Asani Offers Thoughts On Religious Illiteracy
Friday, October 8, 2021
I'm moving off wellness attention for this post. Sorry to those who object, but sometimes other topics (beyond soccer!) enhance issues that I similar to explore amongst you. This i is especially appropriate equally many of us instruct inwards into a special weekend, comprising both Yom Kippur as well as Eid-al-Adha. Read on if you'd like.
If you're similar me, a non-Muslim living inwards a globe inwards which in that place is a lot of word virtually people of that religion, it tin last confusing to dissever the exercise of the faith from the political as well as nationalistic contexts inwards which nosotros oftentimes catch it. Ali Asani, Professor of Indo-Muslim as well as Islamic Religion as well as Cultures, gave a brusk lecture this calendar week at Harvard that I works life real helpful. It was called, “The Importance of Fostering Religious Literacy: The illustration of Muslims inwards the US.”
Ali started amongst a provocative slide, amongst the elementary words, "Why produce they abhor us?" He explained that he had oftentimes heard this catch from non-Muslim Americans virtually Muslims inwards the residual of the world. He as well as thus pointed out that he had heard precisely the same enquiry from Muslims roughly the globe virtually Americans! Clearly, in that place is a lack of agreement going on, as well as he spent most of his verbalise addressing the reason, which he termed religious illiteracy.
He pointed out that in that place is global illiteracy virtually faith as well as culture. This results inwards an inability to engage amongst the differences betwixt us because nosotros convey a lack of tools to empathise the differences. Mutual stereotyping exists, as well as and thus ignorance agency that encounters betwixt groups ironically leads to to a greater extent than polarization.
He referred to Diane Moore as well as her mass Overcoming Religious Illiteracy as well as presented some of her top dog points equally follows:
Ali listed some manifestations of religious illiteracy:
1) Equation of faith amongst devotional practice, rites, rituals, as well as ceremonies.
2) The essence of faith is perceived equally located inwards sacred texts.
3) Religious traditions are seen equally timeless as well as unchanging as well as monolithic. (In contrast, in that place is a huge extent of multifariousness inside Islam.)
four ) Religions are seen equally actors having agency; i.e., in that place is a vogue to personify religion, but it's but a construct, non a being.
5) The purpose of faith equally the exclusive lens to explicate the actions of an private or a community.
6) An entire religious community is held responsible for the actions of an individual.
He as well as thus expanded on Moore's conclusions as well as pointed to the dangers of religious illiteracy equally leading to stereotypes as well as dehumanization, accompanied past times less honour for diversity. Such illiteracy tin also last exploited past times ideologues to promote extremism as well as fundamentalism. Finally, he noted that republic cannot business office if i is ignorant as well as afraid of one's neighbors.
In closing he urged the audience to aid develop themselves as well as others to differentiate betwixt devotional seem as well as the written report of religion; to consider religions equally internally various equally opposed to uniform; to consider faith equally evolving as well as and changing, equally opposed to beingness ahistorical as well as static; as well as to catch religious influences equally beingness embedded inwards all dimensions of culture, equally opposed to the supposition that religions business office inwards discrete, isolated, "private" separable contexts.
In summary, in that place was enough of nutrient for idea from a thoughtful human being who would similar us to last able to celebrate our differences rather than last fearful of them.
L'shana tovah as well as Eid mubarak!
Ali started amongst a provocative slide, amongst the elementary words, "Why produce they abhor us?" He explained that he had oftentimes heard this catch from non-Muslim Americans virtually Muslims inwards the residual of the world. He as well as thus pointed out that he had heard precisely the same enquiry from Muslims roughly the globe virtually Americans! Clearly, in that place is a lack of agreement going on, as well as he spent most of his verbalise addressing the reason, which he termed religious illiteracy.
He pointed out that in that place is global illiteracy virtually faith as well as culture. This results inwards an inability to engage amongst the differences betwixt us because nosotros convey a lack of tools to empathise the differences. Mutual stereotyping exists, as well as and thus ignorance agency that encounters betwixt groups ironically leads to to a greater extent than polarization.
He referred to Diane Moore as well as her mass Overcoming Religious Illiteracy as well as presented some of her top dog points equally follows:
Ali listed some manifestations of religious illiteracy:
1) Equation of faith amongst devotional practice, rites, rituals, as well as ceremonies.
2) The essence of faith is perceived equally located inwards sacred texts.
3) Religious traditions are seen equally timeless as well as unchanging as well as monolithic. (In contrast, in that place is a huge extent of multifariousness inside Islam.)
four ) Religions are seen equally actors having agency; i.e., in that place is a vogue to personify religion, but it's but a construct, non a being.
5) The purpose of faith equally the exclusive lens to explicate the actions of an private or a community.
6) An entire religious community is held responsible for the actions of an individual.
He as well as thus expanded on Moore's conclusions as well as pointed to the dangers of religious illiteracy equally leading to stereotypes as well as dehumanization, accompanied past times less honour for diversity. Such illiteracy tin also last exploited past times ideologues to promote extremism as well as fundamentalism. Finally, he noted that republic cannot business office if i is ignorant as well as afraid of one's neighbors.
In closing he urged the audience to aid develop themselves as well as others to differentiate betwixt devotional seem as well as the written report of religion; to consider religions equally internally various equally opposed to uniform; to consider faith equally evolving as well as and changing, equally opposed to beingness ahistorical as well as static; as well as to catch religious influences equally beingness embedded inwards all dimensions of culture, equally opposed to the supposition that religions business office inwards discrete, isolated, "private" separable contexts.
In summary, in that place was enough of nutrient for idea from a thoughtful human being who would similar us to last able to celebrate our differences rather than last fearful of them.
L'shana tovah as well as Eid mubarak!