*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
{ Sila lawat Laman Hizbi-Net - http://www.hizbi.net }
{ Hantarkan mesej anda ke: [EMAIL PROTECTED] }
{ Iklan barangan? Hantarkan ke [EMAIL PROTECTED] }
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
UNDILAH PAS DAN BARISAN ALTERNATIF
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pelajar2 baru North Carolina University telah mula mentelaah buku
'Approaching Al-Quran' walaupun pihak persatuan kristian cuba menghalangnya.
Lihat:
http://www.islamonline.net/english/news/2002-08/21/article06.shtml
--------------------------------------
N.C.U Students Begin Qur’an Course
The assigned book
NORTH CAROLINA, August 21 (IslamOnline & News Agencies)- New students at the
University of North Carolina will participate in discussion groups on
Islam's holy text after a court refused to halt a summer reading program
ruling that having them read about the Qur’an did not threaten religious
freedoms, the BBC reported.
About 3,500 students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
started debating the book, as demonstrators gathered nearby to protest
against the assignment, it said adding that a Christian organization had
accused the university of unconstitutionally promoting one religion at the
expense of others.
Trouble started when the students at Chapel Hill were assigned to read about
130 pages of professor Michael Sells's book, "Approaching the Qur'an", for
the university's summer course.
Officials said that a student could decline to read the book, however, they
would have to write an essay explaining why, reported the BBC.
Attorneys for a conservative Christian group, the Virginia-based Family
Policy Network, and three unidentified U.N.C. freshmen-- one an evangelical
Christian, one Roman Catholic and one Jewish -- filed a lawsuit last month
contending the assignment was unconstitutional provisions against
state-sponsored religion and sued the University, said the BBC.
But last Thursday, US District Court Judge Carlton Tilley Jr. refused to
grant a temporary restraining order, said the Council on American Islamic
Relations (CAIR) on their website.
Network President Joe Glover said the lawsuit forced the university to
change its program from a required reading and discussion to a voluntary
program. University Chancellor James Moeser said the program was never
required in the first place, and was intended to stimulate critical thinking
in freshmen. He said opponents of the program "consistently missed the
point...", reported CAIR.
"Learning in a university setting involves the ability to confront other
viewpoints," said Celia Lata, the assistant attorney general representing
the university. "A university that exposes students only to what they
already know or believe would not equip them to live in the world..."
Although the study and teaching of Islam in U.S. universities has increased
in popularity since 11 September, conservatives and Christian religious
groups have allegedly linked Islam to terror.
The summer reading program and the ensuing court battle made for an unusual
orientation at UNC. Journalists squeezed into rooms with students on Monday,
August 19, to cover the discussions, which suddenly became national news,
said the BBC.
U.N.C.-Chapel Hill religious studies professor Carl Ernst said he
recommended the book -- written by Haverford College religion professor
Michael Sells -- in the hope that it would teach new students about a
religion that puzzles many Americans, it added.
The 16 students in Ernst's discussion group talked about afterlife, Judgment
Day and how passages from the Qur’an relate to Christianity and religions
more familiar to the students.
They also played a CD that accompanies the book, listening to readings of
Holy Quran from different parts of the world.
Speaking to the New York Times, Chip Cook, 18, said: “I never really knew
what the Qur’an was or what it said before this. Now I feel like I have a
better understanding of where my Muslim friends are coming from.”
Ernst said he had no regrets about his recommendation. “The class worked out
better than I had expected. The students were engaged and I feel like we
opened them up to a cultural experience they've never had before,'' he said,
reported the Times.
“The media attention probably got the students to read more seriously than
they would have otherwise.”
The return to school in Chapel Hill was a strong contrast to the days after
Sept. 11, when students and faculty members on this campus, like those on
many others across the country, rushed to prove their tolerance toward
Islam, said the Times.
After the attacks, hundreds of students wore Islamic dress for a day, at the
suggestion of the student president, to show sympathy with their Muslim
peers.
Students flooded courses on Islam and the Middle East, and the university
set about hiring an Islamic studies specialist.
The discussion groups today were intended to build on that interest. "The
whole idea is that this is the first step toward understanding a culture we
don't know anything about and to get students to ask their own questions,"
Chancellor Moeser said in an interview with the Times.
In one group, students said they were excited to learn about Islam and
surprised to find parallels between it and Christianity. "I thought it was
going to be some off-the-wall religion," said Matt Campbell, New York Times
reported.
“From what I knew from the news, I would have perceived them to be a violent
people," said Mary Allison Lee, "so I see one thing on TV, and another in
the book.” She added, “I'm not sure what to think.”
The Book ‘Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations’, is translated by
Michael Sells. It consists of thirty five suras from the Quran, that largely
focus on the experience of the divine in the natural world and the principle
of moral accountability in human life, the university said on their website.
Sells, the editor and translator of Approaching the Qur’an, is a
distinguished professor of religion at Haverford College. A widely published
author and highly regarded expert on Islamic literature.
Sells provides clear translations of the original Arabic, brief commentaries
on each sura, and a concise introduction to the Qur’an’s literary and
historical context, the site said.
_________________________________________________________________
MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
( Melanggan ? To : [EMAIL PROTECTED] pada body : SUBSCRIBE HIZB)
( Berhenti ? To : [EMAIL PROTECTED] pada body: UNSUBSCRIBE HIZB)
( Segala pendapat yang dikemukakan tidak menggambarkan )
( pandangan rasmi & bukan tanggungjawab HIZBI-Net )
( Bermasalah? Sila hubungi [EMAIL PROTECTED] )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pengirim: "salam sejahtera" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
