Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

Page 190

PROGRAM
Saturday, December 5, 2009
9:30-11:00am INTRARELIGIOUS SESSION
Professor Burhanettin Tatar is the official representative of the Presidency of Religious Affairs of Turkey at the 2009 Parliament. He is a professor at Ondokuz Mayis University, in the faculty of Theology and the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. He is also a member of the Higher Committee of Religious Affairs. Burhanettin Tatar received his PhD degree from the Catholic University of America in 1997
Islam and Politics: Faith, Governance and Society Anwar Ibrahim Dr Tariq Ramadan Dr Siti Musdah Mulia Dr Fahad A Alhomoudi Dr Mahdi Mostafavi Dr Burhanettin Tatar Room 202 Panel Discussion
A Buddhism for Today: Introduction to Rissho Kosei-kai Rev Yasutomo Sawahata Gene Reeves Room 203 Interactive Workshop
What is the role of faith and governance in majority Muslim societies like Malaysia? How does this affect how politics take shape? What happens if the society is also secular or multi-religious, or if it highly values religion as having a primary role in nation building? In this session, Mr Anwar Ibrahim, an internationally respected Muslim leader and politician, will address these issues. Respondents will include voices from Saudi Arabia (Prof Fahad Alhomoudi), Turkey (Prof Burhanettin Tatarl, Indonesia (Dr Siti Musdah Mulia), France (Tariq Ramadan) and Iran (Ambassador Dr Mahdi Mostafavi)-all countries that are challenged with the question of the role of faith and governance in society. Anwar Ibrahim was Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1993 to 1998. Highly respected for his principled stance against corruption and his skilful management of the Malaysian economy as finance minister during the Asian financial meltdown, Anwar spearheaded the Asian Renaissance movement and remains a leading advocate of civilised dia logue aimed at bridging the gap between East and West. He is currently Leader of the Opposition in the Malaysian Parliament and is a member of the advisory board of the International Crisis Group. Dr Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University, in the Oriental Institute of St Antony's College. He is also a member of the Oxford Faculty of Theology and a Senior Research Fellow at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. He has contributed substantially to the debate on the issues of Muslims in the West and Islamic revival in the Muslim world. He is currently President of the European think tank, European Muslim Network (EMN), in Brussels. Active at both the academic and grassroots levels, he lectures throughout the world Dr Siti Musdah Mulia has been a research professor at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences ILIPI) since 2003. She also lectures at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta. Since 2007, Dr Mulia has been the chairperson of the Indonesian Conference on Religion for Peace, an NGO actively promoting interfaith dialogues, pluralism and democracy She is the author of many books and an activist for democracy, human rights and gender issues. Dr Fahad A Alhomoudi obtained his PhD in Islamic Law from McGill University (2006). He was appointed a Vice-Dean for academic research at Imam University in Saudi Arabia (2007) and was awarded a Fulbright scholar award (2008). In addition to his native Arabic, Athomoudi speaks English and French and can read Persian. Alhamoudi has published two books and several articles. His research covers Islamic Law. Environmental Law, Prophetic Tradition, and Interfaith Dialogue. Dr Mahdi Mostafavi is the advisor to the Iranian President and the President of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, the organisation responsible for Iran's cultural relations with the rest of the world. Dr Mostafavi holds a PhD in Strategic Management. He has been the Iranian Ambassador to Austria, Permanent Representative of Iran in the UN Office in Vienna and UNIDO in Germany, Deputy Foreign Minister and the President of the Department of International Affairs of the Office of the Supremne of Iran. He has many books to his credit.
Rissho Kosei-kai is a Buddhist organisation composed of ordinary men and women who have faith in the Buddha and strive to enrich their spirituality by applying his teachings in their daily lives. At both the local and international levels, they are very active in promoting peace and well-being through altruistic activities and cooperation with other organisations. With its headquarters in Tokyo, Rissho Kosei-kai now has some 2 million member households in 245 churches throughout Japan and other countries. In this workshop, Dr Gene Reeves and Rev Yasutomo Sawahata will discuss Rissho Kosei-kai in talks as well as a slide presentation. Discussion is planned and questions will be welcomed. Rev Yasutomo Sawahata is a third generation member of Rissho Kosei-kai (RK). He graduated from RK Seminary in 1993 as a Dharma Teacher Since 1994 he has promoted interreligious dialogue and cooperation through multiple interfaith organisations and events. He served as RK's representative at the Geneva Office from 2004 to 2008. He holds a Master's degree in Peace and Justice in Religion from the Eartham School of Religions. Gene Reeves is a Buddhist scholar, philosopher, teacher and writer living in Tokyo. His most recent book is a translation of the Lotus Sutra. He has taught at universities in China, Japan and the US, and currently serves Rissho Kosei- kai as international advisor and special minister. He is a founder of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions and has been active in international interfaith organisations.
Ecological Wisdom: Towards a Sustainable and Peaceful Ecology Harbans Lal Dharma Master Hsin Tao Awori Moody Devinder Singh Chahal Pal Ahluwalia Tatiana Anderosov Room 204 In the recent concern about the environment and climate change, scientific discourse has dominated the debate. Incontrovertible scientific evidence has demonstrated the devastating effects that have wreaked havoc upon the earth resulting in calamitous natural disasters such as tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes. In this session, panellists will discuss why the sacred and the secular have been so starkly separated in this debate. Panellists will explore issues of ecological wisdom that are embed
186 PWR - Parliament of the World's Religions Jain Education Intemational