Writer Brings Muslim Faith to the People

By HOLLY LEBOWITZ ROSSI
Religion News Service

When she was in kindergarten, Asma Gull Hasan was sent to the principal’s office at her Catholic school for telling the class that Jesus was not the son of God. Muslims, she explained, believe that Jesus was a prophet, but not a divine being.

After that episode, Hasan kept her religious beliefs under wraps, but she recalls now that she enjoyed knowing that she had her own identity and views different from her classmates.

“I kind of felt like it was a little secret I had to myself,” she said.

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Pakistani Students’ Assocation Annual “Jhalak”
7 PM EST
Emory University
1440 Clifton Road in the Woodruff Health Sciences
Administration Building

Michael Cromartie talks with Asma Gull Hasan, 29, the author of Why I Am a Muslim (HarperCollins Thorsons/Element 2004) and American Muslims: The New Generation (Continuum 2000). She calls herself a “Muslim Feminist Cowgirl,” reflecting her upbringing in Colorado. The daughter of Pakistani immigrants and born in Chicago, she considers herself an all-American girl.

By Michael Cromartie

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1 - 3 PM EST
Pacific Pavilion 325
Route 46 West
Parsippany, NJ 07054
973-439-3999

“Isn

“The US in the Gulf; The Gulf in the US”
New York University School of Law
Saturday, April 17, 2004
11 AM PST
Tishman Auditorium
40 Washington Square South
New York, NY

Like other typical American families, my family was stumped by a Jeopardy answer. “The most common name in the world,” Alex Trebek read. We thought to ourselves for a few seconds. My mother then broke the silence announcing, both hesitantly and with some boldness, “John!” When the Jeopardy timer chimed, Alex stared down the contestants: “What is Muhammad?”

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“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster … of high highs and very low lows.”

Muslims of different countries bring local culture to religious teachings, nearly creating their own branch of Islam. The essence of Islam is captured in the Qur’an, but the interpretation of the Qur’an is influenced by two things: native culture and a country’s Islamic scholars, called the ulema. You may think native culture is not so influential as to cause a religion to differ strongly from country to country. But this is entirely possible.

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