Parliament of Worlds Religion 2004 Barcelona

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

Page 236

The Voice of Different Religious Traditions on Peace
Joan Hernández
Room 115, Spanish/English/Catalan Panel Discussion
Panel discussion on the vision of peace from the different religions existing in Catalonia. In this presentation, Joan Hernandez will lead a panel of presenters are members of the Working Group on Religions and Cultural Diversity (UNESCO Center of Catalonia), who will do an interesting exercise: presenting not their own point of view on the topic but another community's. At the end all participants will be asked to join in a simple exercise to discover peace through spontaneous chanting.
Joan Hernandez is the coordinator for the Univeral Forum of Culture's relations to religious, spiritual and interreligious organizations.
Pingalwara: A Story of Interreligious Compassion in Action
Inderjit Kaur
Balwant Hansra
Room 116, Spanish/English/Catalan
Pingalwara is a movement that promotes the willingness to sacrifice leisure, comfort and a share of their talents for the welfare of their people. Bhagat Ji was the founder who set forth a philosophy that is the foundation of Pingalwara and covers the entire spectrum of social problems of society. A dispensary operates where doctors come everyday for voluntary service and the poor people are provided free medicines. A specially trained staff, including a pharmacist, staff nurses, lab technicians, etc. has been appointed for the specific needs of the mentally disabled patients. In this program, Dr. Inderjit Kaur will discuss the numerous ways in which Pingalwara has worked to better communities.
Dr. Inderjit Kaur is the President, Pingalwara International, Amritsar, Punjab, India. She is a trained surgical specialist with a Professional M.B.B.S. from Govt. Medical College Patiala, Punjab.
Dr. Balwant Singh Hansra has been an At-Large Executive Committee Member of CPWR, and Chair and Professor of the Natural Science Department at Daley College in Chicago. He has also been Chair of the Sikh Host Committee, and Appointed Chair of the Administration & Finance Committee.
Islamic Pluralism: Between Ideals and Challenges
Ghazali Basri
Abu Bakarr Conteh
Ahmeduallah Siddiqi
Ghulam-Haider Aasi
Room 117, Spanish/English/Catalan
Program Descriptions Tuesday, July 13, 2004
ENGAGEMENT SESSION 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
This panel will discuss historical situations where interreligious harmony prevailed. In one case, the early ideals of religious coexistence facilitated the creation of the unique Andalusian experience in which Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Medieval Spain created a civilization that was inclusive and pluralistic. Other topics to be covered are Prophet Muhammed's Constitution of Medina and Communal and Religious Harmony in Malaysia.
Ghazali Basri is a Professor of Islamic Studies and Comperative Relgion in Kuala Lumpur and an internationally known Islamic scholar.
Abu Bakr Conteh is Imam in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He is a member of the Advisory Board Committee, Anti-Corruption Commission, and Campaign for Good Governance. Abu is also First Vice President of the Inter Religious Council of Sierra Leone.
Ahmeduallah Siddiqui is Professor of Journalism and Public Relations at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. He has authored three books on Islam, contemporary perspectives and media.
Associate Professor at the American Islamic College, Dr. Ghulam Haider Aasi is also Adjunct Professor at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.
Legislating for the Seventh Generation Douglas George Kanentiio
Joanne Shenandoah
Room 120, English Interactive Workshop
Key provisions of the Great Law of Peace created by the prophet Skennenrahowi and enacted by the Haudenosaunee (Six Iroquois Nations) require its member nations to consider the effect of all laws upon other species and how such actions may impact the rights of those yet unborn. The Haudenosaunee believe future generations have an absolute right to liberty, peace, gender equality and a clean environment. These conditions are prerequisite to spiritual harmony. This program is a part of a series of programs highlighting the beliefs and practices of Native American peoples for the 2004 Pariliament.
Doug George-Kanentiio, Akwesasne Mohawk, is nationally recognized as a primary source of information about Iroquoian politics and culture. He is a founding and current member of the Native American Journalists Association, and has received awards for his journalistic writings.
Joanne Shenandoah is a multiple award winning Native American composer, vocalist and performer whose music reflects the indigenous philosophy and culture which continues to have a profound effect on the world today. She is a Wolf Clan member of the Iroquois Confederacy-Oneida Nation. She has 13 recordings and her music is on 40 plus compilations. She has appeared at the White House, Kennedy Center and at various music festivals across
the USA.
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