Not a day goes by without news that demonstrates the perceptive words of Hindu leader Mahatma Gandhi of India, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” The Charter for Compassion (and Ted Talks) recently assembled an impressive group of current and diverse leaders to convey a core message. Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf has been working to guide American and Muslims toward their shared humanity and moral values. Here, the Imam imparts teachings and stories from the Qur’an, Rumi, Muhammad and Jesus, to illustrate the common call for unity residing in each of the major traditions. He suggests that the door opening beyond ego is accessible to all.

Bio: (Charter for Compassion):
In 2003, Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf founded the Cordoba Initiative, a non-partisan and international organization that works to provide innovative solutions to conflict between Muslim and Western communities. In 1997, he started the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), a group that brings American Muslims and non-Muslims together through programs in policy, current affairs and culture. Imam Rauf regularly attends the Council on Foreign Relations and the World Economic Forum (both Davos and Dead Sea) and has written three books: Islam: A Search for Meaning; Islam: A Sacred Law; and What’s Right With Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West. He continues to balance his mission of creating peace with his regular duties as Imam of Masjid al-Farah, a mosque twelve blocks from Ground Zero in New York City, that he has led for 25 years.

If universal compassion seems like a castle in the sky, author and specialist in evolutionary biology, Robert Wright, takes a glance at compassion through the lens of science. His is a fascinating, earthbound perspective that supports the notion that we are hard-wired for reciprocal altruism. See Multimedia Contentto watch the VIDEO.

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