In Karen Armstrong's biography of the Prophet of Islam she describes Muhammad as a respectful man who lived a decent life. Ms. Armstrong argues that while the Islamic religion is often represented as cruel, inherently violent and intolerant, Muhammad taught tolerance toward Jews and Christians to all of his followers.
This event was hosted by the Mosaic Foundation as part of their new lecture series Re Discovering the Arab World.
Karen Armstrong is the author of numerous books, including The Great Transformation, A History of God and The Spiral Staircase.
Bio
Karen Armstrong
Contemporary and historical religion's most prolific author, Karen Armstrong is a highly sought-after lecturer around the world, and is called upon by governments, universities, and church and secular organizations alike to educate about the world's religions and to inform regarding their place in the modern world. A former Roman Catholic nun, she was educated at Oxford and has taught at London University and London's Leo Baeck College for the Study of Judaism.
Her writings include A History of God: From Abraham to the Present, the 4000 Year Quest for God; Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths; The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; Islam: A Short History; The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions; and Muhammad: A Prophet For Our Time. She has been honored around the world especially as a bridge-builder between the Abrahamic Faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Her most recent works are A History of the Bible, The Case for God, and 12 Steps to a Compassionate Life.
One of the 2008 winners of the TED Prize, chosen for her world-changing work and continuing potential to inspire others to do something great for the world, in November of 2009 the TED community helped Armstrong to launch her Charter for Compassion to help to restore the Golden Rule as the central global religious doctrine.
Khalil Jahshan
Lecturer in International Studies and Languages at Pepperdine University and Executive Director of its Seaver College Washington DC Internship Program.
Jahshan is a Middle East consultant with extensive expertise in Arab-American bilateral relations and United States policy in the Middle East. Between 2000 and 2003, he served as Executive Vice President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the premier Arab-American civil rights organization. Prior to that, between 1990 and 2000, he served as President of the National Association of Arab Americans (NAAA).
Study of the nature of God and the relationship of the human and divine. The term was first used in the works of Plato and other Greek philosophers to refer to the teaching of myth, but the discipline expanded within Christianity and has found application in all theistic religions (seetheism). It examines doctrines concerning such subjects as sin, faith, and grace and considers the terms of God's covenant with humankind in matters such as salvation and eschatology. Theology typically takes for granted the authority of a religious teacher or the validity of a religious experience. It is distinguished from philosophy in being concerned with justifying and explicating a faith, rather than questioning the underlying assumptions of such faith, but it often employs quasi-philosophical methods.