Westerners’ image of Islam has not often been very positive. Many Westerners know little about Islam and this gap can get filled by dramatic news events like terrorism or the extremist regime in Afghanistan. At Encounter, we promote education and actual engagement with religious communities to move beyond the Single Story that can stereotype or pigeonhole whole communities. Today, I want to approach this from a different angle by thinking about presentism - our view of a religion’s true essence is often shaped by the geopolitical and socioeconomic circumstances that [...]