Thousands of Westerners are converting to Islam from various backgrounds and traditions. Culture and ethnicity very often define our masjids and communities, which leads to a sense of alienation on the part of converts. The Prophet, peace be upon him, had around him converts from Rome, Africa, Persia, and Arabia. He himself was known to wear clothes from the neighboring cultures and spoke in the dialect of the people he was addressing. In other words, our Prophet, peace be upon him, was culturally sensitive. Indigenizing Islam as a global religion with local flavor is part of the history of the Ummah. Indonesians dress like Indonesians, and Nigerians dress distinctly in a West African manner. Despite the huge geographical chasm between those two societies, a shared religion binds them. How do we help make Islam culturally at home in the West? What are some of the strategies that our imams, leaders, and community members can implement to help converts feel at home in the Abode of Islam?

One of the greatest feats of the Last Prophet, peace upon him, was forging lasting bonds of brotherhood between the contentious and fractious tribes of Arabia. As a result of the unity established between them, they were able to take the Message of Islam to the far corners of the earth within a century. Our generation will not be able to engage in any meaningful social project unless we are united in the spirit of true brotherhood. This session examines aspects of the prophetic guidance that can foster this indispensable quality.

Special French Session in Room 701

Cognitive frames enable us to see the world with its vastness and complexity in manageable arrangements, easily assimilated and understood. The Prophet, peace be upon him, used this very human need to great advantage in presenting his message to others. When a simple desert Arab began to shake in his presence out of awe, he said, “Go easy; I am the son of a woman who used to eat dried meat.” In other words, I’m human like you. He gave the man a quick, easily assimilated frame of reference from his own Arab experience to ease his discomfort. Today, the media has pigeonholed Islam and Muslims into eight clearly identi"able cognitive frames. Our speakers will help us better understand the modern media and its current crisis of “democratization” as new medias emerge enabling individuals to have the power formerly wielded by great networks through such venues as YouTube. How can Muslims reframe Islam and its adherents for a global and hungry audience who need to better understand us through simple and effective cognitive frames?

Modernism; relativism; atheism; ideologies of governance, such as socialism, communism, monarchy, liberal democracy, and despotism; culture; ethics; education; and every other element of society that impacts us arises out of philosophical positions articulated by someone, somewhere, at sometime. To ignore the centrality of philosophy in our lives is to suffer being victims of the impact of others who philosophize for us. This lecture, delivered by one of the greatest living philosophers, will examine the importance of restoring the centrality of philosophy – whether legal, ethical, spiritual, environmental, or theological – to the Islamic faith and its educational tradition.

Who can doubt that the Prophetic character was the blessed spark that transformed enemies into friends, warring tribes to merciful fraternities and people who were on the fringes of historical obscurity to become people who made history? Yet, how many of us have reflected deeply and contemplated upon the magnitude of the Prophetic example? This lecture will attempt to impart to the audience some of the anecdotes pertaining to the life of our beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, specifically in relation to dealing with hostility, antagonism and enmity, allowing us a model of balance, humility, wisdom and compassion to emulate in our everyday life.

In Sura Ya Sin, we are told that no prophet has been sent except that he was mocked. We are also told, “Indeed, We are sufficient for you against the mockers” (Qur’an, 15:95). In this age of mass communication and individual accessibility to the Internet and mediums such as YouTube, idiots, morons, and fools of all stripes can now have global impact. In light of this, Muslims need to be far more sophisticated in our response to the increasing number of media attacks on our faith and on the person of our Prophet, peace be upon him. This lecture will examine how our Prophet, peace be upon him, responded to attacks on his person and faith, and how he guided his followers to respond.

All of our personal and social problems are rooted in the states of our hearts. Just as the body has ailments that force us to the doctor, the heart also has ailments that should force us to the doctor. Traditionally, purification of the heart was a central focus of Muslim civilization. Manuals, texts, glosses, and commentaries fill our libraries with the strategies, techniques, and methods for purifying hearts. Many Muslims don’t have access to this rich tradition of spiritual healing that could, if rediscovered and used, heal our persons and societies from many of the destructive forces impacting us. This lecture will discuss some of the dominant ailments of the heart and the strategies the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and our tradition provide us with to address them.

Dr. Karen Armstrong wrote a book about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) arguing that much of his efforts were directed towards eliminating violence from the world and inculcating the quality of compassion in the hearts of people. This lecture will examine aspects of the Prophet’s life that highlight those points and how Muslims can be more effective in pursuing them through such means as the Charter for Compassion and other efforts towards creating a more sustainable, compassionate, and caring world.

A Keynote Address by Justin Trudeau

In the world prior to Islam, nobility and aristocracy were open only to those born into certain families to the exclusion of others. With the advent of Islam, nobility was no longer a bloodline of family but a plumb line of faith. Historically, Muslims were noted for their character, honesty, and concern for the wellbeing of those around them, whether Muslim or otherwise. Too many of us have forgotten that elegant behavior is far more powerful than eloquent words. People around the world judge Islam now not by the words of the Qur’an or the sayings of the Prophet, peace be upon him, but by the often bad behavior of Muslims. This lecture will examine the concept of noble character as articulated by the Prophet, peace be upon him, when he said, “I was sent only to perfect noble character.” What is nobility? And how can even common Muslims become noble men and women through faith and practice?

Caught up in the monotonous routines of daily life, the perpetual struggle to make ends-meet, and the many turmoils of the modern era, we often feel deflated and burnt out. While our faith provides us the means and methods to renew ourselves and our aspirations, we must go one step further and examine our unique circumstances today and redefine, with conviction, the greater purpose of our lives. Clearly, over the recent past, the Muslim community has seen the emergence of an emboldened, articulate, and confident voice resonating from the hearts and minds of young Muslims globally. And this young generation dares to dream for a better tomorrow.

Our East Coast was just devastated by what scientists call “a new type of storm” that will be more common with global warming. But natural disasters are one of many crises. Globally, we have political, economic, social, community, and family crises that cause us great stress. Our Prophet’s life was filled with great trials and crises, yet he never complained. In fact, as a result, he grew stronger and stronger. In other words, he was “antifragile”. In his new book, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, the philosopher, Nassim Taleb, argues that “just as human bones get stronger when subjected to stress and tension, ... many things in life benefit from stress disorder, volatility, and turmoil.” What Taleb calls “antifragile” is that category of things that we not only gain from chaos but need in order to survive and flourish. Allah tells us that, “Corruption has appeared on the land and sea because of what people have earned by their acts, to make them taste some of what they have done, that they might turn back” (Qur’an, 30:41). Humans very often realize their humanity in times of great strife. A crisis is a wake‐up call to make us better humans by responding appropriately. In this time of great turmoil and constant crises, how as communities can we better organize ourselves to respond to the real needs around us in the best manner?