Religions for Peace - USA February 2006 E-Newsletter
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In This Issue:
- Executive Director's Updates
- RFP-USA's National Gathering of Religious Leaders
- Cool MDG Maps and Preaching Rock Stars
- Return to the Earth Project’s Repatriation Burial Site Groundbreaking – April 1
- RFP-USA and Other Interfaith Summer Internships
- National Days of Interfaith Youth Service – April 22-23
- 4th National Conference on Interfaith Youth Work - May 14-16
- National Leadership Gathering & New Radio Show for The Interfaith Alliance
- Million Voices for Darfur
- Exceptional Gifts for Exceptional People
- Conference of Muslim Peacebuilding, Justice, and Interfaith Dialogue (MPJID)
- International Conference on Faith and Service
- Vancouver x 2: NAIN Connect 2006 and the World Peace Forum
- National Assocation of Ecumenical and Interreligious Staff 2006
- Auburn Media Training
- Women Say No To War
- We
Are All Connected
- Women
of Faith: Confronting Violence and Advancing Shared Security
The Women’s Assembly, 24-25 August 2006, Kyoto, Japan
- Women
of Faith: Confronting Violence and Advancing Shared Security
- An Introduction to:
- American Islamic Congress
- Off
the Shelf
- Acting on Faith: Women’s New Religious Activism in America
- Asian American Religions: The Making and Remaking of Borders and Boundaries
- An International Interfaith and Peace Directory
- New Native Religions Portal
- UNICEF – State of the World’s Children Report
- Explore the Quran
- Food for Thought: Coretta Scott King
- Donate to Religions for Peace - USA
- Subscribe/Unsubscribe
RFP-USA's
National Gathering of Religious Leaders
At the invitation from key members of the Council of Presidents of Religions
for Peace-USA, over 50 senior representatives from Baha’i, Buddhist,
Christian (Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant), Hindu, Islamic, Jain,
Jewish, Shinto, Sikh, and Zoroastrian traditions met in Chicago during
Jan. 23-25 for the National Gathering of Religious Leaders. As well
as being an opportunity to strengthen relationships across faith lines,
the event helped identify where religious leaders have common concerns
and institutional interests. Participants defined ways in which their
desired objectives would be met in the future work of Religions for
Peace-USA and through partnerships with other interfaith institutions.
An outcome document is available and will be circulated to attendees
and invited guests.
Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia (WSC-AR), Dr. David Elcott (AJC), Rev. Dirk Fica (CPWR), V. Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky (OCA), Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick (PC-USA), Dr. Eboo Patel (IFYC), Dr. Gerard Powers (Notre Dame), Rev. William Sinkford (UUA), and Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed (ISNA) each offered stimulating addresses. Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, the Sikh Religious Society and Palatine Gurdwara, the Chicago Zoroastrian Center and FEZANA, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Council for the Parliament of the World’s Religions, and Interfaith Youth Core were each sponsors and/or hosts of different components of the meeting. A heartfelt thank you to each.
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Cool
(Free!) MDG Maps and Preaching Rock Stars
A wonderful new map is available explaining the Millennium Development
Goals in rich and colorful detail. These gorgeous MDG maps are a project
of The World Bank, National Geographic, and the United Nations Foundation,
and they are intended for use in schools, including religious schools.
They make an excellent teaching tool for religious communities that
are addressing the MDGS or one of their key issues – poverty,
hunger, child mortality, primary education, the environment, HIV/AIDS,
etc. – in their study groups or classrooms. They make an excellent
complement to RFP’s new study guide on MDGs (forthcoming in the
Spring) or a book like “What Can One Person Do?” Educators
can visit www.mdgmaps.com
to receive a free map today.
Speaking of MDGs, U2’s lead singer Bono delivered an address at
the National Prayer Breakfast recently. President Bush and King Abdullah
were among those listening. You might be quite surprised by what he
said. Want to see the speech? Click here.
Return to the Earth Project’s Repatriation Burial Site
Groundbreaking – April 1
On
the morning of April 1, 2006, Cheyenne Peace Chief Lawrence Hart will
break ground on the inaugral burial site of the Return to the Earth
project. The Return to the Earth project enables Native Americans to
receive from the government and private depositories the remains of
their ancestors, so that they may be finally buried with dignity. Over
100,000 such remains have been identified as needing to be returned,
and the RTE Project will create a process of education and reconciliation
to coincide with the returns. Peace Chief Hart will be joined by fellow
Native American leaders and participating organization representatives
at the groundbreaking ceremony in Clinton, Oklahoma, near the site of
the Cheyenne Cultural Center.
