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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250528T180000
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DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
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SUMMARY:Book Talk: "The Motorhome Prophecies" with Carrie Sheffield
DESCRIPTION:Join the Rumi Forum\, the Institute for Religion and Democracy (IRD)\, and the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD) for a book talk with journalist and broadcaster Carrie Sheffield. Her recent memoir\, “The Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness\,” recounts and explores her relationships in her communities and her family\, and her explorations through the development of her faith across religious communities\, toward the ultimate peace and healing she found in her relationship with God. In a time of great political divisions with deep religious and spiritual undertones reaching from the political to the personal\, we hope to explore how family reconciliation and personal conversion might help us think about our national public life with Carrie. \n \nAuthor \n \nCarrie Sheffield is a columnist and broadcaster in Washington\, DC. She earned a full-tuition Harvard scholarship\, managed billions of dollars in risk at Wall Street firms\, and competed in a Miss USA system beauty pageant. A journalist and former White House correspondent\, she challenged the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and testified as an economic expert before the US Congress. Carrie achieved all this while overcoming a life of extreme poverty and psychological\, spiritual\, and sexual abuse. A recovered agnostic\, Carrie eventually found peace and anchoring in Christianity. \nCarrie shares insights on networks like CNN\, MSNBC\, Fox News\, CBS News\, CNBC\, and BBC. From ABC’s Good Morning America to HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher\, PBS\, and C-SPAN\, she uses her dynamic voice to resonate with audiences of millions. Carrie\, a traveling enthusiast\, visited every continent—including Antarctica—before age 30. She ran the Marine Corps Marathon and won the National Press Club 5K thrice. Named a “Most Inspiring New Yorker” by the popular connection app Bumble\, Carrie is passionate about instilling resilience and joy in others. \nModerator \n \nLuke Nathan Phillips is a writer\, tour guide\, and MC based in Northern Virginia. He has extensive experience in policy\, civic engagement\, and public discourse and has worked with nonprofits\, civic organizations\, magazines\, and research institutions in bipartisan\, reformist\, and conservative spaces since 2017. Luke has organized\, hosted\, and facilitated numerous panels\, debates\, and workshops across the U.S.\, engaging policy experts\, activists\, and young professionals. He also provides customized tours in Washington\, D.C.\, tailored for student and civic groups. \nHis writings have appeared in American Affairs\, The National Interest\, The Dispatch\, The American Conservative\, and RealClearPolicy\, among others. A Braver Angels volunteer since 2017\, he served as Publius Fellow for Public Discourse (2021–2024) and was David Brooks’ scheduler (2019–2021).
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/book-talk-the-motorhome-prophecies-with-carrie-sheffield/
LOCATION:The Institute on Religion and Democracy\, 1023 15th Street NW\, Suite 200\, Washington\, DC\, 20005\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Speaker Series,Upcoming Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/People-of-the-Book-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20230502T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20230502T203000
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20230417T182926Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230502T030834Z
UID:19889-1683054000-1683059400@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:In-Person Book Talk: "Profiles in Peace"
DESCRIPTION:This new book traces the lives of Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs in Israel and Palestine who have dedicated their lives to building peaceful relations among the two peoples and between individual people who seek to live in peace and harmony with one another. These people have acted courageously and consistently in their work for peace. \nIn this book\, the author profiles the lives\, thoughts\, feelings\, and actions of six important peacebuilders — men and women\, secular and religious\, 3 Jewish Israelis: Rabbi Michael Melchior\, Professor Galia Golan\, and Mrs. Hadassah Froman; and 3 Palestinian Arabs: Professor Mohammed Dajani\, Ms. Huda Abuarquob\, and Bishop Munib Younan. \nThe reader learns about their visions for peace and their activities to bring their ideas to fruition in the real world of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Too many people have given up on peace. In contrast\, the people in this book persevere for peace\, thus keeping a flicker of hope alive for Israelis and Palestinians who live in the same land for people everywhere who continue to yearn for a peace agreement to be reached in the region. \nAlliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) is a coalition of over 170 organizations—and tens of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis—building people-to-people cooperation\, coexistence\, equality\, shared society\, mutual understanding\, and peace among their communities. We add stability in times of crisis\, foster cooperation that increases impact\, and build an environment conducive to peace over the long term. \n\n\nAuthor\nRabbi Dr. Ron Kronish is an independent scholar\, writer\, blogger\, lecturer\, teacher\, and mentor. For several years\, he has been a Library Fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. From 1991-2015\, he served as the Founder and Director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI)\, Israel’s premier interreligious institution. \nHe was educated at Brandeis University (BA)\, Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion\, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is the editor of Coexistence and Reconciliation in Israel: Voices for Interreligious Dialogue (Paulist Press\, 2015) and the author of The Other Peace Process: Interreligious Dialogue\, A View from Jerusalem (Hamilton Books 2017) and Profiles in Peace: Voices of Peacebuilders in the Midst of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2022). \nHe writes a regular blog for The Times of Israel and is a contributor to The Jerusalem Report. He teaches courses about Interreligious Dialogue and Peacebuilding at the Schechter Institutes for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem\, in the Department for Adult Education\, and at the Drew University Theological School (via Zoom) in Madison\, NJ. \n\nModerator\nRabbi Gerry Serotta served as Executive Director of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington from 2014 through 2020\, where he continued his work as a leading voice for interfaith cooperation\, religious freedom\, and human rights. He is the founding rabbi of Shirat HaNefesh from 2008 to 2014. Rabbi Serotta has served as Executive Director of the interreligious organization Clergy Beyond Borders\, Associate Rabbi of Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase\, and Director of the Hillel Foundation at George Washington University. He was the founder and chair of Rabbis for Human Rights – North America\, and he chaired the Board of Chaplains of George Washington University. \nRabbi Serotta has received many awards for his communal work. He was named a Public Policy Conflict Resolution fellow by the University of Maryland School of Law and served as a senior rabbinic scholar in residence at the Religious Action Center of the Union for Reform Judaism. Rabbi Serotta received a master’s degree in Hebrew Literature from Hebrew Union College\, a Master of Sacred Theology from New York Theological Seminary\, and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Hebrew Union College. \n\nDiscussant\nIbrahim Anli is a civic entrepreneur with a career record that bridges nonprofit and academic experience. He was a visiting researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem from 2007-08. Ibrahim joined the Journalists and Writers Foundation’s (JWF) Ankara office as the diplomacy coordinator in 2010. In 2013\, he became the secretary-general of Abant Platform\, JWF’s Istanbul-based forum of intellectuals. Ibrahim Anli was a lecturer and acting chair at the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy at Tishk International University in Erbil in 2016-17. He is currently a volunteer instructor for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University\, a member of the Braver Angels Scholars Council\, and a member of the Public Diplomacy Council of America. \nIbrahim Anli writes opinions in his independent blog and has published peer-reviewed book chapters and articles. He holds a BA in Economics from Istanbul University\, an MA in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Sabanci University\, and a certificate in Strategic Management for Leaders of NGOs from Harvard University.
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/in-person-book-talk-profiles-in-peace/
LOCATION:Lutheran Church of the Reformation\, 212 East Capitol Street NE\, Washington\, DC\, 20003\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Speaker Series,Upcoming Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/HeartsMinds-3.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20221026T183000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20221026T200000
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20221001T034519Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221203T042126Z
UID:19289-1666809000-1666814400@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:In-Person Book Talk: "Between Thought & Action"
DESCRIPTION:This in-person book talk by Dr. Ori Z. Soltes was a discussion on “Between Thought & Action”\, Fethullah Gulen`s intellectual biography of thoughts\, words\, and actions including interviews with Hizmet movement followers. \nThis volume has two goals. One is to explore the life and the thought of Fethullah Gulen and the important educational and peace-inducing activities in which he and those inspired by him have been engaged for several decades. The outcome of those efforts—of creating schools and providing diverse social and cultural services that bring people together people from diverse backgrounds—has been to provide the face of civic and civil Islam as an antidote to the uglier side of political Islam. \nThe second goal has been to make clear how the accusations against Mr. Gulen by the minions of Turkey`s President could hardly be more false: that what Gulen and the Hizmet (service) movement that he has inspired are ultimately about is improving the world and saving it from its uglier inclinations. A brief discussion of his life and thought has been supplemented by the voices of more than 70 interviews conducted over several years\, with individuals intimate and more distant but all inspired to be part of the process of serving humanity. \n  \nEvent Video \n\n  \nAbout the Author: \n \nOri Z. Soltes teaches at Georgetown University across a range of disciplines\, from art history and theology to philosophy and political history. He is the former Director of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum and has curated more than 85 exhibitions there and in other venues across the country and overseas. He has authored or edited 25 books and several hundred articles and essays. Recent volumes include “Our Sacred Signs: How Jewish\, Christian\, and Muslim Art Draw from the Same Source”; “Searching for Oneness: Mysticism in Judaism\, Christianity\, and Islam”; “Untangling the Web: Why the Middle East is a Mess and Always Has Been”; “Tradition and Transformation: Three Millennia of Jewish Art & Architecture”; and “God and the Goalposts: A Brief History of Religion\, Sports\, Politics\, War\, and Art”.
