Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society, Sahar Taman, Managing Editor
1. A Program of the National Peace Foundation
with the Islamic Society of North America
A Program of the National Peace Foundation
with the Islamic Society of North America
2. The National Peace Foundation is committed to solving problems and
preventing conflict through community peacebuilding and citizen
empowerment to build the institutions of civil society.
3. Dedication…
Poetry is but Life’s reflection, for nothing is experienced that is not the Poet’s creation
“Life’s Reflection”, 1917
Abd ElLatif ElNashar, Poet of Alexandria, Egypt, (1895 – 1972)
ReflectionsandExperiencesofReligionandSocietyisdedicated
to all the poets; the writers of prose, the essayists, who share
with us their experiences and creations in this publication.
4. Editor and Managing Editor: Sahar Taman, Project Director, Religion and Society Program, National Peace Foundation
Consulting Editor: Manal Radwan, Consultant, Religion and Society Program, NPF
Advising Editor: Mohamed Elsanousi, Director of Communications and Community Outreach, Islamic Society of North
America (ISNA), Office for Interfaith and Community Alliances
Associate Editors:
Jenny Greer, Deputy Executive Director, NPF
Vince Isner, President, VIP Media
Collin Lever, Intern, ISNA
Amanda Mouttaki, Associate Project Manager, Religion and Society Program, NPF
Sadie Polttila, Associate Project Manager, Religion and Society Program, NPF
Yasmin Shafiq, Administrative Assistant, ISNA
Jodi Wolk, Minnesota State Public Affairs Director, National Council of Jewish Women
Copy Editor: Melissa Davies
Arabic English Translation: Youcef Beghoul, Constantine, Algeria
Other Arabic English Translation: Asmah Mallik, Chokri Ouaari
Photo Editors and Major Photo Contributors:
Iman Basha Soliman
Vince Isner
Laila Jadallah
Ammar Ouda
Sadie Polttila
Tammy L. Spaulding
Cecilie Surasky
Sahar Taman
Graphic Design:
Tammy L. Spaulding, Waukesha, WI
Printing: Cedar Graphics, Hiawatha, IA
National Peace Foundation
1100 G Street, NW, Suite 202
Washington, DC 20005 202-783-7030
www.nationalpeace.org
The Islamic Society of North America
Office for Interfaith and Community Alliances
110 Maryland Avenue NE, Suite 304
Washington, DC 20002 202-544-5656
www.isna.net
6. Table of Contents
Table of Contents
From the National Peace Foundation
From the Islamic Society of North America
Note from the Project Director, Sahar Taman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 10
The Religion and Society Program: An Experiential Workshop Sahar Taman . . page 11
Dignity of Difference Manal Radwan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 18
Interfaith Dialogue: the International Model Mohamed Elsanousi . . . . . . . . . page 26
Getting it Done on the Ground Sadie Polttila . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 30
The Delegates of the Religion and Society Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 32
Religious Perspectives on the “Other” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 46
The Monopoly of Salvation Ghada Ghazal
Oneness of Humanity in Action Aisha Rafea
Reflection on Interfaith Dialogue in Egypt and Syria Reverend Kent Johnson
Jewish-Muslim Dialogue is Tikkun Olam Rabbi Jeremy Schneider
“To Know One Another” - from Theory to Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 59
The Sons of Abraham Ahmed Raef
A Ghostly Presence in the Arab World Terry Taylor
We Refuse to be Enemies Cecilie Surasky
The Key to Interfaith Dialogue: “Authentic” Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 67
The Fruits of a Journey to America Hend ElSayed Hani
A Case for Conflict Vince Isner
The Key to Dialogue is Not to Say the Things that Others Want to Hear Shereen Aly
Diversity, Identity, and the Quest for Coexistence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 76
The Sun Rises From the West Hamdi Abdelaziz Shehab
Testimony to Religion and Society in America Fathi Al-Dhafri
We Need “Tolerance” to Live Together Khaled AlRammah
7. Educating Against Prejudice Sanja Seferovic Drnovsek
Iranian Identity in the United States Zohreh Ghavamshahidi
The United States: Between Politics and Humanism Ra’ed Fawzi Ihmoud
I Saw America Sayed Deafallah
The Heart of Interfaith Dialogue: Difficult Conversation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 95
Learning through Experience Samar Shawki ElSeadawy
My Participation in the Religion and Society Program Shadya Al-Hobeishi
On Stereotypes and Difficult Conversation Maryam Mohamed
Three Days with the Interfaith Delegation in Damascus Samah Al-Jundi
Beyond All Our Diversities and Differences Mohammad Halawa
Reflections of “Self” through the Mirror of the Arab World . . . . . . . . . . . . page 107
Why I am Involved John Musselman
Reflections on a Short Tour in Egypt Reverend Jay T. Rock
Or Lagoyim: A Light to All Nations Jodi Wolk
My First Glimpse of the Arab World Moushumi Khan
The Experience of Interfaith Dialogue in the Arab World . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 117
Dine With the Unconventional Sheikh Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Nuaimi
The Relationship between Muslims and Christians in Syria Dr. Rufaida AlHabash
Reflections from the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 121
Educating About My Culture Shadi Ramadan
My Cousin Nailah Max Wolk
My Cousin Max Nailah Taman
You Have Your Religion and I Have Mine Badr Alkaabi
A Short Glossary compiled by Amanda Mouttaki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 130
Hosts, Guests, Speakers and Other Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 134
Organizations Visited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 141
Table of Contents
8. The National Peace Foundation (NPF), founded in 1982, is an international non-governmental
organization committed to building the institutions of civil society, and preventing and resolving
conflict through community peacebuilding and citizen empowerment. Since 2006, NPF has had the
opportunity to participate as a grantee of the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs, conducting the Religion and Society Program.This important program fosters better
understandingbetweenMuslimsfromtheArabworldandcitizensoftheUnitedStatesbyprovidingdirect
exposure to the religions, cultures, and social practices of our societies and perhaps most importantly,
our collective human spirit.
At the heart of our project were two citizen exchange elements. Delegations from the Arab Muslim world
came to the U.S. with the goal of improving their understanding of Muslim life in the United States, while
also experiencing the rich diversity of religious plurality in America. Likewise, a multi-religious delegation
of Americans went to the Middle East to gain new insights into how religion interfaces with society in
the Arab Muslim world. In so doing, participants had opportunity to achieve the depth of understanding
and empathy essential to conflict prevention and social recovery. Participants had unique individual
experiences that will help them expand their personal understanding of their role in society and the
global community. Perhaps most importantly, the participants had an opportunity to witness the
practice of the three Abrahamic religions in different contexts, to see what we share in common, and
where we can embrace and understand our differences.
Helping us along this three-year journey, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has been an
invaluable partner. Their insights, sensitivity, and expertise were essential to achieving the program
goals. Together, NPF and ISNA have cultivated relationships between countries and cultures. The
professionalism of the delegates contributed to the quality of the programming, and resulted in a richly
rewarding experience for each delegation.
Our Program Officer from the United States Department of State, Tom Johnston, Senior Exchanges
Specialist at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, provided his knowledge, experience, and
mentoring which were of incalculable value. Without his sage guidance, our program could not have
succeeded.
Our program was not without controversy. Fostering joint engagement between American and Middle
Eastern participants engendered disharmony and even hostility to the core program principles by some
groups and individuals who consider these types of efforts to be contrary to U.S. national policy interests.
Some raised concerns about the value of these kinds of exchange programs, while others oppose any
culturalordiplomaticengagementwiththeMuslimworld.Wheneverpossible,andwheretheopportunity
for rational discourse was available, we engaged in dialogue with those who challenged the value of
these programs. Disagreement is the stone that helps us sharpen our thinking, improve our programs,
and enhance our sensitivity to other points of view. As an organization dedicated to promoting mutual
understanding, the dissent to our effort afforded us the opportunity to practice the conflict reduction
principles we preach and provided, to our delegates, a more complete understanding of this dimension
of U.S. political life – an important aspect of understanding the rich diversity of U.S. public opinion.
We encourage you to read this publication, see how the program developed over time, and read the
engaging firsthand reports. We hope this report will help you achieve a deeper understanding of the
importance of this kind of intercultural exchange – an exchange that is essential if we are to tear down
the wall of misunderstanding and doubt that exists between our societies. Without a rich and personal
understanding of our respective cultures, it will be impossible to open the critically important channels
of communication needed to address the present-day conflicts that seem so persistent and intractable,
but will inevitably yield with human understanding.
Lee Feldman, Executive Director Sarah Harder, Chair and President
BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Richard T. Arndt, ex officio ♦ Lee Feldman ♦ Anne Gray ♦ Sarah Harder ♦ Cathy Sultan ♦ Peter Wadsworth
Sarah Harder
President
Lee Feldman
Executive Director
Advisory Board
Richard T. Arndt
Co-Chair, Advisory Board
Howard Zucker, MD/JD
Co-Chair, Advisory Board
Olga Bessolova
President,
Russian Association of
University Women, Moscow
Betty Bumpers
Founder, Peace Links
Every Child By Two
David Cohen
Advocacy Institute
John P. “Jack” Dunfey
Chair, Global Citizens Circle
and The Dunfey Group
Roger Fisher
Harvard University
Herbert C. Kelman, PhD
Harvard University
Rula Qalyoubi Kemp, PhD
University of Wisconsin
Rukudzo Murapa
Vice Chancellor,
Africa University
Zimbabwe
M. J. Rosenberg
Author, IPF Friday
Abdul Aziz Said, PhD
The American University
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
South Africa
Thomas C. Westropp
Former Chair,
National Peace Foundation
The Honorable Andrew Young
Good Works International
9.
