ethnic answer with a space. when muslims culminate, as we often do about imperialism, and it is accepted and taken as a given that the imperialism we are angry about its american imperialism and israeli scientist imperialism. ..

>> what is your background? originally where your parents are born. >> was in. if i was born in canada i would still insist that is my background. button you are lucky i was not. [laughter] i was born in east africa in uganda. my parents were born in east africa as well but my

grandparents on one side come from the northern india states and on my mother's side comes from northern egypt. they're family along with hundreds of thousands of others brought to east africa to lay the colonial rule rose. that is resistors and i were born and came to canada from political refugees. >> i mean american dollars, whatever the situation is financially in the world, what you try to change in egypt and libya,

what perspective and should we, the american voter take in terms of supporting any action? to we have to wait until the libyans elect somebody over it does not seem to happen that way. billions of dollars and there are people in the streets that are not purists door what every would call them. the problem is we want to know, . [inaudible] >>guest: it is interesting question because the chips that i made to cairo, i spoke with a number of young democracy activists. one point* that they made to me and this obviously is not

discussed is the money that is going from the united states the u.s. tax payers to egypt is often been mixed -- misused a new-line to pay off retired generals to shut up and have hush money. these democracy activist for upset by the fact not that the generals we're being bought off but the u.s. government was not tracking with the money was going for holding and the regime's accountable for what is coming out of their pockets. so quite frankly these young democracy at -- activist how that money would be used. none of this is easy pc so

another activist to came to new york to hold a private meeting with human rights activists a couple of years ago with the obama administration complained about the fact that they quietly and secretly close down a democracy fund that the bush administration had paid into to vary greatly help democracy activists to further their cause and according to the s and according to him obama had done this knowing full well what he had done as the new barack regime to say it is a new dawn, so let's start claim.

it is not a matter democrats versus republicans. they both had made their mistakes. both in many ways very self-serving. but what i would suggest is going to egypt or libya, but a very close eye on where the money is going to in the spirit of anti-corruption which is precisely the spirit of arab spring has happened in any way. to me, it could go hand in hand. >> not a question of right versus left after all. >> please stand up. i am sorry. i have been ignoring. >> there is a much dialogue so i'm hoping what is the essence and the

non-negotiable is? >> >>host: can you tell me what islam is? >> i am still trying to figure that out. >> that is on this but is there one non-negotiable? >> [inaudible] >> and for me as well. it sounds simple on as supremacy complex but and this has the panacea of one god that the jews in data and the christians have corrupted the idea but we brought back. in the way that we frankly

the satanic verses. he took the title from this story of that at one point* a profit muhammed excepted certain revelations that he thought were authentic but realized later on that they deify him and idles. they took those back. and then playmate -- blaming this.

and then it was animated and motivated by the love of god. how could say tin high of one now for just one moment? how does that happen? when reinvestigate the story further we may find out it comes very eliminating and with the prophecy of the mission and was so scared about the fact that being accused of shaming his tribal era society by pointing out all of the injustices to make certain compromises. let those compromises work and to the point* that i am making, part of a compromise was including that he then verses in the q'uaran

because and what arab society had. and the message i have given you is we are all equal under one god. the special favor cannot be granted through worshiping all of these titles. they have to treat one another with justice not rely on the idols who fulfill their destiny. it is up to us. when the profit got that message that is when he withdrew the vs. and when the real backlash happened with their society towards him with the point* being that to moral courage was necessary for the profit to recognize certain verses that they paid homage to

those whose they wanted to convince, those pagan arabs arabs, but not if they told the truth. that is just the way it is but a few have the more it -- moral courage to point* out some things are unjust, you will feel the pain of the backlash. so through nonviolent in keep going. that's it. >> right answer? [laughter] >> but you are risking your life. again come as a person of faith given to me as mike cryer -- creator to be taken from me at any time and what

is the purpose in the first place if i allow my spirit to die prematurely because of my physicality may be taken away? the only thing i fear is, to be honest, i will die before my mother. i do not want her to bury me or any children before we bury her. after that, even before that , i will not give the enemy a reason in humanity. that is why i support the voices of the arab world that typically do not get reported. >> you say that conversation

