“Muslims are really cool people…and there is an amazing Muslim culture around the world. But we do a terrible job at PR.”
“Muslims are really cool people…and there is an amazing Muslim culture around the world. But we do a terrible job at PR.”
On this week’s TMV Podcast Salim speaks to Chris Blauvelt, the founder of Launchgood, on his own journey of reverting to Islam, the state of the Muslim ummah, and the strength in coming together as a community.
To listen to the full podcast, click below!
Chris first opens up about his own personal journey to Islam during his teenage years – and explains that although he came from a secular-Christian background and was an atheist at the time he was first being exposed to Islam, something about the religion still drew him closer.
After exploring Islam as logically and calculated as he could, he realized that for him, Islam had to be the truth.
It had to be true…the only thing that made sense logically to me was that the Quran had to be true. Either Islam is true or nothing was true.”
Three months after converting, however, 9/11 happened. Chris explains that while it was obviously a difficult time for born-Muslims, it was also extremely difficult for new converts like him – the confusion around who to trust and who was in the right and wrong were not black and white and Chris remembers feeling lost and in doubt.
However, it was also a time of deep reflection and study – and Chris explains that he used this time to really delve deeper into the religion and understand his faith on a whole new level.
Muslims are really cool people…and there is an amazing Muslim culture around the world. But we do a terrible job at PR.”
His life, from being a successful engineer to exploring the world of film and storytelling to then realizing the importance of helping support Muslims and the Muslim community as a whole all eventually led him to start Launchgood – now one of the world’s leading charity and community platforms in the world.
Launchgood is not another community organization. It is organizing community.”
Chris then explores the topic and conversation around where the Muslim ummah is today – and everything from interfaith solidarity to the hit Turkish TV series Erturgul to deep-seated American racism is discussed in a candid look at where we need to mobilize to better our Muslim brother and sisterhood around the world.
To listen to the rest of this fascinating conversation, click below!