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/in-person-book-talk-between-thought-action/
LOCATION:National Press Club\, 529 14th St NW-13th Floor\, Ballroom\, Washington\, DC\, 20045\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Past Events,Speaker Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/BETWEEN-THOUGHT-ACTION.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220929T183000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220929T200000
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20220914T180132Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221006T160750Z
UID:19149-1664476200-1664481600@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:In-Person Book Talk: "Hearts & Minds"
DESCRIPTION:This in-person book talked about a comparative and qualitative study of an educational phenomenon\, Hizmet\, functioning worldwide. \nDr. Parrillo and Dr. Ansari present a cross-cultural study of Hizmet schools in seven countries of varying histories and ethnic compositions. Some are fairly homogeneous\, while others are longstanding multicultural\, multiracial societies. Some have Muslim-majority populations\, others a small Muslim minority. Through hundreds of interviews with students\, parents\, staff\, and financial supporters\, the authors explored individual perceptions and experiences\, as well as the triad of student/parent/school interaction. Analyzing the commonality of the schools’ structures and processes in different settings\, they offer their insights about the schools’ success in achieving their twin goals of offering quality education and promoting interethnic harmony. \nAuthor: \n \nVincent N. Parrillo is the author of numerous books and journal articles\, some of them translated into ten languages. He is a Professor Emeritus of sociology at William Paterson University and a Fulbright Scholar and Fulbright Senior Specialist. An internationally recognized expert on immigration\, he is the author of two historical novels about Ellis Island: Guardians of the Gate and Defenders of Freedom. His newest book is Hearts and Minds: Hizmet Schools and Interethnic Relations. He is also the executive producer\, writer\, and narrator of six award-winning PBS television documentaries: Ellis Island: Gateway to America; Smokestacks and Steeples: A Portrait of Paterson; Gaetano Federici: The Sculptor Laureate of Paterson; Paterson and Its People; Silk City Artists and Musicians\, and Paterson: A Delicious Destination. \nActive in community theater\, he directed the Sondheim musical Follies in May 2022 for the Players Guild of Leonia\, where he has directed numerous mainstage productions of all genres (comedies\, dramas\, musicals)\, as well as appearing in others. He also directed The Comedy of Errors in July 2015 at Bergen County Overpeck Park.
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/in-person-book-talk-hearts-minds/
LOCATION:National Press Club\, 529 14th St NW-13th Floor\, Ballroom\, Washington\, DC\, 20045\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Speaker Series,Upcoming Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Untitled-design-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220314T180000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220314T193000
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20220207T173231Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220407T153349Z
UID:18477-1647280800-1647286200@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:In-Person Book Talk: "I Never Thought of It That Way"
DESCRIPTION:We think we have the answers\, but we need to be asking a lot more questions. \nPartisanship is up\, trust is down\, and our social media feeds make us sure we’re right and everyone else is ignorant (or worse). But avoiding and attacking one another is breaking… everything. \nJournalist Mónica Guzmán is the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who voted—twice—for Donald Trump. When the country could no longer see straight across the political divide\, Mónica set out to find what was blinding us and discovered the most eye-opening tool we’re not using: our own curiosity. \nIn this timely\, personal guide\, Mónica Guzmán\, takes you to the real front lines of a crisis that threatens to grind America to a halt—broken conversations among confounded people. She shows you how to overcome the fear and certainty that surround us to finally do what only seems impossible: understand and even learn from people in your life whose whole worldview is different from or even opposed to yours. \nEvent Video \n\n  \nAbout the book: “I Never Thought of It That Way“ \nDrawing from cross-partisan conversations she’s had\, organized\, or witnessed everywhere from the echo chambers on social media to the wheat fields in Oregon to raw\, unfiltered fights with her own family on election night\, Mónica shows how you can put your natural sense of wonder to work for you immediately\, finding the answers you need by talking with people—rather than about them—and asking the questions you want\, curiously.  \nIn these pages\, you’ll learn:  \n • How to ask what you really want to know (even if you’re afraid to) \n • How to grow smarter from even the tensest interactions\, online or off \n • How to cross boundaries and find common ground—with anyone \nWhether you’re left\, right\, center\, or not a fan of labels: If you’re ready to fight back against the confusion\, heartbreak\, and madness of our dangerously divided times—in your own life\, at least—Mónica’s got the tools and fresh\, surprising insights to prove that seeing where people are coming from isn’t just possible. It’s easier than you think. \nEvent Photos \n[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”398″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] \nAuthor\n \nMónica Guzmán is the Director of Digital and Storytelling at Braver Angels\, a nonprofit working to depolarize America and host of the Crosscut interview series Northwest Newsmakers. She was a 2019 fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation\, where she studied social and political division\, and a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University\, where she studied how journalists can better meet the needs of a participatory public. \nMónica lives for great conversations sparked by curious questions. Before committing to the project of helping people understand each other across the political divide\, Mónica cofounded the award-winning Seattle newsletter The Evergrey and led a national network of groundbreaking local newsletters as VP of Local for WhereBy.Us. She was named one of the 50 most influential women in Seattle\, served twice as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes\, and plays a barbarian named Shadrack in her besties’ Dungeons & Dragons campaign. \nDiscussant\n \nBrian Allain founded and leads Writing for Your Life\, a resource center and conference for spiritual writers\, which includes the Publishing in Color conference series\, intended to increase the number of books published by spiritual writers of color. Brian also founded and leads the teams that produce Compassionate Christianity and How to Heal Our Divides. Previously Brian served as Founding Director of the Frederick Buechner Center where he led the launch of Mr. Buechner’s online presence and established several new programs and strategic partnerships.  \nBrian has developed and led spiritual writers conferences at Princeton Theological Seminary\, Drew Theological Seminary\, Western Theological Seminary\, the University of Southern California\, Belmont University\, New Brunswick Seminary\, and several churches. He led the publishing effort for the book Buechner 101: An Introduction to Frederick Buechner\, in collaboration with Anne Lamott\, and also the book How to Heal Our Divides. All of this is a second career\, coming after business and technology leadership in high-tech. Brian has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania\, where he was designated a Palmer Scholar\, their highest academic award.
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/i-never-thought-of-it-that-way/
LOCATION:Church of the Holy City\, 1611 16th Street\, NW\, Washington\, DC\, 20009\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Past Events,Speaker Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/I-Never-Thought-Of-It-That-Way-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20211209T183000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20211209T200000
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20211123T173852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211216T194529Z
UID:18154-1639074600-1639080000@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:In-Person Book Talk: "People of the Book"
DESCRIPTION:On December 9\, 2021\, participants joined this in-person book talk for a considered study of Muslim–Christian coexistence and dialogue in the time of Prophet Muhammad. \nThe Christians that lived around the Arabian Peninsula during Muhammad’s lifetime are shrouded in mystery. Some of the stories of the Prophet’s interactions with them are based on legends and myths\, while others are more authentic and plausible. But who exactly were these Christians? Why did Muhammad interact with them as he reportedly did? And what lessons can today’s Christians and Muslims learn from these encounters? \n  \nScholar Craig Considine\, one of the most powerful global voices speaking in admiration of the prophet of Islam\, provides answers to these questions. Through a careful study of works by historians and theologians\, he highlights an idea central to Muhammad’s vision: an inclusive Ummah\, or Muslim nation\, rooted in citizenship rights\, interfaith dialogue\, and freedom of conscience\, religion\, and speech. In this unprecedented sociological analysis of one of history’s most influential human beings\, Considine offers groundbreaking insight that could redefine Christian and Muslim relations. \nYou can find more information about the book here. \nAbout the author\nDr. Craig Considine is an award-winning professor and the best–selling author of The Humanity of Muhammad–A Christian View (2020). He is recognized as an authority in interfaith dialogue\, particularly Christian and Muslim relations. Dr. Considine has written seven books for the field of Islamic studies\, including People of the Book–Prophet Muhammad’s Encounter with Christians (2021)\, Muslims in America: Examining the Facts (2018)\, and Islam\, Race\, & Pluralism in the Pakistani Diaspora (2017). \n  \nThroughout the years\, Dr. Considine’s peer-reviewed articles have appeared in Sociology and Religions and his op-eds have been published in Newsweek and Foreign Policy. Dr. Considine’s opinions appear regularly in the leading news and media outlets around the world. He also has experience in filmmaking\, having directed the critically acclaimed documentary film Journey into America. Dr. Considine has spoken to audiences for Oxford University\, the University of Edinburgh\, Trinity College Dublin\, the University of Dublin\, and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (Doha). He is a practicing Roman Catholic with ancestral roots mainly in Sant’Elia Fiumerapido and Monacilioni\, Italy and Lisdoonvarna\, Ireland\, but also England and Scotland. Craig is a native of Needham\, Massachusetts. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Trinity College Dublin\, the University of Dublin\, an MSc Lond. in international relations from Royal Holloway\, the University of London\, and a BA in international relations from American University in Washington\, DC. \nEvent Video
