bin Talal and "Muslim-Christian understanding"

[husaria1683]

Remember Al-Waleed bin Talal's $20 million donation to Georgetown to establish an Islamic studies center to "promote Muslim-Christian understanding?" Here is some "Muslim-Christian understanding" from official Saudi school textbooks for anyone who still believe that bin Talal's gift was made in good faith.

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/19/AR2006051901769_pf.html

[saxacalhoya]

Bill--go peddle your hate elsewhere. Maybe you missed it while you were updating your website ( www.omdurman.org/ ), but were not interested in your mis-statements or lies ... frankly, we're too busy making a difference in the world:

2006 International Prayer for Peace
explore.georgetown.edu/documents/?DocumentID=15226

Discussions of Faith
Father Maher challenges a Qatari class to explore the 'Problem of God'
explore.georgetown.edu/documents/?DocumentID=14756

Get a clue and don't post on the board anymore.

[husaria1683]

Don't argue with me, argue with the Washington Post. The items you posted don't have much to do with the bin Talal Islamic studies center either. Qatar is not Saudi Arabia, where it is illegal to discuss Christianity; a Saudi teacher got 750 lashes for doing it.

[saxacalhoya]

Bill--the point is that your post had nothing to do with it either. Where in the article does it even mention Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal? Or the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding? Or Georgetown? And if you remembered your previous posts, you questioned what Georgetown was doing to promote Muslim-Christian understanding ... those two stories are two recent examples of what we are doing here and abroad. So ignoring those realities, basically, you are back again on this board trying to promote your agenda. We didn't care for it during the PSM conference and we don't care for it now. Don't you have anything better to do ... like create more cool graphics for your website.

[VelvetElvis]

Now THIS is a great discussion thread. I am disappointed that I didn't check it out during this PSM conference that you speak of

[husaria1683]

saxacalhoya said:

Bill--the point is that your post had nothing to do with it either. Where in the article does it even mention Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal? Or the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding? Or Georgetown? And if you remembered your previous posts, you questioned what Georgetown was doing to promote Muslim-Christian understanding ... those two stories are two recent examples of what we are doing here and abroad. So ignoring those realities, basically, you are back again on this board trying to promote your agenda. We didn't care for it during the PSM conference and we don't care for it now. Don't you have anything better to do ... like create more cool graphics for your website.

Let's see if I can help here.

(1) Al-Waleed bin Talal gave GU $20 million for an Islamic studies center to "promote Muslim-Christian understanding."
(2) Al-Waleed bin Talal is a member of the ruling family whose official education ministry publishes textbooks that refer to Jews and Christians as apes and swine respectively while denouncing both religions as false.

I did not ask what GU was doing to promote Muslim-Christian understanding, I asked how bin Talal could be promoting Muslim-Christian understanding in good faith given his country's official position on Christianity and Judaism, of which the above is but one example.

[TrueHoyaBlue]

Well, it's a shame you couldn't get your facts straight.

- Al-Waleed gave $20 million to Harvard to fund an Islamic Studies center
- He gave $20 million to Georgetown to support the already-existing Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

For that matter, he also endowed American Studies programs at the American University of Cairo and the American University of Beiruit.

The Saudi textbooks are a travesty, and nobody (least of all the Bush Administration) should be holding up Saudi Arabia as a model of democracy or religious pluralism. But you talk like the 3,000-4,000 Saudi princes represent a monolithic viewpoint, while I personally see it as refreshing that at least one of them is looking to reach out to the larger world, whether through business, humanitarian, or educational outreach.

[hifigator]

I missed the earlier discussion and I have no info with regards to the gift to GU for the center. But the point the poster seems to be making is that this "newer" and more "tolerant" Islam isn't. From that standpoint he is mostly correct. I am not sure what you are arguing with him about. As for his "peddling hate" ... is that what you call pointing out cold hard facts? Don't shoot the messenger just because you don't like the message.

