Parliament of Worlds Religion 2004 Barcelona

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

Page 71

Symposia
Interfaith Education
The Work & Goals of the Symposium The purpose of this symposium is to identify both the promising and problematic features of interfaith education, explore the multiple contexts in which it exists, ask how it con address the most pressing issues of our time, and consider the transformative potential it has to offer. While many organizations that work with interfaith education exist, the support structures that would connect them as a field and lend coherence and momentum for growth need to be strengthened. This symposium endeavors to create an interactive forum through which educators and practitioners can navigate the complex landscape of interfaith education by building networks, sharing resources and support, and collaboratively addressing the challenges necessary to developing this nascent field.
The Symposium on Interfaith Education is part of a multi-year collaborative endeavor, sponsored by the Consultation for Interfaith Education: Auburn Theological Seminary, ARIL/CrossCurrents, Cobb & Associates, CLAL-the National Jewish Center for Leadership and Learning, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, International Association for Religious Freedom, the International Mahavir Jain Mission, the Interfaith Community, the Loretto Community, the Muslim Women's Institute for Research and Development, and the Temple of Understanding. For more information on this project, see www.globalinterfaithed.org.
July 8, Day 1: Pathways to Peace-The Multiple Contexts of Interfaith Education Within the broad scope of interfaith education lie the methods of the classroom, the academy, and the seminary, alongside the restorative practices of dialogue and community building among people of diverse religious backgrounds. H.H. the XIVth Dalai Lama, who has promoted interfaith education for many years, will give the keynote address.
8:00 9:00 am, Room 114, CCIB
Jain Meditation with Munishree Kirtiji, India A revolutionary Jain monk from Shanti Niketan Sadhana Kendra ashram in Gujarat, Kirtiji has taught the scientific methods of Patanjali yoga and Jain meditation to thousands of peoples in India, U.S.A., Canada, and France.
9:30 11:00, Room 114, CCIB Opening Ceremony
Gathering of the Community Interfaith Education: A Global Imperative. Panelists:
Dame Dr. Prof. Maher Master-Moos, India. Dr. Master-Moos, the Founder and President of the only Zoroastrian College in the world in Mumbai, India, is the recipient of the Dag Hammarskjöld Award (1968) and the Medal for Inter Faith Peace by HH Pope John Paul || (1989).
Dr. Betty A. Reardon, U.S. Dr. Reardon is the founding Director of the Peace Education Center at Teachers College Columbia University in New York and founder and General Coordinator of the International Institutes on Peace Education.
Dr. Heidi Hadsell, U.S. Dr. Hadsell is the President of Hartford Seminary in Hartford, CT. She came to the Seminary from the Ecumenical Institute of the World Council of Churches, Bossey, Switzerland, where she served as Director.
11:30 1:00, Auditorium, Edifici Forum
Keynote address: His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, Tibet. Tenzin Gyatzo, His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama of Tibet, the
70 Parliament of the World's Religions 2004
spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people, has received many international awards, including the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.
Respondents:
Dr. Leo D. Lefebure, U.S. Dr. Lefebure is an associate professor of theology at Fordham University in New York City. He is the author of four books, including The Buddha and the Christ (1993) and Revelation, the Religions, and Violence (2000).
Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh, U.K. Bhai Sahib Singh is the Chairman of Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, member of the European Council of Religious Leaders (ECRL/WCRP), and advisor to the Sikh Heritage Trust (Anandpur Sahib).
3:00 4:30, Sagrada Familia, AC Barcelona Discovering the Best of Interfaith Education through Appreciative Inquiry
July 9, Day 2: The Power of Commitment-Interfaith Education, Community & Justice On this second day, we explore how interfaith education addresses religious and social conflict and the histories of violence and oppression found within many of our religious traditions.
8:00-9:00 Room 117, CCIB Jewish Meditation with Eliyahu McLean, Israel. McLean is the Coordinator of the Jerusalem Circle, a network of spiritual peace activists in Israel/Palestine. An Orthodox Jew, he has traveled worldwide with Palestinian Muslim Ibrahim Abuelhawa to promote dialogue.
9:30 11:00 Room 117, CCIB Keynote address: Madhu Kishwar, India.
Kishwar is a senior fellow at the Centre for Studies in Developing Societies in New Delhi, India. She is the author of many books, including Religion at the Service of Nationalism and Other Essays and founding editor of the journal Manushi.
Respondents:
Dr. Al-Harith A.H. Hassan Al-Asady, Iraq. Dr. Hassan, Dean of Psychological Research Center, Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research, in Baghdad, Iraq, also teaches courses in comparative religions at Babel College of Philosophy and Theology.
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, U.S. An ordained Orthodox rabbi, Hirschfield is Vice-President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning & Leadership. He is currently at work on a book about new ways of commemorating the Holocaust.
Paul F. Knitter, U.S. For the past 40 years, Paul F. Knitter, Emeritus Professor of Theology at Xavier University (USA) has been working to promote a globally responsible dialogue among religions.
11:30-1:00, Sants, Eixample, and Gràcia Rooms, AC Barcelona Hotel
Interactive Best Practice Session: The Relationship between Interfaith Education and Justice, Conflict Resolution, Reconciliation and Coexistence