Parliament of Worlds Religion 2004 Barcelona

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

Page 228

Peace Initiatives to Bridge the Hindu-Muslim Divide
Homi Dhalla
Iqbal Ahmad Ansari
H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswati
Room 114, Spanish/English/Catalan Lecture
The violent Hindu-Muslim riots of December 1992 left Mumbai burning and led to a trail of death and immense detruction. This was in the aftermath of the Babri mosque demolition. A number of peace initiatives have been undertaken to bridge this Hindu-Muslim divide. The program discusses the role of the Mohalla Committees, the media, the involvement of the youth and artists who have all helped to heal the wounds and usher in an environnfent of harmony.
Dr. Dhalla is the Founder and President of the World Zarathushti Cultural Foundation, and is an advisor to the Parliament, providing interfaith leadership in India.
A veteran human rights activist, Dr. Iqbal Ansari is a Visiting Professor at Hamdard University in India. He is the author of Report on Communal Riots: Prevention & Control for the National Commission for Minorities.
H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji is the President and Spiritual Head of Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh (Himalayas). He travels the world bringing wisdom, inspiration, fulfillment and peace to audiences of all nationalities, all backgrounds and all cultures.
Recognizing and Crossing the Boundaries of Religious/Spiritual Traditions in Interfaith Encounters A Unifying Experience Albert Nambiaparambil (CMI)
S. Wesley Ariarajah
J. Rajashekar
Room 115, Spanish/English/Catalan
We will look at language in various traditions that blocks open communication. This program includes interfaith practices and has a focus on transcending the limits of the 'language game' of particular traditions..
Fr. Albert Nambiaparambil is Secretary General of the World Fellowship of Interreligious Councils and director of UPASANA. He is the author of Interreligious Dialogue: My Pilgrimage of Hope in INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE.
S. Wesley Ariarajah, Methodist Minister from Sri Lanka, served both in the pastoral ministry of the church and as lecturer in the History of Religions and New Testament in the common Protestant seminary of the churches in Sri Lanka. In 1981 he was invited to join the staff of the World Council of Churches, where he led the Councils Interfaith Dialogue for over ten years.
Professor of Systematic Theology, and Dean of Lutheran Theological Seminary, J. Paul Rajashekar is Secretary for the
Program Descriptions Tuesday, July 13, 2004
INTERRELIGIOUS SESSION 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Lutheran World Federation. Dr. Rajashankar earned his doctoral degree at the University of lowa, and is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The Responsibility of the Global Muslim Community in the Post 9/11 World
Irfan Khan
Saleha Abedin
Amir Al-Islam
Tariq Ramadan Ibrahim Ozdemir
Anis Ahmad Zahid Bukhari
Room 116, Spanish/English/Catalan
In the Cape Town Parliament of the World's Religions (1999), Dr. Irfan Ahmad Khan offered a Gift of Service to Humankind, an International Association of Muslims for Interreligious Relations (IAMIRR) now known as The World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations (WCMIR). This panel will discuss what this Global Forum of Muslims is doing to awaken Muslims to their duty to humankind and to support interreligious engagement to create a moral force on an international level for peace and justice in the world.
Irfan Ahmad Khan is President of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations (WCMIR) and a Trustee of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions.
Chief Editor of Journal of Muslim Minority Affiars, Saleha Abedin is co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious & Spiritual Leaders. She is also on the International Advisory Board for the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions.
Director of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations, professor Al-Islam presently serves as a member of the Leadership Council of the Muslim Alliance in North America, and was one of the first Muslims to visit Auschwitz as a delegate of the International Conference on Religion and Peace.
Tariq Ramadan is a Swiss Muslim intellectual of Egyptian heritage. Born in Switzerland, he is one of the most important figures of European Islam and teaches Islamic sciences at the Universities of Geneva and Fribourg. He serves as an expert in various committees linked to the European Parliament in Brussels.
Dr. Ibrahim Ozdemir is Professor of History of Philosophy at Ankara University, Divinity School, Turkey. He is author of The Ethical Dimension of Human Attitudes Towards Nature, Environment and Religion, Lonely Planet, and Postmodern Thoughts.
Anis Ahmad is Vice-Chancellor of Riphah International University in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Meritorious Professor of Islamics and Comparative Religion. He is also Editor-In-Chief of West and Islam, quarterly journal, Islamabad. Dr. Ahmad is Chairman of the Foundation of the Faithful. He carries a Ph.D. in Comparative Religion and Islamics from Temple University, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Dr. Zahid Bukhari is on the staff of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. He served as Director and Co-Principle Investigator for the Center's MAPS Project.
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