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Acknowledgments ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As this is my first published book, edited or otherwise, I feel it important to briefly mention some of the countless people who have supported me over the years, despite common protocol for a volume of this nature. My first real lessons in writing were at the hands of Elsie Wiedner, z”l , and Laura Novo, academic guidance that continued with Edwin Bryant, Ayman El- Desouky, and David Little at Harvard University, and R. Stephen Humphreys, Mark Juergensmeyer, Roger Friedland, and Richard Hecht at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). In particular, I am grateful to Stephen for teaching me as much about strengthening my scholarship as how I should carry myself in the field of academia collegially; to Roger for improving my research and modeling the “coteaching” method, which has been central to this project as well as my other professional work; to Mark for taking me under his wing, giving me incredible support both during my time at UCSB and thereafter; and to my primary advisor, Richard, who gave me more support than any other academic mentor during my tenure as a graduate student, helping me secure my current position at the University of San Francisco. It says in M. Avot 1:6, “asei licha rav,” find yourself a master- teacher. For finding a rav in Richard I will forever be grateful. Between Harvard and UCSB I was also privileged enough to be supported by a number of teachers in the CASA program in Cairo, including Jehan, Shereen, Zeinab I., Nevenka, Heba, and Zeinab T. For generous financial support during my graduate studies I would like to thank Harvard University for the Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellowship, the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad for an equally important fellowship, the Wexner Foundation for the invaluable fellowship they provided me with for four years and beyond (in particular, thank you Larry, Elka, and Cindy), the Center for Middle East Studies at UCSB for providing me with a Foreign Language Advanced Studies Summer Fellowship, the U.S. Department of Education for providing me with a Fulbright- Hays Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, and the Department of Religious Studies at UCSB for providing me with the J.R. Rowney Fellowship. For additional assistance during my dissertation research, I am grateful to the more than one hundred Palestinians and Israelis who allowed me to interview them; and thank you to Eliyahu McLean for connecting me to many of these individuals. I’d also like to thank Rabbi Andrew M. Sacks, who provided me with invaluable support during the four years I lived in Jerusalem. During this same time I was also lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to work with Jody Myers at California State University, Northridge, who guided me during an amorphous stage in the dissertation process. At the University of San Francisco, where I have taught since August 2007, I’d like to thank Provost Jennifer Turpin, and Deans Peter Novak, Michael Block, and Marcelo Campari for their continued support and confidence in my teaching, research, and work with Abraham’s Vision and the Center for Transformative Education. I’d also like to thank Vice Provost Gerardo Marin for supporting the many projects USF has integrated into our amazing learning environment. President Stephen Privett has also been central to my positive experiences at USF and has been a great source of inspiration and support. As for my colleagues in the Theology & Religious Studies Department, I cannot say enough about how supportive, dedicated, and compassionate these people are. Thank you to Jorge Aquino, Lilian Dube, Dan Kendall, Mark Miller, Vijaya Nagarajan, John Nelson, and Vincent Pizzuto. In particular, my grat- itude goes to Aysha Hidayatullah and Lois Lorentzen (mb), who have become very important to me. Brigid Eckhart and Kristine Massetti have also been incredibly helpful. Thanks also go to my colleagues on the USF Swig Advisory Council: Paula Birnbaum, Amie Espen- Dowling, Elliot Neamen, Rabbi Lawrence Raphael, Esti Skloot, Ruth Starkman, and Stephen Zunes (and Michael, Lois, and Peter). Further, thank you to the hundreds of students I have been privileged enough to learn with over the last few years while at USF, as well as the scores of students, staff, and faculty from universities across the country that permitted me to interview them for my essay in this book. 204 Acknowledgments At Abraham’s Vision I, too, have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of amazing stu- dents. In addition, I have had the pleasure of working with some of the greatest talents in the con- flict transformation world. Aside from a number of important board members, current and past—in particular, Samina Ahmad, Reza Aslan, Danny