Parliament of Worlds Religion 2004 Barcelona

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 223

Program Descriptions Tuesday, July 13, 2004
INTRARELIGIOUS SESSION 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
to touch and serve humanity. Ma will offer an experiential workshop exploring the spiritual practices of meditation, Kirtan, and breath work as a key to finding internal peace, and the pain of service to humanity as the external formula for peace.
Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, founder of Kashi Ashram, and the River Fund, is a compassionate humanitarian and fearless advocate of basic human rights and religious freedom. She is a Trustee of the Parliament and an inductee into the MLK Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College.
The Relevance of Zoroastrianism in the Modern Age
Khojeste P. Mistree
Room 120, English Lecture
Zoroastrianism is the oldest revealed religion in the world, with a distinctive theology and a well developed set of ritual practices going back to remote antiquity. This lecture aims at showing how relevant the theology is, both to the believer and by extension, for the general good of the world. Zoroastrian spirituality believes that the greatest good is to generate wealth and then to share it by way of charity to others for the benefit of the soul. The lecture will also discuss the concept of charity as a statement and tool of human ecology.
Khojeste Mistree is Co-founder and Managing Trustee of the Zoroastrian Foundation, established to promote the dissemination of religious knowledge. Khojeste has an honorary degree in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford and is a noted speaker.
Struggling Muslim Communities in the West Khalid Griggs
Pamela Aneesah Nadir
Abdul Jalil Sajid
Janaan Hashim
Scott Alexander
Room 121, English
According to the public opinion surveys, more than 28% of the Muslims in the US have been directly affected by the backlash following the tragedy of 9/11. This panel examines how the war against terrorism is impacting Muslims living in the West. Topics include: "Islamophobia Report," "Declining State of Civil Rights in the U.S.," and "Neo-Cons and Anti-Muslim Propaganda."
Khalid Griggs is Imam of Community Mosque of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is Vice-President of Dawa Net, and Director of Millennium Academy of Local School Systems. An educator and columnist, he is also a former editor of the Message Monthly.
222 Parliament of the World's Religions 2004
Dr. Nadir is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University West in the Department of Social Work. She is also the President of the Islamic Social Services Association of the U.S. Her research focus is on Muslims in America.
Imam Dr. Abdul Jalil Sajid is Hon. International Secretary of the World Congress of Faiths, an interfaith activist and chair of the Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony. Dr. Sajid is also a Member of the British Commission on the "Islamophobia Report".
Janaan Hashim is currently a third-year law student at DePaul University College of Law. She is a former journalism teacher and internet radio producer, and is a board member of the Council of American Islamic Relations in Chicago.
Scott Alexander is director of the Catholic-Muslim Studies Program at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Dr. Alexander has studied Islam in the context of his broader training as an historian of religions. He is interested in medieval Muslim sectarianism, and the mystical traditions of Muslim spirituality, Quranic studies, and the history and future of Muslim-Christian relations and interfaith dialogue.
Pagan Teachings About the Earth Deirdre Arthen
Dennis Carpenter
Andras Corban Arthen
Room 122, English Interactive Workshop
The Pagan traditions, based in indigenous European cultures, teach us that there is no real separation between humans and the Earth. Nor is there separation between humans and the rest of the life forms that share this planet with us. This panel features well-established Pagan leaders and scholars from different traditions who will speak about the roots of these essential teachings and the ways that they can be integrated into and guide our lives in the current era.
Deirdre Pulgram Arthen, co-director of EarthSpirit, and its ritual performance group, Mother Tongue, has been leading public Pagan, community and inter-religious gathering for 25 years. She is a well-known and respected elder and teacher within the US Pagan community. At home she leads a monthly song-sharing group for her local community.
Dennis D. Carpenter, Ph.D. is Research Director of Circle Sanctuary, and is part of the environmental staff of Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve in Wisconsin. He is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, and is author of Spiritual Experiences, Life Changes, and Ecological Viewpoints of Contemporary Pagans.
Andras Corban-Arthen is the founder of EarthSpirit. Since his ordination as a pagan priest in 1969, he has represented the earth religions at many conferences and inter-religious events. Mr. Arthen lives at Glenwood, an intentional pagan community in Massachusetts, and teaches and lectures throughout the U.S. and abroad.