The Rumi Forum organized for the second consecutive year its fast-breaking dinner at the U.S. Congress and brought together a number of distinguished speakers and invitees for an iftar dinner. Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders and other prominent guests attended the event. They listened to several speakers who emphasize the importance of interfaith and cultural dialogue for global peace.
Sponsored by 21 House members and attended by five representatives Congress personnel, religious leaders, academics and other prominent guests, the event started with the House Chaplain Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin’s prayer which was followed by the Muslim call to prayer. The participants started off eating dates, in line with the Muslim tradition for breaking the daily fast. The host of the program was Brenda Bearden, an instructor at Georgetown University. The event was organized at the Cannon Caucus, one of the most prestigious rooms in Congress.
The guests showed great interest in the video clip for the “Song of Brotherhood,” sung by Turkish folk artist Mahsun Kirmizigul and shot in the southeastern city of Mardin. A group of Afghan performers sang songs with lyrics from 13th century Sufi Saint Mewlana Muhammed Jalaladdin Rumi, the founder of the Mevlevi Sufi order. Works of a Turkish ebru (paper marbling) artist were on display on the Congress halls.
Congressmen Wayne Gilchrest (Maryland), Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum (Minnesota), Nita Lowey (New York) and Rush Holt (New Jersey) attended the dinner while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was represented by her assistant Mercedes Salem. Egyptian Ambassador Nabil Fahmy, Eritrean Ambassador Ghirmai Ghebremariam, Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy and Mauritian Ambassador Kailash Ruhee, as well as diplomats from the Israeli, Indian, Ukrainian and Singapore missions in the US, attended the iftar. Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy Suat Kinikloglu, Yeni Safak columnist Fehmi Koru and Radikal columnist Murat Yetkin were among the guests from Turkey.
In his welcoming speeches Rumi Forum President Ali Yurtsever and Congressman Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland talked about the importance of interfaith dialogue and solidarity among people and nations. Congressman Gilchrest said that we all suffer we all love as we are all the same creations of the same God. He said mothers in Iraq wept as much as American mothers after their sons were killed in war, and continued, “The enemy of mankind is ignorance, arrogance and dogma.”
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Conference, made the keynote speech at the dinner at the U.S. Congress and stressed the need to energize interfaith dialogue. Professor Ihsanoglu said that any terrorist or radical cannot represent Islam. Ihsanoglu pointed out that Islam was not a religion of violence and expressed concern about the rising sentiment of islamophobia around the globe. “Extremists exist in all religious traditions. Sometimes extremists have spoken on behalf of Islam,” he stated. Noting that President Bush had recently announced his intention to nominate a special envoy to the OIC, Prof. Ihsanoglu said that this appointment would set up a direct linkage between America and the only official representative of the Muslim world the OIC. He said the OIC looks forward to cooperate and work hand in hand with the Presidential envoy. He said “What we really need is to have a more comprehensive framework, which I call historic reconciliation between Islam and Christianity, Islam and the West.” Ihsanoglu called upon representatives of all faiths to have an agenda for their interfaith dialogue to transform misconceptions to mutual respect.
Beginning his remarks with the Muslim greeting “Assalamu alaykum,” the first Muslim U.S. Congressman, Democrat Keith Ellison of Minnesota, said the cultural diversity in the United States should encourage more interfaith dialogue. He said that “All people of all colors, all cultures and all faiths need to come together to talk about points of difference so we can discover how we are unified.”
Fr. Thomas Michel, a Vatican representative for interfaith dialogue, praised Fethullah Gülen, our honorary president and a Muslim intellectual who inspired a series of social activities, including a transnational education and business network, interfaith dialogue forums, and multi-cultural encounters. “For Gülen, Rumi represents true faith of Islam,” Fr. Thomas Michel told the audience.
Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church Demetrios also expressed respect for Gülen. His speech focused on the state of human relations in our day. “Many misunderstandings have to do with lack of knowledge. You fight against something you do not know, if you know you might change your opinion and stop fighting and become friends,” His Eminence said. Praising the technology packed in small devices and showing the audience as an example his iPhone, Demetrios said: “While technology goes that far, where is the iPhone of human relations? As religious leaders, we have to compete with technology and produce the device of human connectedness and love.” Demetrios shared with the multi-faith crowd his vision of mutual respect as a basis for a successful interfaith dialogue.
Joshua O. Haberman, Rabbi Emeritus of Washington Hebrew Congregation emphasized how interreligious dialogue could help spread love and discourage stereotyping. Rabbi Haberman said all believers were united in worshipping the same God, as Islam, Judaism and Christianity were from the “same religious illumination which began with Abraham.” Rabbi Haberman said: “We have to learn and know each other and we should not only take our lessons from headlines about scandal and hate and conflict that media overemphasizes, the dark side of human nature. We have to understand that there are loving people, helping people, helping one another even across lines of faith.”
His Beatitude Patriarch Mesrob II (Mutafyan) of Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul criticized those who pick apart religion as the cause of most conflicts in the world and said religions only teach love. “I wish my Muslim brothers and sisters on these holy evening blessings for the feast of Ramadan,” he said, expressing goodwill toward fasters around the world. Patriarch Mutafyan is said to have fasted during the day to share the fast-breaking with his Muslim hosts.
Professor Seyyid Hossein Nasr, a prominent Muslim scholar, delivered a speech on the significance of Mewlana Jalaladdin Rumi’s message to the modern world. Reciting parts of Rumi’s poems, he emphasized the importance of dialogue and said that Rumi himself would be very proud of the gathering of representatives of all faiths under the dome of the Congress.
The interfaith Iftar concluded with an artistic flavor to reflect the unity of the human souls through a traditional Sufi music performance.
Congressman Rush Holt, speaking to the reporters after the event said: “Here in Congress, in this room where we stand, there is much talk everyday but very seldom real dialogue. Tonight, with the Greek Orthodox, the Armenian, the followers of Rumi, the society of Jesus, the Jesuits, the Protestants, Catholics and variety of Muslims, this has been a remarkable evening of dialogue.”
From the Press:
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YENI SAFAK (FehmiKoru)