Rumi Forum Podcast

Working on an aid program in one of the most violent places in the world, North East Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, philanthropist, and business leader Steve Killelea asked himself, 'What are the most peaceful nations?' Unable to find an answer, he created the world's leading measure of peace, the Global Peace Index, which receives over 16 billion media impressions annually and has become the definitive go-to index for heads of state. Steve Killelea then went on to establish a world-renowned think tank, the Institute for Economics and Peace. Today its work is used by organizations such as the World Bank, United Nations, and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and taught in thousands of university courses around the world.

"Peace in The Age of Chaos" tells of Steve's personal journey to measure and understand peace. It explores the practical application of his work, which is gathering momentum at a rapid pace. In this time when we are faced with environmental, social, and economic challenges, this book shows us a way forward where Positive Peace, described as creating the optimal environment for human potential to flourish, can lead to a paradigm shift in the ways societies can be managed, making them more resilient and better capable of adapting to their changing environments.

Speaker

Steve Killelea is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), one of the world's most impactful think tanks on peace and what creates it. Steve is also the creator of the Global Peace Index, the world's leading measure of peace that ranks 163 countries and independent territories by their levels of peacefulness each year, and is used by major organizations such as the World Bank, OECD, UN, as well as governments and thousands of universities worldwide. Over the last two decades, Steve has applied his business skills as one of Australia's leading entrepreneurs to his many global philanthropic activities, including his private family charity, The Charitable Foundation, which now has over three million direct beneficiaries. In recognition of his contribution to the global peace movement, Steve has twice been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and was awarded the Luxembourg Peace Prize in 2016. He has also been recognized by the Action on Armed Violence group as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on reducing armed violence. "Today, Steve serves on the President's Circle for Club de Madrid, the largest forum of former world leaders working democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers working to strengthen democracy, and is an honorary president for Religions for Peace, the largest organization in the world working on inter-religious challenges.

Discussant

Chic Dambach is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins and American Universities, and he is a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. He was President and CEO (currently President Emeritus) of the National Peace Corps Association; former President of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, and former Chief of Staff for Congressman John Garamendi. Previously, he held executive positions in the arts, sports, and health, and he was an "expert" advisor to the director of the Peace Corps. He serves as Chair of the Mali Affinity Group, and he has served on dozens of nonprofit boards. He lectures regularly at colleges and universities and at conferences, and he was a senior consultant with BoardSource where he helped write two books on nonprofit governance.

Arson and vandalism at houses of worship. Bullying at schools and harassment at the grocery store. Political scapegoating and institutionalized discrimination. Muslims in the United States and beyond have faced Islamophobia in a range of forms. This ground-breaking book argues that Christians though they are not the targets of Islamophobia should be at the forefront of efforts to end the prejudice and discrimination that Muslims face.

Writing for Christians of all denominations, Jordan Denari Duffner offers an introduction to Islamophobia, discusses the unfortunate ways that Christians have contributed to it, and offers practical steps for standing in solidarity with Muslims. Viewing Islamophobia as both a social justice and a religious freedom issue, Duffner makes the case that Christian faith calls us to combat religious discrimination even when it is not directed toward our own faith community. She weaves together insights from Catholic social teaching, examples from Protestant leaders, and expertise from Muslim scholars and activists, resulting in a compelling book that will be of interest to academic and lay audiences alike.

Speaker/Author

Jordan Denari Duffner is an author, educator, and scholar of Muslim-Christian relations. Her books are Islamophobia: What Christians Should Know (and Do) about Anti-Muslim Discrimination and Finding Jesus among Muslims: How Loving Islam Makes Me a Better Catholic. She is currently pursuing a PhD in theology and religious studies at Georgetown University and is an associate of the Bridge Initiative.

Moderator

Susan Douglass received a PhD in world history from George Mason University in 2016, and holds an M.A. in Arab Studies from Georgetown's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. Her research field is education history and policy in teaching about the world and world religions. She works on instructional design, and has published widely on American textbooks and curriculum standards policy, and has authored teaching resources for Unity Productions Foundation films, grant projects for the National Endowment for the Humanities, the British Council, and the National Center for History in the Schools and others. She is currently K-14 Education Outreach Coordinator at CCAS and has conducted teacher workshops for ACMCU since 2007.

Fratelli Tutti (All brothers and sisters), subtitled "on Fraternity and Social Friendship" is the third encyclical of Pope Francis. The document was signed on October 3, 2020 during Pope Francis's visit to the top of his namesake St. Francis of Assisi and was released on his feast day. It borrows its title from St. Francis's Admonitions.

Fratelli Tutti is Catholic in terms of its origin, yet universal in terms of its substance. The encyclical addresses a set of contemporary global challenges that threaten global peace and highlights "fraternity" as a remedy to build a just world. As a sign of recognition of its global appeal, the United Nations declared February 4 as the International Day of Human Fraternity beginning in 2021.

