Citizens
of faith cross lines to discover
"together,
we're better"
11 June 2010
Until today, tenacious clinging to religious clans, teachings, and practices
helped bring forward in history the highest principles of living on Earth.
Too, some religions and their practitioners often claim
exclusivity that encourages alienation and separateness -- rankism
on Earth.
The 14th Dalai Lama remembers:
"When I was a boy in
Tibet, I felt that my own Buddhist religion must be the best and that other
faiths were somehow inferior.
Now I see how naive I was, and how dangerous the extremes of
religious intolerance can be today."
Today, his global experience has shown him a common bond among faith
communities -- the oneness of creation and humankind, with a call for
compassion toward people and all life forms.
Many
Faiths, One Truth
Tenzin Gyatso
The New York Times -- 25 May
2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/opinion/25gyatso.html?hp
Reaching Beyond The Religious (April 2010 book) helps us consider
religions and the best of their wisdom as potential unifying, empowering
forces, rather than as divisive.
Our capacity for cooperation to solve today's great
challenges are supported by compelling examples taken from nature, pop
culture, human experience, and religious text.
Author Elan Divon is a scholar of Comparative Religon,
with a background in Politics, Philosophy, History, and Anthropology.
The Jewish Israeli was co-executive director of the
now-inactive Peace Camp Canada that successfully brought many Palestinian and
Israeli youth face to face.
Reaching
Beyond the Religious:
Seven
Universal Wisdom Themes from
Seven
Thousand Years of Human Experience
Ilan Divon
iUniverse - April 2010 - 208 pages
http://elandivon.com/?page_id=10
Ibrahim Miari, born of a Muslim Palestinian father
and Jewish mother in Acco, is a great exemplar of
reaching beyond limited identification.
Like his friend, Ilan Divon, Miari was camp director of
Peace Camp Canada, as well as Peace Camp Nova Scotia's co-executive director
and theater director.
Miari's mastery of
relationships and dedication -- he danced the whirling dervish for 10 minutes
at his wedding -- has culminated in his acclaimed theatrical production about
connection and understanding.
Miari voiced the meaning of
his powerful stage drama:
"Stop viewing
ourselves as descendents of conflict, and.
begin seeing
ourselves as ancestors for peace."
Import Miari's inspiring performance to your
community!!
In
Between:
A
one Man Show by Ibrahim Miari
21st century life increasingly interconnects and intertwines dissimilar
citizens, cultures, and faith traditions.
Today, life calls humankind to dignify one another by
co-operating across boundaries -- to communicate with increasing excellence.
Together we will conquer our shared problems while
lifting one another to our highest.
-L&L
= = 1 = =
Muslim, Jewish, Christian
blood donors in record numbers
More than 60 life-saving pints of blood were donated one Sunday when
Jews, Muslims and Christians joined together one Sunday in Ridgewood, New
Jersey.
Donors from St. Elizabeths
Episcopal Church, the Muslim Society of Ridgewood, and Temple Israel showed a 25%
increase in participatoin from previous blood
drives by the Jewish congregation twice annually for the past 15 years.
Rabbi David J. Fine: "I consider blood
donation to be a religious imperative, what we call a mitzvah.'
Jews have an obligation to behave morally and ethically,
and not stand by while another suffers who could use our help.
"Together with our Christian and Muslim
neighbors, we joined together, giving the gift of life.
Rev. Cn. John G.
Hartnett: "The interfaith blood drive was a powerful manifestation of
the sense of community, and our shared commitment to help people in need, which
we all treasure and affirm.
For Jews, Muslims, and Christians to come together at
Temple Israel to donate blood together gave us each the chance not only to share
a blessing but to receive one as well."
Mahmoud Hamza: "It is extremely heartwarming to see our
community with its diverse backgrounds, different religious affiliations and various,
even opposing, political views, working together and cooperating in many good
common sense things
It says in the Quran (5.32), If anyone saved a life
it would be as if he or she saved the life of all mankind.
SEE MORE at:
Record
number of blood donors show up for
Temple
Israel's interfaith blood drive
Community Blood Services --
April 2010
http://www.communitybloodservices.org/news_view.php?dim=171&type=event
= = 2 = =
Muslim student serves
MSA and Hillel, both
Omar Khan, 22, is public relations chairperson of the Muslim Student
Alliance at West Virginia University.
The Muslim senior biology major also helps run
the major university's biggest Jewish organization.
WVU
Hillels Muslim treasurer brought diversity to group
The Jewish Chronicle --
Thurs, 29 April 2010
Khan is student treasurer of Hillel, serving with his Jewish
friend-since-childhood, Victor Sella-Villa (
Victor.SellaVilla@gmail.com ) as Hillel student board members.
Through his dual roles, Khan has effectively created a
bridge between two organizations that previously had little to do with each
other.
Nearing the end of his term and college career Khan
looks back on his time at Hillel fondly, and understands how simply hanging out
with Jews could affect the lives of both groups.
There are misconceptions left over from 9/11 that Muslims
are mainly terrorists, that Muslims dont get along
with Jews.
"Its a perspective I
disagree with entirely.
Were putting ourselves out there to say Hey, we
get along.'
"Theres no reason
why we cant co-exist here or anywhere.
- - - - -
These and hundreds of other success stories are preserved at http://traubman.igc.org/messages.htm