The new season features episodes on several topics, from the philosopher Abu Yusuf Al Kindi, considered the first philosopher of the Arab world, to the legends surrounding the so-called Assassins. Other episodes span a mix of influential personalities, unexpected geographies, and interesting themes that marked the podcast’s first season, including the Muslim influence on western music, the role of historical objects in Islam, and the history of Jerusalem.
While Season 1 was audio only, Season 2 is available in video, making the episodes more accessible and allowing for visual storytelling. The podcast will continue to be available in audio format for our fans of that medium.
The first episode features David Damrosch, Ernest Bernbaum Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard University and Director of Harvard’s Institute for World Literature. The conversation focuses on his work, Around the World in 80 books.
Professor Damrosch takes us through examples of key literary works from three regions - the Middle East, where he gives examples of Stories Within Stories; Palestine and Israel, which he unites under the theme Strangers in a Strange Land, and Persia, where he takes us from Tehran to Shiraz - showing both the diversity of Muslim narratives and emphasising the interconnectedness of stories across cultures.
In his Jodidi Lecture entitled The Cosmopolitan Ethic in a Fragmented World, in November 2015, Mawlana Hazar Imam said:
“A pluralist, cosmopolitan society is a society which not only accepts difference, but actively seeks to understand it and to learn from it. In this perspective, diversity is not a burden to be endured, but an opportunity to be welcomed.
A cosmopolitan society regards the distinctive threads of our particular identities as elements that bring beauty to the larger social fabric. A cosmopolitan ethic accepts our ultimate moral responsibility to the whole of humanity, rather than absolutizing a presumably exceptional part.
Perhaps it is a natural condition of an insecure human race to seek security in a sense of superiority. But in a world where cultures increasingly interpenetrate one another, a more confident and a more generous outlook is needed.
What this means, perhaps above all else, is a readiness to participate in a true dialogue with diversity, not only in our personal relationships, but in institutional and international relationships also. But that takes work, and it takes patience. Above all, it implies a readiness to listen.”
--
Listen to and watch the episode “Tales from Muslim Lands” today on your favourite podcast platform.