RFP-USA and Other Interfaith Summer Internships
Religions
for Peace-USA’s slots for summer internships are filling up faster
this year than ever before. We have made commitments for half the class
of interns that we can reasonably accept. If you or someone you know
might be interested, please send your resume and a writing sample today
to rfpusa@rfpusa.org.
Requests are considered on a rolling basis. The Pluralism Project has
an expanded list of opportunities for those interested in interfaith-related
internships. Click here
to see more internships.
National
Days of Interfaith Youth Service – April 22-23
Plan now to celebrate the National Days of Interfaith Youth
Service during April 22-23, 2006. Set-up or tie-in a service event in
your neighborhood. A Quick Start Toolkit, an Organizer’s Toolkit,
and a training DVD are presently available. Visit the Interfaith
Youth Core, for more information.
4th
National Conference on Interfaith Youth Work - May 14-16
The Interfaith Youth Core will play host to the 4th Annual
Conference on Interfaith Youth Work in Chicago during May 14-16, 2006.
For more information, stay tuned to www.ifyc.org.
National Leadership Gathering & New Radio Show for The Interfaith
Alliance
Under the title “Righteous Anger: Renewing the Struggle…Growing
Hope,” the Interfaith Alliance is hosting it’s 10th Annual
National Leadership Gathering and Skills Building Institute on March
3-5 in Nashville. Workshops will focus on criminal justice, civil rights,
the Voting Rights Act, raising funds, engaging the media, and more.
Keynotes feature Kim Klein and Keith Jennings. For more information
or to register, click here.
The Interfaith Alliance has recently launched a new interfaith radio show on Air America Radio, as well. Prof. Diana Eck, Imam Mahdi Bray, and others associated with Religions for Peace-USA have been slotted as guests. Tune it at 5 p.m. ET or look here for more details. The host, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, "offers listeners critical analysis of the news of religion and politics, and seeks to provide listeners with an understanding and appreciation of religious liberty."
Million
Voices for Darfur
The Save Darfur Coalition, in cooperation with over 150 faith-based,
advocacy, and humanitarian aid organizations, is proud to announce the
launching of the Million Voices for Darfur campaign, an unprecedented
effort to raise awareness of the genocide taking place in Darfur and
promote the actions necessary to end it. The goal of the Million Voices
for Darfur campaign is to generate one million hand-written and electronic
postcards from Americans demanding a stronger and more effective U.S.
response. Specifically, the campaign calls on the United States government
to support a stronger multinational force to protect the civilians of
Darfur. Click here to visit the Million Voices site and learn more.
Click here for the Million Voices press release
In keeping with the Million Voices for Darfur theme, consider holding an event in your community to launch this new effort. For help with planning an event, finding a speaker, and ordering postcards, please send an email to speakers@savedarfur.org. Religions for Peace-USA is a partner of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Exceptional
Gifts for Exceptional People
Civic Ventures seeks people over 60 who are key innovators for change
– “individuals in the second half of life who are marshalling
their accumulated experience to tackle some of America's most urgent
issues.” The Purpose Prize awards $100,000 each to five such innovators.
Visit Civic Ventures for more
information.
The Petra Foundation is seeking nominations of 2006 Petra Fellows. Petra Fellows, who receive a a no-strings financial award of $7500, are recognized as unsung local leaders in the U.S. who are making distinctive contributions to the rights, autonomy, and dignity of others. Visit the Petra Foundation for more information.
Conference of Muslim Peacebuilding, Justice, and Interfaith Dialogue
(MPJID)
Proposals and abstracts are due March 1, 2006 for the Conference
of Muslim Peacebuilding, Justice, and Interfaith Dialogue. The Conference
“aims to provide a space and opportunity for Muslims organizations
and individuals to share their work and views on the themes of interfaith
dialogue, development, peace, and justice.” It is to be hosted
at American University during April 28-29, 2006.
The Conference is hosted by the Salam, the Institute of Peace and Justice, and co-sponsored by Islamic Society of North American (ISNA), the Mohamed Said Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace, and the Muslim Network for Peace and Interfaith Coexistence (MNPIC).
Please send your proposal or abstracts to mpjid@salaminstitute.org or Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, MPJID Conference, 4545 42nd Street, NW, Suite 209 Washington, DC 20016.
