I was really excited today about going to Harvard University situated in Cambridge, MA. Of course, this Cambridge has nothing in common with Cambridge, UK, apart from it being a university town.
We were dropped off near the campus - see picture - and walked between the buildings, feeling inspired by the great minds who lived and studied here "for real".
After some obligatory pictures of our group near the statue of Harvard we walked to our class for a session on Islam in America given by Jane I. Smith, Senior Lecturer in Divinity, Harvard Divinity School. I learned a lot on the history of Islam and the present situation of Muslims in America, which seems, to my surprise, somewhat different from the European situation.
During our lunch break, we headed back to the center and the Coop to buy gifts for family and friends with the Harvard logo - of course!
The second session about the Changing Religious Landscape in the US was introduced by Kimberley Richards from the Pluralism Project. This project started in 1991 at Harvard University. Throughout their network of affiliates, they document the contours of the multi-religious society, explore new forms of interfaith engagement, and study the impact of religious diversity in civic life.
They try to create a greater understanding between the different population groups and mainly need to fight ignorance to do so.
Although President Obama has proclaimed that change will come, I am afraid it might still take a little while before it's actually here.
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