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has been honored to be a part of the Religion and Society Program with the National
Peace Foundation (NPF) from 2006 to 2009.When ISNA first signed on to the project, we knew that it had special relevance for the
Muslim community here in the United States. The program was a way to showcase the achievements, and really the existence, of
Muslims in different geographic and social sectors of America. We feel that the exchange brought so much dialogue into the lives
and communities of all participants involved, from the first one in June of 2007 to the last one in July of 2009.
These exchanges have been a way for people from all walks of life to interact and learn about the nuances of religion, faith, society,
and community. The fact that participants from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, and the UAE were able to come
and learn so much about American Muslims and walk away with a better understanding of life in the United States was a great
enough reason for ISNA to wholeheartedly support this project and provide the support, staff, and vision to make these study
tours happen. In sending interfaith American delegations abroad, we found that the results on the psyche of participants was
immediate and lasting, and that they were energized to take their findings back to their respective communities and continue an
honest, society-wide dialogue. Many of international delegates expressed how heartened and glad they were to see that ISNA is
an accepted and contributing voice in the United States, and that Muslims in America have an organization they can turn to and
identify with.
The National Peace Foundation has been the ideal partner for this endeavor. ISNA always champions and supports peaceful
efforts and societal activism and NPF and its programs are a prime example of just this kind of engagement. In NPF we have found
an understanding and supportive partner that is truly driven to see dialogue take place amongst citizens of the world. Over the
years, the NPF and ISNA staff had the chance to learn from each other and grow themselves and in their respective organizations;
the exchanges were more than just between participants. Through challenges and trials, ISNA and NPF worked hard together
to see that participants in all the study tours had opportunities to learn and mature as human beings and to begin a lifelong
discussion on religion and society
We believe this publication has great educational value and we encourage you to learn from it some of what we have learned
over the past several years. It promises to help guide you through how others have expanded their own horizons. We hope that
in learning about other people’s experiences, you too are able to do the same, and to carry that message of dialogue to the rest
of society.
Sayyid M. Syeed, PhD
National Director
10. The Religion and Society Program was a labor of love. From the start,
it was an ambitious project. Yet with the experience and capabilities of the National Peace Foundation (NPF), the wisdom
of the excellent people at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and many other creative minds, the scope and
impact of the program exceeded our initial expectations.
At its heart, the Religion and Society Program is a community-based, grassroots focused program. Its goal is to bring
together individuals from many religious communities. The project has touched many and hundreds contributed to its
success on both a professional and personal level. The program brought many incredible people together, people who
might otherwise have never met, to engage in earnest dialogue through experiential study tours about culture, religion,
politics and society. These encounters took place through four study tours to the U.S., which brought Muslim delegations
from the Arabic-speaking Middle East and through three multi-faith American delegations that traveled to the Arab world.
An ongoing network has since developed at the organizational, community, and social levels consisting of those who
were members of delegations, hosts, guests, speakers and volunteers.
The program has led to several follow-on joint projects and collaborations. This publication, which also serves as the
final report for the Religion and Society Program, is just one example. Thirty six contributors have provided essays for
“Reflections and Experiences on Religion and Society.”In the following pages, you will read firsthand accounts of delegates
as they recount their experiences attending a church or a synagogue service and other interactions, and how, in the
structure and space that the project provided, they experienced a personal transformation. I invite you to explore their
stories and opinions on religion and society and share in the diversity of their ideas. Perhaps you will also gain insight into
the many challenges of dialogue and how much more there is left to do.
I am grateful to many who supported the program and gave me this opportunity, including: Tom Johnston at the U.S.
Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, for his unwavering support of NPF and ISNA and wise
counsel to me; Sarah Harder, NPF Board Chair and President, and Cathy Sultan, NPF Board Member, who both brought me
to NPF; Mohamed Elsanousi of ISNA for sharing his vast knowledge; Manal Radwan for her excellence and creativity; Sadie
Polttila and Amanda Mouttaki for getting things done; Lee Feldman and Jenny Greer of NPF for their support in the editing
and compilation of this publication; and Tammy L. Spaulding for her graphic artistry. Finally, without my family’s support
and encouragement this program would have been impossible.
It has been an honor to do this work. This has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Sahar Taman
Project Director, Religion and Society Program
National Peace Foundation
A Note from the Project Director
10
11. The Religion and Society Program: An Experiential Workshop
By Sahar Taman, Project Director
Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society is a compilation and
report on the stories and outcomes arising from the Religion and Society
Program,aprogramoftheNationalPeaceFoundation(NPF)inpartnership
with the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). The program consisted
of a series of international citizen-to-citizen exchanges between the U.S.
and seven Arabic-speaking Muslim majority countries in the Middle East.
We organized these exchanges as study tours that focused on the study
of the place and role (the many places and the many roles) of religion
in society. We designed these exchanges to explore Islam in America to
capture the pluralism of the American religious and spiritual landscape.
Likewise, in the Middle East there exists a rich variety of religious history
of the three majority religions in the area: Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
Seven study tours took place: four international Muslim delegations to
the U.S. and three multi-faith American delegations to the Arab world.
Major funding for the program came from the United States Department
of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
This publication, which also serves as the final report for the Religion and Society Program, is not a typical end-of-program
report. Instead, you will find essays and discussions from thirty six American and Middle East contributors who participated in the
NPF/ISNA program. These delegates experienced a rich exchange of views on dozens of topics and had an opportunity to have
frank and truthful discussions on their thoughts and beliefs about religion, and about how religion interacts with their various
societies.
The Religion and Society Program built a network of hundreds of participants over the course of the seven study tours conducted.
The tours included 51 international delegates, 21 American delegates, and hundreds of speakers, facilitators, coordinators,
volunteers, and interpreters from organizations, institutes, communities, houses of worship, universities, and schools in the United
States and the Arab world as well as the Religion and Society staff and consultants from NPF and ISNA. Together, they engaged in
dialogue, traveled, met each other in reciprocal venues and continued their discussion in web dialogues. This publication is one
result of their exchange.
The variety of views expressed in the essays are as diverse as the participants themselves. They are written by Muslims, Jews, and
Christians of all backgrounds. What they have to say is sometimes difficult to hear and oftentimes was difficult to write, requiring
the author to be terribly honest with him or herself. You will find stories of personal experiences of engaging with the “Other.”
In this case, the “Other”can be described from many vantage points: those who are not co-religionists, do not share nationality,
political perspective, religiosity, even gender, and many other“Others.”
The articles are candid, revealing the vulnerability of the writer. You will find ideas that confirm what you thought you knew,
but also ideas that are new to you and possibly challenging. You will read calls to action and calls for self-reflection and calls for
societal and political change.You may enjoy much of what you read and it may touch you at an intellectual, emotional or personal
level, but it may also offend and even anger you. Perhaps you may not understand some of it, not understanding the perspective
of the tone, the style, the cultural meaning, the politics and even the words themselves. Some of you who were directly engaged
in the Religion and Society Program may find, in these essays, a reference to your organization or you personally as the writer
relays his or her message about his/her encounter with you, the “Other.”The Religion and Society Program was an experiential
workshop, this publication is a mere reflection of that experience.
Continued on next page
Delegates listen to Dr. Abdulla Khouj, Director, The Islamic Center,
Washington, DC, June 2007
11
12. Citizen Diplomacy:
The United States and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) at
the U.S. Department of State have long supported Citizen Diplomacy. ECA has
decades of experience developing international professional exchanges in many
arenas as part of U.S. diplomacy tracks, but not necessarily addressing religion
as a diplomacy track. At ECA, professional exchanges specialists came to believe
that the U.S. needed to directly engage in exchanges addressing faith, religion
and the culture of religion as part of modern societies. The issue was simply too
important and needed to be addressed directly and no longer side-stepped. The
time has come when we need to recognize that religious actors at many levels,
practitioners and leaders, laymen, activists, scholars, and others coming from faith-
based perspectives are our partners in the field of international diplomacy. Religion
is a fundamental part of society and neither life nor international relations can be
divorced from its social force.
ECA helped nurture a paradigm shift at the Department of State to create a multi-year grant-funded competition. The mission
statement for this program was to “engage influential clerics, religious scholars, and community leaders from countries with
significant Muslim populations in dialogue designed to educate participants about the scholarship and practice of Islam in the
United States and the world and the compatibility of religious practice and democratic social and political values and structures.”
The National Peace Foundation was awarded one of the grants.
The Time was Ripe
This idea came at the right time in the right place. In 2006, the American Muslim community was still reeling from the aftershock
of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Although the American Muslim community has had a long history in the United
States, the modern institutional structure is only about 40 years old, represented at the national level by organizations such
as ISNA. Much of those 40 years has focused on developing spaces for Muslims to worship through the creation, building, and
management of mosques. After 2001, the American Muslim community had to attempt to manage the attacks on Islam and
Muslims from what seemed like every corner, including the ugly face of the Islamophobic hate media. The challenge for the
American Muslim community was to transition from an internalized approach of supporting Muslim religious life in America to
the very external efforts needed to respond to the cultural challenges while also involving Muslims at the public level in American
society. It was time for the American Muslim community to become a part of the fabric of the American pluralistic religious and
cultural landscape.
