Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

Page 216

PROGRAM D
Saturday, December 5, 2009
status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. An expert on the legal aspects of Indigenous peoples' rights, she is a veteran activist and advocate with long experience of the United Nations and its systems. Marcos Terena is a professor of Traditional and Spiritual Knowledge of the Indigenous People and Coordinator of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity. He founded the United Indigenous Nations, the first Indigenous movement in Brazil and he was a leader in gaining recognition for Indigenous rights in the Brazilian Constitution. He is a spokesman for Indigenous rights for the UN and President of the Intertribal Committee and VIATAN, an Indigenous information centre.
African American Muslims: Mirrors for Global Justice
Imam Khalid Griggs
Amir Al-Islam
Ndidi Amatullah Okakpu
Dawud Walid
Room 218
Panel Discussion
In this session, African-American Muslims from diverse backgrounds and generations will trace the quest for justice by African Muslims in America. The panel will focus first on the history of African-Americans as slaves, then as souls disconnected from the religion of Islam, before proceeding to the movement of millions returning to the faith, and concluding with a look at African-American Muslims as advocates for justice, nationally and globally. Imam Khalid Fattah Griggs has been the imam of The Community Mosque of Winston-Salem in North Carolina since 1984. He is cochairman of the North Carolina-based Black Leadership Roundtable of Winston-Salem-Forsyth County, Griggs holds a degree in political science and English from Howard University in Washington, DC. He was part of the anti-Vietnam war movement in the late 1960s and was involved with the Islamic Party of North America in the 1970s after his conversion. Amir Al-Islam is a Distinguished Lecturer of African American History, Islam and World Civilization at Medgar Evers College (CUNY) in Brooklyn. He is the former Secretary General of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations, USA. He is chairman of the Board of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network in Chicago, and Vice-Chair of the Malcolm X and Dr Betty Shabazz Memorial Education Center, and the Muslim Women's Institute for Research and Development.
Ndidi Amatullah Okakpu is currently an assistant at the 'Muslim Journal'. She worked directly for world leader Imam W Deen Mohammed as Coordinator of his Islamic training program and joined the first delegation from his community to study at Abu Nour University in Damascus, Syria under late Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro. Ndidi works closely in interfaith efforts with the Catholic organisation Focolare Movement and was a Muslim American delegate at their conference in Castelgandolfo, Italy. Dawud Walid is currently the Executive Director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a chapter of America's largest advocacy and civil liberties organisation for Muslims. Walid also serves as assistant Imam at Masjid Wali Muhammad in Detroit, MI and board trustee for the Metropolitan Detroit Interfaith Worker's Rights Committee. Walid also served in the United States Navy under honourable conditions earning two United States Navy and Marine Corp Achievement medals.
212 PWR Parliament of the World's Religions Jain Education International
Healing the Earth with Care and Concern: Religious Responses to the
Earth Charter
Michael C Slaby Dr Rick Clugston Bhakti Johnson Joan Anderson
Dr A T Ariyaratne (TBC)
Room 219
Panel Discussion
2:30-4:00pm ENGAGEMENT SESSION
The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental ethical principles for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global society in the 21st century. It seeks to inspire in all people a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the whole human family, the greater community of life, and future generations. It is a vision of hope and a call to action. Since its launch in the year 2000, hundreds of religious organizations use the Earth Charter in their efforts of conducting environmental education and teaching the vision and values of eco-justice ethics; raising awareness of the meaningful linkages between the environment, justice and faith; enacting environmentally inspired liturgy and forming interreligious alliances to safeguard our planet. The panel will discuss best practice examples of how religious institutions are using the Earth Charter in their engagement to heal the Earth with care and concern. A special focus will be on available Earth Charter materials and resources specifically designed for religious institutions, such as the Earth Charter Guide to Religion and Climate Change - Generating the Renewable Energy of Hope'.
Michael C Slaby works for the Jacob Soetendorp Institute for Human Values and assists Earth Charter International in its outreach to religious institutions and leaders. He holds a Master in Comparative Religion, Political Science and International Law from Heidelberg University, Germany, and has written his thesis on the history of the Parliament of the World's Religions. Michael lives in Heidelberg with his wife and 6-months old daughter Maili
Richard M Clugston serves on the Steering Committee of the Earth Charter Initiative. He is Executive Director of the Center for Respect of Life and Environment (CRLE), and publisher and editor of Earth Ethics. Rick has taught and published on human development, strategic planning, educational reform, and most recently on environmental ethics, spirituality, and sustainability
Bhakti Johnson works as National Coordinator for the Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life. Yoga in Daily Life is based on original yoga tradition and specially directed to the situation and needs of modern civilization. The system can be lived and practiced independently of age, social status, nationality and denomination. Swamiji has inspired the creation of thousands Yoga in Daily Life Centres world-wide, where Yoga and Meditation is taught on a voluntary basis by professionally trained teachers. Classes and courses are conducted for the general public and specific groups such as community organisations, hospitals, schools, retirement homes, drug rehabilitation centres and companies.
Joan Anderson is based in Tokyo, where she is the focal point for Earth Charter activities within the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Buddhist association. Following a career in international development with Save the Children Fund, including several years spent in Cambodia, she joined SGI in 1997. She first became involved with the Earth Charter in 1999, and in 2000 visited eight Asian countries as part of an 'Earth Charter Asia Tour' to increase awareness and activities in Asia. She is involved with producing the SGI Quarterly magazine and with creating SGI's educational materials on themes related to sustainability and peace.