Posts tagged : "Interfaith dialoge"

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International pressure can raise awareness of the problem of Islamophobia: Heiner Bielefeldt

International pressure can raise awareness of the problem of Islamophobia: Heiner Bielefeldt

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: There are many indications leading us to believe that we are living in an age characterized by the face-off of religion and science. Even so, although science is making headway in eliminating many of the humanity’s challenges, faith hasn’t surrendered its preeminence, and The Guardian reported in 2018 that 84 percent of the global population identifies with a religious group, with Christianity being the largest faith group, followed by Islam, Hindus and Buddhists. Sixteen percent of the people in the world, at nearly 1.2 billion, said they have no religious affiliation. Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right safeguarding the diversity and conscience of human societies. The ability of the...

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Europe has not provided a convincing counter-narrative to populist Islamophobia: Paul Hedges

Europe has not provided a convincing counter-narrative to populist Islamophobia: Paul Hedges

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: On March 15, the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced his concern over the spiraling surge of anti-Muslim discrimination and bigotry worldwide, calling on governments and stakeholders to play a more consequential role in containing this byzantine form of racism that has impaired harmony and stability in multicultural settings. As far-right discourses gain traction and ultra-nationalist politics pick up steam internationally, fissures between the Muslim communities and Western societies tend to become deeper and more resistant to healing. Throughout the European Union, aversion to Muslims is cropping up in a panoply of ways and shapes....

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Can Religious Communities Help Solve World Problems? Interview with Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky

Can Religious Communities Help Solve World Problems? Interview with Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: People follow different paths to find meaning for their lives. For many, religion is a way of embracing spirituality. In a world plagued by loneliness, anxiety and conflict, religion can help people find peace of mind and inner calm. Since the beginning of time, humankind has resorted to a metaphysical power in which they can find refuge and look for answers to their questions. Worshipping a deity is seen as a way of expressing their desire for truth and peace when the world appears incapable of responding to their needs. Yet, at the same time, modern world history has been marred by wars and conflicts, some of which religious violence has played a role in. In 1975, only 2% of conflicts in the...

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Is Islamophobia on the Rise? An Interview with Peter Riddell

Is Islamophobia on the Rise? An Interview with Peter Riddell

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Islamophobia can be seen in a variety of ways. As a form of intolerance and discrimination, it risks affecting relations between Muslims and non-Muslims and undermining social cohesion. In 2018, the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims made history by devising the first working definition of Islamophobia in the UK. The group noted in its report that “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” Tell MAMA, an organization that tracks anti-Muslim incidents in Britain, recorded a total of 685 racially-aggravated incidents between January and June 2018. The report found that 58% of victims were women. Hate...

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Extremists Won’t Hinder Interfaith Dialogue: Prof. Leonard Swidler

Extremists Won’t Hinder Interfaith Dialogue: Prof. Leonard Swidler

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: Interfaith dialogue is a necessity in our age. In a world suffering from armed conflicts, diplomatic standoffs and trade wars, cooperative and constructive interaction between people of different religious traditions is fundamental to solidifying peace and stability, and stemming racism, xenophobia, radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism. Interreligious dialogue is about encounters — it drives respect, mutual understanding and appreciation for common values. Interfaith dialogue helps debunk the myths and eradicate the stereotypes about religion that politicians abuse to further their (often populist) agendas. The 1893 Parliament of World Religions at the World’s Columbian Exposition...

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Anti-Semitism Is a Growing Problem in America: Rev. John C. Dorhauer

Anti-Semitism Is a Growing Problem in America: Rev. John C. Dorhauer

Kourosh Ziabari - Fair Observer: On October 27, a gunman entered the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and opened fire on worshippers attending the Shabbat morning services. Although police were called to the scene and SWAT forces intervened, the shooter killed 11 people and injured seven others. It is believed that Robert Bowers, the alleged gunman, is behind the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States. The 46-year-old expressed a hatred for Jews on social media and told the police while in custody that he wanted “all Jews to die.” He has since appeared in a courtroom and prosecutors have demanded the death penalty. The shooting in...