Thus, when the mainstream not-for-profit NPF wished to submit a proposal for the grant
competition to expand our citizen exchange programs into the Muslim World and to
showcase Islam in America, we went to the Muslims in America and ISNA became a major
partnerontheproject.NPFiscommittedtosolvingproblemsandpreventingconflictthrough
community peacebuilding and empowering citizens to build the institutions of civil society.
What NPF offered the Muslim community was the platform from which to speak for itself.
Too often, exchange programs focused on Islam or the Middle East had consisted of bringing
a delegation for a one-hour visit to ISNA headquarters. NPF wanted more. With the backing
and support of Sarah Harder, NPF President, and Dr. Sayyid Syeed, ISNA National Director, a
program design team of NPF and ISNA principals and consultants began to conceptualize
this program. The project leads were: Sahar Taman, Director for NPF Middle East projects;
Mohamed Elsanousi, Director of Communications and Community Outreach at ISNA; and Manal Radwan, an independent
consultant. There are many others who contributed greatly to the ideas and ultimately to their implementation, including NPF
Executive Director Lee Feldman and other ISNA leaders and respective staffs.
May 2009 delegation visits AlJazeera Network, Doha, Qatar
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield talks with Shereen Aly,
Wafed Ahdali, Imam Hesham Ghoneim and
Ghada Ghazal, 3 am, Plainfield, IN, June 2007
Continued on next page
The Religion and Society Program: An Experiential Workshop 12
13. Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society
The team recognized that everything had to be built from scratch for this extraordinarily ambitious effort to
succeed: defining goals, a design philosophy, a methodology, and an implementation plan. One particularly
difficult challenge was to develop partners abroad in multiple countries at a particularly difficult point in
history and to build trust between American and Middle East organizations and peoples.We needed to build a
network among Muslim organizations and leaders (and often between them) and those from other American
religious or interfaith communities. While aspects of this network did exist, it was still in early development
and the knowledge and trust of the “Other” was tender. Our network included seven U.S. Embassies and
seven international Embassies in the U.S. After all this was achieved, the task of creating purposeful, content-
rich programming – the core of the program – still need to be envisioned and created.
What we did not realize at first was that the time was ripe and that people and institutions actually wanted to
join us. What we offered was appealing: a solid plan with multiple facets that provided inclusion and diversity
and our genuine sincerity that the endeavor was open and transparent. People came to the table, often a bit
hesitant, but willing to try. Remarkably, we all had a common need to reach out and understand each other,
perhaps if only to reduce the potential for conflict between our cultures and to achieve some peace and
harmony.
Who Would Participate?
Our goal was to identify the broadest type of participant base, and we did. Our diversity, as can be seen in the contributors’bios
and their essays in this publication, included professionals who are religious practitioners and laypersons, scholars and social
activists, journalists, authors, jurists, professionals in government and business, human rights workers, community developers,
and even royalty.To capture the human dimension, our delegations are also intergenerational and represent a diverse ethnicity.
There are seasoned seniors and entry-level leaders, travelled and not.Though having both men and women should go without
saying, as the reality of Muslim women’s participation is too often a surprise, it needs to be stated. There were also husband-
and-wife teams. As religious representatives, the delegates are Muslim Sunni and Muslim Shia; Orthodox, Conservative, Reform
and Reconstructionist Jews; and while it is impossible to encompass Christianity, especially American Christianity, participants
are Methodist, Lutheran, Quaker, Presbyterian, adherents to the United Church of Christ and others who identify themselves
as Christian. As for level of religiosity, they are the religious leader, the religiously practicing, believers and atheists. They are
political and not, mainstream and outspoken, and their command of English is at all levels.
They are nationals from eight countries at very different economic, political, population, and development levels: Syria, Saudi
Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America. In total, the 72 delegates
speak to the pluralism of the U.S. and to the pluralism of the Arabic-speaking Muslim Middle East.
Finding the Delegates in the Middle East, and the U.S.
To find the Arab Muslims the team conducted several
recruitment trips to the seven countries. We reached out to a
diverse collection of institutes and organizations and while it
was important to include formal governmental involvement,
an overarching goal was to go to the grassroots. We were
looking for people and groups who do not have the national
or international stage: a group espousing spiritual teachings,
an independent writer of the future intelligentsia, a youth
group from the countryside, a group of young wealthy
philanthropists, and an imam using his mosque for a marriage
community service project in a poor neighborhood. The
grassroots are often the most effective change agents in their
local community, but also in their nation and sometimes in
Continued on next page
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, Imam
Mutee Mulazim and Imam
Mohamed Hagmagid Ali at
Pompey's Pillar, Alexandria,
Egypt, photo, Cecilie Surasky
Dr. Ali Gomaa, Grand Mufti of Egypt, meets with Project Director, Sahar Taman, and Ahmed
ElHattab of ISNA in his office at the Dar Al-Ifta, Cairo, Egypt
13
14. the world. We knew that American NGOs are not
easily able to reach that far into Middle Eastern
societiestodiscoverorunderstandthegrassroots.
They are usually successful with government
players and similar international NGOs, at best
reaching the disadvantaged populations to
provide aid if the political environment permits.
Our goal was to find the grassroots groups
operating in the public sphere - and we did.
In Arab societies, (as in all societies), trust is
essential and we came to this project knowing
that building trust is a practiced art. We were
honored many times after three cups of tea to be
considered family. However, sometimes we did
not succeed and mistakes resulted in the loss of
the partner. I remember practically being thrown
out of the office of a prominent writer and losing
trust built by not following up with a promise to keep in contact with the head of a major institution. There were a few times we
felt out of our league and were pushing the limits citizen diplomacy can achieve (there is no guidebook that tells us what those
limits are). Our trips also laid the groundwork for the American delegation study tours and there it was crucial to include the
Christianity of the Arab world and, to the degree possible, the Judaism in those countries: both a tough sale.
To identify American delegates for the abroad study tours we agreed to an organic approach. Americans who hosted the
international Muslim delegations would be the candidates for the exchange trips to the Middle East. So often meeting with an
international visitor and beginning an important discussion has quickly ended with the return flight home. There might have
been a promise or at least an intention to continue, but no facility or resources to make that happen. We designed the NPF and
ISNA Religion and Society Program to encourage sustainability and engage participants in follow-on dialogues and joint efforts.
Thus both the Americans and the international Muslims played host in their home countries to participants they had already
gotten to know.
Methodology: Content-Rich, Experiential Workshops
There are many ways to describe the study tours. However, in
the end they were most importantly experiential workshops.
While a study tour is ephemeral and comes and goes, as with
most intense learning, the value of the experience stays on.
This publication and its many contributors clearly attest to that
in the variety of their stories and reflections. In order to create
these lifetime experiences, our first aim was to create content-
rich programming: venues, events, meetings, rallies, social
trips, travel, participation, observation, training workshops,
leadership development, academic scholarship, team building,
meals in luxury and comfort and picnics when suitable.
Themethodologyforthestudytourswastoexposeparticipants
to experiences that directly related to the study of the many
places and roles of religion in the pluralistic American society,
Community leaders of Chippewa Valley discuss social activism at the Islamic Society of Northern Wisconsin, Altoona, WI,
March 2009
(from left) Valerie Jarrett, Advisor to President Barack Obama, speaks with Mohamed Elsanousi of ISNA, Dalia
Mogahed, Muslim Gallup Poll, and Dr. Ingrid Mattson, President of ISNA at ISNA 46th Annual Convention, July
2009, photo, Vince Isner
Continued on next page
The Religion and Society Program: An Experiential Workshop 14
15. Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society
as well as pluralism in the Arab countries that American delegations visited.We exposed participants to a series of progressively
more difficult intellectual, emotional, and physical experiences - all in an intense atmosphere designed to challenge their
thinking.We may have laid out the experiences each participant had during the study tour, but it was up to each person to take
away what they wanted. Sometimes it was a great intellectual and emotional learning, sometimes it was transformation in their
long-held beliefs, and sometimes the participant chose nothing.
In both the United States and the Arab world, there were three primary communities to include in the dialogue: Christian,
Jewish, and Muslim. For each community the study tour provided dialogues with individuals, groups, places of worship, centers,
advocates, and academics.The intention was for the dialogues to be open, truthful, and intense.We did not attempt to shy away
from controversy, nor did we ask the participants to censor their thoughts.We encouraged meaningful dialogue and facilitated
opportunities for this whenever possible. The idea is that
dialogue can be easy and can also be difficult with each.We
included experiences such as attending a church service at
the National Cathedral in Washington, DC (an Episcopal
Church) where the Muslims were welcomed and had the
opportunity to see worship in a different way, witness new
protocol, and had the opportunity to show respect.
In some venues, participants learned that perhaps they
are not so welcomed by all. However, often leadership in
churches, synagogues, and mosques took great efforts
to convince others in their institution to accept the
delegates’ visit and to join in the dialogue. The exposure
to government representatives in the U.S. or abroad also
reflected dialogue where delegates both felt welcomed
or not so welcomed. Yet there were meetings where the
hosts were cautious, hesitant and at some points even
hostile. Again our objective was to expose the delegates to
progressively difficult subject matter, and demonstrate the
willingness of actors and spaces for discussion.
The program provided participants with the opportunity to reexamine their preconceived notions. Many topics struck
deep nerves such as the Palestine and Israel issue - one of the most difficult dialogue topic areas. Other issues that brought
discomfort when exposed to dialogue were social issues such as family violence, responsibility for the rights of minorities in our
communities, responsibility for social problems such as poverty and violence, and the participants’role in the above.