Fratelli Tutti is the focal point of the 2nd Interfaith Leadership Forum. This conversation will bring together a diverse array of faith leaders and scholars in the DMV area and beyond for an interactive exchange on some of the most pressing issues of our age. As the search for answers on how to emerge better into a post-pandemic society continues, a collective reflection on Fratelli Tutti can renew hopes and illuminate the way forward.

This event is a Muslim-Jewish interfaith dialogue for college students and young professionals in the DMV area. The conversation, which will feature guest speakers, will center around combating antisemitism and Islamophobia from the outside while also addressing prejudice and misunderstanding within our own communities. We hope to bring Muslim and Jewish young adults together to learn about one another's faiths and experiences and to use this knowledge and empathy to become better allies united against hatred. Amidst rising antisemitism and Islamophobia throughout the United States, we need to have these conversations and advance Muslim-Jewish solidarity. Our partners in carrying out this event will be Jewish and Muslim institutions across DMV area college campuses, faith organizations for young professionals, and interfaith institutions.

This panel is intended to explore the connection between faith and women empowerment with a particular focus on women leadership. Our aim is to highlight the potential of faith in efforts for women's participation in decision making, elimination of violence, achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls within the framework of the SDG5. The event will shed a spotlight on the role of women leaders of faith as key stakeholders and entrepreneurs of change in achieving these goals. This event is co-hosted by the UNA-NCA, which will specifically explore the effort to adopt CEDAW at the municipal level.

Speakers

Samirah Majumdar, Pew Research Center, Research Associate

Gayatri Patel, CARE International, Director of Advocacy Jill

Christianson, UN Association of the National Capital Area, Board Chair-Elect

Using Rumi Poetry to Flip the Modern-Day Script

Join author S. A. Snyder for an online discussion of her latest book, "The Value of Your Soul: Rumi Verse for Life's Annoying Moments." Drawing from her 2019 memoir of living at a spiritual retreat in Scotland, this new book is a witty collection of short tales. With the help of select verses from Rumi, Snyder teases out some lessons learned from her funny experiences and offers a soupçon of homespun guidance for coping with people, situations, and life.

Her witty style and unique experiences combine to make this a fun, light read with a reminder not to take life too seriously. She'll introduce her new book, read select passages, and answer questions.

Learn more about the book at https://www.lunarivervoices.com/books/value-of-your-soul/

Dialogue as the path, cooperation as the code, understanding as the method.

The Legacy

It is hard to exaggerate the legacy of the meeting between St. Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik Al-Kamil in 1219, a historical encounter that took place in the midst of the Fifth Crusade. This event is still remembered as a landmark of religion's transformative power despite differences even during the most unwelcoming moments. On 3-5 February 2019, His Holiness Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb signed "A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together" in the United Arabic Emirates to mark the 800th anniversary of the iconic meeting.

The Document

The Human Fraternity Document, rather than being a symbolic commemorative text, draws inspiration from the past for concrete future action. It is realistic in admitting the challenges humanity faces today, straightforward in highlighting the vital role of religion while addressing them, inclusive in recognizing the role that various stakeholders can play in the solution, and interdisciplinary in inviting many forms of human expertise to the universal endeavor. In an act of due recognition of this initiative by the global community, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on December 15 2020 (A/75/L.52) that proclaims February 4 as the "International Day of Human Fraternity", to be observed each year beginning in 2021.

The Event

The eminent signatories of the Human Fraternity "ask that this Document become the object of research and reflection in all schools, universities and institutes of formation". Rumi Forum welcomes this call by hosting the panel "In the Name of Human Fraternity" on the first International Day of Human Fraternity. Join us for a spectrum of reflections by a panel of prominent Catholic and Muslim speakers and an interactive session that will follow. The panel aims to observe the first International Day of Human Fraternity by highlighting the operational vision of the Human Fraternity Document rather than being a ceremonial text of goodwill.

Speakers

Dr. Pim Valkenberg, Catholic University of America

The Document on Human Fraternity and Pope Francis: Initiatives toward Encounters of Friendship

Dr. Zeki Saritoprak, John Carroll University

On the Necessity of Human Fraternity: Theological and Practical Reflections

Genevieve Mougey, Director of the Office for Social Concerns, Archdiocese of Washington

The Work of Social Friendship, Dialogue, and Pastoral Applications: A Catholic Perspective on Interfaith Dialogue

"Few are guilty, but all are responsible." So said Abraham Joshua Heschel, reminding us of one the key teachings of our Abrahamic Prophets. We are indeed all responsible for confronting and resisting injustice. But how do we do this wisely, effectively, and morally? Rumi Forum and JIDS will bring in two diverse experts to provide insights on this question.

Dr. Sophia Pandya is currently a full professor and department chair at California State University at Long Beach, in the Department of Religious Studies. She has written extensively on the topic of resistance efforts in the Muslim world.

Rabbi Michael Pollack is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and now serves as the Executive Director of March on Harrisburg. It is our hope that by having an interfaith dialogue led by an esteemed academic and a community activist who fights injustice in the trenches, we can truly honor the spirit of Dr. King in addressing such a hallowed topic.