Chris Hedges and Hamz Yusuf discuss Does God Love War? March 11, 2006

Chris Hedges and Hamz Yusuf discuss Does God Love War? The Fine Line Between Faith and Fanaticism.

Text from Cody's website:

From leaders of America's Christian Right seemingly forgetting that "Blessed are the Peacemakers" to Jewish rabbis watching unflinchingly as collective punishment is doled out to Arabs in Palestine to Muslim jurists ruling that civilian victims are acceptable under a Just War, the three great Abrahamic faiths are increasingly facing accusations of ignoring the sanctity of life.

Some, pointing perhaps to Malcolm X when he famously advised a group of black nationalists to "Leave your religion at home", are not surprised, believing religion is best at dividing, not uniting; others argue, often just as persuasively, that this new penchant the religious have for the immediacy of violent solutions is bred from ideas other than those rooted in sound religious tradition.

In War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, New York Times' reporter Chris Hedges addressed humanity's love affair with war, offering a moving and thought-provoking perspective, drawing on the literature of combat from Homer and Shakespeare, Erich Maria Remarque and Michael Herr. Hedges holds a master of divinity from Harvard Divinity School; his most recent book is Losing Moses on the Freeway.

Hamza Yusuf is regarded as one of the foremost Muslim thinkers and theologians in the English-speaking world, one who takes seriously the saying "Blessed are the peacemakers"; he is also a teacher and translator, and founder of the Zaytuna Institute, which has established an international reputation for presenting a classical picture of Islam in the West. Together, they consider whether the teachers of our religions have failed us - or if we have not been listening.

Moderated by Safir Ahmed, a long-time journalist and editor, this program is free.

6:15 - 6:45 PM, reception; 7:00 PM, program. King Middle School Auditorium (1781 Rose Street, Berkeley)