Other Aspects of Learning:
Organizational Development, Group Dynamics, Exposure to Democratic Institutions
Other important aspects of the Religion and Society Program are the experiential learning about organizational development,
group dynamics, and exposure to democratic institutions. The science and art of organization is well theoried and studied and
the tours were cocoons of organizational practice where tour leads and staff observed and facilitated the group’s development.
The Religion and Society Program provided democratization training through experience and exposure to democratic
institutions and not via the study of democratic theories. Exposure to democratic institutions was a thematic thread throughout
the tour. Delegates observed the importance of building functional organizations, adhering to the Rule of Law and practicing
democratic principles.
The exposure was, of course, for both the international delegations visiting the U.S. and the Americans to the Arab world, to
observe the many shades of democracy in civil society. Arab delegates write of their impressions and observations of high-
Samar Shawki ElSeadawy (far right) conducts meeting at Kinooz Youth Group with American
delegates of June 2008, Kafr ElSheikh Province, Egypt
Continued on next page
15
16. The Religion and Society Program: An Experiential Workshop
functioning, accountable, and effective community organizations
including new Islamic centers and well-established churches
in the U.S. American delegates often note that they had to look
again, through another looking glass, at the democratic ideals of
justice and equity, while learning new information and gaining
perspective on several issues including Palestine and Israel, Gaza,
andAmericaninfluenceandintentionintheArabworld. Manytimes
it was important to see two sides of the same coin. One American
delegate, in a discussion on religious freedom, was indignant that
followers of a religious denomination in one Arab country had to
apply to the government for permission to assemble as a religious
group. The discussion then went to how ‘church organizations’ in
the U.S. needed to also‘register’with their state and the U.S. Internal
Revenue Service, to also be acknowledged as a religious group.
The Realities of Safety and Security:
Stepping Across the Line
“Difficult” was an operating term for the program and it is very important to acknowledge that many people who chose to
participate in this project did so recognizing they were exposing themselves to some level of risk. This is true not only for our
international participants who came to the U.S. and the Americans going abroad, but also for Americans inviting Muslims to their
homes and institutions in the U.S. Similarly Muslims, Jews, and Christians in the Middle East undertook risk when meeting the
multi-faith American delegations in their countries and welcoming them to their homes and offices.
This was a grave matter and, unfortunately, some have paid the price for embracing the project. In the Middle East, many of the
international delegates had to deal with some aspect of their in-country security apparatus before they came and after they
returned – and some still are. For the Americans traveling to the Arab world, there were many times when the visit of an American
multi-faith delegation to a host organization’s office, a meeting at a school, mosque, or restaurant or even accompanying the
group on an outing put a burden on our hosts. Nevertheless, and often heroically, our hosts undertook these meetings anyway.
American delegations were welcomed, but we were also dreaded at some level and, as sad as it is, we asked our Jewish delegates
and even our Shia colleagues not to wear their religious dress to avoid being easily identified. And they graciously agreed.
Looking back now, it is unbelievable that we had
to do so. Often security police joined our American
delegations. As with all complexities in the Middle
East, their concern was both about us, and for us!
Unfortunately, the problems occurred on both
sides. In the U.S., Muslim visitors had trouble
in airports arising from the American security
apparatus. Some have written about their
encounters with bias in public places and even
a street brawl. Moreover, in America some hosts
shared with us the hassle and even harassment
they faced for having anything to do with Muslims;
sometimes from friends and family or from their
congregations and communities. There are also
other realities on the ground that are not prudent
to discuss in this context. Even so, these dialogues
Sheikh Yahya AlNaggar with Hujjatul Islam Amir Mukhtar Faezi at Bait ul Ilm Academy, July 2009
Meeting at Abu Nour Kuftaro Foundation led by Sheikh Salah Eddin Kuftaro, Damascus, Syria, June 2008
photo, Wafed Ahdali
Continued on next page
16
17. Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society
took place out of personal commitments and not without bravery. Several essays attest to stepping across the line and not
just stepping outside the comfort zone.
The success of the Religion and Society Program attracted many new fans along the way, but also unfortunately caught
the attention of people who oppose engagement with Muslims at any level. This irrational fear of engagement is a kind
of Islamophobia. As the leadership of the National Peace Foundation candidly reveal in their letter in this publication, the
anti-Muslim media attempted to discredit the program, but never really engaged us in discussions to see if we might learn
from each other. Their extensive anti-Muslim rhetoric was distributed via the internet and in mailings and other media.
They intensely lobbied Congress to stop our citizen diplomacy programs (and other programs) because of their focus on
religion and especially Islam.
However, the work of the Religion and Society Program continues organically through a dialogue that has not stopped.
The effort of this publication,“Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society,”is proof of that. E
Banner from Jewish Voice for Peace Vigil, Water Tower Place, Chicago, IL, July 2008
17
18. Dignity of Difference
By Manal Radwan
Manal is a political analyst and diplomat with expertise in Islamic civilization and tradition and the politics of the Middle East,
conflict resolution and citizen diplomacy. She is currently assigned to the Saudi Mission to the Arab League in Cairo where
she handles Arab-international relations including the dialogue of civilizations as well as economic, social and media issues. Manal has
served as a consultant for the National Peace Foundation (NPF) where she was a scholar and practitioner contributing to the development
and implementation of the Religion and Society Program and has co-led the international Muslim delegations in the US as well as taking
American delegates to the Arab world.
In international political arenas, there is growing
recognition that citizen diplomacy, the idea of people-to-
people exchange, can no longer be ignored or undermined.
The number of exchange programs and joint partnerships
at professional levels has been growing for over forty years.
Some of these programs, such as the Fulbright and Ford
scholarships and fellowships, have gained considerable
recognition and prestige. However, the original cultural
focus of these people-to-people exchange programs is
changing to a new vision of citizen diplomacy that is not
only qualitatively different, but also addresses a broader
span of issues. Academia, grassroots organizations, religious
institutions, civil activists, and others have become sought-
after primary partners for this new breed of exchange
programs. There are many reasons for this development,
the most important of which is that we are now in the
age of the global village. In this era of enhanced technical
communication, people have discovered that they really
don’t know one another. Media hype based on stereotypes
and sensationalism are no longer just morally wrong but
they have become dangerous weapons to foster hatred,
enmity, and even violence at local and international levels.
People-to-peopleexchangesthatchallengetheseapproaches
are the most effective tool we can bring to break down the
old “us versus them” approach to international relations.
As an Arab Muslim who lived in the West for most of her
life, and a passionate practitioner of conflict resolution
and diplomacy, exchange programs are a primary focus
of my work, analysis and study. In this context, working
as a consultant for the National Peace Foundation on the
Religion and Society Program was a great privilege. In fact,
working on the intellectual development of the program
and assisting in its implementation and evaluation has
been one of the highlights of my intellectual, spiritual and
professional development over the past three years.
People-to-people contact can build bridges, increase trust,
and foster mutual understanding. It can serve to correct
misperceptions and unfounded fears, and can reverse the
trend toward dehumanization and the entrenchment of
“enemy” images. This was the cornerstone and the aim
of the Religion and Society Program and study tours. I
will address some of the main concepts and assumptions
that helped guide the design of the Program in general
and introduce the participants’ accounts of this amazing
journey.
Interfaith Dialogue
In order to conduct interfaith dialogue we needed to provide
a safe space for interactions and conversations between
people of different religions, spiritual, or humanistic beliefs
with the aim of finding a common ground through sharing
narratives of personal experiences, values, and commitment
to a better and more just world. Dialogue promotes an
understanding of different faiths’ beliefs. Therefore, the
aim of our efforts is neither to eliminate the differences of
opinions and convictions nor is it to have a convergence of
beliefs, but rather to gain an understanding of each other
and to celebrate the differences through embracing our
unity as fellow human beings. In fact, in our understanding,
participants in interfaith dialogue need to be grounded in
Continued on next page
18
19. Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society
their own beliefs and traditions to be able to listen with
dignity and respect to people of other religions. Honest
interfaith dialogue comes from a point of strength in one’s
faith and not a point of weakness or doubt. Moreover,
engaging in interfaith
dialogue based upon the
ethics of disagreement
gives the participant
the chance to grow in
self awareness, thus
solidifying one’s faith
while enlarging the circle
of believers in one’s own
narrative of “Self” and
“Other.”
It is important to
note that the Religion
and Society Program
conducts multiple levels
of interfaith dialogue.
While the premise of
the program is to focus
on a trilateral dialogue
between Muslims,
Christians and Jews,
there have been many
encounters where multilateral levels of dialogue were
included such as the interfaith meeting with leaders of
the local religious communities including Buddhist,
Baha’i, Hindu, and others at the Muhammad Ali Center in
Louisville, Kentucky, referenced by some of the participants
in this book. Naturally, there have been many bilateral
encounters among the participants and/or between the
participants and host organizations and those included
Muslim-Jewish, Muslim-Christian, and Christian-Jewish
interactions, in addition to opportunities for intrafaith
dialogue which included all three religions.
Identity Narratives and the “Other” in Interfaith
Dialogue
Narratives of “Self” and “Other” are at the heart of interfaith
dialogue. This publication is a “meta-narrative” about
people coming together from different places (temporal,
spatial, spiritual and intellectual) and their portrayal of
“Self,” both past and present, at points of transformation
with the “Other.”
There are three major components to narratives: they are
a representation of chronological events; they provide
meanings; and they are inherently social since the narratives
are always produced for an audience. Identity narratives
allow the meaning of
behavior and experiences
to be understood from
the perspective of an
individual (the narrator).