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/people-of-the-book/
LOCATION:Busboys and Poets – 450K\, 450 K St. NW\, Washington\, DC\, 20001\, United States
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Past Events,Speaker Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/People-of-the-Book-2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20211028T183000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20211028T200000
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20210930T194005Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211216T194349Z
UID:18019-1635445800-1635451200@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:In-Person Book Talk: "God`s Diplomats"
DESCRIPTION:Using inside sources and extensive field reporting about the secretive\, high-stakes world of international diplomacy\, Vatican reporter Victor Gaetan takes readers to the Holy See to explicate Pope Francis‘s diplomacy\, show why it works\, and offer readers a startling contrast to the dangerous inadequacies of recent U.S. international decisions.  \nYou can find more information about the book here. \n \n  \nAbout the author\nVictor Gaetan\, Ph.D.\, has served as an international correspondent for Catholic News Service and the National Catholic Register. He contributes to Foreign Affairs and America magazine. He has written from Asia\, Europe\, Latin America\, and the Middle East—experiences that provided a wealth of contacts with the notoriously tight-lipped papal diplomatic corps. He gathered rare insight in the Vatican Secret Archives\, which is not open to the public. \nFor over 20 years he has filed stories from countries in turmoil: Bosnia-Herzegovina\, Cuba\, Lebanon\, Kosovo\, Peru\, Turkey\, and Ukraine as well as from Hong Kong\, Korea\, and Taiwan. He has received numerous awards from the Catholic Press Association of North America and has written for secular publications ranging from Art & Auction to Le Figaro. \nGaetan received a Ph.D. in Ideology in Literature from Tufts University; a master`s degree from the Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy (MALD)\, and a license in Byzantine and Ottoman Studies from Sorbonne University in Paris (comparable to a BA). \nAbout the discussant\nMartine Miller is the Vice President of International Center for Religion & Diplomacy and a mediator and conflict transformation specialist with over 20 years of engaged experience—with communities\, governments\, regional bodies (i.e. EU\, AU\, and ASEAN)\, UN agencies\, a range of inter/national non-governmental organizations and academic institutions. Her work has engaged her directly in fluid war to post-war reconstruction and development contexts across 70 countries in Africa\, Asia\, and the Pacific\, West to East Europe\, and North and South America. \n  \nEvent Video \n\nEvent Photos\n[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”396\,397″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″]
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/gods-diplomats/
LOCATION:Alex Galleries\, 2106 R St.\, NW\, Washington\, DC\, 20008
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Past Events,Speaker Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Gods-Diplomats.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20210729T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20210729T201500
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20210723T030327Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210810T185047Z
UID:17814-1627585200-1627589700@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:Book Talk: Peace in the Age of Chaos
DESCRIPTION: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. \n“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. \nSpeaker \n 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. \n“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. \nDiscussant \nChic 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. \n“His career began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia\, and his memoir\, Exhaust the Limits\, the Life and Times of a Global Peacebuilder\, features a lifetime of service and successful initiatives for peace in Africa. He was nominated for the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize\, and the Institute for Economics and Peace presented him with the Leadership and Service for Peace Award in 2016. He was named the “2016 Peace Corps Champion” for keeping the spirit of service alive. His TEDx Talk “Why Not Peace” is available on YouTube. He was a national champion kayak racer and served as an official for canoe and kayak competitions in the 1988\, 1992\, and 1996 Olympic Games. \nFull Event Video
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/peace-in-the-age-of-chaos/
LOCATION:DC
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Past Events,Speaker Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Peace-in-the-age-of-chaos.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20210624T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20210624T201500
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20210602T060216Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211202T162109Z
