fifty page letter by Karen to the people of Pakistan, written inapproximately before her planned visit to the country, Karen after receiving TED AWARD launched her “charter of compassion” worldwide and the tour was a part of her campaign,
Through the charter she wants / wanted to connect people if all faiths, promoting them to realise their potentials and value for peace, progression and co existence rather than remaining estranged and distant.
The book also has short messages penned by Pakistani intelligentsia figures such as Khalid Zaheer and Suheyl Umar, With nearlybooks to her name, all based on matters of faith, Karen Armstrong is one of the foremost religious historians of our times, Almost all of her work is based on Abrahamic traditions which garnered more interest post/as she remains one of the leading advocates of interfaith dialog, Western hardliners have often criticized her for holding a “benign” view of Islam and here in Pakistan, she is viewed as a “friend of Islam”, She has won many awards for her work on Islam and was also the recipient of the TED Prize in, “She used that occasion to call for the creation of a Charter for Compassion, ”
In a land which is rapidly and consistently being torn apart by extremist elements and where in general, tolerance is fast becoming a rare commodity, this eponymous
title published in, is an appeal, addressed specifically to the people of Pakistan, to make a conscious effort towards incorporating and/or reinstating patience and compassion in their lives.
Where on the one hand, modern times have seen many scientific advancements, on the other, politically motivated upheavals have led to a greatly fragmented world, divided by dogmas, distrust, intolerance and deepseated hatred for each others socioreligious diversity.
Here Armstrong uses her indepth research and knowledge of different religions and worldviews to compile apage letter to Pakistan in support of compassion, She integrates her “Charter of Compassion” in this exegesis, using it to chart out a twelvestep roadmap with a brief guideline for each one: aided by references from the Koran, citing ancient philosophers, psychologists and leading literary figures such as writers and poets.
A call to action, wherein lies the solution, that must be read and distributed widely especially in all native languages of the land and a universally compelling read that must be studied, if for no other reason than to expand the boundaries of the mind and its understanding of the complexity of the diverse nature of human life on earth.
The book articulates the meaning of compassion for humans in general and muslims in particular, It carries a great message by a western writer for the Muslims, especially in times where Islam is greatly misinterpreted by the rest of the world, Letter to Pakistan is a book with compassion empathy love and peace, Precisely it's a worth read, Every book is special to me but there are some rare books that make me feel fulfilled, This is one of them, I read it on the third night of this Eid in one go because it was too soothing and way forwarding, Then from next day, I started reading it again,pages a day, as I can make more out of each paragraph, Today, I completed it again and again I want to give it another read, This situation is rare in me and whenever it occurs, I know that this book has something strong that need be inculcated, And this book had it all,
In this letter, Karen Armstrong urges the people of Pakistan to rediscover compassion in their daily lives as a way to overcome the clash of cultural and religious traditions.
She has quoted the Qur'anic references with maximum relevancy throughout the book, Other religious texts quotes are thought provoking too, She has comprised her letter insteps in becoming compassionate, In between, she discusses humility, good conduct, piety, tolerance and peace, Arguments on the debate of Intellectual Humilty and Intellectual Rigidity can be life changing for those people who debate for the sake of being right and have no room of adaptation and correction.
Along with letter, there are four more chapters in it on compassion, Chapter by Khalid Zaheer was my favourite among those,
I have decided that whenever I will be having kids, I am going to read this book to them every day because this book is so right in many ways.
Please read one of the paragraphs of the book, Hope you'll like it. It goes like this, " Deeds that had seemed unimportant when we performed then would prove to have been momentous a tiny act of selfishness and unkindness or an unconsidered act of generosity would become the measure of a human life: 'To free a slave, to feed the destitute on a day of hunger, a kinsman, an orphan, or a stranger out of luck, in need' Surah:.
Suddenly what the British poet Wordsworth called 'those little, nameless unrememebered acts of kindness and of love' would be seen in an entirely new light, "
I hope you all get an opportunity to read this book,
Happy Reading. In this letter, Karen Armstrong urges the people of Pakistan to rediscover compassion in their daily lives as a way to overcome the clash of cultural and religious traditions in a globalized world.
She quotes references from the Quran as well as other religious texts, elaborating a thoughtprovoking programme for integrating compassion in our thoughts and actions to make the world a better place to live in.
From the back cover I didnt like the book much, The advice may be put in practice in a utopian world only
Thought provoking, Must for school curriculum. Karen Armstrong, a comparative religion specialist is the author of numerous books on religion, including The Case for God, A History of God, The Battle for God, Holy War, Islam, Buddha, and Fields of Blood, as well as a memoir, The Spiral Staircase.
Her work has been translated intolanguages, Inshe was awarded the TED Prize and began working with TED on the Charter for Compassion, created online by the general public, crafted by leading thinkers in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
It was launched globally in the fall of, Also in, she was awarded the Franklin D, Roosevelt Four Freedoms Medal. In, she received the British Academys inaugural Nayef Al Rodhan Prize for Trans cultural Karen Armstrong, a comparative religion specialist is the author of numerous books on religion, including The Case for God, A History of God, The Battle for God, Holy War, Islam, Buddha, and Fields of Blood, as well as a memoir, The Spiral Staircase.
Her work has been translated intolanguages, Inshe was awarded the TED Prize and began working with TED on the Charter for Compassion, created online by the general public, crafted by leading thinkers in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
It was launched globally in the fall of, Also in, she was awarded the Franklin D, Roosevelt Four Freedoms Medal. In, she received the British Academys inaugural Nayef Al Rodhan Prize for Trans cultural Understanding, sitelink.