International
Conference on Faith and Service
A unique blend of civic players is hosting a national conference on
faith and service with a special roll out of hands-on youth service
events in a host of U.S. cities. On March 22, 2006, the International
Conference on Faith and Service expects to gather more than 500 leaders
from the fields of religion, community service, academia, and public
service at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. The conference
theme of “Building Bridges Through Interreligious Dialogue and
Youth Civic Engagement” will promote collaboration among Christian,
Jewish, Muslim, and other faiths, emphasizing common purposes shared
by diverse religions and the vital role that religious dialogue and
youth service can play in reducing conflict throughout the world.
The conference is co-convened by the Congressional Education Foundation
and the National Conference on Citizenship (chartered by Congress),
in partnership with Civic Enterprises and a host of other institutions.
To learn more, see www.faithandserviceconference.com. The conference
will be internationally webcast.
Vancouver x 2: NAIN Connect 2006 and the World Peace Forum
From June 23-26, 2006, the Multifaith Action Society will be hosting
NAIN Connect 2006 during the beginning end of the World Peace Forum
meeting, which is scheduled to run until June 28, 2006.
For more information, please visit NAIN
and the World
Peace Forum. The 2007 Connect will be at the University
of Richmond the last weekend of June under the theme of “Embracing
Religious Freedom.”
National Assocation of Ecumenical and Interreligious Staff 2006
Under the theme “Are the Divides Too Deep? Religiously, Racially,
Economically, Politically?,” NAEIS will hold its 2006 Annual Conference
at the Holiday Inn Select in Tulsa, Oklahoma during July 8-12, 2006.
Save the dates today and look for more information at www.naeis.org.
Auburn Media Training
Auburn Media is once again offering a one-day media training workshop
on March 15, 2006 led by Callie Crossley, Emmy Award winning director
and former producer for ABC News’20/20. Crossley, a 2002 fellow
at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, will lead a select
group of multifaith religious leaders in a day of intimate, intensive
media training to craft messages and communicate effectively in the
media.
The workshop will include: personalized assistance in developing the tools needed to shape a core message; strategies for interview etiquette and effective communication; and guidance on how to develop media contacts for you and/or your organization.
The fee for the workshop is $350. You will receive training materials, a videotape of your performance and lunch. If you are interested in learning more about being a part of this select session, please contact Jenna Tiitsman at Auburn Media, (212) 625-8568.
Women
Say No To War
Code Pink and partner organizations are calling on women to use the
March 8, International Day of Women, to organize protests and rallys
against the war in Iraq. They are seeking 100,000 signatures on “an
urgent appeal” regarding the war. Events are planned in D.C. and
in major cities in the U.S. and abroad. See the Code Pink site
for more information.
Women
of Faith: Confronting Violence and Advancing Shared Security
The Women’s Assembly, 24-25 August 2006, Kyoto, Japan
From
24-25 August 2006, 150 religious women leaders will gather from the
world’s major faith traditions for the Religions for Peace Women’s
Assembly, “Women of Faith: Confronting Violence and Advancing
Shared Security.”
This event provides a crucial platform for reflection, discussion and
mobilization regarding the role of religious women in multi-religious
cooperation. The participants will be challenged to examine the many
forms of violence found in society today and how the engagement of women
of faith can contribute to a greater sense of shared security in their
societies. The Women’s Assembly will be held just prior to the
Eighth World Assembly of Religions for Peace, the world’s largest
multi-religious gathering of senior religious leaders.
Plenary sessions on the key areas of Religions for Peace’s mission – transforming conflict, building peace, and advancing sustainable development – will provoke discussion, build consensus, and inspire action. The Women’s Assembly is an ideal opportunity to strengthen the global women of faith network by providing practical support in organizing women’s networks, equipping them for action and mainstreaming women into leadership of inter-religious bodies. Well-known women leaders from religion, government, international organizations, and civil society will join as panelists during the plenary sessions, enriching the proceedings with their insight and expertise.
In addition to these working sessions, the Women’s Assembly will also forge partnerships among religious communities and key stakeholders, including inter-governmental organizations and civil society. Finally, the delegates of the Assembly will nominate and elect the new members of the International Women’s Coordinating Committee (IWCC), the body tasked with guiding Religions for Peace’s Women’s Mobilization Program.
To
prepare for the Women’s Assembly, Religions for Peace is integrating
the Assembly theme into current on-going regional women’s events.
During the Women’s Assembly a slate of concrete recommendations
for action and incorporating elements from regional gatherings will
be drafted and approved by the delegates; the final outcome document
will then be presented to the Religions for Peace VIIIth World Assembly,
where it will be incorporated into the final platform.
With
over 50 member religious communities and over 90 members on its three
councils, Religions for Peace-USA, wishes to occasionally spotlight
individual members or communities. This issue features the American
Islamic Congress.
