ICB Conversations Theme 4

Current Affairs

Professor Adil Najam, Imran Nasrullah and Mario Moreira

Fourth Sunday of the Month
11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Main Prayer Hall

Topic Overview

1. January 29, 2006 - Democracy and Islam
   Professor Adil Najam
   A discussion on the internal challenges of establishing true democracy in the Muslim world by laying out a set of propositions of what democracy really means in theory and in practice, what we know about how democracy is ‘established’, and what this means for the internal and external politics of the Muslim world.
   
   
2. February 26, 2006 - Intelligent Design vs. Evolution: Is there an Islamic perspective?
   Imran Nasrullah
   So far the debate and legal battles on teaching Evolution over Intelligent Design have largely centered on Christian community, even though it affects people of all faiths. Imran Nasrullah explores what an Islamic perspective on this issue may be. [Presentation Slides] (Powerpoint Show - 670KB)
   
   
3. April 9, 2006 - Establishing a Context for Bias to promote a better understanding of our Social & Political Landscape
   Mario Moreira
   Mario introduces the notion of establishing a Bias Context Landscape in order to help us more objectively understand where entities (e.g., persons, groups, or organizations, as well as ourselves) are coming from. He will introduce a first-of-its-kind, "Bias Context Matrix" that includes a conservative/liberal axis and a passive/aggressive axis that will allow for social and political context mapping.
   
   
4. September 24, 2006 - 10,000 Girls: A Success Story From Senegal
   Dr. Viola Vaughn
   Dr. Vaughn, founder of 10,000 Girls, will speak about the thriving education and employment program she founded in Senegal. Senegal is a West African country with a nearly 95% Muslim majority population.
   Dr. Vaughn is a remarkable American grandmother, who emigrated to Senegal with her 5 young grandchildren in 2001, after the death of her daughter at age 26. Extensive experience during Viola’s prior career in international development had convinced her that rural Africa would provide a better environment for raising the children than inner-city Detroit. Local Senegalese kids began peeking in the windows of her house as she home-schooled the older grandchildren, and soon a local 9-year-old girl overcame her shyness and asked Viola if she could join the lessons. Thus 10,000 Girls was born.
   Dr. Vaughn’s story is uplifting in contrast to the steady stream of negative news from Africa, and particularly, in the context of a new era of “social entrepreneurship,” in which non-profit programs must become self-sustaining and accountable for results. Her vision focused on helping girls -far behind males in education and earning power in Senegal - to acquire knowledge and skills which would enable them to live better and provide better for their families and the future of their region.
   In just five years Dr. Vaughn’s 10,000 Girls program has grown to enable more than 1500 girls to stay in school and acquire job skills. They work in several businesses founded by Viola to support the program, and which are increasingly run by the girls themselves, some of whom are now young women with solid computer and accounting skills.
   
   
5. October 29, 2006 - Democracy and Empowerment
   Mario Moreira
   In this interactive session, Mario will examine the meanings of democracy & empowerment and how American Muslims can utilize these concepts in building a better tomorrow for ourselves and our children. He will further examine trends in the political arena where American Muslims are playing a role and then the areas both visible and invisible where we can build our empowerment in American democracy. This seminar appropriately timed since Election day (November 7th) is right around the corner.
   
   
6. December 10, 2006 - Introduction to Common Ground in America, Palestine & Israel
   Rains Rouner
   Rains Rouner, Director Common Ground in America, Palestine & Israel will give a presentation about Common Ground. The mission of Common Ground is two-fold:
   1. To send U.S. interfaith aid to disenfranchised Palestinian families through the tax-deductible auspices of Rabbis for Human Rights-North America (100% of all funds are passed on to The Palestine Relief Association and distributed through vouchers, not cash, to needy families by the Irshad Women's Cultural Center in Jenin).
   2. To promote interfaith dialogue among U.S. Muslims, Christians and Jews (and also Americans, Palestinians and Israelis) regarding the question: What are the essential elements of a just and lasting Palestinian/Israeli peace?
      
      
   For more details about Common Ground and its mission, please visit their website at http://www.commongroundapi.org
   
   
7. April 29, 2007 - Islam in China followed by a Live Demonstration of his Calligraphic Expertise
   Haji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang
   Haji Noor Deen comes from Shandong Province in eastern China bordering the Yellow Sea. He teaches Arabic calligraphy at the Islamic College in Zhen Zhou and is engaged in research on Islamic culture at the Henan Academy of Sciences. He also runs a correspondence course for Chinese students interested in learning Arabic calligraphy at the Zhen Zhou Islamic college. He is the first Chinese Muslim to have been awarded the Egyptian Certificate of Arabic Calligraphy and to be admitted as a member of the Association of Egyptian Calligraphy.
   
   Haji Noor Deen’s extraordinary mastery and genius in the art of Arabic calligraphy along with his unique ability to deliver his craft to an audience has brought him lecture and workshop invitations from some of the most renowned and prestigious institutions around the world. Haji Noor Deen also lectures on Islam in China. Today, there are approximately twenty million Muslims and thirty-five thousand mosques in China. The architecture of the mosques is a testament to the vastness of Islam’s identity. They are wooden structures, which inculcate both an Islamic and Chinese style. The interplay of these cultures, which is exemplified in the architecture of the Chinese mosque, plays a vital role in the Muslim-Chinese identity.
   
   
8. June 10, 2007 - Global Warming and Climate Change
   Donna Kramer Merritt
   Donna Kramer Merritt is Associate Publisher at Body & Soul magazine. She was trained by Vice President Al Gore on giving this presentation on the subject of global warming and climate change. The presentation features the same slide show that is seen in Al Gore’s award winning film Inconvenient Truth.
   
   The threat of climate change and its impact on human civilization is gaining greater awareness and attention on the strength of Gore’s film. The presentation will discuss these issues and offer suggestions on what individuals can do to help reduce the problems of global warming.