Greg Mortenson Fights Terror With Education...
September 13, 2010 Nancy Greenleese | Denver, Colorado Greg Mortenson looks like a typical climber. He’s a towering, boyish man in his fifties, wearing frayed khakis, a tan top and only socks on his feet – no pretensions whatsoever as he addresses about 400 people packed into a Denver area bookstore. Using slides, he tells the story detailed in Three Cups of Tea, his book about climbing K2, the world’s second tallest peak, which straddles the Pakistan-China border. In 1993, Mortenson came within hundreds of meters of the summit where he planned to honor his late sister. But an illness forced the California nurse and his climbing party to descend. A devastated Mortenson got lost on the way...
9/11 Widow Turns From Tragedy to Helping Afghan Women...
September 07, 2010 Faiza Elmasry | Washington, DC The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks brought about many changes in American society. The government established a new department to deal with terrorist threats. Airports instituted tough new security rules. Public awareness of Islam and Muslim countries grew and – in many cases – so did distrust and hate. But one woman whose life was turned upside down on September 11th turned that personal tragedy into healing and hope for women half a world away. Terrible loss Susan Retik Ger doesn’t like to remember September 11, 2001. Her husband was on American Airlines Flight 11 when hijackers seized control and flew it into the World Trade Center. “My husband, David,...
Young Muslims in US Seek Homegrown Imams...
April 16, 2010 Vidushi Sinha | Washington The Muslim population in the United States is growing, and so is its need for spiritual guidance. A new generation American Muslims is demanding more from local mosques than they can always provide. “It’s not what you see on television or it’s not what people are talking about or a dress code or whatever. It’s about being good to your fellow man, about being good to your God. That’s all it is. That’s what it is,” said Adeel Zeb, an aspiring imam and a Muslim chaplain at American University in Washington. He reaches out to young Muslims with what he calls the real message of Islam. Zeb says there is often...
Islamic and Black US Communities Remember Malcolm X...
February 25, 2010 Nico Colombant | Chicago One of the foremost, if controversial, figures of the civil rights movement in the United States was Malcolm X. He, himself, rejected the term civil rights, preferring to call it a fight for human rights. Islamic and black communities in Chicago recently held events to remember his life, which they said was marked by transformation. Once a controversial figure, Malcolm X, assassinated 45 years ago, is now considered an icon in the struggle for black equality. He was a leader of the black power movement and refused to renounce the use of violence by blacks in their own self defense. Malcolm X became prominent in Chicago which boasts the only US college...
NY Rabbi Brings Style to Interfaith Activism...
December 10, 2009 Adam Phillips | New York Influential New York rabbi hosts a weekly talk show on an American Muslim TV network to encourage religious inclusiveness, tolerance Rabbi Brad Hirschfield is president of CLAL, a New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of Jewish knowledge and religious tolerance around the world. Hirschfield is also author of You Don’t Have to Be Wrong for Me to be Right and the host of a popular interfaith program on a leading Muslim television network. From the modern art on his walls to the traditional Talmudic texts stacked on the shelves, the décor of CLAL’s midtown offices reflects Rabbi Brad Hirschfield’s eclectic style and his unique mission. Dressed in a dark, conservative suit,...
Sayyid Syeed Works for Religious Tolerance...
November 10, 2009 Washington, DC Nidal Malik Hasan, the U.S. army officer who allegedly killed 13 people and wounded 31 others at Fort Hood military base in Texas Nov.5, is a devout Muslim. American Islamic organizations expressed shock and condemnation of what they called, “the senseless and appalling act of violence,” and offered condolences and prayers to the victims and their families. Among the groups speaking out is the Islamic Society of North America, or ISNA, the largest Muslim-American organization in the western hemisphere. Sayyid Syeed, the group’s national director, is the focus of this week’s American Profile. Sayyid Syeed’s work at ISNA reflects his lifelong campaign to promote tolerance and non-violence, and to bring people of different...
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