The American Islamic Congress was formed in the aftermath of September 11, when the need for interfaith understanding and tolerance made itself very evident. Jointly concerned about extremist Islam and terrorism as well as hate speech against Islam, the American Islamic Congress seeks to lead the interreligious effort through education, dialogue, and international development programs.
Two American offices, in Boston and Washington, D.C., produce guides for American teachers and parents that help educate children about Islam’s history and diversity, and hopefully foster a new generation of Americans who will be better equipped to meet challenges of religious conflict while maintaining religious tolerance. The AIC also offers help when dealing with hate speech, both spoken by and directed at Muslims.
The
AIC’s office in Iraq has trained Iraqi school teachers and provided
management and civil society outreach training through a women’s
empowerment program. Along with the Syrian Tharwa Project, the AIC has
also formed Hands Across the Mideast Support Alliance (HAMSA), which
strives to bring together Americans in support of civil rights in the
Middle East.
Zainab al-Suwaij, the Executive Director of the AIC, is on the Executive Council of Religions for Peace - USA and attended a Religions for Peace conference in Amman, Jordan entitled “Rejecting Violence and Promoting Peace with Justice” in May 2003. The conference brought together leaders of Iraqi religious communities and issued a Joint Statement in support of international law, an Iraqi government based on free and fair elections and rule of law, as well as enhanced humanitarian assistance through greater cooperation.
Acting
on Faith: Women’s New Religious Activism in America
Looking
for something interesting to do for International Women’s Day
or Women’s History Month? Why not show and discuss Rachel Antell’s
“Acting on Faith: Women’s New Religious Activism in America.”
Narrated by the Pluralism Project’s Dr. Diana L. Eck, the film
reflects on the lives of three unique women – Muslim, Hindu, and
Buddhist – “tells us in their own voices what kinds of identities
they seek to build - for themselves and for their communities.”
It is available with a study guide, shipping and handling included,
from the Pluralism Project for $40. Click here,
for the order form. Click here,
for more information or to view clips of the film.
Asian
American Religions: The Making and Remaking of Borders and Boundaries
An array of frontline scholars and researchers who interact
with Asian immigrants communities have collected some of their best
research in “Asian American Religions: The Making and Remaking
of Borders and Boundaries.” Edited by Tony Carnes, who directs
the Seminar on Contents and Methods in the Social Sciences at Columbia
University and the Research Institute for New Americans, and by Fenggang
Yang, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Purdue University, the
work’s introductory chapter provides summary information that
anyone watching America’s growing religious diversity ought to
pay attention to. Do you know why for example that Asian Americans,
on the whole, are more active in their religion than in any other voluntary
organization? Or why the percentage of them claiming a religious identity
is less than that of the general public? The answers might surprise
you. ISBN: 081471630X (NYU Press, 2004).
An
International Interfaith and Peace Directory
The International Interfaith and Peace Network is working to build a
“comprehensive listing site for organizations, people, and events
that are focused on developing interfaith links and cooperation, and
for establishing a worldwide atmosphere that promotes peace.”
Their site is www.interfaithpeace.net.
It takes a different tact than www.interfaithvoices.org
and www.pluralism.org,
and as of yet contains only sparse information (org. name, address,
principal e-mail) for albeit a wide number of institutions. It is a
site to watch.
New
Native Religions Portal
The Pluralism Project has announced the launch of a new website on Native
Religions, housing affiliate research on the subject. “Under the
supervision of Research Affiliate Dr. Michael McNally, this site explores
the intersection between law, religion, and Native American traditions
in historic and recent cases,” states the Pluralism Project. This
site will be of direct interest to those following the work of Religions
for Peace-USA and its partners in the Return
to the Earth project, and effort to repatriate Native American
remains and to reconcile relationships between Natives and Non-Natives.
Visit here NativeReligion.org
to find more.
UNICEF
– State of the World’s Children Report
UNICEF has released it’s “State of the World’s Children
Report 2006: Excluded and Invisible.” As the title suggests, this
year's report focuses on excluded and invisible children who have no
access to essential services, protection and participation. UNICEF is
a partner organization of the Religions for Peace family on a range
of issues. Religions for Peace-USA interns have been working for a year
and half on US involvement in and ratification of the Convention of
the Rights of the Child. See the UNICEF site
to learn more about the report.
Explore
the Quran
The Council of American-Islamic
Relations has launched “Explore the Quran Project”
as an education initiative for non-Muslims. Anyone in the American public
who would like a FREE copy of the Quran can obtain one at: www.explorethequran.org.