UID:17599-1624561200-1624565700@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:Book Talk: No Power Over God's Bounty
DESCRIPTION:The Qur’an often addresses Jews and Christians as “People of Scripture” to indicate that they have received revelation from God. Yet\, while acknowledging the special relationship and knowledge that this revelation brings\, the Qur’an at the same time criticizes the People of Scripture for not remaining true to God’s guidance and claiming special power over God’s gifts. The mixture of acknowledgment and criticism is based on actual encounters with Jews and Christians at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an. This Christian commentary on the 31 texts in which the Qur’an discusses and addresses the People of Scripture includes the Muslim tradition of interpretation of these texts and adds Christian resonances in order to contribute to the future dialogue between Muslims and Christians on the common heritage and the differences between them. \nSpeaker: \nDr. Pim Valkenberg studied theology and religious studies in the Netherlands\, where he was involved in the dialogue between the three Abrahamic religions at the Radboud University of Nijmegen where he worked for twenty years until he came to the United States with his family to work at Loyola University Maryland and\, since 2011\, the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. His fields of specialization are comparative theology\, interreligious dialogue\, and Christian – Muslim relations. Among his publications are World Religions in Dialogue (2014\, 2017)\, Renewing Islam By Service: A Christian View of Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet Movement (2015)\, and Nostra Aetate: Celebrating Fifty Years of the Catholic Church’s Dialogue with Jews and Muslims (2016). His latest book is published in 2021 by Peeters in Leuven: No Power over God’s Bounty: A Christian Commentary on the “People of Scripture” in the Qur’ān. \n  \nDiscussant:\nDr. Zeki Saritoprak is Professor and the Bediüzzaman Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies at John Carroll University. He holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Theology from the University of Marmara in Turkey. Professor Saritoprak is the author of Islam’s Jesus (University Press of Florida\, 2014) and over thirty academic articles and encyclopedia entries on topics in Islam. He has served as guest editor for issues of the journals Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations and the Muslim World. He is editor and co-translator of Fundamentals of Rumi’s Thought: A Mevlevi Sufi Perspective (in English; New Jersey: The Light\, 2004) and the editor of a critical edition of al-Sarakhsi’s Sifat Ashrat al-Sa’a (in Arabic; Cairo\, 1993). He is currently preparing a book on Islamic spirituality tentatively titled Islamic Spirituality: Theology and Practice for the Modern World. \nFull Event Video
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/no-power-over-gods-bounty/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Past Events,Speaker Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/No-Power-over-Gods-Bounty-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20210603T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20210603T191500
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20210520T153051Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210810T232730Z
UID:17567-1622743200-1622747700@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:Book Talk: Islamophobia: What Christians Should Know (and Do) about Anti-Muslim Discrimination
DESCRIPTION: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 groundbreaking 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 social justice and a religious freedom issue\, Duffner makes the case that the 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. \nSpeaker/Author \n \nJordan 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 Ph.D. in theology and religious studies at Georgetown University and is an associate of the Bridge Initiative. \n  \nModerator  \nSusan Douglass received a Ph.D. 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. \nFull Event Video
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/islamophobia-what-christians-should-know-and-do-about-anti-muslim-discrimination/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Past Events,Speaker Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Islamophobia.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200707
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200708
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20200717T070942Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210408T191052Z
UID:17360-1594080000-1594166399@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:We Refuse to be Enemies: How Muslims and Jews can make Peace\, One Friendship at a Time
