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The Nature of Islam

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The September 11, 2001 attacks on America, thought to have been carried out by religious zealots, have caused an intense examination of the tradition the suspects claim as justification for their acts. As Osama bin Laden calls on the Muslim world to begin a holy war against the West, non-believers ask themselves what kind of religion leads to apocalyptic acts? Is this endemic to Islam or a perversion of it? Is it just the latest episode in a recurrent struggle between differing world views or simply an aberration at odds with the tents of the Islamic faith?

In this week's show, we present a roundtable discussion on what the founder of Islam, Prophet Mohammed, intended, what non-believers need to know about it and how some interpretations of Islam deviate. Our discussion guests are Doctor Cader Asmal of the Islamic Council of New England, Robert Neville, dean of the School of Theology at Boston University and a Methodist minister, and Tufts University Professor Marc Gopin, who is also a Rabbi.

This program aired on September 30, 2001.

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Robin Lubbock Videographer, Photographer
Robin Lubbock is a videographer and photographer for WBUR.

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