In interfaith dialogue,
identity narratives
provide the forum in
which participants can
externalize their feelings
in a way that reveals the
most important elements
that help define their
identity and interests; as
such they are devices to
facilitate empathy.
In many of the encounters
during the Religion
and Society Program, it
has become clear that a
person’s narrative of the
“Other” has not always
been consistent. A person’s narrative of what constitutes
the “Other” is part of a person’s narrative of “Self,” as people
construct roles for themselves in relation to an “Other.”
The conceptualization of an “Other” is a process in which
one is able to identify similarities and differences based on
a point of reference at any given time or place. Since there
are many points of reference or layers of identity, including
religion, profession, gender, or common cause, by necessity
the demarcation between people is fluid and not static.
One may see the “Other” as the “Same” in the context of
profession, but may see this same person as the “Other” in
the context of religious belief or political views. The emphasis
on fatherhood and concern for future generations expressed
by Kent Johnston, Sayed Deafallah, and Jeremy Schneider is
one example of a reference point (a layer of identity) that is a
conduit for finding similarities.
The study tours were designed to continually challenge the
demarcation and formulation each delegate used to narrate
about “Self” and “Other.” The articles included in this report
provide multiple examples of delegates who confronted who
Continued on next page
Rabbi Jeremy Schneider with Samar Shawki ElSeadawy reviewing video,July 2008
19
20. they were in relation to the “Other” including those of the
samefaithand/orcitizenship.ReverendKentJohnsonwrites
ofthesermonhegaveataFridayprayerinamosqueinSyria:
“The homily that followed was a preaching opportunity of
a lifetime, rooted in the journey of faith to discovering that
the “Other” is indeed my brother and sister.”
One of the profound examples of the blurring of borders in
this regard is the expression often used to describe people of
other faiths after meeting them for the first time as “human
beings just like us!” What this indicates is that at a particular
moment, the narrative changes, and the “Other” ceases to
be viewed as an “Other.”
Narratives that define the “Other” as someone categorically
separate from, and opposite to the “Self,” has justified
dehumanization and demonization of groups and
individuals. Many of the essays, for example Jodi Wolk’s
understanding of “A Light to All Nations” and Sanja
Seferovic Drnovsek’s account of practices of prejudice, refer
to this danger.
Culture, Intrafaith and Interfaith Dialogue:
There were several intellectual and practical assumptions
that guided the rationale and design of the Religion and
Society Program. The most important is the view that
culture is not a static and homogenous entity. Rather,
culture comprises dynamic processes, past and present
experiences, and individuals’ actively framing and
reframing narratives they constitute of “Self” and
“Other.” As such, individuals are not only recipients
of historical events but are active participants. They
perceive past and present events, accept or transform
their meaning, and add new experiences to the
makeup of their culture.
The delegate recruitment process focused on
ensuring diversity of age, gender, education,
and sociopolitical background. The process also
acknowledged the existence of multiple and diverse
cultural and individual narratives. Because the study
tours afforded the delegates an opportunity to share
their cultural and individual narratives, they became
learning experiences not only between people of
different countries, but also among delegates of the
same country. A primary focus of the study tour for
the Muslim delegates from the Arab world was to
give them an important opportunity to learn about
theAmericanMuslimcommunity,andperhapsbuild
constructive relationships – a form of “intrafaith” dialogue.
In this setting the commonality of Islam united both groups,
but the different way Islam was experienced at an individual
and societal level provided a rich intrafaith encounter.
Likewise, American delegates visiting the Arab world were
united by their citizenship yet diverse in their expressions of
faith. And in this form of encounter, another set of dialogues
and learning experiences took place. American delegates
compared notes on their experience of interfaith work in
the U.S. and abroad. Mr. Ahmed Raef refers to the American
delegation as representing “one beautiful fabric woven
with different colors and styles.” Moreover, the American
delegates connected with their religious counterparts in
the Arab world; and again people of the same faith engaged
in informative and unique ways of expressing their faith.
Moushumi Khan, an American Muslim of Bangladeshi
origin, provided an interesting account of “discovering”
Islam and Muslims in the Arab world; while Reverend Jay
Rock, of the American Presbyterian Church, describes his
encounter with the Synod of the Nile at the Evangelical
Church in Egypt. Several Jewish Americans refer to their
meeting with Mrs. Carmen Weinstein, the President of the
Egyptian Jewish Community in Cairo.
Because individuals are active participants in the rendering
of history, and its meanings and various interpretations,
the delegation visits provided a safe space for challenging
Dignity of Difference
Continued on next page
Mrs.Carmen Weinstein,President of the Jewish Community of Cairo,Egypt,November 2007,photo,Cecilie Surasky
20
21. Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society
and looking at sometimes difficult events. It was
interesting to observe Rabbi Jeremy Schneider
try to comprehend the existence of the 6th of
October Memorial in the heart of Cairo as a
sign of Egypt’s victory in the 1973 October War.
To Jeremy, Egypt had lost the war; to the Arab
world, the ‘73 victory is deeply entrenched in
their psyche and sense of dignity. It really does
not matter what historical event one tries to
validate, what matters is what meaning people
give to these historical events and why they
assign these meanings. Changing one’s own
belief or the beliefs of the “Other” is not the
purpose; the purpose is to expand one’s ability
to see how others perceive what the self can’t. It is to accept
that the reason for dialogue is not to “determine which is
right,” but rather the issue is the “right to determine that
which is” – i.e., their authentic experience and the attached
meanings. It is only when one acknowledges the diversity
of meanings that one can transcend the differences and see
that all meanings are connected in some way.
New Encounters and Opportunities for Self Growth
Believing that new experiences are essential to people
expanding their horizons and transforming the way
“Self” and “Other” are perceived, we took great care to
provide opportunities for encounters in new and perhaps
challenging ways. In this context, I must stress my deep
belief that the more one knows about the “Other” the
more one knows about the “Self.” This principle was best
exemplified when Sheikh Adel Bokhamseen led the Friday
prayer at the headquarters of the Islamic Society of North
America(ISNA)inPlainfield,Indiana.Thedaybefore,many
delegates expressed their
hesitation and didn’t
want to participate
in the prayer because
Sheikh Adel was a Shia
Imam. However, in less
than 24 hours, all of the
delegates prayed behind
Sheikh Adel and in fact
rushed to take pictures
with him in his formal
dress after the prayer
was performed. This
was a first for many and
perhaps an unthinkable first! Perhaps Sheikh Bokhamseen’s
incredible modesty and embracing character warmed the
delegates and they found in their heart a level of acceptance
they did not know was possible. Sheikh Bokhamseen
explained to the crowd about the additional supplications
he would perform during prayers and it was the first time
most,ifnotalldelegates,understoodthedifferencesbetween
a Sunni and Shiite way of performing Jumaa prayer. The
differences were small and didn’t include any changes to the
primary requirements of the prayer.
Power Discourse and Interfaith Dialogue
Alongwiththedynamicnatureofcultureandtheimportance
of new experiences, another important principle that guides
our work is the acknowledgment of the presence of “power
discourses” that attach meanings and value to all cultural
experiences. The failure to account for “power discourses”
renders any work on cultural exchange programs as biased
or, at best, of limited value. Most often practitioners impose
their own assumptions and values; they often reproduce
the power of their position as an expert vis-à-vis the
participants in cross-cultural programs. In the context of
Arab/Muslim-West relations, the concept of “Orientalism”
as defined by the late Edward Said is most prevalent.
Edward Said contends that Orientalism opened the door
to cultural demarcation between the West and East based
on “positional superiority.” Consequently, it established
the idea that the East often is in need of being rescued by
Western “saviors.”
To counter and challenge the discourse of positional
superiority, the focus of the Religion and Society Program
was on co-learning and the creation of opportunities for
transformative leadership. The leaders of the study groups
Continued on next page
May 2009 delegation visits with Dr.Aisha Al-Mannai,Dean,School of Sharia,
Qatar University
Meeting with representatives of Louisville area interfaith leaders organized by Terry Taylor,Interfaith
Paths to Peace,Louisville,Kentucky,July 2008
21
22. often identified themselves as eager co-learners; delegates,
both international and American delegates, as well as other
participants were given the opportunity to lead discussions,
present ideas, offer feedback and take leadership positions
conducting important tasks during the trips. Democracy,
humanrights,religiousfreedom,andotherconceptswereall
framed as concepts that were open for discussion, reflection,
and critical evaluation. During one of the workshops about
the concept of democracy, Dr. Sami Angawi led a heated
debate wherein he contended that the ideas that democracy
incorporatesarerelatedtoIslamicprinciplesofconsultation.
He argued that what is needed is a redefinition of the term
“democracy” in a way that relates to Islamic concepts of
governance. Dr. Angawi also emphasized that freedom is
a prerequisite to democracy and justice must be the main
point of reference. Some of the delegates agreed and others
provided different views.
The Organization of the Book
We have divided this book of experiences into collections
of essays serving a common theme or purpose from
multiple perspectives. The first collection
of essays, Religious Perspectives on the
“Other,” gives a religious perspective on
the “Other” from the three faith traditions
of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Both
Ghada Ghazal and Aisha Rafea stress the
continuity of the Abrahamic message
while Reverend Kent Johnson and Rabbi
Jeremy Schneider stress the brotherhood
and sisterhood of the followers of religions
from Christian and Jewish traditions
respectively.
