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Press coverage of the event: BU Daily Free Press &Boston Phoenix !!!!!
American Islamic Congress Announces Boston Speaker Series on Muslim Diversity, Culminating in Community Multicultural Fair
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BOSTON, MA – The American Islamic Congress (AIC) today announced a public lecture series in Boston titled “Diversity in the Muslim World: Between Pluralism & Division.” Featuring local academics and community leaders, the series begins on Monday, March 16, and culminates in a Muslim Multicultural Fair on March 29. The panels are being organized at five local universities through AIC’s campus initiative, Project Nur.
“Every day Americans see images of strife from the Muslim world, yet few are familiar with the Muslim social fabric beyond Sunni-Shi’a conflict,” explained Nasser Weddady, AIC’s Civil Rights Outreach Director. “We want to inform Bostonians about Muslim cultural diversity, which is both a spark for division and a rich cultural tapestry.”
Sponsored by the Boston Foundation, the series features panels addressing diversity within distinct geographic regions of the Muslim world (Africa, Europe, Near East, South Asia, and Far East). Panelists and artistic performers include experts from Harvard, Tufts, Brown, and other local universities. Co-sponsors include World Boston, Facing History & Ourselves, UUSC, and Barakat.
“We hope to shatter stereotypes about what it means to be Muslim,” Weddady observed. “Unusual communities spotlighted include Russian Tatars, Berber Shi’ites, Sufis who go on hajj to Senegal instead of Saudi Arabia, and Nigerian tribes featuring Muslims and Christians in the same nuclear family – plus a non-Muslim professor at MIT who helped build a mosque in Cambodia.”
The five panels will be held at BU, MIT, Northeastern, the New England Conservatory, and the Harvard Faculty Club. The series culminates in a multicultural fair at the Cambridge Community Center, with musicians, dancers, henna artists, and a fashion show celebrating cultural heritage from around the Muslim world. All events are free and open to the public.
“The series offers a nuanced look at the Muslim world’s complexity, as well as forces challenging pluralism,” said Weddady. “Diverse local Muslim communities – including Sudanese, Azeris, Indonesians, Bangladeshis, and Egyptians – will celebrate their heritage and help enhance public appreciation for the range of Muslim cultures.”
Complete details of can be found at: www.MuslimDiversity.org.
The American Islamic Congress (AIC) is a civil-rights organization promoting tolerance and the exchange of ideas among Muslims and between other peoples. With the motto “passionate about moderation,” the organization leads initiatives around the world and has offices in Washington, Boston, Egypt, and Iraq.
Project Nur, the student-led initiative of the AIC, (www.projectnur.org) is a "new light on campus" that creates a distinct and alternative Muslim voice: a civic identity grounded in pluralism and moderate thinking and action, one that dispels the perception of a monolithic Muslim voice. It emphasizes civic action with the goal of forging a cohesive and mutually respectful multicultural community of university students who are committed towards the advancement of human rights, civil rights, social justice, tolerance, understanding, and coexistence.
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