Fenster, Peter Geffen (special thanks for your men- torship), Ben Korman, Judith Scheuer, Anas Shallal, and Carol Winograd—I have been supported by a number of colleagues, including Gibran Bouayad, Oren Kroll-Zeldin, Megan Martin, and Eitan Trabin. I am also grateful to Reza for supporting Abraham’s Vision from its very inception and for suggesting that proceeds from this book go to AV. Working on this project with him has been an extraordinarily positive experience. As for Huda Abu Arqoub, my professional partner and closest of friends, in you I could not have found a more dedicated, personable, intelligent, fun, compassionate, and loving individual. You are the paradigm of professionalism and model how I strive to hold myself personally. As for other important colleagues and friends, both current and those from “back in the day”— Mons, Al, Cover, Abramson, Deep, Nati, Lucas, Tifel, Eden, Fine, Gib, Gabe, Pam, Webb, Rav Sacks, Spike, Jenn D., Sab, Ari K., Akiba, Caleb, Ghousoon, Jacob B., Schuck, Tali, Marna, Fernbach, Gelb, Debbie S., Kevin E., Elyse, Yedidyah, Dorit, Avi. J., Prags, Gutty, Jeremy A., Amy, Shubbers, Jer, Lora C., Eric B., Lowin, Leesh, Rotey, El, Gregg, Matti, Jill, Nico, Dafna, Rebecca, Ron, Aaron, Rachel, Lauren, Dan G., Kaunfer, Yehuda, Ronit A., Yael, Freed, Fuchs, Pink, Scout, King, Bu, Justin, Natalie, Lital, Margaret, Toby, and Sandy—thank you. Your friendship and support continues to mean the world to me. As for D., A., O., and I., I hope that one day our better selves pick up where we left off. I am also thankful to Lee Bycel for mentorship during the last few years. In addition to the love of my immediate family—Mom, Dad, Shelly, Stone, Jacob and Jen, Lisi, Becky and Hanan, Debby and Andy, Susan and Michael, Talia, Sam, Elisheva, Nathan, Alice Paul, and Jack Raymond, as well as the Chang Gang (Judith and Karsten, David and Jan, Jan, Joey, and all of the little ones), and Naomi and Dennis, Marc and Sheila, Phyliss and Don, and all of my cousins—I would not have been able to work on this book without the support of my life partner, Laurie. My trips abroad, late-night studying, and early morning writing sessions are only some of the times I was away from my love. Thank you for giving me the support and space to work on this project. And thank you for continuing to be my best friend. Mom, thank you for being the sweet, unconditionally supportive person that you are. Dad, thank you for giving me your best, and for teaching me to strive to do as much as I can in the world for good. Jacob, thank you for being my big brother in every sense (sfg). I look forward to spending time with you, Jen, and our little ones in the years to come, and hope that Alice, J.R., Isaiah, and Delilah continue to grow up together. Shelly, Susan, and Michael, I could not ask for more than your continuing to treat me as your own flesh and blood. For those who have moved onto other realms, thank you Bubbe and Zaydeh for giving me your love, David for teaching me what it means to embrace and live life to its fullest, Grammie for teaching me more than you ever knew, Grampie for modeling the pursuit of knowledge and how to be a mentsch, and Isabel for teaching me to face life’s chal- lenges with a joke and a smile. May your memories be for a blessing. Finally, as for Isaiah Everett and Delilah Yareyach, to whom I dedicate this book, you are the lights of my life, the joys of the deepest parts of my soul, and the reason I do what I do in the world. —Aaron J. Hahn Tapper I would like to thank the faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara, especially my ad- visor and mentor Mark Juergensmeyer, as well as my colleagues in the Creative Writing Department at the University of California, Riverside. I would also like to acknowledge the support of the board at Abraham’s Vision, and the direction of Aaron Hahn Tapper in particular, whose dedication and hard work have led to the enormous success of the organization over the last years. Finally, I wish to thank my partner Jessica Jackley, who has shown me many things but especially this: that one cannot merely talk about changing the world; one must roll up one’s sleeves and actually do it. Finally, we would both like to thank the team from Palgrave Macmillan, including Farideh Koohi- Kamali, Robyn Curtis, Heather Faulls, and Rohini Krishnan, among others. We also want to thank Sara Hughes for compiling the book’s index. —Reza Aslan INDEX 9/11, viii, 2, 11, 40, 46, 47, 67, 72, 76, 77, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 93, 95, 99, 117, 121, 129, 147, 152, 95, 99 163, 165, 167, 197 American Declaration of Independence, 58 see also War on Terror American Empire, 194 American government, 26, 64, 67, 72, 77, Abdul Rauf, Imam Fiesal, 3 122, 124, 145, 151, 154, 167, 170, Abou El Fadl, Khaled, 66 196 Abraham, 18, 39, 42–3, 58, 96,
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