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SUMMARY:Rabbi Harold White on the Allure of Mysticism
DESCRIPTION:Rabbi Harold White\, Georgetown University’s Senior Jewish Chaplain and Lecturer in Theology\, delivered a CIRS Monthly Dialogue lecture on “The Allure of Mysticism: Kabbalah as Pop-religious Culture or Serious Religious Practice?” on March 8\, 2011. \n \n \nWhite relayed his experience during his seminary schooling and said that it was not common at the time to be taught anything other than traditional religious thought. It was only later that he took a keen interest in the study of Jewish mysticism or Kabbalah. In Hebrew scripture\, he said\, the existence of divinity is presented as an existential reality and not something that should be proved through theoretical ponderings. Kabbalah is derived from Hebrew meaning “to receive\,” the Rabbi said\, and is the act of emptying oneself of narcissistic tendencies and opening oneself up to the divine. \n \n \nThe Rabbi discussed the ways in which Kabbalah has recently entered into the public vernacular. It is currently being popularized and embraced by a variety of public figures and celebrities\, including Madonna and Britney Spears who\, he said\, engage with the teachings on a superficial level. This popularization of Kabbalah has occured through marketing of the teachings in commercial merchandise and simple sound-bites. The Rabbi argued that this has trivialized the mysticism because to truly engage in Kabbalah one must be a scholar of scripture and familiar with the history and traditions of religious practice. \n \n \nIn conclusion\, Rabbi White argued that even though we are products of the modern world\, religion allows us to live a life that is still filled with mystery and Kabbalah in particular is a celebration and enjoyment of that mystery. He ended the lecture by saying that “The world may not be comprehensible\, but it is embraceable.” \n \n \nThe Rabbi was also invited to give a lunch lecture to Georgetown faculty\, staff\, and students on the history and ethos of Georgetown’s diversity programs. \n \n \nRabbi Harold S. White has been associated with Georgetown University for 43 years. He currently holds the position of Senior Advisor to the Program of Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University. He has occupied rabbinic pulpits at Temple Sinai in Washington and Temple B’nai Israel in Easton\, Maryland. He serves as the Co-Spiritual Director for the Interfaith Family Project in Takoma Park\, Maryland.  \n \n \nArticle by Suzi Mirgani\, CIRS Publications Coordinator
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/rabbi-harold-white-allure-mysticism/
CATEGORIES:Dialogue Series,Race & Society,Regional Studies
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110313T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110313T180000
DTSTAMP:20260409T103427
CREATED:20140915T060300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240314T105356Z
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SUMMARY:Karen Armstrong on the Core of Our Religious Traditions
DESCRIPTION:In a joint CIRS and Georgetown faculty Distinguished Lecture\, Karen Armstrong was invited to share her thoughts on “The Core of our Religious Traditions” on March 13\, 2011. Armstrong is a former Roman Catholic nun who left a British convent to pursue a degree in modern literature at Oxford\, a best-selling author\, and UN Ambassador for the Alliance of Civilizations. \n \n \nArmstrong began by defining the contradictory role of religion in today’s globalized world by saying that although it contributes towards the building of a global community and teaches tolerance among disparate people\, it is also regarded as the main cause of global violence and conflict. “I’m convinced\,” she said\, “that religion has a major contribution to make to one of the chief tasks of our time\, which must surely be to build a global community where people of all persuasions can live together in harmony and respect.” However\, Armstrong noted\, it is important to point out that “In fact\, the cause of war is usually ambition\, hatred\, and greed\, but\, often\, these self-serving emotions are given an idealistic or a religious coloration in order to sanitize them.” Although she acknowledged the history of international conflict based upon religion\, she argued that their specific motivations usually stem from the more individualistic concerns of a selfish few. \n \n \nSpeaking of the Axial Age between 900-200 BCE\, Armstrong noted that this was a moment of history which was the center of humankind’s spiritual experience when all the major world religions had their origins. In China\, during this time\, Confucianism and Daoism were born; in India\, Hinduism and Buddhism blossomed; in the Middle East sprung up the roots of monotheism\, which would guide the teachings of Judaism\, Christianity\, and Islam; and in Greece\, philosophical rationalism gave rise to Western philosophy\, which became a religious movement in its own way. Armstrong explained that although these ancient traditions are distinct from each other\, they share certain values that have shaped our current understandings of existence and have much to say to us in our modern world. Although these traditions have helped explain existentialism\, Armstrong warned of the impossibility of fully knowing the unknown and said that “One of the things that has gone wrong in the modern age\, and it is certainly true that religious people can be opinionated\, exclusive\, and intolerant\, is that they insisted that when we speak of the ultimate reality\, which has been called God\, Nirvana\, Brahman\, and Dao\, we think we know what we are talking about” and can define it implicitly. However\, she argued\, as in the Muslim belief that “God is greater\,” the divine is always beyond the limit of what our language and thoughts permit. \n \n \nAs part of her scholarly inquiries into the history of religion\, Armstrong said that within the English language\, the