DESCRIPTION:On Tuesday\, July 7\, Sabeeha Rehman and Walter Ruby shared the wonderful story of their upcoming book\, “We Refuse to be Enemies”\, about how the paths of a Muslim woman and a Jewish man crossed and led to a joint endeavour for a meaningful purpose. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nSabeeha Rehman and Walter Ruby\, a Muslim-American woman of Pakistani origin and a Jewish-American man who spent his formative years in Israel\, will share their story of how they connected and embarked on a mission to bring their respective communities together in their common homeland\, America. \n\n\n\nGrowing up in Pakistan\, Sabeeha never met a Jew\, her view colored by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In his youth\, Walter never met a Muslim\, his opinion shaped by Leon Uris’s Exodus. What changed their perceptions? How did they fare in nurturing Muslim-Jewish communication and cooperation? Sabeeha and Walter will share their experiences of facing pushback from their communities\, overcoming obstacles and bringing together Muslims and Jews to explore unexpected commonalities between their faiths; to work together to help people in need and stand together against bigotry. Finally\, they will offer their vision for reconciliation. \n\n\n\nSabeeha and Walter have co-authored a book\, We Refuse to be Enemies. How Muslims and Jews can make Peace\, One Friendship at a Time\, due for publication in Spring 2021. It is their hope that this book will inspire people of all faiths and ethnicities to reach out to each other and heal our nation. \n\n\n\nSpeakers of the Event\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSABEEHA REHMAN is the author of the 2016 memoir\, “Threading My Prayer Rug. One Woman’s Journey from Pakistani Muslim to American Muslim\,”  Short-Listed for the 2018 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing\, the book also received several other nominations and awards. She is also an op-ed contributor to the Wall Street Journal and New York Daily News. In the early 1980s\, concerned about raising her sons as Muslims in the absence of a Muslim community\, she set to work\, and her commitment culminated in the building of a mosque on Staten Island where her family lived. Sabeeha\, who holds a Masters in Healthcare Administration\, served as a hospital executive for 25 years.  Thereafter\, responding to her grandson’s autism diagnosis\, she co-founded the NY Chapter of the National Autism Association and served as its President from 2008-11. As a public speaker\, she has spent several decades engaging in interfaith dialogue and now serves as a board member of the Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee as well as the NY Chapter of the National Autism Association. She blogs on topics related to American Muslim experience at www.sabeeharehman.com/blog. She lives in New York City with her husband Khalid\, a retired Hematologist/Oncologist. \n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n WALTER RUBY is a veteran activist in Muslim-Jewish relations. From 2008-2017\, in the position of Muslim-Jewish Relations Director at the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding\, he organized hundreds of twinning events; bringing together thousands of Jews and Muslims in over 30 countries on five continents\, including members of mosques and synagogues and Muslim and Jewish organizations. Ruby presently serves as executive director of Jews\, Muslims and Allies Acting Together (JAMAAT)\, a grassroots community of Muslim\, Jewish and Interfaith activists in Greater Washington; and as Coordinator of the Washington Area Chapter of Project Rozana\, which works to strengthen ties between Israelis and Palestinians through health care. Ruby is currently co-authoring a book with Muslim-American author Sabeeha Rehman entitled We Refuse To Be Enemies: How Muslims and Jews Can Make Peace\, One Friendship at a Time. Ruby has worked as a reporter and commentator for more than 40 years\, mainly for American Jewish and Israeli publications. His articles and op-eds have appeared in the New York Times\, Wall Street Journal\, Los Angeles Times\, USA Today and other media. Walter lives in Washington\, D.C. with his wife Tatayna.
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/we-refuse-to-be-enemies-how-muslims-and-jews-can-make-peace-one-friendship-at-a-time/
LOCATION:DC
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Speaker Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/We-Refuse-to-be-Enemies_-e1592422245281.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191113
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191114
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20191114T191153Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210408T191319Z
UID:17363-1573603200-1573689599@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:Free to Believe: The Battle Over Religious Liberty in America
DESCRIPTION:A Fresh Perspective on Religious Freedom from One of the Nation’s Top Attorneys. \n\n\n\nOn Wednesday\, November 14\, Rumi Forum had the honor to host Luke Goodrich of Becket Law for a talk about his latest book\, Free to Believe. Goodrich discussed why religious freedom is important and how it can be defended in contemporary America. \n\n\n\n \n\nMany Americans feel like their religious freedoms are under attack and their beliefs will soon be punished as a form of bigotry. Others say these fears are overblown and Christians should stop complaining about imaginary persecution. \nIn Free to Believe\, leading religious freedom attorney Luke Goodrich challenges both sides of this debate\, offering surprising insights on the most controversial religious freedom conflicts today—including gay rights\, abortion rights\, Islam\, and the public square. Goodrich shows that threats to religious freedom are real—but they might not be what you think.As a lawyer at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty\, Goodrich has won several historic Supreme Court victories for clients like the Little Sisters of the Poor and Hobby Lobby. Combining frontline experience with faithful attention to Scripture\, Goodrich offers a groundbreaking book—full of clear insight\, practical wisdom\, and refreshing hope for all people of faith.
