Episodes
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The Jewish-Islamic Dialogue Society of Washington along with the Rumi Forum presented this event that examined religious minority communities in America.
January 21st, 2018
2:30 p.m.– 5:00 p.m.
Temple Rodef Shalom
2100 Westmoreland Street
Falls Church, VA 22043America is rightfully celebrated for how it protects all religions. Yet our nation is not simply shaped by its religious freedom laws but also by a melting pot culture that has grown increasingly secular. For our minority religions, the desire to assimilate into that culture has become more of a threat with each successive generation. Come hear members of the Muslim, Jewish and Sikh communities reflect on these potentially existential challenges to the survival of their communities on these shores.
Nisa Muhammad
Assistant Dean for Religious Life at Howard UniversityGagan Narang
Director- Organizational Development and Learning at Public Company Accounting Oversight (PCAOB)Dr. Ira Weiss
A scholar who frequently lectures on Palestinian-Israel relations -
Senior Researcher Besheer Mohamed of the Pew Research Center joined the Rumi Forum for a presentation on a survey of U.S. Muslims on January 16th.
Date: Tuesday, January 16th, 2018
Time: 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm (Reception)
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm (Main Event)
Daniels Run Peace Church
3729 Old Lee Highway Fairfax, VA 22030The early days of Donald Trump’s presidency have been an anxious time for many Muslim Americans, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. This new survey asked U.S. Muslims; a diverse and growing young population that is currently estimated at 3.35 million, about a wide variety of topics, including religious beliefs and practices, social values, views on extremism and political preferences. The survey was conducted from Jan. 23 to May 2, 2017, on landlines and cellphones, among a representative sample of 1,001 Muslim adults living in the United States. This is the third time Pew Research Center has conducted a comprehensive survey of U.S. Muslims (2007, 2011).
Besheer Mohamed is a senior researcher at Pew Research Center. He is involved in the design and implementation of many of the Center’s domestic religion polls. He specializes in studying religious minorities in the U.S., with a specific focus on Muslim Americans. Mohamed received a doctorate in sociology as well as a master’s degree in Middle East studies from the University of Chicago. He is the author of “Hybrid identity among Black American Muslims,” as well as “Muslim Immigrants: Hurt by Recession but Not Complaining.” He has worked on the Center’s surveys of U.S. Muslims, Mormons and Jews as well as its polling on attitudes toward religious groups. Mohamed has presented his work at academic conferences and been interviewed by a variety of broadcast and print media.
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Missing episodes?
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On December 7th Meira Neggaz of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding joined us for a detailed presentation on American Muslims.
Date: Thursday, December 7th
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Location: 11200 Waples Mill Rd. Suite 360 Fairfax, VA 22030Who are American Muslims? What do they hold dear? What do they believe in? What are their concerns, their fears, their dreams? Who is my neighbor? This discussion aims to open up all of these questions, among others that you, your friend, your community and your country has had.
American Muslims have been thrown into social and political debates since the aftermath of the devastating events of 9/11 that sent the entire country into mourning. Many of those who lost their lives during the attacks were American Muslims. Yet, because of the actions that were taken by a few extremists against American civilians, it was this group that was punished for their actions. In 2015, 14 years after that fateful day, physical assaults against Muslims in the United States have reached 9/11-era levels (with 93 assaults reported to the FBI in 2001, and 91 reported in 2015). There have been anecdotal reports of a continued rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the current year.
Muslims have been in America since before the birth of this nation and have continued to build and improve communities across this country. They are one of the largest religions in America yet still face prejudices about who they are and what they believe in. This presentation will draw upon the religion and history of Muslims, along with data that will allow insight into the American Muslim community.
Meira Neggaz is the Executive Director of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), where she is responsible for the institution’s overall leadership, representation, strategy, and growth. Before joining ISPU, Meira was the Senior Program Officer for Marie Stopes International (MSI), a leading international health organization working in 42 countries. There, she led and managed programs in multiple countries, developed partnerships, and managed key grants and donor relationships. Formerly, Meira was the first Executive Director of WINGS in Guatemala, where she grew the organization from its infancy to become a national leader in the health sector, the Guatemalan Country Representative for Curamericas, establishing country presence and leading a USAID funded health program, and the Intake Team Leader at the Big Brother Association of Greater Boston. She holds a BA from Huron University, a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and an International Health Certificate from Boston University.