The second collection of essays, “To Know
One Another” - from Theory to Practice,
explores the challenges and opportunities
of “knowing one another” in practice.
Ahmed Raef asserts that dialogue is a
divine duty; he also recounts his first
experience in meeting people of the Jewish
faith. Terry Taylor reflects on the “Ghostly
Presence”oftheJewishpopulationinEgypt.
Cecilie Surasky’s focuses on resemblance,
connection, and commonality with the
“Other” despite hard political realities.
Thethirdcollectionofessays,TheKeytoInterfaithDialogue:
“Authentic” Conflict, addresses the need to be “authentic”
in interfaith dialogue. Often people think that for dialogue
to be successful they need to suppress differences and/or
present commonality or complementary views where none
exist. The experiences of Vince Isner, Shereen Aly and Hend
Elsayed Hani attest to the importance of contrary positions
and the need to honestly explore differences.
The fourth collection of essays, Diversity, Identity, and the
Quest for Coexistence, deals with the political discourse
that surrounds the interfaith experience of international
delegates as well as some perspectives on identity politics
of American Muslims. Hamdi Abdelaziz Shehab, Fathi
Al-Dhafri, and Ra’ed Fawzi Ihmoud describe the diversity
and the benefits of the pluralism they witnessed in the U.S.
while simultaneously expressing their hope that the U.S.
will realize its full potential through a genuine acceptance
of all “Others.” Sayed Deafallah recounts a confrontational
experience with the “Other” and several transformative
experiences where the “Other” and the “Self” unite.
Khaled AlRammah rejects Huntington’s idea of the Clash
Dignity of Difference
Continued on next page
Rabbi Joe Rooks-Rapport reads in Hebrew from the Torah,then translates into English,while delegates hear translation in Arabic
at Congregation Adath Brith Sholom in Louisville,Kentucky,July 2008
22
23. Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society
Continued on next page
of Civilizations and rather contends that discrepancies
between civilizations can be transcended through fairness
and justice. Sanja Seferovic Drnovsek also rejects the
inevitability of conflict and reflects a more complex reality
of Muslim Americans in the U.S. focusing on the Muslim
Bosnians. Zohreh Ghavamshahidi recounts the experience
of Iranian Americans and discusses the multiple ways in
which Iranian Americans choose to define themselves as
Americans, Muslims or not.
The fifth collection, The Heart of Interfaith Dialogue:
Difficult Conversation, is a recitation of challenging
encounters where misperceptions, stereotypes, and new
levels of awareness and honesty played major roles. Samar
Shawki ElSeadawy, Shadya Al-Hobeishi and Maryam
Mohamed speak for the strong female voice yearning to
be understood and respected as Muslim women while
celebrating the achievements of their Muslim sisters
in America. Maryam Mohamed, Samah Al-Jundi, and
Mohammad Halawa describe their deep and personal level
of engagement with the “Other” expressing their difficulties
transcending feelings of pain, suffering and doubts as they
journeyed to a higher level of acceptance.
The sixth collection, Reflections of “Self” through the Mirror
of the Arab World, focuses on the diversity of the Arab
World and the moral responsibility towards the “Other.” John
Musselman describes his long connection to the Arab World
as a non-Muslim American challenging many misconceptions
while Moushumi Khan describes her first visit to the Arab
world as an American Muslim. Reverend Jay Rock provides
a detailed account of the American delegates’ visit to Egypt
while Jodi Wolk reflects on
commonality and connection
with the Arab world based on her
Jewish learnings.
The seventh set, The Experience
of Interfaith Dialogue in the Arab
World, represents two examples of
interfaithdialoguefromtheUnited
Arab Emirates and Syria. Sheikh
Abdul Aziz Al-Nuaimi describes
the importance of personal
encounters in transcending what
is thought to be “conventional.”
Dr. Rufaida AlHabash offers a
historical account of the relations
between Muslims and Christians
in Syria as well as a description
of the important interfaith work
inspired by the late Sheikh Ahmed
Kuftaro, former Mufti of Syria.
Theeighthandfinalset,Reflections
from the Future, offers a glimpse of
Dinner at the ranch of Adnan Abo Sha'er outside of Damascus,Syria,June 2008
Dinner hosted by Valleybrook Church members,Eau Claire,WI for March 2009 delegation
23
24. Dignity of Difference
what interfaith relations means to four American teenagers.
Shadi Ramadan lays out some of the difficulties of growing
up as a Muslim in America and suggests to parents and
educators what they can do to help. Max Wolk
and Nailah Taman, a Jewish and a Muslim cousin
reflect on the importance of their family ties and
their high expectations of people of the other
faith based on their personal experience. Badr
Alkaabi offers an account of a proud American
celebrating the connectedness to his Arab roots
and Muslim faith.
The Religion and Society Program is an
invitation to attempt to renegotiate one’s view
of “Personhood” (“Self” and “Other”). As such,
people are forced out of their comfort zones.
The fact that we irritated everyone (including ourselves)
at some point in the program by pushing the envelope, is,
perhaps, the best testament that we were trying to be brave
and provide a safe space for growth and learning while
being inclusive, comprehensive, and authentic, and while
acknowledging our positions and those of the participants.
The purpose of this report is not to add new information,
change or converge beliefs, but to bring you a new level
of awareness. We cannot possibly capture
the complexity of the experiences these
delegates shared, nor are we looking for
you to agree or disagree with what they
have written. What you hold in your hand
are brief glimpses into the personal and
communal struggles as the delegates gained
insight into who they are as individuals,
and as humans bound by a collective
history. Perhaps this report can also be of
value to you; about your own struggle as
you transcend a new level of awareness. I
have come to understand that realizing our
collective consciousness of the Divine Presence and the
multiple ways in which it shines through us is our only way
to overcome suffering and pain, address our differences in
dignity and save our humanity. E
Abdel Aziz Said,PhD,Mohammad Said
Farsi Professor of Islamic Peace,American
University,Center for Global Peace (CGP)
with Betty Sitka,Director,speaking at CGP
seminar for June 2007 delegation.
“Honest interfaith dialogue comes from a point of strength
in one’s faith and not a point of weakness or doubt. Engaging
in interfaith dialogue based upon the ethics of disagreement
gives the participant the chance to grow in self awareness, thus
solidifying one’s faith while enlarging the circle of believers in
one’s own narrative of“Self”and“Other”.
”Manal Radwan,Dignity of Difference
24
25. Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society
Graffiti,East Jerusalem,"We Need Peace",photo,Laila Jadallah,2008
25
26. Collin: Mohamed, you have
workedcloselywithCongressman
Keith Ellison and Congressman
Andre Carson, the two Muslim
U.S. Congressmen, with their
involvement in international
interfaith dialogue to build U.S.-
Muslim relationships. What are
they doing right and how can the
American Muslim Community
assist in this effort?
Mohamed: First let me say, it is
wonderful to see two Muslims elected to the Congress. It
shows the political progress that the American Muslim
community has made. Congressman Ellison’s and
Congressman Carson’s passion for interfaith work is
evident. They are great contributors to interfaith dialogue
because they have the Muslim point of view as well as
having family from other faith traditions, and that allows
them to contribute greatly to dialogue.
Keith Ellison, in particular, is very engaged in interfaith
dialogue. Keith Ellison represents a constituency in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is made up of many faith
groups where the majority is non-Muslim. He frequently
visits synagogues and churches in his district.
In fact, once he was appointed to the House Foreign Affairs
Committee we saw his involvement in these activities
increase.
I remember on many occasions
seeing Representative Ellison
addressing interfaith groups.
Within this past year the
Mission of European Imams
and Rabbis to the United States,
which was sponsored by ISNA,
the World Jewish Congress,
and the Foundation for Ethnic
Understanding, where European
Imams and Rabbis traveled to
the United States to learn from
our interfaith experience in the U.S., Congress hosted an
event for the group and Representative Ellison spoke to the
importance of interfaith dialogue to work towards peace.
Similarly, Representative Carson addressed a mixed group
of interfaith leaders during an interfaith banquet dinner at
the Third Annual Muslim Alliance of Indiana Convention.
He focused on the importance of continued interfaith
cooperation; specifically Muslims engaging with their
neighbors in this kind of interfaith dialogue.
I think the American Muslim community is in an excellent
position to help the efforts of Congressman Ellison and
Congressman Carson because of their engagement within
the American interfaith and political society. The existence
of the emerging American Muslim voice is giving Muslims
everywhere a better opportunity to participate and help the
rest of the Muslim world to do this right - to move forward
from dialogue to meaningful and sincere action, and they
On the Developments in Interfaith Dialogue: the International Model
Mohamed Elsanousi, Director of Communications and Community Outreach,
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
Mohamed Elsanousi is the Director of Communications and Community Outreach, Office for Interfaith and Community
Alliances, Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and, in this capacity, has frequently appeared on AlJazeera, C-SPAN, Al-
Hurra, AlArabiyya, and other media outlets. Mr. Elsanousi is the national liaison and representative for ISNA at numerous interreligious
conventions and conferences. He is on the board of directors and advisors for several interfaith organizations. He was interviewed in October
2009 by Collin Lever, a 2009 summer intern at ISNA’s Washington, DC office. At ISNA, Collin worked on many different activities including
the 12th Annual Interfaith Reception. He is a student at Lake Forest College where he majors in Politics and Islamic World Studies.
Mohamed Elsanousi with Ahmed Mohammed Al-Zwaidi Chairman Doha Youth
Center,May 2009
Continued on next page
26
27. Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society
could help those in the Muslim world in adopting similar
strategies.
