Founded in 2004, the Cordoba Initiative is an

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic, multi-national, multi-faith organization dedicated to improving

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

relations. It promotes the

controversial Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin '' controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opp ...

interfaith Cordoba House

community center A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

, later renamed

Park51 Park51 (originally named Cordoba House) was a development originally envisioned as a 13-story Islamic community center and mosque in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The developers hoped to promote interfaith dialogue. Due to i ...

Significance of the name

The

initiative Popular initiative A popular initiative (also citizens' initiative) is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition. In direct initiative, the proposition is put direct ...

claims that the name Cordoba was chosen to symbolize the time in history when Muslims,

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

ostensibly lived together in peace and harmony and created a prosperous center of

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...

, spiritual,

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

and commercial life in the city of Cordoba in

al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

. http://historynewsnetwork.org/article1127499

Erick Stakelbeck Erick Stakelbeck (born January 21, 1976) is an American television host and presenter of ''The Watchman'' on TBN and ''The Watchman Newscast'' on YouTube. As a Christian Zionist, the show is sponsored by Christians United for Israel, Stakelbeck b ...

, an investigative

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

, is one of a handful who believe that Cordoba represents the height of Islam's advance into the West, and that ever since its fall from Muslim hands, the faithful have yearned for its return to the Islamic fold. This claim, however, is not supported by any evidence and is largely attributed to the aspirations of the t errorist organization

ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

. The center was erroneously referred to as the "ground zero mosque," while the structure was intended to be neither at ground zero, nor a mosque. Widely misinterpreted by American right-wing politicians and pundits, it was subject to much

criticism Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative or positive qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. , ''the act of giving your opinion or judgment about the ...

. Some felt it “would be a symbolic victory flag for Muslims who seek the destruction of America…and will unquestionably represent victory to the worldwide forces of

Radical Islam Islamic extremism refers to extremist beliefs, behaviors and ideologies adhered to by some Muslims within Islam. The term 'Islamic extremism' is contentious, encompassing a spectrum of definitions, ranging from academic interpretations of Is ...

.” This, however was never the intention of those proposing the construction of the community center whose purpose was to facilitate

interfaith dialogue Interfaith dialogue, also known as interreligious dialogue, refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religion, religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spirituality, spiritual or humanism, hum ...

, community and understanding in the face of violent Islamic

fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that are characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguis ...

Goals

The declared

mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

of the Cordoba Initiative is improving Muslim-West relations. The site includes a section called “Voices of Moderation.” The

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

h Index Project, for example, seeks to address the questions: What is the right balance between the institutions of religious and political authority in the modern state? Should religion and governance be legally separated, or is there a way to integrate the two? What is meant by

religious law Religious law includes ethical and moral codes taught by religious traditions. Examples of religiously derived legal codes include Christian canon law (applicable within a wider theological conception in the church, but in modern times distin ...

, and can it be implemented without endangering basic

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

? The Shariah Index Project seeks to answer these questions in the context of present-day Muslim society. It provides this vision: •To demystify the notion, meaning and requirements of an Islamic state •To clarify the principles of Shariah in the context of modern society •To provide the general public,

opinion leaders Opinion leadership is leadership by an active media user who interprets the meaning of media messages or content for lower-end media users. Typically opinion leaders are held in high esteem by those who accept their opinions. Opinion leadership com ...

, and state officials in both the Muslim world and the West with tools for achieving these principles in practice.Cordoba Initiative Website/Shariah Index Project

Activities

The Initiative lists the following activities on their website: convening annual meetings of Islamic

scholars A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a terminal ...

, media appearances, lectures and publications, creating Cordoba House, shaping a strong and moderate Muslim-American community, building bridges with those of other faiths, combatting “

Islamophobia Islamophobia is the irrational fear of, hostility towards, or hatred against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general. Islamophobia is primarily a form of religious or cultural bigotry; and people who harbour such sentiments often stereot ...

”, and the Shariah Index Project, by which they say they will create a blueprint by which

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

will take place in the Muslim world. . It is best known for planning and advocating the proposed Islamic center known first as Cordoba House and later as Park51.

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

Feisal was first in charge of construction of the center.

Leadership

The Cordoba Initiative is the vision of

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf Feisal Abdul Rauf (, born October 23, 1948) is a Kuwaiti-born Egyptian-American Sufi imam, author, and activist whose stated goal is to improve relations between the Muslim world and the West. From 1983 to 2009, he served as Imam of Masjid al-Far ...

. Imam Feisal brings together leaders across the Muslim-West divide to speak out for innovative, proactive, and positive solutions to shared challenges. In this capacity, Cordoba Initiative can provide novel solutions to those areas where conflict between Islamic and

Western communities The Western Communities, also called the West Shore or Westshore are a group of suburban municipalities west of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. They include Colwood, Langford, Metchosin, and The Highlands, as well as communities in uninco ...

undermine local and

global security ''International Security'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal in the field of international and national security. It was founded in 1976 and is edited by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University and publish ...

. The Initiative has three officers:

, Chairman; John S. Bennett of the

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but also has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, its original home. Its stated miss ...

; and Daisy Khan, the wife of Rauf.

Affiliations

The Cordoba Initiative is very closely affiliated with the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA). ASMA currently serves as the project's fiscal agent, and the two organizations share

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...

utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...

, vendor services, and co-sponsorship of programs.http://www.cordoainitiative.org/shariah-index-project/ Accessed April 2, 2015.

References

{{Reflist Interfaith organizations