is happening with muslims in the u.s., but i would like to know where can we listened. [laughter] and somebody from south asia i would like to know so what about pakistan? >> as i see that telling e-mail where you can eavesdrop if you will on those reformist conversations, first of all, pick up my book i have been on the receiving end from those reform-minded muslims

and have had that on my a website the last decade and created a dialogue and a multi log with those folks that frankly because i have the tracking mechanism that i was able to incorporate them into my book. but there is a reason it is not happening because again, there will be plenty of people who say come on. now you just play on other people's fears but when my mother and i went to a good teacher rate area to screen my pbs documentary called faith without fear and a mother is the start of the film. when we went to that area to

do a screening, after word that the reception my mother noticed that of the corner of her eye of larger and ever growing copper of the jon muslims forming. in a corner of the room after all of the microphones and tv cameras left the large group of young muslims living in this area come to her and say think you for supporting her and my mother says he was so quick, thank you. i appreciate that but why did you say this earlier when there were cameras here and other muslims could see they are not alone? they looked at each other like which one of us will say it? one said i don't think you

understand, you leave this community two hours from now and we can't and we will be accused of this honoring our families. we cannot support her in that way. lourdes is that come from? contemporary america been. a pretty much a part of the deep south but their idea of dishonor came from tribal arabia up. they are thoroughly american and every other way. but because of how they are being raised with the coulter of a group of honor otherwise of their early households, will that

change? i hope so may i a quickly read one e-mail from pakistan to show you as well what the reality is. his real name is awais. >> a fined e-mails we've the translation of islam today. it was a pleasant surprise because they already read the book and never mentioned it to anybody. as my friends moral courage provoked me i eight transferred that because it

would have a positive change that is how grass-roots movements were. and islamist may also hold office of speech from the taliban representative. was so outrageous it has forced me to rethink the strategy. i have been blocking cents that day to promote rationalism. also me and my friend have useful discussions which could push them to raise questions. >> there is hope that the same time there is fear, i get to understand the orderly translation not because it was on the bookshelf but it was published the religious dollars were selling the

book so was pulled from the shelf but because already very well non just post a bad translation free of charge. that is how they got access to that idea in that is how they managed to share those ideas. once again a fascinating time to be a reformist. i think so. >> one more question. >> we have but tweet from twitter how do we shift the conversation so 2021, the current debate is not needed? >> i think that is what this conversation has been about.

it is recognizing moral and cultural relativism everything in everybody's culture is just fine because that is the way they do it. there is it in this increasingly connected planets of the basic universal standard of human dignity and decency of how we treat one another. so develop gain the moral courage to not just participate but instigate and with your neighbors start those conversations and take the tips that i offer of liberty and a lot of not in the moment that you are challenged some of

that means anything healthy it has to mean those of us that have the privilege of 200 plus years of developing use it. not wait for our politicians. they're job is to get reelected. not much more moral courage of there. [laughter] where ordinary citizens who have to claim that power to start those conversations. >> fact is what tonight is about. >> the gentlemen and of bread raised his hand. >> thank you for all the work you have been doing. you take the story of the

muslim teen-agers in america that they cannot leave their culture or their neighborhood or i wonder how you react to them? i help you say that yes they can do that. and i think a model to look at is the gay and lesbian community and people growing up, especially where it is not okay. i worked with said gay marriage movement in massachusetts and a lot of people left their home. it was terrifying but inspiring. >>guest: a quick question but let me clarify that what i hope is hopeful in the conversations i have with muslim teen-agers to move

forward is they are not saying they cannot leave their culture. it is not their culture at all but their parents culture. they make that distinction for me. that is right you claim yourself as an american. i get it. that is that comes from me. it is not that we need to create the reformist muslims but have the challenge to see how long they can begin having these conversations with their parents come at elders and so-called community. i am not coming in favor, to be honest, leaving their families unless they believe that the own integrity and

basic human dignity is at stake. if they just realized that there is simply no way i can achieve my human hold this if i stay in the dysfunction of this household, in then i say, fine day constructive way to leave. leave you must. i have to do it myself but not in a hostile way. the mother was devastated when i move to take a job elsewhere but she drew up a net culture you don't do that until you get married and irshad manji was not about to get married. [laughter] so i had to deal with them myself. but actually perhaps, we are

underestimating too willing to incrementally have simple dialogues with it is for your humanity. they are not you. tried that. that is the way to be positive for them. the reconcile of faith and freedom otherwise it does become a showdown and mutually exclusive. my whole life is about not having to be either/or, to reconcile both. >> let's take one more question from back there.

