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Executive Committee
Joseph Prabhu, Co-chair jprabhu@exchange.calstatela.edu
Ruth Broyde-Sharone, Co-chair rabsharone@aol.com
Laura Ava-Tesimale, Vice Chair
Zachary Perlman, Vice Chair
Noor-Malika Chisti, Development Chair
Anthony Manousos, Treasurer interfaithquaker@aol.com
Jeffrey Utter, Secretary hefffer@earthlink.net
Thomas Hedberg, Chaplain thedberg@earthlink.net
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Steering Committee
John Ishvaradas Abdallah
Swami Shiva Atmatattwananda
Rev Janet Bregar
Rev Jan Chase
Linda Groff
Jasmine Hailey
Ian McIlvain
Gene Rothman
Richard Rose
Andre van Zyl
Debrah van Zyl
Renee De Palma
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Reflections on interfaith work
Why is interfaith work important? How can we work together to reduce conflict and create understanding and peace in today's multi-religious world? What role does the Parliament of the World's Religions play in this peace and reconciliation process?
Members of SCCPWR share their thoughts and invite your responses. You can email us at seeker@socalparliamentofreligions.org or write a comment by going to our message board. Just click on the tab at the left.
"There will be no peace in the world without peace among the religions
There will be no peace among religions, without dialogue among religions."
--Prof. Hans Kung
Joseph Prabdu: We live now on a deeply interconnected planet, where developments in one part have instant reverberations elsewhere. Such interconnections create both opportunites for association and dangers of misunderstanding and strife.In such a situation, the mission of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions is to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to produce a peaceful, just and sustainable world.
Los Angeles can take pride in having one of the religiously most diverse populations in the world. As one of the local committees of the global Parliament we are united in the belief that cultural exchange and spiritual dialogue are powerful practices that can be fostered to create mutual respect and trust, and to promote the peace that is desperately needed. We invite you to join us in these efforts to "make a world of difference by hearing each other and healing the earth" -- Professor Joseph Prabhu, Co-chair of SCCPWR
THE HERE AND NOW OF INTERFAITH ENGAGEMENT
Ruth Broyde-Sharon: Interfaith engagement—or the lack thereof—has become one of the most crucial issues of our times, domestically and internationally. At the very heart of our ongoing struggle to create a harmonious world and peaceful co-existence lies the fundamental question: how can we be true to our own faith while simultaneously extending respect and compassion for people of other faiths?
Admittedly, looking for an answer to that fundamental question is a complex and daunting pursuit. Are we ready to embrace a new paradigm which simultaneously affirms both diversity and unity? We have accepted the scientific concept of both waves of light and particles of light existing simultaneously.
Can we also find a quantum solution to our human dilemma?
The good news is that there are new and exciting possibilities emerging in the pursuit of peace, which have successfully engaged people of all faiths, united them in common causes, and created positive grassroots programs that benefit society as a whole.
The process begins by laying the groundwork for trust and cooperation among individuals and among communities, in our schools, our work places, our marketplaces, our houses of worship, -and in our care of the earth.--Ruth Broyde-Sharone
 Joseph Prabhu, together with Ruth Broyde-Sharone, is the Co-Chair of the Southern California Committee for the Parliament of the World's Religions. He is a Professor of Philosophy and Religion at California State University, Los Angeles and the President of the international Society of Asian and Comparative Philosophy. Dr Prabhu is a scholar, teacher, and peace activist. As scholar he has edited, The Intercultural Challenge of Raimon Panikkar and co-edited the two volume Indian Ethics: Classical Traditions and Contemporary Challenges. Two of his own books are forthcoming: Liberating Gandhi: Community, Empire and a Culture of Peace and Hegel, India and the Dark Face of Modernity. As teacher and lecturer, he has taught or lectured in some sixty universities around the world and has been a Senior Fellow of the Martin Marty Center of the University of Chicago and of the Harvard Center for the Study of World Religions.He was also awarded The Outstanding Professor Award of his university.As peace activist, he is active in many peace and justice organizations in the US, Europe and India and was recently presented with a "Liberty Award" for his humanitarian efforts by Soka Gakkai International.
A public speaker, documentary filmmaker and journalist, honored internationally for her interfaith activism, Ruth Broyde-Sharone is a leader in dialogue with the U.S. Muslim community. She also travels frequently to college campuses to lead interfaith programs and screen her popular film "God and Allah Need to Talk." A short film she co-produced and directed with Renee De Palma, called "Let the Conversation Begin," won first prize recently in a one-minute interfaith film competition. Ruth also serves as a Partner Cities Associate for the Parliament of the World's Religions. Her new book, Minefields and Miracles: Adventures In Interfaith will be published in 2009. www.filmsthatmatter.com
(Friends Journal, March 2007)
Five years ago, our country and the world were shaken to the core by the events of September 11th. During this critical period Americans were given a moral as well as political choice: should we respond with retaliation and revenge, or should we seek to understand the root causes of violence and find ways to bring about a more peaceful and just world? Sadly, our leaders chose the former course. As a result, we have seen an unrelenting cycle of violence, deception, and mistrust in our country and in the world....