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On October 19th Fairfax Presbyterian Church hosted the Rumi Forum for a discussion on social justice through the context of faith.
We define social justice as a concept of fair and just relation between the individual and society and struggle over how to promote and achieve that perfect equality. There are various ways to approach social justice from embracing your community, to celebrating diversity, to listening more to others, adopting a politician, etc. For this event, however, we will approach social justice from a faith perspective. There are many elements of social justice that are referenced in various religious texts and this event aims to highlight those through the three Abrahamic faiths. By doing so, we hope that the community can learn from each other and ways to channel their religious beliefs into social justice action.
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We sat down with author Ken Bedell on October 11th to talk about his new book Realizing the Civil Rights Dream: Diagnosing and Treating American Racism.
Book Synopsis:
This book explains why America can realize the civil rights dream in the 21st century—if U.S. citizens take actions as individuals as well as work together for equality.
It has been more than 53 years since Martin Luther King Jr. made his “I Have a Dream” speech. Why has the United States still not been able to make King’s dream a reality after a half a century of effort and progress? Is there still hope of full participation for all in America?
In Realizing the Civil Rights Dream: Diagnosing and Treating American Racism, author Kenneth B. Bedell proposes a civil rights dream that grows out of American history and speaks to the 21st-century reality. He makes the case that by adopting a larger perspective of the role of racism in preserving U.S. social, cultural, economic, and political institutions and practices, Americans can understand why it has been so difficult to fulfill the promises of the 1960s civil rights dream. Bedell describes and applies sociological theories that serve to explain why racism is still prevalent in the United States and identifies the steps that are necessary to overcome racism. The book concludes with proposals for ways to apply social science to realize the civil rights dream and examples of how individuals can take action to make a difference.
Features:
Asks—and answers—the troubling question: Why have the civil rights hopes of the 1960s not yet been realized? Demonstrates the relationship between what happens in everyday life and racism’s persistence Provides insightful historical context for racism as it exists in the 21st century Presents a framework for understanding how social forces preserve racism Offers a refreshingly optimistic perspective that racism can be overcomeAvailable for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Realizing-Civil-Rights-Dream-Diagnosing/dp/1440853754
Ken Bedell, author of Realizing the Civil Rights Dream: Diagnosing and Treating American Racism earned his doctorate in sociology from Temple University and has graduate degrees in education (New York University), theology ( the University of South Africa and Colgate Rochester/Crozer Divinity School), and in chemistry (Cornell University). Bedell is ordained in the United Methodist Church where he has served local congregation for 18 years in New York, Maryland, and Ohio. His work in the church included teaching sociology and communications at United Theological Seminary (Dayton), heading up higher education work as Associate General Secretary of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry, holding leadership positions in the Methodist Federation for Social Action and the Reconciling Ministries Network, and serving on the Board of Trustees of Rust College, a HBCU in Mississippi. As the Executive Secretary for the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges and Universities, Ken traveled extensively visiting educational institutions in Brazil, Argentina, Korea, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Mozambique, and Austria. Most recently he served in the Obama administration as a Senior Advisor in the Department of Education. There he worked in the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and directed the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge. Bedell published widely on topics as varied as the history of worship, the sociology of technology, computer technology in education, and race relations. The World Association for Christian Communication published his book, Different Ships, Same Boat, as part of a series on “In Search of Common Values.”
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On Saturday, September 16th, 2017 we hosted an interfaith panel around the discussion of God’s Compassion and Forgiveness at the Ohr Kodesh Temple co-sponsored by the Beth El Congregation of Montgomery County.
