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“In 762, to symbolize and propel the new order, Al-Mansur decided to build the grand new capital of Baghdad as a massive round city. The caliph assembled an elite team of the empire’s top engineers, architects, and visionaries—notably including Zoroastrians, Christians, and Jews, such as Mashallah Ibnul-Athari.”
― Mohamad Jebara, The Life of the Qur'an: From Eternal Roots to Enduring Legacy

“Any person who, with all the sincerity of heart, is in search for God, on land or in the sea, is worthy of respect.”
― Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi, The Religion of God

“One of the biggest challenges for people involved in interfaith dialogue is to break down the stereotypes of the "other" that exist within their own religious traditions and groups. Religious groups need to first acknowledge and confess their own role in fostering and contributing to injustice and conflict. (by Cilliers, Ch. 3, p. 49)”
― David R. Smock, Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding

“The process of reconciliation implies that people who want to engage in interfaith cooperation should be prepared to reflect critically on their own religious tradition. They should also contemplate what place their own religious tradition assigns to people of other faith traditions. (by Cilliers, Ch. 3, p. 52)”
― David R. Smock, Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding

“I strongly feel that it is only when there is a deep understanding of one's own religious beliefs and commitments that progress can be made in achieving true understanding and respect for the religious values and beliefs of others. Engaging in interfaith dialogue does not in any way mean undermining one's own faith or religious tradition. Indeed, interfaith dialogue is constructive only when people become firmly grounded in their own religious traditions and through that process gain a willingness to listen and respect the beliefs of other religions. (by Cilliers, Ch. 3, p. 48-49)”
― David R. Smock, Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding

“Many of the traditional approaches to interfaith dialogue have assumed that it can be successful only if agreements are reached about amorphous concepts and themes that various traditions may have in common. These approaches have also assumed that participants have to "weaken" or "compromise" elements of their own faith... this is not necessarily constructive for engaging in interfaith understanding and dialogue. It is only when participants have a deep understanding of their own religious traditions and are willing to learn and recognize the richness of other religious traditions that constructive cooperation can take place between groups from different faiths. (by Cilliers, Ch. 3, p. 57-58)”
― David R. Smock, Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding

“The fact that religions, which usually have at their core a promotion of tolerance and peace, have been exploited to carry out violence clearly indicates that individuals and groups have not discovered the true "peace message" that is inherent in almost every religion. (by Cilliers, Ch. 3, p. 55)”
― David R. Smock, Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding

“Because Islam, besides coming at the end of the major cycle of revelations, had had an experience of the different religions of the world before modern times. I have always said that Islam is the only religion that had direct contact with nearly all the major families of religions of the world outside of the matrix of modernism.”
― Seyyed Hossein Nasr, در جست‌وجوÛ� امر قدسی

“I am not east, I am not west, I am the whole world.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Sin Dios Sí Hay Divinidad: The Pastor Who Never Was

“All scriptures are blasphemy, when peddled as exclusive, infallible handbook to divinity.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Dervis Vadisi: 100 Promissory Sonnets

“Ramadan Sonnet

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim doesn't mean,
God is merciful only to the muslim.
The spirit of godliness that we hold within,
is meant to light up the world as our kin.
Fasting and feasting all turn mere futile choir,
If, for whatever reason, life is distant from life.
Celebration of Ramadan is celebration of rahmat*,
Ramadan without *compassion is Ramadan without life.
Ramadan is not a muslim festival,
Ramadan is a human festival.
Ramadan is a reminder to rekindle our light,
Ramadan is the end of all feelings uncharitable.
None of us will have faith till we wish for
our neighbor as we wish for ourselves (Hadith 13).
The reward for goodness is goodness itself (Q55:60).”
― Abhijit Naskar, AÅŸk Mafia: Armor of The World

“Logic doesn't make you a good person, love does. Belief doesn't make you a good person, behavior does.”
― Abhijit Naskar, AÅŸk Mafia: Armor of The World