>> thank you so much for your talk. but my question is your critique of liberal muslims to do not think knowledge the liberal group of the heinous crimes. with the religious language that the same time and has done i don't understand why that is islamic rather than a muslim. >> because i don't say if it

was i could not remain a muslim but i do not believe these crimes are islamic in nature but what i have to make knowledge is that they are often committed in the name of islam. that is very important to recognize and therefore there is some of religious inspiration. there is a verse than the q'uaran that most moderates when they recognize all this tells us is like killing all of mankind. it is not islamic at all.

what they don't tell you that if you kill a human being if it is as punishment for murder or other ability in the land, only then is it like killing mankind unless this the escape hatch. why would it be? to say this has nothing to do with islam we are lying

to ourselves and is on. and then being actively used it to put forth old competing three interpretations that is being used in violent ways. if you kill a human being it is like mankind unless that is punishment for murder as what we're doing with one another? what about israeli occupation why is it we never acknowledged that it

is also a felony and l.a. and if we define that then we have two realize the counter narrative to the jihadist movement is that we have to eliminate with the extremist ideology and we can only do that and moderate step up to become reformists. why are they liberal? because they look to conserve one plan of a multifaceted identity. for moderates, when it comes to liberal muslims all they are is muslims. of you watch anything that remotely makes them

uncomfortable, they think it is the humanity being assaulted. no. it is not even challenge. >> it is your sliver of identity. how have you come to decide there is obey a particular purity that can define who you are? who did you get that from? did you come up with it yourself? that is sligh i say there is a difference between identity to put you in your place and to be none other there is a difference that other people did feel and integrity you give to yourself no one can take that away from you. [applause] >> irshad manji thank you

for your courage. [applause] >> they give for coming. i will start by reading briefly that we can look at

languages. [inaudible] a grand old book that wants was known as a as a natural history as we so often do and found all kinds of marine life is from the perspective of somebody standing on the shore. there is some of this bobbing around and flying fish to and what they do but squid, cnn amazed are lying on the beach or conveniently plays rock formations or dangling from the margins

this is standard procedure and illustration in the middle of the 19th century. still nice enough. would not be more irked natural to draw squints and the water alert instead of putrefying on a rock? that was natural and 8040 even if they were a natural less. to see what the underwater scene that they did not have the technology to be under water and certainly not see much there was no diving bells. you might take good deep breath and die vendor for all look but watcher is often muddy and hard to see through it. you can only hold your breath so long it is certainly not long have to plunge down 1 mile to look at the anglers fish and such. only after who macquarie and mania the people started to

get a sense of what aquatic creatures look like so illustrators began trying underwater marine scenes. it is as modern in 12 with the advance educations, has no way to pitch your undersea life and good shot custos style. so to be linguists feels you are under water in 1840 while everybody else is on the beach laying out the jellyfish on the rocks. because so much about language is so hard to see or hear. so we learned but then with the dylex that are less there than languages that seemed due to the fact it is

a collection of words english has enough words to fit a doorstop. some dialect and the rainforest doesn't so qualify as says -- as something different then the right teeing issue. if not on a page surely have some achieve the full power and it is just a dialect. because of this it is natural fact with french are the language of but tiny group, most would develop a language after all. the truth begins with the observation of the two genders to be annoying and not to be with 100 genders. what we see is a world a six

negative in wind -- six thing good -- 6,000 languages even if the number of the tens of thousands but the languages buffet are some of ordinary zero hour special all sort of a gifted, in then with mandarin chinese but we will never meet one and have no reason to learn the language besides thereto busy attending to other notions such does one of the greatest losses is the propensities use the language illogically. we're taught a languages sensible, we treat it as an oddity they have random inconsistencies. and then did he e-mail id box by the excerpt with the crazy english book along about the fame zero or

