic prowess to the Islamic empire, according to Stern.
She said that the image of "the international businessman" developed under the sophisticated trade networks of the Islamic empire, and that by capitalizing on this infrastructure, Jews began a long lineage of bartering and trading.
In general, Stern said that Judaism and Islam share "a lot more similarities than I think Jews kind of intuitively would guess."
She pointed to a mutual emphasis on the legal tradition as an example, comparing Judaism's halachic teachings to the body of work called sharia in Islam.
That's not to say that Jewish life in Muslim lands was a bed of roses during the Islamic era.
As Hebrew University scholar Miriam Goldstein noted, Jews did not enjoy full rights in most Arab nations, and often had to pay a special tax, wear distinguishing clothing or adhere to certain restrictions there. For example, she said that Jews were prohibited from building synagogues above a certain height, for fear that they would outshine neighboring mosques.
Nevertheless, Goldstein -- whose scholarship at the center focuses on Muslim and Christian influences on Judeo-Arabic -- said that in intellectual spheres, they were equals.
"The rule then," she said, "was really peaceful co-existence."
For a complete list of lectures, call 215-238-1290, Ext. 507, or visit: www.cajs.upenn.edu
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