On Friday, January 17, 2020, Rumi Forum visited the Sikh Foundation of Virginia as it’s the first destination of the “Religious Literacy Series”.

We are living in an era where knowledge is power. Considering how transnational and diverse our globe has become, simplistic and inaccurate representation of religion have always found its place among human agencies and understanding. Critical to this matter, we believe there is a need to expand the ability to dispel misinformation and unpleasantness of personal biases. In the meantime, today’s globalized world invites all of us to discern basic tenets of religious traditions in order to enhance social cohesion. Inspired by this understanding, we are honored to launch our Religious Literacy visit series.

Throughout this series, we aim to adapt the fundamental but basic understanding of religions through numerous lenses. As participants gain an informed understanding of belief systems and other worldviews different from their own, religious literacy series will enable them to hear first hand. It should be noted that this series does not intend to educate the participants but designed to assist the progress of recognition of history, central texts (where applicable), beliefs, practices, and manifestations of several world traditions.

Our first destination was the Sikh Foundation of Virginia. The evening featured a great presentation by Mr. Surinder Singh about the Sikh faith, a tour of the Gurdwara, a lively Q&A session, and great food by the hosts.