Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

Page 245

PROGRAM DESC
Sunday, December 6, 2009
traditions. A January 2009 publication has been circulated among a group of high-level spiritual teachers from all over the world, as well as in a public, worldwide Internet consultation. The authors will present this declaration at the Parliament of the World's Religions for additional review. In this session, critical concerns about the potential and the pitfalls of moves towards universality will be addressed. Participants in this session will join the discussion about this important document.
Dr Christoph Quarch is a philosopher, theologian and journalist. From 2000 to 2006 he was academic director for the German Protestant Kirchentag. From 2006 to 2008, he served as chief-editor of the periodical 'Public Forum. Since 2001, he has operated a philosophy cafe and a seminar-program on issues of spirituality and philosophy. He is initiator of the Spiritual Summer Academy Hombroich, supporter of the World Spirit Forum Arosa, and ambassador of the World Wisdom Council.
Abdulaziz Sachedina is a professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. He has been visiting professor at Wilfrid Laurier, Waterloo and McGill Universities, Haverford College and the University of Jordan, Amman. He has lectured around the world and is a core member of the Islamic Roots of Democratic Pluralism Project in the CSIS Preventive Diplomacy program. He is also the author of 'Islamic Roots of Democratic Pluralism.
Rabbi Michael Lerner studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and received mentorship from noted scholar Abraham Joshua Heschel. He received a PhD in Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley in 1972 and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the Wright Institute in 1977. Michael Lerner serves as the rabbi of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue in San Francisco and is the editor of Tikkun Magazine and author of numerous books.
A member of the Mescalero Apache tribe, Ines M Talamantez is a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Professor Talamantez is the author of Teaching Religion and Healing' and has contributed articles to 'Native Religions and Cultures of North America: Anthropology of the Sacred', and 'Unspoken Worlds: Women's Religious Lives. The past president of the Indigenous Studies Group at the American Academy of Religion, she is a pioneering figure among American Indian scholars.
Many Religions, One Community: The Theory and Practice of Living Together in Muslim Spain and India Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid
Imam Khalid Griggs
Dr Muhammad Shafiq Room 213
Panel Discussion
This panel will present the Constitution of Medina, the city of the Prophet Muhammad. 1,400 years ago, different tribes contractually agreed upon the constitution to establish a harmonious co-existence between adherents of different religions. The constitution offered full autonomy in religious and civil matters to each of the city's religious groups by declaring all signatories as one Ummah, or one people, with agreement to defend the city-state together. Panellists will also elaborate on the Islamic heritage of co-existence by examining the application of these ideals several hundred years later in Spain and India. This program, bound to inspire discussion about the i deals of the past and realities of today, will highlight the essential Islamic teachings about pluralism and the space of the Other.
11:30am-1:00pm
INTERRELIGIOUS SESSION
Abdul Malik Mujahid is the founder of Sound Vision Foundation and executive producer of the daily Radio Islam show. He served two terms as the Chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago and is currently Vice Chair of the Council for a Parliament of World Religions. As national coordinator of Bosnia Task Force, USA, he successfully led efforts in collaboration with the National Organization of Women (NOW) to declare rape a war crime.
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.
Dr Muhammad Shafiq is executive director of the Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue (CISD), professor of Islamic and religious studies at Nazareth College and Imam of the Islamic Center of Rochester. Dr Shafiq has written several books, including 'Interfaith Dialogue: A Guide for Muslims. His latest article is 'Abrahamic Faiths: Models of Interfaith Dialogue in the United States (A Case Study of Rochester, New York)'. published in 'Peace-Building By, Between, and Beyond Muslims and Evangelical Christians".
The New Planetary Narrative; Connecting Ecology, Social Justice and Cosmology
Drew Dellinger
Glen Lauder
Sarah Houseman Tahnee Woolf
Room 214
Interactive Workshop
Environmental movements for social justice are converging, as we recognise the interrelated nature of our problems and the need for creative solutions. At the same time we are beginning to grasp the significance of cosmology in our worldview or 'cultural story' and the role this plays both in creating the current crisis and in inspiring a new direction. A new planetary movement is unfolding at the confluence where ecology, social justice and cosmology mcet. At the heart of this emerging global movement is a vision of the world as sacred and connected. Drew Dellinger will identify some core values common to ecology, social justice and cosmology, such as 'personhood", which acknowledges the sacredness of every individual being, and community, which emphasises the primacy of relationship. Dellinger will elucidate the underlying principles connecting ecology, cosmology and justice and describe strategies for change utilising the power of story. dreams and action. As part of this presentation, Be the Change Australia will introduce 'Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium', a process that allows the listener to experience both the depth of their own heart and a profound interconnectedness with others, while examining the interwoven threads of social justice, environmental sustainability and spirituality.
Drew Dellinger is a spoken word poet, teacher, author, activist and founder of Poets for Global Justice. He has inspired minds and hearts at hundreds of events in many countries, performing poetry and keynoling on justice, ecology, cosmology, activism, democracy and compassion. He has spoken and performed at conferences-including Bioneers, the Green Festival and The Dream Reborn-as well as colleges, poetry venues, protests and places of worship.
www.parliamentofreligions.org 241 www.jainelibrary.org