Press
Article by Naz Ahmed Georgas in Ecumenical Trends
Cordoba House Executive Director, Naz Ahmed Georgas, published an article in Ecumenical Trends titled “Reflections on the Virgin Mary from an Islamic Perspective.” The article begins:
| The piety, devotion, and mystery surrounding the story of the Virgin Mary, or Maryam as she is known in the Islamic tradition, has inspired many faithful practitioners, scholars, and mystics to delve into a deeper understanding of the meaning and essence of her person. In order to cultivate this understanding, there are four key points that should be discussed… |
Interview with Imam Feisal in The Mainichi
Imam Feisal was interviewed for the Japanese newspaper, The Mainichi, about the ongoing work to promote interfaith understanding, even years after the controversy surrounding the lower Manhattan Cordoba House project.
“At the time, nobody complained about it. But the following summer, as the midterm elections approached, it snowballed. It became a very hot issue.” Imam Feisal recalls during the interview.
READ THE INTERVIEW (ENGLISH TRANSLATION – PDF)
Click here to read the interview (in Japanese).
Imam Feisal on CNN’s Connect the World with Becky Anderson
On September 10, 2021, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf went on CNN’s Connect the World with Becky Anderson to speak about the apology offered by Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League over his former opposition to the Cordoba House project in lower Manhattan. Imam Feisal explains that he accepts Mr. Greenblatt’s apology and agrees with him that a place like Cordoba House could have helped the U.S. heal from the wounds of September 11, foster better connections between members of America’s interfaith communities, and decrease Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and other conflicts. Watch the conversation below!
Imam Feisal Featured in New Netflix Series
Imam Feisal is featured in a new Netflix docuseries titled Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror. This documentary chronicles the events and history of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, including first-person accounts from survivors and relatives as well as different perspectives on the events of 9/11 and its subsequent impact on the American people.
In his brief yet poignant segment, Imam Feisal shares his own experience as a Muslim living in New York during 9/11, as well as the struggles he faced when trying to establish the Cordoba House in the midst of a national War on Terror. As a leader of a faith community, Imam Feisal felt that it was his responsibility to engage and educate people on the War on Terror, and to bring people “from various faith communities” together under one roof to worship and promote intercultural exchange and interfaith understanding.
We encourage you to watch Imam Feisal’s segments in this 9/11 documentary as well as the documentary as a whole in order to learn more about the different perspectives relating to 9/11 and to remember the important voice of the community in countering injustice.
Tree of Life Anniversary with Naz Georgas and Rabbi Josh Stanton
Rabbi Josh Stanton of East End Temple and Naz Ahmed Georgas were this week’s guests on Religion News’s Belief Podcast addressing issues of Faith, hate, bigotry, and antisemitism. These two faith leaders have forged a unique bond and faith partnership of shared values, convictions, and commitment to empathetic compassion. To listen to the podcast, please click here or use the player below.
Imam Feisal on CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf appeared on CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time to discuss the tragic mosque attacks in New Zealand, the forces and factors that are driving extremism, and how we can best respond to acts of hatred and extremism on both an individual and a global scale. Watch below or at the link.
“We require now not just national security, but international security.”
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) March 16, 2019
In the light of New Zealand attacks, Founder & Pres. of the Cordoba House, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf speaks about how dissolving borders, technological changes & rapid globalization are leading to rising hate. pic.twitter.com/vmZ9JvWZGF
“Be inspired by the love and the guidance of God…” Cordoba House Quoted in Voice of America
Cordoba House Executive Director, Naz Ahmed Georgas, speaks to Voice of America about Cordoba House’s mission of acceptance across lines of faith, both with other faiths and within the Muslim community in this piece about Ahmadiyya Muslims, saying:
“Our essential objective for every program is to be inspired by the love and the guidance of God and his light, and to inspire others.”
Interfaith Community Comes Together to Support Medical Aid to Africa
A Jewish philanthropist couple from New York is backing a Christian medical mission to Africa that is supported by people from a wide variety of faiths. Last week, a group of priests, rabbis, imams, and ministers joined together to support this effort. Responding to this project, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf remarked that such an initiative proves that there is more good than bad in the world, saying, “If the news depicted and reported on the amount of good things going on in the world… it would vastly outnumber the news that is discordant.”
Imam Feisal on CNN: Living Your Faith in Heightened Political Times
Imam Feisal took part in an interfaith panel discussion on “Living Your Faith in Heightened Political Times” on CNN’s “New Day.” Imam Feisal was joined by Father Edward Beck and Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl. Click below to watch the conversation.
WATCH VIDEO
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“Sufism is the core and the very spirit of Islam itself…” – Imam Feisal on Vox.com
Following the attack on a Sufi mosque in Egypt, which left over 300 dead, many are asking what Sufism is and why Sufi Muslims were targeted for attack. In this piece in Vox, Imam Feisal explains that Sufism is “the core and the very spirit of Islam itself… The essence of Sufism is teaching people how to see God.” Sufis are targeted by extremists because many extremists wrongly believe that Sufis are not “true Muslims.”
Why Did Extremists Target a Sufi Mosque in Egypt?