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As the war on terror lingers, Islamophobia continues to be a problem: Prof Todd Green

As the war on terror lingers, Islamophobia continues to be a problem: Prof Todd Green

Kourosh Ziabari - ODVV: Islamophobia is a huge source of concern in the 21st century, featuring itself in forms like anti-Muslim hate speech, intolerance in neighbourhoods, socioeconomic inequalities and policies dictated by governments, which are not conducive to public good. A distinguished American academician says as long as some version of the "war on terror" project lingers, Islamophobia continues to be a prominent problem. Todd Green, an Associate Professor of Religion at Luther College and a recognised expert on Islamophobia says some world leaders have done a good job in vocally condemning anti-Muslim discrimination, even though their record in standing by the Muslims and minorities has been mixed. Prof Green, however,...

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Institutional Islamophobia in the United States: Q&A with American Philosopher Daniel Tutt

Institutional Islamophobia in the United States: Q&A with American Philosopher Daniel Tutt

Kourosh Ziabari - International Policy Digest: The interrelationship between Islam and the West and the struggles that make integration in American and European societies difficult for the Muslims is a major debate these days. An American philosopher and author says Islamophobia is not a new invention and the difficulties faced by Muslims in describing and spreading their faith and the difficulties imposed on them by governments have together created the misunderstandings that have made the interfaith dialogue an arduous task. Dr. Daniel Tutt (@DanielTutt) is an interfaith activist and philosopher. As a scholar activist, his work addresses Islamophobia and inter-religious dialogue. His writing and work has been published in...

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Conversation with Iranian Artist Keyvan Shovir on Iran and its Culture

Conversation with Iranian Artist Keyvan Shovir on Iran and its Culture

Kourosh Ziabari - International Policy Digest: Arts and culture can bridge the gaps between nations in times of division or when political tensions arise and daily life is difficult. When leaders exchange verbally aggressive words or believe that their national security interests are threatened, it is the authors, artists, entrepreneurs, academicians and even students who bear the burden of eradicating enmity and eliminating hostilities between countries. Keyvan Shovir is a young Iranian visual and street artist who combines Iranian traditional culture with contemporary pop culture in his art to showcase the beauty of Iran to those who are unfamiliar with its people and culture. Shovir is credited with being a pioneer in Iranian...

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Donald Trump’s Comments Are Inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution: Tayyib Rashid

Donald Trump’s Comments Are Inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution: Tayyib Rashid

Kourosh Ziabari - Truth NGO: The incendiary statement made by the Republican U.S. presidential contender Donald Trump in December 2015, who called for the “complete shutdown” of all Muslims from entering the United States, provoked outrage and dismay across the world and underlined the rise of an Islamophobic trend in the campaign season rhetoric in America. Many American Muslims reacted to Trump’s comments by saying that his prejudiced conviction was unconstitutional and un-American and ran counter to the principle of freedom of religion sustained in the First Amendment. Prior to that, Donald Trump had called for the profiling of American Muslims in special databases and demanded that they should carry identification cards...

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Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism: Equally Abominable

Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism: Equally Abominable

Kourosh Ziabari - Huffington Post: Imagine you're traveling from Sacramento, CA to Richmond, VA on a flight you've been anticipating for a couple of weeks so as to reunite with the family members you were missing for quite a while. At the airport, you've gone through all the security inspections and passport check, handed over your laptop and iPad devices for "additional screening", taken off your shoes at the request of the guards talking to you grimly, emptied your pockets - having no option but to allow the security officer unzip your wallet and find how much money you're carrying while he is actually looking for something suspicious, and finally boarded the plane, fastened your seatbelt, adjusted your pillow and just given a call...

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Many Americans Strive to Protect Muslims in the Face of Bigotry and Discrimination: Kim Lawton

Many Americans Strive to Protect Muslims in the Face of Bigotry and Discrimination: Kim Lawton

Kourosh Ziabari  - Iran Review: I was privileged to be the Iranian delegate of the Senior Journalists Seminar 2015, a generous fellowship granted by the Hawaii-based East-West Center to a select number of American, Asian and Middle Eastern journalists since 2003 every year. The goal of the fellowship program is to bridge the gaps in the U.S. relations with the Muslim world. This year, a group of 17 journalists from Iran, Afghanistan, China, Egypt, India, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines and the United States were selected to take part in the 21-day professional dialogue, study and travel program. The program had an unimaginably intensive and tight schedule. We had six main destinations: the three U.S....

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