Collin: You mentioned that Representative Ellison
represents a diverse constituency. Do you happen to know if
he included any interfaith efforts during his campaigning?
Mohamed: I am sure that before, during, and after his
campaign he did. It should also be mentioned that a
sizeable number of his constituency are from the Jewish
community.
Collin: You attended the U.S. Muslim World Relations
Conference sponsored by the State of Qatar. During that
trip you also visited the Doha International Center for
Interfaith Dialogue (DICID), an organization supported by
the State of Qatar. What do you think is the outcome of this
dialogue and what are the next steps for taking this high
level effort down to the grassroots level?
Mohamed: The purpose of my visit to Doha last year was
two-fold. One purpose was to recruit potential participants
for the National Peace Foundation (NPF) and ISNA U.S.
study tours as a part of the Religion and Society Program.
The second purpose was to participate in the U.S. Muslim
World Relations Conference. Representative Ellison was
also attending the conference and he met Dr. Ibrahim Al-
Naimi, the Director of the DICID and they spoke about the
developing world and fostering interfaith relations as well
as ongoing projects and possible future cooperation.
I also visited the DICID and met with Dr. Al-Naimi and
several Board Members to learn more about their activities
Collin Lever (left) and Mohamed Elsanousi (3rd from left) with members of the July 2009 delegation
Continued on next page
27
28. and discuss ways which ISNA and the Center could work
together in the future. The Center was interested in working
with ISNA to identify leaders from the U.S. to participate
in the 7th
Doha Interfaith Conference. I know that some of
the leaders we identified actually attended that conference
in October 2009 including participants from the NPF/
ISNA Religion and Society Program. DICID also partnered
with NPF and ISNA and graciously provided financial
and programming support for the
Religion and Society Program’s
multi-faith American delegation of
May 2009 to Qatar.
As for the State of Qatar, they are
providing a great service to their
society in supporting interfaith
dialogue because Qatar is a country
that is quite open to working
towards the peaceful existence of
all faith communities. I think the
role of promoting this cooperation
is critical to the development of
even greater efforts throughout the
region. The DICID conference is
attended by top leaders from around
the world and sends a clear message that there is a need to
exist peacefully with cooperation and dialogue.
In the past few years other countries in the region have
also become engaged. One effort is the “Common Word
between Us and You” document which was created under
the sponsorship of the King of Jordan. It is signed by
138 Muslim scholars, some who hosted the Religion and
Society Program delegations, from across the globe and
addressed to the Christian community to invite them to
come to the “Common Word” so that we can all worship
one God and work together based on our shared goals and
values. It received responses from around the globe from
many Christian faith communities including the Vatican.
There were conferences held at both Yale and Georgetown
universities to discuss the document.
Collin: How would you describe these new efforts in
interfaith dialogue from the Gulf countries and why is it
happening now?
Mohamed: As we understand the Gulf countries, these are
the countries that witnessed huge economic growth and
development in the last four decades. These societies have
attracted so many skilled and unskilled workers from across
the world. These people came to these countries to work
and they are not necessarily of the Muslim tradition. The
Gulf States found it crucial to be a part of interfaith work
so that they may better understand the people working and
living in their country. The Gulf States are predominantly
Muslim and do not have any history of other religious
traditions. I think they are open to
understand other traditions in the
age of globalization and interfaith
is very important. They realize
that discussion of common values
and mutual understanding is very
important to the prosperity of their
countries and important to stability
throughout the region. We are living
in a world where these things are
a necessity for all human being to
engage in.
Collin: It is certainly impressive
that those governments are making
concerted efforts to engage in this
kind of interfaith work. Given the
political, economic and cultural circumstances in the Gulf
States, is it difficult to launch these projects and build
momentum?
Mohamed: Of course it is difficult. Dialogue in the Gulf
States in still working at a very elite level because the
common person is not used to this sort of work. When I was
with the multi-faith American delegation of the NPF/ISNA
Religion and Society Program in Doha in May 2009, we
were sitting in the lobby of the hotel and many of my friends
were coming to visit me. As I introduced them to my two
Jewish friends, members of the American delegation, they
told us how they had never met a Jewish person. They are
from all different countries, but they had never met a Jewish
person. I think this is one of the obstacles to bringing this to
the grassroots and getting people to understand that there
are people who follow other faith traditions.
Collin: In addition to leading the Religion and Society
delegations in the U.S. and the American delegation to
Egypt and Qatar, you were involved in recruiting candidates
from abroad and building relationships with partner
organizations in the Arab world and specifically in the Gulf
Continued on next page
Mohamed Elsanousi at the Giza Pyramids, Egypt, May 2009,
photo, Vince Isner
On the Developments in Interfaith Dialogue: the International Model 28
29. Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society
region. What were the challenges you faced in building
those relationships and developing the trust necessary for
people and organizations to participate in this international
interfaith effort?
Mohamed: The major challenge is really one of trust and
confidence because of what is going on with the image of the
United States in the past decade. Trust and confidence was
missing. People in that part of the world were unsure if these
were genuine and sincere efforts to recruit Muslim leaders
to visit the United States or if there was a hidden agenda.
I found that I had to ask personal friends from my college
days in the Gulf to introduce me to potential candidates.
My friends were of tremendous help in persuading these
people by developing a connection and building trust. At
the same time, I know that the participants in some of our
prior delegations go back and share their experience and
this helps build further trust and confidence.
The other reality is that the Gulf countries generally have
a different kind of structure to engage their citizens to
participate and we needed to work directly with government
entities to get to the civil society organizations which are
also linked to the government. The other challenge we faced
while recruiting was that there are few people willing to
come and do the interfaith study tour because the whole
project is new and there is very little written about it. These
are the realities of new projects. Once people are more used
to the concept this aspect will become easier.
Collin: How did your involvement in these Religion and
Society study tours affect you on a personal level? Is there
anything you learned that you want to relay to others doing
this type of international citizen exchange work?
Mohamed: At a personal level, I was deeply touched by all
of the people we came in contact with; whether it was the
people and organizations we worked with, the people that
visited us, or the people we visited with. What I have learned
is what creates the problems of mistrust is the absence of
dialogue and integration. When the delegates visited U.S.
religious institutions and religious leaders, we found them
saying that their opinions changed about the people they
met as well as their opinions of the United States. This is
because what they hear about the U.S., most often from the
media, is not the same as what they experience.
The same thing happened during out visits to the Arab
world. You felt the hospitality and saw opinions change
as well. It was a great experience for the delegates to visit
Muslim institutions and meet with high level officials in
these countries. Also experiencing these societies in the
streets was great. For instance in Egypt, they witnessed
the diversity of people and religions and this provided the
delegates a chance to experience the society up close.
At Qatar University, we visited the Dean of Sharia Law, Dr.
Aisha Al-Mannai who expressed a commitment to host
futureeventsregardingreligiousperspectivesontheafterlife.
Some of the participants were invited back to participate in
the DICID annual conference. We are providing a link for
future cooperation. This is what we are aiming for.
The main challenge actually is how to create institutions that
can take these kinds of projects and provide an opportunity
and a capacity to continue these kinds of dialogue and
exchange projects. I hope that the State Department will
continue to support these efforts and the organizations
such as NPF and ISNA who are doing this important
work. If we are to create dialogue and foster cooperation
and better relations between societies this kind of work is
precisely what is needed and it needs to be supported by our
respective societies. E
29
30. Continued on next page
Providing logistical support
for international exchange
programs is a great deal of
work and many people are
not aware of the effort and
attention to detail required.
Over the last three years,
during which I was engaged
in the Religion and Society
Program,Ispentaconsiderable
amount of time working on
the logistics needed to move
dozens of people around the
world and provide for their
comfort for an extended
period in a foreign country.
One of the critical services
I supported was receiving
and organizing hundreds of applications from interested
delegate candidates. In addition to the volume of paper
and emails, we had the additional complication of having
to communicate in both English and Arabic. As I am not
an Arabic speaker I engaged the assistance of my lovely
husband, Ahmed Elamir.
Once the delegates were selected, they needed to obtain
or update their international passports and ultimately
apply for visas. Given the difficulty of shepherding Middle
Eastern delegates through the U.S. Visa application process,
it was critically important to get the details, such as passport
information, correct.
Working closely with U.S. Embassies in Cairo, Amman,
Doha, Abu Dhabi, Sana’a, Riyadh, and Damascus, I
facilitated the procurement of 51 visas and guided the
delegates through the complex process of completing their
J-1 Study visa forms. As
the principal point of
contact with the Public
Affairs Sections (PAS)
of the U.S. Embassies - a
role that was complicated
by the time difference
between Wisconsin and
the Middle East - I had
some pretty late nights.
Thevisaprocesswasquite
sensitive and presented
numerous complications.
For example, in the
summer of 2009, as
the H1N1 “swine” flu
became a concern,
several delegates declined the invitation to participate
in the program even after their visas were approved. In
addition, visas were occasionally denied, and handling
these situations was very sensitive with both the delegate
and the Embassy as we were not always made aware of the
reasons for the denial.
Once visas were obtained, colleagues at the Islamic Society
of North America (ISNA) handled the very complex
international travel arrangements and the flights within
the U.S. Many other kinds of transportation arrangements
in the U.S. were needed, including shuttle services, buses,
metro, taxis and even vans that our tour leads and volunteers
drove, as well as hotel accommodations. This meant juggling
activities in 5 or 6 American cities, negotiating contracts
and having several back-up plans in case a participant
arrived late, got lost or stranded, or encountered some
other unforeseeable problem.
