April 3rd, 2006 by sfuqua
Eboo Patel, Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, weighs in on the apparent conflict of loyalties between western free speech and Islamic religious practices, refusing "to fall prey to" the black and white mindset that insists on choosing one side over the other.
April 3rd, 2006 by sfuqua
Following on last year’s ground-breaking conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace at the UN, which brought together members of governments, the UN, and NGOs, the Phillippine Mission announced last week the creation of the Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace. The launch event was attended by representatives from more than 60 nations, UN departments, and civil society groups, including the five officers of the Committee of Religious NGOs (Soak Gakkai International, Temple of Understanding, Religions for Peace, Baha’is of the USA, United Religions Initiative).
April 3rd, 2006 by sfuqua
Meeting from March 20 through 22nd, a group of 150 Jewish Rabbis and Islamic Imams gathered in Seville, Spain for dialogue and collaborative action planning, with the theme of "Islam and Judaism as instruments of peace - recognition and respect of others." Two of the participants, Co-Executive Directors of Children of Abraham, share their personal experiences of the conference, its conflicts, means, and results.
April 3rd, 2006 by sfuqua
A student at the American University in Washington, DC, Fait Mahdini, calls on interfaith activists to do more to attract youth in their quest to counter messages of religious intolerance and violence. In so doing, he outlines a vision of using the arts to inspire and uplift the pluralistic message of interfaith activism, going beyond academic conferences and statements of unity.
April 3rd, 2006 by sfuqua
On the first day of spring, March 21, Charles, Prince of Wales, spoke to a gathering at the University of Al Azhar in Egypt. He speech focused on the commonalities of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — all based in the Abrahamic traditions — and the need for all parties to look deeply at their understanding of the other, (re) learning to appreciate the strength of each and the examples history has for us of fruitful collaboration between the three.
February 7th, 2006 by sfuqua
Introduction to the February 2006 edition of InterfaithNews.net, with editorial reflections on “religiously- motivated” hate.
February 7th, 2006 by sfuqua
The threats of violence – the rage permeating elements of many Arab/Muslim societies – today reached new heights, with several deaths in Afghanistan and Lebanon and hate-filled attacks elsewhere. In my editorial for February, I wrote that I did not understand the shear depths of this rage. Several friends have correctly reminded me that many societies are still dealing with hundreds of years of Western-domination, colonialism, and economic imperialism. To this, add the repression and manipulation by dictatorial regimes – and you have a milieu that, without even having to resort to a specific belief system, results in the riots we have seen today. But that is not the full story.
February 2nd, 2006 by sfuqua
The need for a continuing dialogue between Jews and Muslims is all too
apparent in the world's news. Professors Judea Pearl, father of slain
journalist Daniel Pearl, and Akbar Ahmed share some of the findings from
their three-nation tour of "The Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish
Understanding," which show a path ahead for productive and meaningful
dialogue between members of these two great religions.
February 2nd, 2006 by sfuqua
Professor Mohammed Abu-Nimer of the American University in Washington, DC writes about the important, though as yet largely potential, role for interfaith dialogue in the continuing Middle East peace process. One interfaith organization making real strides in bringing together the region’s religions is the Interfaith Encounter Assocation, as recognized in their receipt of the Immortal Chaplains Foundation’s Prize for Humanity (also covered this month).
February 2nd, 2006 by sfuqua
URI Executive Director Charles Gibbs offers his reflections on the recent victory of Hamas in Palestinian Parliament elections—beginning with despair and ending in hope.
Reacting to religious fanaticism and the challenges of advancing and sustaining a more equitable civilization, a global interfaith movement has sprung from the grassroots of religion and spirituality. InterfaithNews.Net (INN) seeks to chronicle this movement by focusing primarily on positive interfaith and religious news, events, and resources.
InterfaithNews.Net is presented in partnership with the United Religions Initiative.
INCLUSIVENESS AND JUSTICE: The Pitfalls and Possibilities of Interfaith Work
October 11, 2006
By Eboo Patel, Interfaith Youth Core. “Interfaith organizations seek to bring together religiously diverse groups and individuals to build understanding and cooperation. This paper focuses on two questions central to the interfaith enterprise: Which groups and individuals should interfaith organizations target? And, what difference does building understanding and cooperation amongst these groups make? The first question deals with inclusiveness. The second deals with justice, which I will define broadly as increasing peace, creating equality, alleviating suffering and encouraging freedom.”
Seven Statements of Golden Rule Radicalism
September 24, 2006
Is the Golden Rule too simple? Too complex? Here are seven statements that identify elements of the “Ethic of Reciprocity” that we can use to deepen our understanding…
Iranian Leader Accepts Efforts by Pope to Recast His Remarks
September 24, 2006
New York Times, 2006-09-21. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran suggested Tuesday that Pope Benedict XVI had satisfactorily “modified” his remarks on Islam, one sign of an easing of anger since the pope issued an apology on Sunday for having caused offense with a speech he delivered last week.
Pope statement fails to end anger
September 24, 2006
BBC, 2006-09-18. Pope Benedict XVI’s statement of regret for comments he made last week on Islam has been welcomed by some Muslim groups but has failed to end the anger.
UK faith leaders pray for Darfur
September 24, 2006
BBC, 2006-09-17. Religious leaders have prayed for peace in Darfur outside Downing Street as part of an international day of action.
June 13, 2006
With a similar inspiration as the site, my friend Rowan Fairgrove has decided to focus on audio interviews and stories of interfaith hope in a sea of dark media and news. In her most recent podcasts, she posts interviews with several Global Council Trustees from the United Religions Initiative.