About
Invitation
We are pleased to invite you to participate in the first conference: “A Celebration of Heresy: Critical Thinking for Islamic Reform” in Atlanta, GA, USA. This title emphasizes that we seek to promote our commitment to accept dissent and disagreement, because we believe that strong disagreement with the current views, is a necessary pre-requisite for genuine and effective reform. We celebrate heresy and dissent not as ends in themselves, but in order to enable and promote innovative and critical thinking.
This conference convenes March 28-30 2008, at the Holiday Inn Select Atlanta Perimeter ( www.hiatlantaperimeter.com ), 4386 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Atlanta Georgia 30341, phone 770-457-6363; fax 770-458-5282 (reservation is under group name NOOR). You can find more information about the subject, themes and organizers of this conference at www.hereticmuslims.com
The conference is organized by a group of Muslim intellectuals who share commitment to the values of pluralism, democracy and respect for human rights. While the organizers and all participants in this conference have different political and intellectual affiliations, this conference will be strictly non-partisan in its objectives and implementation. The shared agenda of all organizers and participants is the sustained and effective promotion of innovative and critical thinking about all issues facing Muslims throughout the world.
This conference is funded by the participants themselves who will cover their own travel and accommodation expenses, in addition to a registration fee of $100. This fee covers all meals, from dinner the evening of Friday March 28, to lunch on Sunday March 30. We have also negotiated a room rate of $72.00/night for participants plus applicable fees. Reservation is under group name NOOR.
Please note that we must receive by 15th March 2008 your registration information and fee of $100 for the expenses noted above. This is necessary for practical reasons, including arrangements for all meals, meeting space and related expenses.
We sincerely hope that you will be able to join us, and please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Why did you call it Muslim Heretic Conference?
We have posted our discussions and deliberations while selecting this title here, in addition you can read an interview in “Emory in the World” magazine with Abdullahi An-Naim under the title “a Celebration of Heresy“. As you can see we stayed with the title after a great deal of debate. Some Muslims may feel offended or take this as an insult to Islam. This is not our intention however these reactions help to make the point that we as Muslims must overcome these feeling in order to be able to face the current issues.
What is the conference about?
Gathering of Muslims and other interested people who would like to network and share ideas with those who agree with the following principles;
- Freedom of religion and worship
- Freedom of Speech with no conditions
- Rejection of all acts of aggression in the name of religion
- Tolerance of criticism
- Agree to disagree about our understanding of Islam
- Work towards peace and a better future for mankind
Who should attend?
- Anyone interested in the subject and would like to network with others
- Those who would like to speak out and share their ideas and work
- Those interested in learning what others are doing and hopefully participate
- Those who have questions and answers about the current status of Muslims
What this conference is NOT about
- Creating another Muslim organization
- Creating a new movement
- Theological discussion about Islam and Quran
- Reforming Islam, it is the Muslims that need reform not Islam
Who is financing the conference?
- We have decided not ask for any funds from any sponsor or organization in order to avoid even perceptions of lack of independence or any negative reflection on the credibility of the process. The attendants and organizers will cover the cost.
What do we aim to accomplish?
Create a network of people who will continue to share ideas and resources and speak out against acts committed in the name of Islam.
Muslims have spoken out in the past but since Islam does not lend itself to be organized, many may not have heard about it. We cherish and celebrate our differences. We may discuss how we have arrived at our conclusions, but respect our disagreement and will not insist on who is right or wrong.
Organizers
“My claim is not that we need to secularize the state in order to be modern. My claim is that we need a secular state to be better Muslims.” Internationally recognized as both a leading expert on religion and law and as a human rights activist. Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law at Emory Law School.
“The monotheistic maxim, “La ilahe illallah” (There is no god but the god), starts with a big NO, rejecting all gods, idols, and holy power-brokers. One cannot find God/Truth without questioning everything, especially religious leaders and dogmas.” Author of 20 books and hundreds of articles on religion and politics. He experienced a paradigm change in 1986 transforming him from a Sunni Muslim leader to a reformed Muslim or rational monotheist. His latest work is, Quran: a Reformist Translation.
“I was not a Muslim until I rejected all that I thought was Islam, heresy is my path to salvation” Entrepreneur philanthropist who came to Islam after rejecting it. He is the cofounder of Noor Foundation.
Writer, activist, author and attorney. She has a regular column in Muslim Girl Magazine and has written essays and articles for many print and online publications on related topics. Her current book is War on Error: Real Stories of American Muslims.
Dr. Aisha Y. Musa received her Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations at Harvard University. Author of “Hadith as Scripture: Discussions on the Authority of Prophetic Traditions in Islam”. She is currently an assistant professor of Islamic Studies in the Religious Studies Department at FIU.
Nahid Loudermilk
“Women’s oppression begins with forcing us to wear head cover, then we are asked to cover from head to toe, soon we find ourselves with no rights at all”
Mrs. Loudermilk a graduate of Tehran University and cofounder of Noor Foundation has been a Muslim woman activist for 20 years. She has been holding Quran awareness sessions on a weekly basis for years.