But many here in the United States and abroad are seeking a better way. They have created an interfaith movement with the potential for reducing, and ultimately ending, the violence attributed to religion.
Interfaith work is not only important, it is also an incredibly joyful experience. When Muslims, Jews, Christians and others come together to worship and to work on common concerns, there is often a sense of joy and mutual appreciation too deep for words. Many of these gatherings are celebratory: with music, ethnic food, dance, and various types of worship experiences. Youth and community leaders are honored. Stimulating panel discussions take place and one’s spiritual horizons are broadened. For those who haven’t experienced such gatherings, I recommend either going to one and/or watching the video “God and Allah Need to Talk” by Ruth Broyde Sharone. Whatever the format of interfaith gatherings, people come away uplifted, and I sense the Divine Presence at work.
[One of the reasons that I have decided to become involved with the Parliament of World Religions is that I feel this Divine Presence at work, and at play, among the gifted people who have committed their time and talents to this inspiring work.]
Dr. Anthony Manousos has been involved in interfaith work for over 25 years, beginning in Princeton, NJ, when he was assistant editor of "Fellowship in Prayer," an interfaith publication devoted to promoting the practice of prayer and meditation. He has served on the Board of the South Coast Interfaith Council, Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, and the Christian Interfaith Relation Committee of Friends General Conference, a national Quaker educational organization. Currently living in Santa Monica, Dr. Manousos serves on the Westside Interfaith Council and the steering committee of the local chapter of the Parliament of the World's Religions. Dr Manousos has published a pamphlet entitled "Islam from a Quaker Perspective" as well as articles on interfaith peacemaking, and has given workshops on interfaith peacemaking for various Quaker organizations. For 12 years he was editor of "Friends Bulletin," the official publication of Western Quakers, and edited several books, including "EarthLight," a collection of essays on spirituality and environmentalism from a variety of religious perspectives. He is married to Rev. Kathleen Ross, a Methodist pastor. He earned a Ph.D. in British Literature from Rutgers University in 1984 and has taught in various colleges and universities, including Pepperdine, Carleton College, and Cal State, San Bernardino.
Noor-Malika Chishti became involved in interfaith work as a result of her training as a student of the Sufi way through the Sufi Order International [SOI] over the last thirty-seven years. The SOI is an order that welcomes people from all religious backgrounds, and that offers an interfaith approach to spiritual practice. Noor-Malika serves as an authorized Representative of Pir Zia Inayat Khan, head of the SOI. His grandfather, Hazrat Inayat Khan, is Founder of the Order (tarîqa); his father, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, was Noor-Malika's first Sufi teacher. One of the offerings of the SOI is the Universal Worship Service which Hazrat Inayat Khan created in the early 1900s. The first services were held privately and not advertised since it was such an unusual idea – to represent the world religions on one altar. Not to merge them into one religion, but to be able to offer gratitude and homage to the many ways in which inner life is realized. Noor-Malika is ordained as a Cheraga, or minister of Light, in the Universal Worship.
Additional experience in interfaith work comes from a few avenues. Noor-Malika has been a member of the West Los Angeles Cousins group for a number of years. Jewish and Muslim women in this group meet once a month for an evening of sharing and dialogue and a potluck dinner. These dialogues have created a level of trust and love for the women that has allowed them to deal with some pretty sticky issues. Just a few days after the July 2006 war broke out between Lebanon and Israel the Cousins had a regularly scheduled meeting. The white elephant in the room was not ignored and the Cousins were able to discuss what was happening without moving into anger, or finger-pointing. We all knew that what happened for us that night was only possible because of the years of conversation that had opened our hearts to each other. We have come to see each other as a sacred trust we want to protect.
Three years ago one of the Jewish Cousins invited Noor-Malika to speak at an interfaith Succoth celebration. The temple rented the sanctuary of a Lutheran church for their services. Upon arriving at the celebration, the thought came that “all they need are some Muslims.” This seed grew over time and in late 2007 Noor-Malika asked the church if she could found a Muslim community in cooperation with the other two Abrahamic expressions. That is how The Village: Village Church, Ahavat Torah, and Musallah Tauhid came into being. A program of shared environmental and social action and shared holy days is bringing the members of The Village together. Recently, The Village sponsored its first Universal Worship Service in which ordained participants from the Hindu, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions also participated. Rev. Janet Bregar, pastor of Village Church, is a member of the SCCPWR Steering Committee.
As a member of the Executive Committee for the Los Angeles Chapter of the Council for a Parliament of World Religions [SCCPWR], Noor-Malika lends energy to unfolding this committee’s work of bringing local interfaith communities together, developing programs for the local community, and looking into the possibility of hosting a future Parliament in Los Angeles.
Noor-Malika also serves as a volunteer interfaith chaplain for Muslim’s in a women’s prison and is a member of The World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations.
http://www.wcmir.org/
http://www.sufiorder.org/index.html
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