The Comparison Project

On Sunday, November 2nd, the Des Moines Area Religious Council will host a multi-faith concert. Check back later for details!

On Thursday, November 20, at 6:00 pm in the Harkin Institute (2800 University Ave), Dr. Syed Zaidi, Lecturer in Philosophy and Religion at Butler University, will lecture on “Islam and Disability.” 

For those wishing to attend the lecture virtually, please sign on here at least five minutes in advance: https://drake-edu.zoom.us/j/83795398818.

Dr. Zaidi’s lecture will examine how the Qur’ān and the “Way” of the Prophet Muhammad created the foundation for special attention to those who have special needs.

On Saturday, December 6, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, The Comparison Project hosts a “Meditation Workshop and Dialogue” in Meredith Hall on Drake’s campus. The event, which is free and open to the pubic, features meditation instructors representing different religious and spiritual traditions and techniques. Light breakfast fare will be available.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn and practice three different meditation styles over three concurrent blocks during the first half of the event. Instructors of these sessions collectively represent the meditative traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Christianity, as well as transcendental meditation and other meditation practices unassociated with religious traditions. During the second half of the event, all of the instructors will be available for dialogue and Q&A.

On Thursday, February 26, at 6:00 pm in the Harkin Institute (2800 University Ave), Dr. Baolin Wu, Assistant Professor of Religion at Minzu University of China, will lecture on “Disability Care in Early Confucianism: Perspectives on Mutual Interaction.”

For those wishing to attend the lecture virtually, please sign on here at least five minutes in advance: https://drake-edu.zoom.us/j/83878184761.

This lecture explores the treatment of disability in early Confucianism, focusing on key texts such as The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi. It examines how Confucians of the pre-Qin period recognized various forms of physical and mental disabilities, emphasizing that individuals with disabilities deserve basic respect and appropriate care. Confucianism argued that this responsibility falls on the Junzi (君子)—a person committed to moral cultivation and societal improvement through ethical practice. A Junzi does not have to be a ruler but is anyone who takes personal responsibility and actively fosters moral virtue. Early Confucian thought posited that care and support for individuals with disabilities—whether in daily life or through societal structures reflecting moral values—should arise from genuine mutual understanding, taking into account differences in individual abilities.