This program was part of the celebrations marking the start of Jewish High Holy Days held at Ohr Kodesh Temple in Chevy Chase. Every year on the Saturday night preceding Rosh Ha-Shanah, they have a late-night service called “Selichot” and this year we had an interfaith panel as part of that service to include speakers from each of the Abrahamic faiths who discussed God’s compassion and forgiveness from each of their faith’s viewpoints.
Speakers:
Imam Ali Siddiqui Classically educated Imam, Khatib, Interfaith Leader, organizer, Chaplain, and Advocate for Mutual Understanding and Respect, Peace, Economic Justice, and Humane Immigration with 43 years of interfaith experience working with Jews, Christians, Catholics, Mormons, Quakers, Buddhists, Sikh, and the other faiths in the area of community service. Imam Siddiqui is very engaged and frequently delivers invocations and benedictions at City Councils and School Boards, civic and political groups, and Graduation Ceremonies. He teaches Islam, comparative religion, history of Islam and Muslims of Americas, contemporary issues to Muslims and non-Muslims at the institutions of higher learning including Sonoma State, Santa Rosa Community College, School of Religion (Claremont Graduate University), California Baptist University, Disciple of Christ Seminary, School of Theology (now Lincoln University), and La Verne University, and Open University Denver.
The Reverend Doctor Roy Howard has been the pastor of Saint Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville since 2001. Prior to that he served congregations in Virginia and Kentucky. He earned his master’s degree in Social Work from Florida State University, his masters in divinity from Emory University in Atlanta and his Doctorate in Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC Pastor Howard has been active in interfaith relations throughout his career particularly with Jewish-Christian encounters since his first trip to Israel in 1985. Since that time he has traveled to Israel many times and been instrumental in creating a dialogue with Jews and Christians, as well as Muslims. In 2006 he and Rabbi Bill Rudolph established a dialogue group between Beth El and Saint Mark including a joint congregations visit to Israel. His most recent trip to Israel was with Interfaith Partners for Peace accompanied by Rabbi Greg Harris of Beth El and Rabbi Batya Glacier of the Jewish Community Relations Council.
Rabbi Lyle Fishman has been the religious leader of Ohr Kodesh Congregation since 1984. He served the Greenburgh Hebrew Center in Dobbs Ferry, New York, before that. He graduated with honors from Yale University majoring in religious studies. He spent his junior year at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He then attended The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York from which he received a Master’s degree in Hebrew Literature and then rabbinical ordination. He taught at the Herzl Institute of New York while serving as a rabbi. He has authored “Why Did Nadav and Avihu” for the Proceedings of the Rabbinical Assembly (1989) and “The Value Base of Jewish Family Life Education: A Rabbinic View” in “A Generation of Service: History of the Department on Religious Affairs 1952-1982” (1982). Rabbi Fishman is also very active in his community, helping to create the Washington Chevra Chapter to foster a better interchange of ideas among community rabbis, among other initiatives.
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On September 6th, 2017 Radwan Ziadeh, a Syrian democracy, and human rights advocate joined us for a presentation on Syrian refugees.
The Syrian Refugee Crisis: The Need for a Strategy
Date: Wednesday, September, 6th
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Location: 11200 Waples Mill Rd. Suite 360 Fairfax, VA 22030
Throughout its internal conflict the “Syria issue” has become more and more complex with issues such as refugees, regional interventions, terrorism, etc. pushing any country, including America, to hesitate to take a position on any of the issues the country faces. The need to address these problems was passed on from the Obama administration to the Trump administration, which has escalated the U.S. military’s role in Syria but has yet to articulate to the public its goals and limitations of those goals, or release a new strategy for the war-torn country to combat ISIL, to deal with the refugee crisis and to push for a political transition to remove Assad. Failure to develop a strategy will further harm the possibility of political stability the country so desperately needs, and is unlikely to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis at hand. The West is currently witnessing the largest forced migration since World War II, testing Europe’s capacity and the American commitment to the international refugee conventions. Failure to bring forth a coherent strategy has wide-reaching impacts beyond simply the humanitarian but also impacts international alliances and the battle against extremism
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The Rumi Forum hosted a community panel event on Thursday, April 6th, 2017 that involved an engaging discussion on civil rights and liberties.
