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Moral Courage Project goes public Tuesday night — and you’re invited

Posted in Announcements on Mar 10, 2008

As some of you know, I’ve recently moved from Toronto to Manhattan in order to build the Moral Courage Project.

Housed at New York University’s Graduate School of Public Service, the MCP aims to develop leaders who will challenge conformity and censorship in their own communities for the sake of a greater good.

It’s inspired by my love of ijtihad, Islam’s tradition of debate, dissent and creativity. The hope is to ennoble misunderstood mavericks everywhere. In that spirit, on Tuesday night I’ll host the first of several “Conversations with Champions of Moral Courage.”

The inaugural champion: Prof. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im, a Sudanese scholar of Shari’a law and among the boldest thinkers in the Muslim world. We’re launching the English edition of his book, Islam and the Secular State, in which he argues that “we need a secular state to be better Muslims.”

Savor what else Prof. An-Na’im writes in it:

* “I do believe that it is possible, indeed necessary, to reinterpret Islamic sources in order to affirm and protect freedom of religion and belief. This is my position as a Muslim, speaking from an Islamic perspective, and not simply because freedom of religion and belief is a universal human rights norm…”

* “It is necessary for me, as a Muslim, to confront this issue in order to uphold the moral integrity of my religious beliefs.”

* “The possibility of belief in anything logically requires choice in the matter, as one cannot believe in anything without the freedom and ability to disbelieve it.”

* “Instead of censorship… it is critical to maintain possibilities of innovation and dissent as the only way for religion to remain responsive to the needs of believers.”

You get the picture. Now get down to NYU and participate in the event. For more details, and to RSVP, click here. Security will be present, so please come a few minutes earlier than normal.

And for all you non-New Yorkers, the Moral Courage Project will film the event for future streaming on this site. I’ll announce when that will be.  Meanwhile, you can read about the Moral Courage Project.  You can also stay up to date by subscribing to my free e-newsletter.

Go on. Find your voice and passion.  Help your community grow from talent that would otherwise be lost to self-censorship. Let your freak flag fly.