Who is feisal abdul rauf

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Get Started. About Store Membership Books. Podcast Contests Events Contact. Facebook Twitter. In those instances, he reminded his fellow Muslims of Islam's teachings: The burqa is a matter of style that only some Muslim countries embrace; the minarets are a matter of architecture, not religion; and firebombing churches did not sit well with Allah.

And people will curse Allah, and Allah will hold us responsible for that. Such temperance is evident in many of the writings of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the man behind plans to erect an Islamic center and mosque a few blocks from New York's ground zero. In a piece for The Washington Post's "On Faith" blog, which hosts a panel of intellectuals, clergy and journalists representing various religions, Rauf reminded readers that many Muslims -- even a Queens-reared ambulance driver -- died in the attacks on the World Trade Center.

They all died together. Those who know Rauf describe him as a thoughtful man, a bridge builder who seeks to unite all faiths but who won't parse words when he sees religion used for nefarious ends. He has chided the U. He said in that the U. These are a few of the sound bites in his critics' quiver, but his supporters say the remarks are taken woefully out of context.

His colleagues describe him as scholarly, quiet, visionary, serious, tireless, tolerant, open, not frivolous, gentle and bearing a "certain air of dignity. Rauf, said Ahmed, is a Sufi.

If you break Islam into three categories, you would have traditionalists, modernists and mystics. Rauf falls into the last category. Ahmed explained the divisions. Traditionalists believe things should be exactly like they were in the seventh century, that Muslims should behave, dress and eat like the Prophet. Modernists believe Islam can be balanced with the contemporary world, through politics, education, military or policy matters.

Mystics, who include Sufis, are often the most tolerant Muslims, seeking harmony as well as interfaith and intercultural discourse. Read more about what Sufism entails. Traditionalists would support Rauf's quest to construct a mosque, but would be suspicious of the Islamic center's planned athletic rooms and swimming pool, Ahmed said. They also would frown on efforts to include Jews and Christians in dialogue. The anthropology is shaky," he said.

Was he raised Sufi? His father, Muhammad Abdul Rauf, was a more conservative Sunni Muslim who, with the support of Egypt, taught and studied at universities and mosques outside the Middle East. The elder Rauf moved his family around to England, Malaysia, and then the U.

The exposure to different religions and Islamic traditions led Feisal to shift to the more moderate and mystical Sufi Islam. What was Rauf best known for before the Park51 controversy? Since the s he has been heavily involved in interfaith dialogue with Christian and Jewish leaders, and has founded two nonprofits focused on building bridges between American Muslims, U.

What's the case for him being a "stealth" extremist? Critics say his peace-and-brotherhood talk covers up support for Palestinian suicide bombers, Iran's repressive Islamic government, radical Muslim clerics, and the imposition of Sharia law in the West. To support these charges, his detractors cite Rauf's refusal to call Hamas a terrorist group and his equating of certain U.

The Cordoba Initiative and its Park51 project aren't about dialogue, critics say, but rather about proselytizing and spreading Islam. Is the case persuasive? Though a few of Rauf's speeches contain some jarring notes see quotes below , those who have known him for a long time are surprised by the allegations.