Rumi Forum Presents
Communities Together for Civil Rights and Liberties
Thursday, April 6th, 2017
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m
Busboys and Poets (Brookland)
625 Monroe St NE
Washington, DC 20017
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Ben Franklin for the Pennsylvania Assembly in its Reply to the Governor (1755)
The context to what we attribute this quote to now is different since moving into the 21st century but, the core of the quote speaks volumes to today’s reality. It is the right of the legislature to govern in the interest of collective security however, it is as well the people’s right to speak out and be heard against those collective decisions to which encroach upon any individual’s rights or liberties. Unfortunately, we have moved into a time where the rights of minorities, women, religious groups, etc. are continually threatened. In order to maintain a peaceful and harmonious society we the people need to be vigilant against the encroachment of rights and liberties that affect us and our neighbor and need to stand together in finding and maintaining the delicate balance between our collective security and the protection our liberty
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The Rumi Forum hosted a panel event at Temple B’nai Shalom for a presentation on women of faith and their contribution to society. On Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017
Date & Time:
May 3rd, 2017
6:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
Venue:
Temple B’nai Shalom
7612 Old Ox Road
Fairfax Station, VA 22039The Rumi Forum organized an event highlighting the experiences of women in the three Abrahamic faith traditions. The event featured a panel discussion followed by a question and answer session where audience members had the opportunity to direct questions towards any of the three-panel members, each one representing a different religion.
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On Monday, February 27th Rumi Forum hosted an interfaith musical event featuring performances by Hinda Labovitz, Dave Anderson, Rana Shieh.
Performers Hinda Labovitz, Dave Anderson, Rana Shieh
Date: Monday, February 27th, 2017 630 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
Location: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax
2709 Hunter Mill Rd, Oakton, VA 22124
This was an open and inviting event meant to bring together people of diverse beliefs and backgrounds to express faith through music. Nothing is so wholly unifying and dividing than religion, which makes dialogue between faiths unyielding and difficult sometimes. However, music can be used as a tool to foster communications between groups by simply never using any words at all but rather notes and harmonies. Music is non-political and easily accessible to all which makes it ideal in the effort to build bridges between communities. Through this space, we hope people can experience music from other faiths, and engage in peaceful dialogue.
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Alex Nowrasteh of the CATO Institute joined us Tuesday, April 11th, 2017 for a discussion on refugee and immigration policy.
Alex Nowrasteh is an immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity. His popular publications have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Washington Post, the Houston Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, and elsewhere. His academic publications have appeared in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, the Fletcher Security Review, and Public Choice. Alex has appeared on Fox News, Bloomberg, and numerous television and radio stations across the United States. He is the coauthor, with Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, of the booklet Open Immigration: Yea and Nay (Encounter Broadsides, 2014).
He is a native of Southern California and received a BA in economics from George Mason University and a Master of Science in economic history from the London School of Economics.
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Dr. Lefebure will be presenting on his recent work regarding spirituality and how he believes it is the key to future inter-religious relations.
The significance of inter-religious relationships is that they challenge our held perspectives, allowing us to see not only our fellow human in a different light but the world. Dr. Lefebure takes on the challenge and benefits of fostering inter-religious relations through a Catholic lens. Catholic stages of spirituality he presents can be used as a helpful framework when trying to overcome the hurdles of fostering and maintaining a healthy inter-religious dialogue. At every stage of spirituality when comparing religions there will always be differences and similarities, and full unity of belief and practice will never be an achievable goal but in creating this dialogue and acknowledging different perspectives we can further achieve a healthy community of world religions of mutual understanding and respect.
Leo D. Lefebure is the Matteo Ricci, S.J., Professor of Theology at Georgetown University and a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. He is the author of four books, including Revelation, the Religions, and Violence and The Buddha and the Christ. His next book will be Following the Path of Wisdom: a Christian Commentary on the Dhammapada, which is co-authored with Peter Feldmeier. He is an honorary research fellow of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. -
On February 25, 2016, the Rumi Forum hosted an Abrahamic Discussion Series panel on the issue of “Welcoming The Stranger: Refugees and Immigrants in Our Midst.”
