Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

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PROGRAM DESC Sunday, December 6, 2009
9:30-11:00am INTRARELIGIOUS SESSION
world. Discussion will focus on the challenges of preservation and methods to address these challenges. Mr Jasbir Singh has been the Chairman of the Rajasthan State Minorities Commission, an Indian government agency working for the welfare of five religious minorities (Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Zoroastrians and Buddhists. As the Vice President of the State Sikh Samaj, he has encouraged propagation of secular ideals propounded by Sikh Gurus. As Secretary General of the Indian chapter of GCS International, a UN-affiliated NGO, he has led initiatives for global peace. Devinder Pal Singh is the Operations Director of the Nanakshahi Trust based in Chandigarh, India. The mission of the Nanakshahi Trust, established in 2001, is to develop the Sikh aesthetics and to assist the destitute and downtrodden. The Trust is a research and action organisation dedicated to creating awareness of Sikh culture. Projects undertaken include creating audio-visual aides, printing text, sponsoring education and recognising outstanding contributors. Balvinder Singh is Reader and former Head of the Guru Ramdas School of Planning at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, and is an INTACH Scholar He has presented at 17 international conferences and is a well-respected Sikh conservationist. His recent research projects have included documentation of artwork in Siri Harimandir Sahib, with special emphasis on floral designs, and documentation of Sikh Shrines in Pakistan. Sarbpreet Singh is the founding director of the Gurmat Sangeel Project The Gurmat Sangeet Project is an organisation dedicated to the preservation and propagation of Gurmat Sangeet Sikh Sacred Music). It disseminates high quality recordings from its website and organises events that focus on young practitioners of this tradition. He has written short stories. poetry and plays on Sikh-related themes and writes a regular blog on Gurmat Sangeet
The Headscarf Debates: Religious Dress and Secular Fundamentalism Janaan Hashim Dr Siti Musdah Mulia Room 219 Panel Discussion At the 2004 Parliament of the World's Religions in Barcelona, three Muslim women from three very different, yet democratic, societies (the United States, France and Turkey) shared their experiences of creating a proper space to wear the hijab in the public sphere. In this session, the American from the original group is now joined by Muslim women from yet two other very different democratic countries: England and Indonesia. Continuing the conversation from 2004, they will discuss the societal and governmental challenges that have arisen over the past five years with regard to this issue and how they have navigated such challenges. They will describe how their fellow citizens and governments have changed in understanding the hijab, the dynamics behind such change, the direction in which they are going, and what the interfaith community can do to shape that direction. More so, these three dynamic speakers will address how Muslim women in democratic societies contribute to the building and promotion of humanitarian and modern values, despite obstacles such as laws prohibiting the hijab or enforcing it. Janaan Hashim is a criminal defense and civil rights attorney practicing in Illinois with Amal Law Group, LLC. She co-founded this firm, the first of its kind in the US, with five other Muslim women. Ms Hashim writes a legal column for Arab Horizon newspaper in Chicago. She is also an adjunct professor at McCormick Theological Seminary. From 2004 to 2008 she was the spokesperson for the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. Dr Siti Musdah Mulia has been a research professor at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) 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
The Spiritual Tradition of Scientology Emmanuel Foundas Robert Adams Room 218 Panel Discussion Scientology is a new religion which emerged late in the 20th century and continues to be one of the most talked about religions as it continues to grow. This presentation is designed to let people know what Scientology actually is, what we do in the community, and how we relate to other religions and religious beliefs in our attempt to heal the earth.
Emmanuel Foundas is the President of the Church of Scientology in Melbourne. Rev Robert Adams was born in San Francisco, California In 1946. He holds a Masters degree in Physical Education and a Bachelors degree in Biology from University of the Pacific in Stockton, California and holds a lifetime teaching credential from the State. As a Scientologist and Scientology Minister since 1984, he has assisted hundreds of p achieve greater awareness and spiritual freedom. He holds the position of Vice President of the Church of Scientology International working with officials in government and private industry to better understand the aims of Scientology and the importance and workability of the array of social betterment activities to help make a better world.
Charter of Compassion Karen Armstrong (by video) Sr Joan Chittister Dr Chandra Muzaffar Tariq Ramadan Room 220
Karen Armstrong, the highly acclaimed British author of
A History of God and numerous other works on comparative religion, has called upon Jews, Christians and Muslims to draw up a 'Charter of Compassion which would apply shared moral priorities to foster greater global understanding. The result of months of consultation, the final manifesto was publicly unveiled on November 9th of this year, and includes such signatories as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former UN Human Rights High Commissioner Mary Robinson. In conjunction with issuing the Charter, Armstrong is calling for the establishment of an alliance of individuals, orga
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