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/free-to-believe-the-battle-over-religious-liberty-in-america/
LOCATION:DC
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Speaker Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Free-to-Believe-25.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191007
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191008
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20191017T220806Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210408T191627Z
UID:17365-1570406400-1570492799@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:Book Talk and Discussion: Fethullah Gulen: A Life of Hizmet
DESCRIPTION:On October 7\, 2019\, Rumi Forum hosted author Dr. Jon Pahl for a book talk and discussion on his recent biography of Rumi Forum’s Honorary President Fethullah Gulen. The event was moderated by Ori Z. Soltes from Georgetown University. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this first critical biography of Fethullah Gülen in English\, historian Dr. Jon Pahl took us on a journey where we discovered wisdom and controversy\, from 1940’s Turkey to the U.S. in the twenty-first century. Dr. Pahl told the story of a pious Muslim boy from a tiny and remote Turkish village who on the one hand has inspired a global movement of millions of individuals dedicated to literacy\, social enterprise\, and interreligious dialogue\, but who on the other hand has been monitored by Turkish police\, seen as a threat by autocrats\, and recently declared number one enemy by the current Turkish government. With lively prose and extensive research\, Dr. Pahl traces Fethullah Gülen’s life and thought in its contexts\, states clearly his own positions\, and then lets readers draw their own conclusions from the evidence about this undeniably significant historical figure.In his book\, Dr. Pahl weaves this fascinating life into a narrative marked by five key elements\, patterns\, or relationships in Gülen’s life: integrity of participation in the nonviolent practices of Islam; principled pluralism—manifest in a commitment to dialogue; engaged empathy—deep feeling for the suffering of the world\, and willingness to engage on behalf of alleviating that suffering; a commitment to spiritual and scientific literacy; and an organizational model of social enterprise. Dr. Pahl\, a strong believer of religions as catalysts for peace\, crafts through the story of Gülen and the Hizmet Movement an introduction to Islam for non-Muslim readers\, for the questions he brings to Gülen’s life story are also the questions others bring to Islam more broadly.   \n\n\n\nAuthor and Speaker: \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJon Pahl is a historian of religions\, a public theologian\, and an award-winning teacher\, pastor\, and community activist. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School. Dr. Pahl has spoken with audiences around the globe\, in addition to his work with diverse community groups. Dr. Pahl is the author or editor of six books\, including “Shopping Malls and Other Sacred Spaces: Putting God in Place” (Wipf and Stock) and “Empire of Sacrifice: The Religious Origins of American Violence” (NYU). He is working on a book with the title “A Coming Religious Peace.”
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/book-talk-and-discussion-fethullah-gulen-a-life-of-hizmet/
LOCATION:DC
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Speaker Series
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190404
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190405
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20190404T194519Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211214T173225Z
UID:17392-1554336000-1554422399@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:Book Talk: "City of Peace" by Henry G. Brinton
DESCRIPTION:On April 4\, 2019\, Rumi Forum and ATFA hosted Henry Brinton to talk about his new book “City of Peace”.  The talk was on Rev. Henry Brinton’s mystery novel “City of Peace\,” hosted by Rumi Forum\, American Turkish Friendship Association\, and Ezher Mosque. The book features Christians and Muslims in the town of Occoquan\, Virginia\, and is a gripping and fast-paced mystery that will engage people politically and spiritually\, leaving them with fresh insight into how they can overcome polarizing divisions among people of different cultures and faiths. \nSpeakers: \nHenry G. Brinton is an author and a Presbyterian pastor who has written on religion and culture for The New York Times\, The Washington Post\, USA Today\, and Huffington Post. His interfaith work and appreciation for the wisdom of the ancient world began on an archaeological dig in the Galilee region of Israel\, while he was a college student. In his writing and ministry\, Henry is committed to building bridges between people of diverse cultures\, religions\, and political positions.
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/book-event-city-of-peace-by-henry-g-brinton/
LOCATION:DC
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Past Events,Speaker Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/City-of-Peace-by-Henry-G-Brinton.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20181005
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20181006
DTSTAMP:20260426T190404
CREATED:20181005T195018Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211214T194855Z
UID:17398-1538697600-1538783999@rumiforum.org
SUMMARY:Book Talk: "Jesus in Islam"
DESCRIPTION:On October 5\, 2018\, Dr. Zeki Saritoprak’s talk examined the place of Jesus in the Qu’ran and Hadiths. He explored Islamic theological perspectives on Jesus\, including classical and contemporary theologians’ views of Jesus.  Dr. Saritoprak also discussed the different theological views of the descent. Finally\, he addressed the important role that Jesus can play in interfaith dialogue. \nAbout the Author: \nZeki Saritoprak\, Ph.D.\, is Professor and the Bediüzzaman Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies at John Carroll University. He holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Theology from the University of Marmara in Turkey. Professor Saritoprak is the author of Islam’s Jesus (University Press of Florida\, 2014) and over thirty academic articles and encyclopedia entries on topics in Islam. He has served as guest editor for issues of the journals Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations and the Muslim World. He is editor and co-translator of Fundamentals of Rumi’s Thought: A Mevlevi Sufi Perspective (in English; New Jersey: The Light\, 2004) and the editor of a critical edition of al-Sarakhsi’s Sifat Ashrat al-Sa’a (in Arabic; Cairo\, 1993). He is currently preparing a book on Islamic spirituality tentatively titled Islamic Spirituality: Theology and Practice for the Modern World. \nFull Event Video \n\nEvent Photo \n \n 
URL:https://rumiforum.org/event/jesus-in-islam/
LOCATION:DC
CATEGORIES:Book Talks,Past Events,Speaker Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rumiforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/jessus-in-islam-post-pic.jpg
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END:VCALENDAR