conception and reception observations there's no reagan eggplant war know him in the hamburger. this is at the tip of the ice. nonsense a khaled t. underwater you can see the rest but we are terrestrial not to mention territorial. don't get us started what happens when the languages mix to gather. spanish with english it is english refi above and thought of as an issue and even one time when english took on so many words from french and latin a real languages pierre here's what it feels like to be under water. one reads a perfectly pleasant newspaper article out of the caucasus mountains home to several dozen night -- languages. of the closest is from

jordan the only spoken by about 1200 is called archie for our purposes what did we learn? only the language of unknown origin. otherwise it is about good jokes tell about one another program not waiting for a newspaper writer to derail the increased -- linguistic perception of it on the beach perceptive it is hard not to feel like something has happened miss it this flags and passing attention must be paid, if not in the article was somewhere that the unknown origin with the quite implication, archi is all alone and not classified and all alone is maybe less than a dialect. if the ada is a language origin must be on paper than

it is lost in the. with all but about 200 of the 6,000 languages. the paper is not the only way to tell where it came from. similar languages began as one language but when populations become separated over time. they compare the word for something to do is what the word was in the parent bank raised. we know that works well in cases where the paradyne bridge was written down and hand and then also know linguistic is surprised based on the technique after verite of reconstructions and in the same way, archi is the language family called of the northeast

caucasian, it is pronounced all of these then these languages then they can use all of the words to fall back the tape to see the original word was so it is not of unknown origin. with the language probably spoke is 6,000 years ago but a better known or gin, most of us have no records of our ancestors and certain they could not reconstruct from our dna. the world is bursting of language families to be reconstructed in the same way. that is enough from the book. anyway, that is just the

introduction. the point* of the book is to show that to there is a world of wonders hard to encounter of the loss but it is amazing as the variety of flora and fauna out there. once we've realize there are 6,000 we're in a position to understand a lot of things about english that are harder to understand if we think english is a normal language. so by way of preview, if you go to a place where 2,000 people you have not heard of it or has never been written down and the understandable idea must be a language that is less sophisticated than

japanese, spanish, they weren't told. >> that is a natural response. ribisi that language spoken spoken, be prepared for the grammar to be so complicated you cannot believe that while walking at the same time. [laughter] but because of english, a history which do is rather unique, shared with just a few when adults have to learn a language it changes it for ever in makes it less like archi for english was or by a lot of vikings starting been a the.

school, notebooks, there were vikings, there were busy for command as a result, they knocked they speak the way we speak wrote old english if we had to do that. as as a result this strange to the budget to fall, what, what other languages have you learned? [laughter] that is because of the vikings. some languages are like that. i talk about how i encountered persians the man was caught in the raid 15 years ago. so for some reason he was

caught and let him in. we had nothing to talk about. i said he clearly speaks something. what do speak? persian. we went through the persian grammar but oddly elementary i didn't know anything about it at the time i have learned it was the language of empire the kids they see adults learned it and by show is a nightmare but then if you realize languages are only easy by accident and normal languages are very difficult, then you notice languages in the normal state are extremely regular so where were you when english doesn't make sense and that people confuse lie/lay fewer/less than then

look at navajo there is no such thing as a regular verb. you think there's a pattern they figure there's a pattern then you learn a pattern is nothing like that then you think there may be too conjugation class's and the third verb is nothing like the other two then maybe there are three per buy a couple-- later you 17 verbs they don't do anything and you think how may conjugation class is are there? pretty soon you have learned hundreds and they are not alike but a completely irregular verbal system. they learned this because they can. if you look around the world there are countless languages come a 6,000 is the typical pounds, and some of them are rather streamlined and

user-friendly to be spoken to a lot of people and most of them they are hit this stage hideously complex. and those that actually are every bit as complex and in addition of the book is finally about to that is easy to miss. it is what you say, not what you write. it is not the scribbled flintstones style approximation and how we talk. that on they happen is 5500 years ago. language started me, but when it is your 2000 years

ago so writing was a lateral at on. write teeing came along a love then '07 p.m.. language is stock. 5,800 are all they ever spoken. so to think of writing, it is to dismiss that the others are not real these languages are very much real, complex, just like notre dame or giant squid more like anything else that is complicated and it may hurt you, this book, if is basically designed to use see how wonderful the role of language but opposed to the view there is a few

