Rumi Forum organized an Abrahamic Table Discussion on “Selfless and Sacrifice” in partnership with the American Turkish Friendship Association (ATFA).
Imam Yahya Hendi is the Muslim Chaplain at Georgetown University, the first American University to hire a full-time Muslim chaplain. Imam Hendi is a Public Policy Conflict Resolution Fellow of the Center for Dispute Resolution of the University of Maryland School of Law and the Maryland Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office. Imam Hendi is the founder and the President of Clergy Beyond Borders. He also serves as a member of the Islamic Jurisprudence Council of North America. Mr. Hendi’s undergraduate education was in Islamic Studies and his graduate education was in comparative religions with interest in Christianity, Judaism, comparative religions and inter-religious dialogue and relations. Imam Hendi often visits and lectures at churches and synagogues hoping to create a new positive relationship between the followers of the three Abrahamic religions. In 2012, Imam Yahya Hendi was named as one of the world’s 500 most influential Muslims for his work as an interfaith dialogue activist and trainer.
The Rev. Tim Tutt is the Senior Minister at the Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ in Bethesda, MD. He is a native of Longview, Texas, and a graduate of Baylor University and Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to entering the seminary, he worked on Capitol Hill as a Legislative Assistant. After seminary, he served as Protestant Chaplain at Georgetown University for a school year. From June of 2001 until July of 2012, Tim served as Senior Pastor of United Christian Church in Austin, Texas. Tim is active in Action in Montgomery and the College of Pastoral Leaders at Austin Presbyterian Seminary. He serves on the Board of Reach Beyond Mission and on various denomination committees. He is an occasional writer at OnFaith.
Rabbi Doug Heifetz serves as the Rabbi of Oseh Shalom, a Reconstructionist Jewish congregation in Laurel, Maryland. He is currently the President of the Washington Board of Rabbis and has served as a founding steering committee member for Interfaith Worker Justice of Maryland. He is the co-founder of Mosaicverse, a forthcoming web and mobile service for the sharing and discussion of the sacred writings of the world’s faith tradition. He speaks and writes about spiritual, Jewish and social topics of interest, often including tikkun olam, social and economic justice, cultivating gratitude, environmental sustainability, wellness and health, and political reconciliation. Rabbi Heifetz received a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University, where he completed an internationally oriented liberal arts program, focused on Middle Eastern Regional Studies. He also obtained a Certificate in Peace and Justice Studies. After graduation, he worked as a union organizer helping low-income working people to pursue social justice.