Debating Islam on Facebook
On September 19, the LA Times published an excellent article called “Facebook Reflects Struggle Over Islam’s Role”. In addition to showing how secular and non-secular Muslims are debating Islam online, this article reveals a youth culture that will talk openly about things online that they won’t necessarily talk about in real life. The online world is conducive to talking, debating, and pluralism as monolithic opinions cannot prevail. It is a place where people can choose how anonymous they want to be and where they can assume any identity they desire. Not a bad outlet if you are living in a censored and repressive society! Please check out this article and pass it to you friends:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-facebook19-2008sep19,0,1968535.story
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Children of Jihad by Jared Cohen – www.ChildrenofJihad.com
Opinion Leaders Comments on Children of Jihad
“Children of Jihad is a very smart, insightful account of a young Jewish-American (and Rhodes Scholar) trying to understand his generation across the line in the Middle East.”
- Tom Brokaw, NBC News
“An enlightening and entertaining story that is part travelogue and part cultural analysis. Gaining insights through simple conversation, Cohen paints a compelling picture of the politically awakened youth of the Middle East.”
- Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor
“This young gutsy writer knows that the East-West struggle is being fought over the cafe tables of the Near and Middle East. Do the youth of the Islamic world dream of an engineering degree from Michigan State or a martyr’s death? This young American has had the moxie to sit and listen for hours at those tables. In the words of the poet, Jared Cohen has taken the road ‘less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.’”
- Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s “Hardball” and NBC’s “The Chris Matthews Show”
“Jared Cohen has written a unique book. Imagine a young American circulating in the back alleys and cafes of Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Palestinian refugee camps, and Iraq meeting other youth on their terms and asking pointed questions about their aspirations, concerns and attitudes toward their rulers and toward the United States. There are breathtaking descriptions of flirting with danger and fascinating dialogues that provide deep insights into the politics and sociology of four key countries in the Middle East. It is a fascinating read which I recommend to anyone who wants to develop a better understanding of the [Middle East] and Arab world.”
- Frank Carlucci, former Secretary of Defense
“In this remarkable book Cohen provides a fresh perspective on the Middle East. Seen through the eyes of the youth, and poignantly describing their hopes and despairs, Cohen provides a timely commentary on the troubled relations between America and the Middle East. Looking at the habits and passions that binds the youth across the cultural divide as well as the politics that divides them, this book provides much food for thought for Americans and Middle Easterners alike.”
- Vali Nasr, author of The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future
“In this engrossing book, Cohen artfully combines his natural confidence and flair as a writer to produce a revealing look at the youth of Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Iraq. Riveting from start to finish.”
- Kirkus starred review
“Cohen’s accounts are sharp and his intentions admirable.”
- Publishers Weekly
“Astonishing”
- Washington Times
“Children of Jihad” succeeds at breaking down some inaccurate generalizations and replacing them with more accurate generalizations, and it does a good job of humanizing Middle Eastern youth by telling their individual stories”
- Haaretz
“An important book to read”
- Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC “Morning Joe”
“I admire Jared Cohen’s courage, vigor and insight. He has been a wonderful source of information and understanding about Iran, particularly youth attitudes and ideals. His advice is helpful in fostering better relations, better public diplomacy and progress toward greater democratic freedoms and openness in Iran.”
- Senator Richard Lugar, Ranking Member on Senate Foreign Relations Committee
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The opportunity and infrastructure Facebook provides for discussions like this, targeted at youth, is unprecedented and will lead to dialogues that may not have been possible before. But, I think there needs to be a more interactive means than discussion boards (the passive nature of which can lead to screaming matches as the article notes)…file sharing, video conversation tools, webcasts, etc put people face to face and can easily be made available for free through Facebook… Also, the question remains as to how to use the distribution channels of networks like Facebook/MySpace to at least expose Western youths to these conversations, something like being able to turn a global search on FB into a feed you can pull into your own news feed would really turn Facebook into a people powered news source