word “belief” has changed its meaning over the centuries. Up until the seventeenth century\, the word was pronounced differently in Middle English and came from the German “to love” and “to commit oneself” as well as the Latin root of “desire\,” or “libido.” The word “belief” did not have the same connotations of “blind faith” and acceptance of doctrine that it does today. Armstrong said that\, ultimately\, “religion\, of course\, is not about thinking things or believing things\, but about doing things. What is the Qur’an but a call to action? When the Qur’an talks of faith it doesn’t mean that we have to accept a whole lot of ideas\, but it follows it up always with its performing the works of mercy\, or the salihat\,” wherein the Qur’an asks people to do good and look after the poor and the vulnerable\, to free slaves\, and care for orphans and widows. \n \n \nConcluding the lecture Armstrong explained that every world religion has at its core the ethical principle of compassion. She said “It now seems to me quite clear that unless as a species we learn to treat all peoples as we would wish to be treated ourselves whoever they are and whatever their beliefs\, we are not going to have a viable world to hand on to the next generation and that any ideology that breeds or encourages hatred and contempt is failing the test of our time and failing humanity.” \n \n \nArmstrong’s books have been translated into forty-five languages. In addition to teaching\, she regularly comments on religious affairs in England and the United States and is a columnist for the Guardian newspaper.  In 2007 she was awarded a medal for Arts and Sciences by the Egyptian government for her services to Islam\, the first foreigner to have been awarded this decoration. She is a recipient of the TED prize. \n \n \nArticle by Suzi Mirgani\, Publications Coordinator 
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/karen-armstrong-core-our-religious-traditions/
CATEGORIES:Dialogue Series,Race & Society,Regional Studies
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110322T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20110322T180000
DTSTAMP:20260409T103427
CREATED:20141026T130050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240314T105324Z
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SUMMARY:New Geo-Political Realities of the Gulf
DESCRIPTION:Khaled Almaeena\, Editor-in-Chief of Arab News\, was invited to give a CIRS Focused Discussion on the topic of “New Geo-Political Realities of the Gulf” on March 22\, 2011. Almaeena explained the relationship between the Gulf states and America and how each conducts its foreign policies. “The main thrust of the Gulf’s American relations\,” he said\, “is based on Saudi-American relations\, which are now like a dysfunctional marriage” insofar as the two countries get along\, but still do not see eye to eye when it comes to certain issues\, such as the situation in Palestine. \n\nRecalling the history of “Saudi-American relations” specifically\, Almaeena explained that this alliance “initially started on an economic footing with the advent of the oil industry\,” and then grew into a relationship based on military and security issues over the decades. By and large\, this relationship was stable up until the events of September 11\, 2001\, after which the nature of the relationship was radically altered\, both on the political and social fronts. Almaeen argued that “the media played a role that swayed people totally against Saudi Arabia” and created a division between America the Muslim world. In fact\, he said\, the situation was so bad that\, as editor of Arab News\, his office received a multitude of hate-mail from readers in the west accusing Saudi Arabia of involvement in the atrocities. \n\nOut of all of the Gulf states\, Saudi Arabia has one of the closest relationships with the United States. Although this relationship has meant that Saudi Arabia enjoys a strong regional and international political standing\, for the very same reason\, it reason it has suffered ridicule from other countries in the Arab world that see this relationship as a negative progression and a conflict of interest. Regardless\, the Saudis understand that the main concern is to have and maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with as many countries as possible. This\, however\, is not always possible\, as Almaeena argued\, “We [Saudi Arabia] were being goaded by the United States to take a very negative and even a hostile stance against Iran.” \n\nIn conclusion\, Almaeena said that change in Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the United States is inevitable. “For the Saudis and for the Gulf states\, to go ahead with American policy dictates is detrimental\,” he said. Although the relationship has been a rocky one in recent years\, Almaeena did not give up hope on a future based on transparency and mutual respect. He explained that “an Arab-American rapprochement would be a great boon and benefit for the world.” This is especially important given the seismic political changes currently taking place all over the Middle East. The power of public and civil movements\, he said\, is teaching regional and international governments to reassess their foreign policies by first of all looking inwards and realizing the aspirations of their people. \n\nKhaled Almaeena has held a broad range of positions in Saudi Media including CEO of a Public Relations firm\, Saudi Television news anchor\, talk show host\, radio announcer and journalist. As the Editor-in-Chief of Arab News\, the largest English-language newspaper in the Middle East\, Almaeena steered the paper through the Gulf Crisis and pioneered bringing newspapers back to a liberated Kuwait.  \n\nArticle by Suzi Mirgani\, CIRS Publications Coordinator
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/new-geo-political-realities-gulf/
CATEGORIES:American Studies,Dialogue Series,Environmental Studies,Regional Studies
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