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 DE
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
9:30-11:00am INTRARELIGIOUS SESSION
Michael Leuning Michael Leuning Room 201 Artistic Performance
Jessi Kaur, a frequent speaker at interfaith conferences, has travelled extensively, sharing the spiritual values taught by the Sikh Gurus. She believes that harmony is possible in a diverse world when barriers of ignorance are brought down. She is co-founder of the International Institute of Gurmat Studies and author of "Dear Takuya', a children's book promoting acceptance of diversity among young children. She is also Fine Arts Commissioner for Cupertino, California. Kuldip Singh is the President of UNITED SIKHS - USA, a UN affiliated NGO, aimed at empowering underprivileged and minority communities He is a project management consultant working for Fortune 500 compa nies in the USA. He has participated in a number of interfaith forums and delivered lectures on the Sikh perspective. He actively promotes peace and harmony through multifaith, humanitarian relief and civil rights advocacy programs. Dr Kulbir Singh Thind, MD has been distributing for free his Gurbani CD since 1984. He has developed databases relating to Sri Guru Granth Sahib ind then developed many other specialised files of Sri Guru Granth Sahib text for the help of Sikh scholars and novices.
Join Michael Leunig, cartoonist, philosopher, poet and artist, as he works with music to create artistic expressions. Michael's commentary on political, cultural and emotional life spans thirty-five years and has explored the idea of an innocent and sacred personal world. In 1999 he was declared a national living treasure by the National Trust and awarded honorary degrees from La Trobe and Griffith Universities for his unique contribution to Australian culture. His work appears regularly in the Melbourne Age and The Sydney Morning Herald
Indigenous Food Insecurity Norma Kassi, Canada: Vuntut Gwich'in First Nation,
Moderator Anna Pinto, India: Meitei Robert Houndohome Hounon, Benin: Vodun Hwendo Room 111 Panel Discussion Today's economically driven multinational corporations and uncontrolled climate change are leading to the destruction or erosion of the traditional subsistence lifestyle of many Indigenous communities. This destruction not only creates food insecurity but also has a negative effect on other natural resources. Panelists in this session will discuss various aspects of this food insecurity and its impact on the well-being and survival of their respective communities. Norma Kassi, raised in Old Crow, Yukon, is Vuntut Gwich in (People of the Lakes). From 1985 until 1992 she was a member of the Yukon Legislative Assembly. She has been a spokesperson in the effort to preserve the Porcupine Caribou Herd and serves on the International Gwich in Steering Committee for the Preservation of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She is co-director of the Arctic Health Research Network: Yukon, engaged in health research. Anna Pinto is Executive Director of the Centre for Organisation, Research and Education (CORE), an Indigenous peoples' policy research and advocacy organisation based in the North East of India. An active member of the Indian Women's Movement for over two decades, she is also a prolific writer whose work addresses and critiques such issues as policy initia tives by the government of India and international agencies such as the World Bank Also known as His Majesty Daagbo Hounion Houna II, Robert Houndohome Hounon is the supreme spiritual leader of the great council of the Vodun Hwendo tradition. A veteran of numerous technical and spiritual positions, he is President of the association ELOSE, which has as its major aims a reconciliation between tradition and modernity the promotion of literacy, and the acquisition and transmission of written knowledge. He is also an adviser on interreligious action for peace in Africa.
A Review on Shi'ism from the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr Shahriar Shojaeipour Dr Mohammad Jafar Elmi Najafali Mirzai Room 203 Panel Discussion In this session, Islamic scholars from the Islamic Republic of Iran will discuss the view of Shi'ism on several critical issues. Panellists will explore the basis of the ShiiteChristian dialogue, the characteristics and high flexibility of Shi'ism in comparison to other Islamic schools, and the Shi'a view of tasawwuf (Sufism) and 'irfan (mystical knowledge as two different paths. Dr Shahriar Shojaeipour is a faculty member and associate professor of History and Civilisation at the Islamic Research Institute for Culture & Thought. He holds a PhD degree in Islamic Studies and has taught subjects like 'Political Jurisprudence in Islam and Islamic Political Thoughts in countries like Romania. He has written several books on different topics and has also contributed a number of papers to different international conferences and seminars. Dr Mohammad Jafar Elmi is the Deputy (Research of the AlMustafa International University, Qum and the Managing Editor of the Encyclopedia of the World of Islam. He was formerly the Principal of the Islamic College of Advanced Studies, London. Dr Elmi is also a visiting lecturer of the Baqir al-Olum University. Qum. He has presented a number of papers in international seminars and conferences and has written nine books Najafali Mirzai is Director, Planning Commission for Religious Higher Education and Cultural Counselor of Iran in Lebanon and faculty member and Advisor to the President of the Al-Mustafa International University He has an MA in Philosophy from Islamic Azad University. His publications are Dictionary of Contemporary Idioms and Phrases', 'An Introduction to Higher Education in Religious Studies. 'The Biography of Sheikh Uthman bin Fawdi, and a number of published papers and treatises,
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