The acts of terror on the World Trade Center that occurred nine years ago, made it clear that it is necessary to have cross-cultural dialogue. The continued elevated controversy over the so called “ground-zero mosque” is evidence that almost a decade since the 9/11 attacks we haven’t communicated, therefore, we haven’t grown. Unfortunately, many Americans [...]

August 25, 2010 by Yasemin | Tags: 9/11, b-listed, breakthrough, buddhist, catholic, christian, cross-culture, ground zero, Ground Zero mosque, hindu, intolerance, Islam, jewish, mosque, Muslim, Religion, September 11, The Unity Productions Foundations, tolerance, understanding, World Trade Center | 1 Comment »

Welcoming Islam near the site of 9/11 attacks is seen by many Republicans as a symbol of terrorist victory and a weak U.S.  On the other hand, liberals see the openness and tolerance of this act as a powerful bridge to interfaith interaction and peace.  But, plain and simply, to the court of law religious tolerance [...]

August 5, 2010 by Priya | Tags: American Center for Law and Justice, b-listed, breakthrough, Burlington Coat Factory, Cordoba Initiative, Elisabeth de Bourbon, flight 175, Gov. Deval Patrick, ground zero, historical landmarks, homepage, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Islam, Landmarks Preservation Commission, Mayor Bloomberg, mosque, Muslims, Oz Sultan, Peace, reconciliation, Robert B. Tierney, September, terrorism, Wall Street Journal, WTC | 1 Comment »

The Globe and Mail reported earlier this month that an Egyptian immigrant was expelled from her school in Quebec for refusing to remove her niqab.
Naema Ahmed, 29, had been attending class for 45 days before a women reported her to the Canadian authorities during an exam. Civil servants came promptly to escort her out [...]

March 19, 2010 by Stefani | Tags: Bell Bajao, breakthrough, burka, Canada, hijab, Islam, Muslim Canadian Congress, Muslim Council, Naema Ahmed, niqab, Quebec, The Globe and Mail | No Comments »

Today at 4 pm, The Center for Media, Culture and History and The Center for Religion and Media at NYU are screening the documentary New Muslim Cool.
The film focuses on Jason Hamza Pérez, a Puerto-Rican American, Muslim rapper. It follows him as he confronts discrimination in a post-9-11 world.
*The screening will feature panel discussion from [...]

February 5, 2010 by Stefani | Tags: because we found it, Islam, Jason Hamza Perez, Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, Muslim, New Muslim Cool, NYU, NYU Islamic Center, Popmaster Fabel, Zaheer Ali | No Comments »

Today, a document created collectively by thousands of people around globe and drafted by a multi-faith, multi-national council of thinkers and leaders has officially launched.  The Charter for Compassion reminds us quite simply of the Golden Rule, which lies at the heart of all religions, ethical and spiritual traditions–empathy.   If embraced widely, the document is [...]

November 12, 2009 by heidi | Tags: Case for God, Charter for Compassion, Christianity, empathy, ethical tradition, Golden Rule, Islam, Judaism, Karen Armstrong, multi-faith, Religion, spiritual tradition, TED | No Comments »

On June 12th, Iran re-elected Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president. Ahmadeinejad won over the more secular Mousavi by claiming over 60% of the total votes. But prior to the election, young Iranians had big dreams and used Facebook to tell their story.
Many campaigned for Mousavi in hopes that there could potentially be an end to the [...]

June 15, 2009 by rachel | Tags: ahmadinejad, Campaign, censorship, election, fundamentalism, gadgets for good, iran, Islam, women's rights, youth | No Comments »

Islamophobia - it shouldn’t exist, but it does. In the last few years, anti-Muslim sentiments and stereotypes have taken up an unnecessary and unfairly large portion of our country’s attention. Riz Mirza is out to change that with his new play, Koranic Fatigue.
Brought up in the Bronx, yet with roots in New Delhi, Mirza now [...]

March 19, 2009 by admin | Tags: breakthrough, Islam, Koran, Mirza, Muslim, Play, Religion, Riz, Theatre | No Comments »