[hifigator]

Again, I don't see your criticism. You admit the offensive nature of the textbooks, and would seem to agree that the prevailing opinion in Saudi Arabia is not as we would like. Are you simply trying to make the point that the individual who gave the grants to GU and Harvard is a "horse of a different color" so to speak? If so then from what I know I would agree with you. His point seems to be that this new and moders Islam, as Saudi Arabia is indoctinating its people, is very anti-American, anti-Christian and anti-Jew. From that regard I agree with him. Do you?

[TBird41]

velvetelvis said:

Now THIS is a great discussion thread. I am disappointed that I didn't check it out during this PSM conference that you speak of

You thought it was good before? Well....here comes HIFI!!

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

husaria and hifi in one thread - shouldn't this be against the rules?

[hifigator]

stpetersburghoya said:

husaria and hifi in one thread - shouldn't this be against the rules?

I love you guys too.

[saxacalhoya]

hifigator said:

As for his "peddling hate" ... is that what you call pointing out cold hard facts? Don't shoot the messenger just because you don't like the message.

HIFI--I urge you to learn more about the facts before jumping into the fray. Bill has a grudge against Georgetown and has gone out of his way to leap to conclusions about our community; a community he knows nothing about. Yup, he's a real Evel Knievel in the leaps he likes to make. Feel free to go through the past posts on this board, visit the Georgetown website and Google articles by Bill Levinson to learn more.

Regarding "cold hard facts" ... did I miss something? But when did an op-ed piece become the centerpiece to journalism or factual reporting? By its very nature aren't they just a person's opinion? In fact, doesn't the definition even say that they are "signed articles expressing personal viewpoints." Look you can take the op-ed how ever you want, the underlying problem is Bill's incessant effort to make something out of nothing when it comes to Georgetown and Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal.

[VelvetElvis]

hifi and husaria = gatekeeper and keymaster getting together...

I believe in science....I believe in science...I believe in science

[Deleted]

saxacalhoya said:

HIFI--I urge you to learn more about the facts before jumping into the fray.

HAHAHA!! Good luck with that...

[SFHoya99]

I knew this would be comic gold if Buff was posting on a Muslim-Christian thread. C'mon, someone invite the_way!

[husaria1683]

saxacalhoya said:

HIFI--I urge you to learn more about the facts before jumping into the fray. Bill has a grudge against Georgetown and has gone out of his way to leap to conclusions about our community; a community he knows nothing about.

I know that Georgetown hosted a conference in February at which individuals who advocate terroristic violence were allowed to speak and organize. (They have a First Amendment right to speak but not to use Georgetown's private property for this purpose if GU tells them they are not welcome.) One of the speakers, the International Solidarity Movement's Huwaida Arraf, admitted openly in the Washington Post that her organization works with Hamas, a Foreign Terrorist Organization as defined by the U.S. State Department. Her own words are still online:

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/16/AR2006021602027_pf.html

Mr. bin Talal is also on record as donating money to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers:

www.memri.org/bin/media.cgi?ID=160506
www.americansagainsthate.com/releases/PR-binTalal.htm

In summary, I have nothing whatsoever against Georgetown but I do feel that GU's alumni should know what is going on at their alma mater.

[Bahstin]

stpetersburghoya said:

husaria and hifi in one thread - shouldn't this be against the rules?

Go meteor.

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

bahstin said:

stpetersburghoya said:

husaria and hifi in one thread - shouldn't this be against the rules?

Go meteor.

This thread is so Bizzaro world already - its on the wrong board it features two posters who i don't think are even related to GU in anyway and its about something that happened 4 months ago.

We're only an 80's movie discussion, a LIC post, and a charlie daniels reference from having the ultimate thread.

So I'll get it started: "Kneel to Zod"

[hoyatables]

"Kneel BEFORE Zod."

Seems awfully silly to stereotype entire organizations, nations, and individuals that are members of a larger community, because of what some individuals do, or even for what a majority of the individuals in that group believe.

I'd hate to be instantly judged by the rest of the world because of the actions of some of our leaders. And that's Republican and Democrat alike.

But hey, if you want to use broad generalizations and simplistic reasoning win over the masses and pay your bills, so be it. Just recognize that many of us received a true liberal arts education that allows us to see the infinite shades of grey behind any issue. If you're going to come into our house, you should respect that, or find your way to the door.