Thankfully, there are plenty of institutions and resources out there that can give us a better understanding of Islam if we are only willing to look. The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is one such resource. The Carnegie Council is an independent and nonpartisan institution with three main focuses: Ethics, war and peace, global social justice, and religion in politics. Their stream on iTunesU contains a series of lectures stretching from present day back to 2006 that offers a range of perspectives and topics related to Islam and the West.
In coming posts, I'll explore the ideas and suggestions of some of these lectures, beginning with Juan Cole "On Europe's Muslims and More." In the meantime, click here to download the series and start listening for yourself.