Daniel Lubetzky

Could it be that President Obama has a long lost twin from my hometown?

I have written repeatedly to defend Muslims from being discriminated against, including most recently with the establishment of a mosque in downtown Manhattan (see here, here, and here).

This video I just got raises serious valid concerns about extremists using religion to further illegal activities, and of them subverting Islam to their purposes.

To my mind, it makes it all the more clear why we want to support moderate Islamic role models and why people like Imam Feisal, Naif al-Mutawa and countless others deserve all our support.  Muslims leaders like Imam Feisal should not be asked to “choose sides.”  Theirs is not a culture of division.  By being themselves, they will continue to win by building bridges, rather than burning them on either side.

Additionally, this article illustrates the frightening opposition that many mosques face as they attempt to build across the country, where more and more opponents are beginning to admit their discomfort with Islam itself.  In reality though, budding mosques have proven to quell many of the fears of radicalism, according to a recent study that the articly quotes.

Muslims, like all other human beings, are overwhelmingly moderate and kind.  Extremists with ideologies of supremacy and domination feed off of the divisions between cultures that they try to foster.  We would only grant terrorists a victory if we were to cower into painting all the “others” as our enemy!  That was the main goal of Osama Bin Laden! If we want to win, we have to do so not just with weapons but also with brains and souls – with an ideology of inclusion best represented by Western and Muslim leaders that offers a better vision than that of an eternal struggle of us vs. them.

By Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

Tom Friedman discusses an appropriately complex documentary, “Precious Life” in this article and then compares its meaning to the appropriately complex reality of the Mideast conflict.  Friedman’s point is not to condone Israel’s behavior unilaterally, rather to encourage her opponents to give constructive criticism, which comes from a place of understanding- a place that “Precious Life” depicts very nicely, according to Friedman.

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by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

This New York Times article features Netflix as a prime example of companies that are staying ahead of the curve by focusing on efficiency and disruptive technology, in this case, enabling consumers to access movies from their homes instead of from a store.  What is most interesting about Netflix is that its creation was potentially self destructive- watching movies on the internet is even faster than having to wait for them to arrive via snail mail- but the company averted a crisis by adapting to the demands of the times.

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I worry whether my children will grow up in a culture so sterilized and digitized that they will miss out on true human bonds. Maureen Dowd just added to my worries with acute observations about the increasing superficiality of romantic comedies. People no longer fall in love or learn to love as they did in earlier movies. Read the column to join me in my worries.

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Beyond the earlier geo-political and human arguments I made supporting Imam Feisal Abdel Rauf’s courageous work for tolerance and the Islamic community center he is building in downtown NYC, Tom Friedman advanced beautiful additional arguments that center around the critical value of diversity to foster a creative culture that brings out the best for America and the world – and makes us most competitive.

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by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

This article by Robert Wright features the harsh continued debate over the construction of a mosque near ground zero.  The debate is filled with intolerance, fears of radicalism, and biased players; the attacks on Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf are especially disheartening and the opposition of some NY politicians are incredibly disappointing.

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Computational neuroscientist Sebastian Seung gave a fascinating talk at Poptech about “connectomics” – how our brain is wired and connected, and how our experiences shape our brains, and influence our personalities and behavior. Super interesting stuff.

by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

This fascinating article breaks down what goes on in your brain during exercise. According to studies, exercise increases Noggin, a protein that facilitates neurogenesis, the production of brain cells.   This proves again that there are manifold benefits to adopting healthy habits!

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