languages and not a bunch of dialects but the main thing there is to think about it is most people don't speak it properly. by five and a glum way. i want there to be a happier way. so this is my happy book. i will be happy to take questions. thank you. [applause] >> [inaudible] >> with a more complicated languages do they write them down because there were more complicated? >> no, no, no. that is an interesting idea. language can be hideously complicated and depending on the history could be written down. any islamic language, they

stayed the way they were until the advent of printing and widespread literacy. but to get somewhere and not be living with burt with their russian is difficult. still us somebody who studies that i still go quietly think it is a hoax nobody speaks the language. [laughter] but yet it is written and russian is the easy one. if you try to learn polish you have a stroke. zero language can be very complex. oddly enough babies can learn them. like a snowball rolling down the mountain. a baby can take and anything by the time they lose that capacity, it is too late they are already speaking polish. it toast -- just goes on generation after generation.

it amazes me to your toddler's speaking languages that are extremely complicated not realizing they have busted me already. >> what is the idea? >> day language is a big part of a culture. but i hesitate to stress that too much debt to rihanna's i am not sure that we need to document keeping those smaller ones alive that is hard with globalization. when a language guys, a lot of the people's coulter dies come a but look at the fact that you can have a culture that is different from the

mainstream because they will see more and more of that. if you are a native american and and you have lost touch and it is hard to bring it up from the page, i wonder if we want to tell the person you are not navajo even though it the languages gone. that is not the happiest news and there is a calculation of that i hope is not true blooded 100 years there will be 600 languages instead of 6,000 and said that a language dies every 2,000. -- every two weeks. there is some marvell this thing called ket was a short name. of the grammar is so complex professional linguistic not figure of the verbs worked until 15 years ago because a

looks like there is no sense more like rules of thumb and you can barely believe people speak get there is about 3,000 but one article said 500. that is difficult to reverse. so that is true about coulter. >> i will choose the person who was not a woman. >> if you're the expatriate soldier or tourist, and you want to use language to break through cultural barriers, it is so hard to learn a language, is it an effective tool? >> of various but if you can speak it bad for you have made a major

accomplishment, the rosetta stone has the posh shows that i am sure there is a raise it -- reason for that. in terms of learning a foreign link richard syron there is somebody that speaks it, i know of only one way that to kind of their call just like similes but here they are rather expensive. but in english they are called spanish without twills they are not known in america but if you sit down for 20 minutes per day. i call the in then magic books and have given this too many unwilling people. they have the exercises i

learned to speak confident horrid german. [laughter] from this book. your approximating the cases and come out this is the complement that you get. in germany i was eating and joking with the waitress i probably sound like a chimpanzee the guy said you speak german better than i have heard anybody speak german who does not speak german. that is pretty good. [laughter] with the little magic book. it has a wide variety. i suggest that unfortunately they have not gone two pot show so you have to use the rosetta stone now they will be assaulted but the magic book. >> [laughter] [inaudible]

>> that is very controversial and linguistics. i will give you the muffin answer, the question is coming due in ridges make people things differently if you look at the world with a different set of glasses, i would love it if that word trooper vote many midwest then use to their growth is different and medicare with knight but if you put that into a box that is different

and a candlestick into a holder proposal the korean people see putting differently from the french. that is the muffin answer. but my personal feeling, it is just made, not my ase ase -- area but it the current research shows the language does make you think of things and likely different ways and it has been shown if you do an experiment and ask them if the table was a carrot -- cartoon character speaking with a high for choice or a low voice but

the french will say a high voice which seems to correlate with the fact that table is them in. that is good but the french people don't think that tables don't shave and i don't know how interested i am that the first person i know is more apt to think a table, if i were a psychologist fees would be more interesting. >> as a person watching, i don't believe in the glasses idea but people have been studying this harder than made who knows that that is my january answer. no. >> [inaudible] [laughter] >> africa of? big mac africa is home, it

is fine when somebody asks a question like that. there are many language class is. not even one family with variations but a bunch part by cannot think of a single one thing to say about african languages except a great many of them because they're spoken by small groups are impressive. you have the click languages. those are not expressive udall say anything interesting it is just letters like b, d, or l. then other languages nobody has heard of. talk about darth per comment no rf