The world is reeling from a terror attack on a mosque in Egypt, which killed over 300 people. The mosque was targeted by extremists because it was a Sufi mosque. In this piece in the Washington Post, Imam Feisal explains what Sufism is and why that made the mosque a target of terror.
“[Sufism] is nothing more than the spiritual dimension” – Imam Feisal in the New York Times
In the wake of the deadly terror attack on a Sufi mosque in Egypt, which killed over 300 people, the world is asking why this mosque was targeted by extremists. In this article in the New York Times, Imam Feisal explains that Sufism is “…nothing more than the spiritual dimension… It is Islam, but we focus on meditation, on chanting sessions, which enable the Muslim to have his or her heart open. The myths people have about Sufis are analogous to the myths people have about Muslims.” Imam Feisal adds that the attack in Egypt was “a major sin.” Read the full article at the link below.
How Interfaith Solidarity Can Help Defeat the Evil of Terrorism
In this op-ed in the New York Daily News, Imam Feisal responds to the horrific terror attack in New York City, asserting that the United States is founded on principles of faith, which unite us as Americans and help keep us focused on higher ideals. And, when we focus on the values we share, our differences become far less important.
“…Americans need reminding that a natural religious law grounds our Republic. That fact should stop terrorists in their tracks. ‘One Nation Under God’ is not an empty phrase.
Taken to heart, it elevates us to that place of God above us. We look down upon our violent aggressions with regret. The distance from our neighbor shrinks. We’ve opened to a love we didn’t know we could feel…”
Imam Feisal: One of the Faces of New York’s Religious Plurality
Imam Feisal was included in New York Magazine‘s list of 50 New York interfaith leaders, celebrating the city’s religious diversity! Check out the full portrait series at the link below.
Op-Ed by Imam Feisal: The American Fear of Sharia Law
In this op-ed in the New York Daily News, Imam Feisal argues that the fear of Sharia law in the United States is baseless, both because the First Amendment protects against the establishment of religious laws and because, like Christians, Jews, and other faiths groups, Muslims already are able to engage with religious laws in limited aways, for instance through marriage ceremonies that are both religious and civil. Imam Feisal points to Israel as an example of a nation whose civil laws integrate with Sharia without conflict. Additionally, Imam Feisal states that there is no inherent conflict between American law and values and Sharia, as they are based on the same principles.
“…Muslim jurists have long reflected on the objectives, or purposes, of Islamic law. These include what Thomas Jefferson called life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Islamic law parses the pursuit of happiness into freedom of mind, religion, property, family and dignity.
Jefferson would not object. Originally, it was the right to property, not the pursuit of happiness, that he wanted to guarantee all Americans.
Contrary to the right-wing caricature, sharia does not presume to replace American law. It agrees with its underlying values and promotes them…”
Imam Feisal on CNN: President Trump’s Speech to the Muslim World
Imam Feisal spoke with Kate Bolduan on CNN’s This Hour about President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East and his speech to the Muslim world. Watch the video by clicking on the image below.
Op-Ed by Imam Feisal: Let Our Image of God Unite Us
In this op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Imam Feisal encourages us to expand our faithfulness in God beyond the “local”—to see the connections that exist between ourselves and other people of different communities, beliefs, and cultures and let our common love of God unite us.
We are caught now on a divide between self-affirmation and affirmation of those different from us. Is my ultimate address Philadelphia or the mind of God? Are my neighbors only other Muslims or all created in the image of God? — that would be all humanity, as both the Prophet Muhammad and the Bible teach. Our charge as religious leaders is to remind us all that no ethnicity, nationality, or religion is our ultimate address. God is.
Read more (Philadelphia Inquirer) | Download PDF
Imam Feisal’s Vision for an American Muslim Identity
Imam Feisal spoke with Ilgin Beygo Yorulmaz in an interview for Auburn Seminary about the current social and political climate, as well as his vision for building an American Muslim identity.
We need to translate our faith and culture to American language, culture, law, and create an “American Muslim identity” in terms of our laws, the way we dress, and other things.
Read more (Auburn Seminary)
Op-ed by Imam Feisal: A Call for Unity
In this op-ed in the Huffington Post, Imam Feisal reflects on the meaning of the motto of the United States—“E Pluribus Unum”—in light of our current social and political climate, and calls for Americans to come together.
At issue are the ingredients of nationhood. What makes us “one nation, indivisible?” Are we one in our sameness or in our differences from each other? Is it our similarities or our complementarities that unite us? Are we a mono-cultural or multicultural society?
Read more (Huffington Post) | Download PDF
Op-Ed by Imam Feisal: Moderates Must Step Up After Trio of Attacks
In this op-ed in the Observer, Imam Feisal speaks about three recent terror attacks in Germany, Turkey, and Switzerland and the need for religious and political moderates to come together to work towards peace.
“We grieve once again for horrific murders committed in the name of Islam, now in Ankara and Berlin. And we feel sorrow, again, for attacks on Muslims, this time at a mosque in Zurich, perpetrated by a gunman with unknown motives. All the attacks occurred on Monday, December 19, within hours of each other…”
Read more (Observer) | Download PDF
