What is the nature of the Qur'an? It might seem a straightforward question, but there is no consensus among modern communities of the Qur'an, both Muslm and non-Muslim, upon the answer. And why should there be? On numerous occasions throughout history, Muslims from different legal schools or denominations, as well as Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians and others, have agreed to disagree. The Our'anic interpreters, jurists and theologians of medieval Baghdad, Cairo and Cordoba coexisted peacefully in spite of their diversing beliefs. Seeking to revive this 'ethics of disagreement' of Classical Islam, this volume explores the different relationships societies around the world have with the Qur'an and how our understanding of the text can be shaped by studying the interpretations of others. From LGBT communities to urban Aftican American societies, it represents the true diversity of communities of the Qur'an in the twenty-first century, and the dialogue and debate that can flow between them. This book is the result of the Communities of the Qur'an conference held at Rice University in 2016.
This Boniuk Institute-sponsored work - the outcome of a conference which brought together experts in the Abrahamic religious - argues that sacred Scripture was experienced by the three faiths less as a text contained between two covers and a literary genre, and far more as an oral phenomenon.
This Boniuk Institute-sponsored collection of essays engages the past, present and future(s) of the Spiritual but Not Religious Movement (SBNRM). Their collective contribution is analytic, descriptive, and prescriptive, taking stock of not only the various analyses of the SBNRM to date, but also the establishment of a new ground upon which the continued academic discussion can take place.
In his lead essay for this volume, author Rainer Forst revisits his work on toleration and situates it in relation to both the concept of political liberty and his wider project of a critical theory of justification. Subsequent essays by other leading scholars critically examine Forts's reconstruction of toleration, his account of political liberty and the form of critical theory that he articulates in his work on such political concepts. The volume concludes with Forts's reply to his critics.
Domestic terrorism is not a new threat in the United States. It has, over centuries, taken many American lives and spilled much American blood - especially in communities deliberately and viciously targeted on the basis of hatred and bigotry. Domestic terrorist attacks in the United States also have been committed frequently by those opposing our government institutions, and, while domestic terrorism's roots and elements of our response may be longstanding, domestic terrorism is both persistent and evolving. According to the U.S. Intelligence Community and law enforcement, the threat it now poses is considered "elevated". This National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism provides an overarching approach to address today's manifestation of the domestic terrorism threat as well as the evolving forms that the threat may take in the years ahead.
The children of Auschwitz: this is the darkest spot in the ocean of suffering that was the Holocaust. This remarkable book tells the stories of the most vulnerable victims of the Nazis' systematic attempt to extinguish innocent lives, and rescues their voices from historical oblivion. It is a unique testimony to the horrific suffering endured by millions in humanity's darkest hour.
From a soldier, a scholar, and a southerner, Ty Seidule believes that American history demands a reckoning. In a unique blend of history and reflection, Seidule deconstructs the truth about the Confederacy and directly challenges the idea of honoring those who labored to preserve that system. Through the arc of Seidule's own life, as well as the culture that formed him, he seeks a path to understanding why the facts of the Civil War have remained buried beneath layers of myth and how they embody a cultural gulf that separates millions of Americans to this day.
Mapping meaningful connections and the language of the human experience. If we want to find the way back to ourselves and one another, we need language and the grounded confidence to both tell our stories and to be stewards of the stories that we hear. Atlas of the Heart explores eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human and walk through a new framework for cultivating meaningful connection.
On January 20th 1942, fifteen men arrived for a meeting in a luxurious villa on the shores of the Wannsee in the far-western outskirts of Berlin. But the beauty of the situation stood in stark contrast to the purpose of the meeting to which the fifteen had come in January 1942: the 'Final Solution of the Jewish Question'. According to the surviving records of the meeting, items on the agenda included the precise definition of exactly which group of people was to be affected, followed by a discussion of how upwards of eleven million people were to be deported and subjected to the toughest form of forced labor, and following on from this a discussion of how the survivors of this forced labor as well as those not capable of it were ultimately to be killed. The next item on the agenda was breakfast.
Whether it’s meditation or a walk in nature, reading a sacred text or saying a prayer, there are many ways to tap into a heightened awareness of the world around you and your place in it. Weaving her own deeply personal journey of awakening with her groundbreaking research, Dr. Miller’s book reveals that humans are universally equipped with a capacity for spirituality, and that our brains become more resilient and robust as a result of it. For leaders in business and government, truth-seekers, parents, healers, educators, and any person confronting life’s biggest questions, The Awakened Brain combines cutting-edge science with on-the-ground application for people of all ages and from all walks of life, illuminating the surprising science of spirituality and how to engage it in our lives.
Inspired by the tenets of ubuntu--the Zulu philosophy that we are each impacted by the circumstances that impact those around us, and that the world won't get better until we all get better--Fierce Love lays out the nine daily practices for breaking through tribalism and engineering the change we seek. From downsizing our emotional baggage to speaking truth to power to fueling our activism with joy, it demonstrates the power of small, morally courageous steps to heal our own lives, our posse, and our larger communities. Kindness, compassion, and inclusive thinking are muscles that can be exercised and strengthened. With the goal of mending our inextricable human connection.
An empowering and timely guide to raising anti-racist, compassionate, and socially conscious children, from a diversity and inclusion educator with more than thirty years of experience.
This sharply observed journey is an intimate meditation on coming of age in a time of terror. Stewart reveals the profound faith he discovered even after experiencing the violence of the American church: a faith that loves Blackness; speaks truth to pain and trauma; and pursues a truer, realer kind of love than the kind we’re taught, a love that sets us free.