“Every peacemaker is muslim,
Every lover is christian.
Every helper is buddhist,
Every lifter is human.
Every lovenut is sufi,
Every braveheart is latin.
Every collectivist is jew,
Every secularist is advaitin.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Divane Dynamite: Only truth in the cosmos is love

“Goodness is universal,
vessels may vary.
Some call it water,
some agua, some pani.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Mukemmel Musalman: Kafir Biraz, Peygamber Biraz

“You can be a believer and still be human,
You can be an atheist and still be human.
You can be whatever and still be human,
But there's no such thing as a fundamentalist human.”
― Abhijit Naskar, AÅŸk Mafia: Armor of The World

“I hope never to become convinced that my spiritual learning is so complete that I refuse to learn new ways of love and faith from wise teachers, simply because their vocabulary does not match mine. My Buddhist friends have said yes to their faith, yes to their Dharma, yes to the Mystic Law that they embrace. Who am I to say that this Mystic Law is not one of the many names of God? Did not Jesus say, 'And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shephard.”
― Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., A Baptist Preacher's Buddhist Teacher: How My Interfaith Journey with Daisaku Ikeda Made Me a Better Christian

“English is my work language,
Turkish is my love language,
Spanish is my play language,
Telugu is my leisure language.

This would probably be different for you - perhaps for you, it all happens in one language - English, and that's perfectly fine. Different people are inspired in different ways - it's alright - as long as all our inspirations converge into one result - a better world for all - where there is no interracial dialogue, there is no intercultural communication, there is no interreligious relations - because - there is but one race, humanity - there is but one culture, humanity - there is but one religion, humanity.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Yaralardan Yangın DoÄŸar: Explorers of Night are Emperors of Dawn

“Pani, agua, water, it's all one.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Bulletproof Backbone: Injustice Not Allowed on My Watch

“Belonging is my Bible, kindness is my Quran.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Yaralardan Yangın DoÄŸar: Explorers of Night are Emperors of Dawn

“For one who lives with kindness, everyday is Ramadan.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Dervis Vadisi: 100 Promissory Sonnets

“Every religion is right religion, or none are.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Dervis Vadisi: 100 Promissory Sonnets

“By saying your religion is the only right religion,
you only prove, your religion is the wrong religion.
Religion as an excuse for separation is always wrong,
till you transcend religion, all faith is delusion.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Dervis Vadisi: 100 Promissory Sonnets

“By saying your religion is the only right religion, you only prove, your religion is the wrong religion.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Dervis Vadisi: 100 Promissory Sonnets

“Hayat is my hadith,
Galaxies are my gita.
Interfaith, my torah,
Secularism, my sutta.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Humanitarian Dictator

“Letter to the Fundamentalist
(Sonnet 1800)

You may be a fundamentalist nut,
but I'm a bigger nut than you.
You are nuts about one religion,
I hold all religions equally true.

You are nuts about one
single religion and culture,
I am nuts about a world full
of religions and cultures.

Problem is not that you believe in myths,
but that honor of myths trumps honor of life.
Every time you put fairytale before people,
you perpetuate a jungle tradition of lies.

You claim truth as one religion's franchise,
I recognize the good in all walks of faith.
I pity those who claim exclusive prosperity,
True holiness begins at the end of all hate.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Humanitarian Dictator

“You may be a fundamentalist nut,
but I'm a bigger nut than you.
You are nuts about one religion,
I hold all religions equally true.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Humanitarian Dictator

“God faith is interfaith.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Little Planet on The Prairie: Dunya Benim, Sorumluluk Benim

“God is tolerance.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Azad Earth Army: When The World Cries Blood

“I'm not interested in proving or disproving God, I long resigned from all such arguments. I am a pilgrim of love and life, all are welcome, all are celebrated.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Azad Earth Army: When The World Cries Blood

“I grew up celebrating Diwali, eating fruitcake on the 25th, and waking up to the call of azaan. If I'm devout anything, it's a devout human.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Neurosonnets: The Naskar Art of Neuroscience