Naseem Rizvi, Dr. Patricia Maloof, Rabbi Gerry Serotta and Sandra Chisholm discussed the issue from the viewpoint of Abrahamic traditions.
Naseem Rizvi has numerous years of experience in the field of International Affairs as well as in the non-profit sector. Rizvi obtained her master’s degree in International Affairs at the Quid- e- Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan. She has worked as an adjunct instructor at the University of Loyola in Chicago where she taught several classes on U.S.-Afghanistan Foreign Policy as well as human rights and international affairs in Asia. She has also served as a panelist speaking about Islam and women issues. Rizvi then became a case manager and a program coordinator at the Council of Peoples Organization in Brooklyn, New York to assist diverse communities in health, employment, education, and legal issues. From 2008 to 2014, Naseem Rizvi worked at the Open Society Foundations and conducted extensive research and produced papers on international funding trends.
Dr. Patricia Maloof is the Program Director of Migration and Refugee Services for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington (VA). She was formerly the Director of Development with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), the largest charitable immigration legal services network in the United States. Dr. Maloof began her work with refugees in the 1980s. She advocates, publishes, and conducts research on barriers to health care access and the provision of services to refugees and immigrants. Dr. Maloof is trained as a medical interpreter and is a part-time faculty member in the Department of Anthropology at the Catholic University of America. Three of her publications can be found on-line: Muslim Refugees in the United States; Mind/Body/Spirit: Toward a Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Model of Health; and A Review of the Literature — Mentoring: An Evidence-based Strategy to Increase Diversity Among Students and Faculty from Racial and Ethnic Groups Underrepresented in Maternal and Child Health Training Programs. She has a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology from the Catholic University of America and a B.A. and M.A. in Anthropology from George Washington University.
Rabbi Gerald Serotta is the Executive Director of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington (IFC) Prior to his position at the IFC he was the Founding Executive Director of Clergy Beyond Borders. Rabbi Serotta formerly served as a University Chaplain and Hillel Rabbi for 28 years, the last twenty years at The George Washington University, where he was Chair of the Board of Chaplains. He also served as President of the Association of Hillel and Jewish Campus Professionals. While on Sabbatical from Hillel, he held the position of Senior Rabbinic Scholar-in-Residence at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, working on issues of globalization and economic justice from a Jewish perspective. He also served Temple Shalom and Shirat HaNefesh Congregations in Chevy Chase, MD., as spiritual leader.
Sandra Chisholm has been the Fairfax County Community Interfaith Liaison for over 15 years and directs the Fairfax County Community Interfaith Coordination Program within the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. During her time, she has increased the coordination between communities, non-profit organizations, and government organizations to help strengthen their service systems and structures. She was the recipient of the prestigious Onthank Award in 2010 to honor her outstanding work in advancing and improving public service. Chisholm has also been involved in creating several interfaith task forces to increase awareness for emergency preparation by providing training and engaging places of worship.
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On April 6, 2016, the Rumi Forum held a discussion concerning religious freedom and minority rights with a distinguished Abrahamic panel that included Rev. Dr. Larry Buxton, Rabia Chaudry, and Rabbi Bruce Kahn.
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Yeha Hwang, Dr. Sahar Khamis, Rabbi Deborah Reichmann and Karina V. Korostelina joined the Rumi Forum for a panel discussion on the contribution of women of faith to society in peacebuilding and social harmony. September 29, 2016, at 6:30 PM at the IITS Mosque in Fairfax, VA.
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Rumi Forum held an interfaith panel on “Religion and Democracy” on October 26, 2016.
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On Marth 29, 2016, the Rumi Forum hosted a talk by a panel of county officials from Norther Virginia area on their recent trip to Turkey to deliver aid to Syrian refugees on March 29, 2016. They shared their impressions and their work with the refugees.
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On Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017 the Rumi Forum hosted Justin Lowry Justin Lowry of George Mason University's Institute for Immigration Research for a presentation on the economic impact of immigrants.
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