Getting It Done on the Ground:
The Ins and Outs of Logistics for International Exchanges
By Sadie Polttila
Sadie is the Associate Project Manager for the Religion and Society Program for the National Peace Foundation since 2006. Her
educational background is in marketing and supervision.
Sadie Polttila, Lake Michigan, Chicago, June 2007
30
31. Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society
Another important aspect of the logistics was meals.
Meeting the special dietary requirements of the participants
while still ensuring varied and interesting meals that
were representative of the regions visited was sometimes
challenging. In advance of the delegates’ arrival, our team
discussed the various religious and social understandings
of what could be considered Halal (Islamically permissible)
food and tried to prepare for each situation and location
as best as we could. Despite our best preparations, at one
point many of the delegates complained that it was fish for
breakfast, lunch and dinner, since seafood does not have
strict Halal rules. Nonetheless, participants experienced the
full gamut of food in America, that is to say the food of the
world! They ate restaurant food, catered meals, fast food,
banquets, carry-out, picnics; they snacked on the run and
even enjoyed home cooking.
Dietary information was also important when our Jewish
delegates traveled to the Middle East. And of course we also
had to be responsive to medical concerns such as diabetes,
food allergies and other constraints. Over the course of the
seven study tours, 5,100 meals were hand-tailored for our
delegates!
Although delegates spent most of their time engaged
in program activities, they still needed a place to sleep.
Planning for accommodations was just as interesting, varied
and challenging. In some cases, delegates were able to stay
overnight with host families, so we worked hard to ensure
they would have a true American experience.
I completely enjoyed myself while working on this fabulous
program, but being able to actually meet the delegates in
person was the highlight for me. Interacting with people
from all over the world and around the U.S. is an eye-
opening and life-changing experience. The bond that is
built with each delegate before, during and after the tour
is the most fulfilling. I often receive thank you notes and
emails months and years after the study tours - even from
some delegates that I did not have the chance to meet in
person. It is good to know that there are people out there
that consider me not just a project associate, but a friend
they can depend on.
I believe that my work on the Religion and Society
Program, inshallah, continues to further understanding,
education, tolerance, justice, thoughtfulness and humanity
by providing opportunities for experiences that I heard
many people say were life-changing. I thank Sahar Taman,
the Project Director, for trusting me with tasks of this
magnitude and importance. E
July 2008 participants waiting for Wendella Boat Tours on the Chicago River
31
32. Tamer Abdou (Egypt), Writer. Tamer holds a Bachelor’s
degree in Arabic Literature. He writes a monthly column
for the AlHaqiqa newspaper in Qatar called “From My
Country.” Tamer has received numerous awards for stories
he has written and was recognized as the best youth
writer of 2006 by the French UNICEF for his story “When
the Dream Dies” and the best youth writer of 2007 in a
competition based out of Montreal, Canada for “Do’aa
Kalby (Supplications from My Heart).”
Mohamed Wafed Ahdali (Syria), Drama & Documentary
Film Director. Wafed has an extensive background in
media with more than 20 documentaries, 5 TV programs
and dozens of other media products in his portfolio. His
productionsareinArabic,EnglishandFrench.Untilrecently,
he was the Internet and Media Department Director for the
Sheikh Ahmed Kuftaro Abu Nour Foundation in Damascus.
Wafed was also involved in the Dawa (outreach programs)
at the Foundation. He holds a degree in pharmacy.
Imam Hani Mahmoud Ahmed (Egypt), Ministry of Trusts,
Egypt. Hani is an Imam at a small mosque in Shubra, a
densely populated section of Cairo, and is supervisor of 200
mosques. He and his wife have started a marriage service
project that provides creative ways for young people with
limited resources to find spouses through his mosque.
He is engaged in addressing the needs of the community
through his projects, lectures and sermons. His training in
Islamic jurisprudence is under the mentorship of Dr. Umr
ElWardany, director of the Dar Al-Ifta of Egypt Training
Institute.
MohammedAlAnsi(Yemen),YemenPetroleumCompany.
Mohammed Al Ansi is a youth activist who works with local
NGOs in Sana’a. He currently works for the IT Department
at Yemen Petroleum Company. During the course of the
Religion and Society study tour, he hoped to express to
the American people his belief that Islam is a religion of
peace and tolerance, that we are all in this world together
and that we are far more similar than we are different. He
also returned to his home country expressing these same
similarities to help continue to build bridges for peaceful
coexistence and the clarification of misconceptions on all
sides.
Fathi Al-Dhafri (Yemen), Consultant and Training
Specialist. Fathi has extensive experience working with
NGOs in Yemen, most recently with the Global Youth
CoalitiononHIV/AIDS,theYouthLeadershipDevelopment
Foundation (YLDF) and the Hand in Hand Initiative.
He is a Steering Committee Member of U.S. Middle East
Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Alumni, Yemen Chapter.
Delegates of the Religion and Society Program
June 2007 delegation at the Tidal Basin, Washington, DC
Continued on next page
32
33. Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society
He has translated and developed a training program about
using the internet for social change. Fathi is also working
on a book: Blogging for Change. Fathi studies English
Literature at Sana’a University.
Rufaida AlHabash, PhD (Syria), President, Al-Andaluse
Institute for Islamic Studies, Hama, Syria. Dr. Rufaida
is founder of the Al-Andaluse Institute which is an
organization that trains and empowers women to be social
activists. She is the author of a book on women’s work in
Islam. Her goal is to educate women in Syria and all over
the world on issues related to Islam and women. Rufaida
has been a participant in many conferences both inside and
outside of Syria and has spoken to various audiences on
religion, women’s rights, and other related topics. Rufaida is
also an active member in a Sufi Women’s Dialogue Group.
Ibrahim AlHadary (Egypt), Political Activist. Ibrahim is
interested in teaching youth about human rights issues
through the medium of sports. He has pushed to reform
the government-organized Youth Centers in Egyptian cities
and villages. He is a strong advocate and activist for women’s
participation in voting in Egypt and has participated in
elections monitoring. He is also the developing founder and
head of Hizbcheb, a prospective Egyptian political party. He
would like to further research and talk about the problems
of political parties in Egypt.
Ahmed Al-Haddad, M.D. (Yemen), Head of the
Department of Community Medicine, Sana’a University.
In addition to being a professor, Dr. Ahmed Al-Haddad
is also the Director of Population Studies and Training
Center for Sana’a University. His fields of research and the
focus of many of his publications are on several aspects
of community medicine, tropical disease, liver disease,
medical education, population issues, family planning and
reproductive health.
Shadya Al-Hobieshi (Yemen), Executive Director,
Association of Social Family for Development. Shadya has
a Master’s in Women’s Studies and has participated in many
conferences on human rights issues and conflict resolution
in Yemen and in other countries. Having worked as an
advocate, teacher and researcher for women’s and children’s
issues, she believes offering clarity to others on the status of
women in Islam as well as the customs and traditions for
women in Islamic societies is most beneficial.
Ismail Abdalla Alhosany (United Arab Emirates), Business
Entrepreneur. Ismail is actively involved in social projects
about Arab and Muslim culture in the UAE for Westerners
and other visitors. He worked for ten years as a director
of training programs and currently supervises centers for
adult education, participating in conferences and training
courses inside and outside the UAE. He received the Best
Administrator designation at Abu Dhabi’s Educational
Level and is a member of the Abu Dhabi Educational Plan.
He is the chief editor of both Nabras Journal and Teacher
Journal.
Imam Mohamed Hajmagid Ali (Virginia), Director, All
Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) and Vice President,
IslamicSocietyofNorthAmerica(ISNA).ImamMohamed
Magid is the Imam and Executive Director of the ADAMS
Center, in Sterling, Virginia. With his encouragement,
ADAMS has become active in local interfaith dialogue
programs, social work, government relations, civic
involvement, and community service. Very active in the
Islamic community, Imam Magid is Vice President of the
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and serves as a
member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Muslim,
Sikh and Arab Advisory Board. He also occupies the
Chairmanship of the Fairfax County Faith Communities in
November 2007 delegation at the Giza Pyramids, Egypt
Continued on next page
33
34. Action,isaboardmemberoftheFairfaxCountyPartnership
for Youth, and is a member of the George Mason University
Campus Ministry.
Shadia Abdullah Al-Jaberi (United Arab Emirates),
Journalist, Saudi Arab News. Shadia Al-Jabiri is also a
freelance writer for Time Magazine. A social activist, she
is the founder, director and a board member of Jumeirah
Islamic Learning Centre in Dubai, an institution that aims
to build bridges between different communities through the
introduction of Islam and Arabic culture. Shadia founded
Al Hemam Training Program three years ago to train and
offer work placement opportunities for underprivileged
youth in the UAE.
Yaseen Al-Maqosi, PhD (Jordan), Human Rights
Activist. Yaseen holds a PhD in Human Rights Studies.
He is researching human rights in societies as well as the
foundations of relationships between Muslims and others.
He is an activist for The Moderation Society, an Islamic
organization that promotes equality between people of
different religious backgrounds. His goal is to create peace
and equality between Muslims and those of other faiths.
Abdulelah AlMoayyad, PhD (Saudi Arabia), President,
AlMoayyad. Abdulelah spent 20 years working at the
Ministry of Economics for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
after which he went into private business. He is now the
president of a non-profit organization, AlMoayyad, whose
goal is to prevent drug usage in Saudi Arabia.
Nabila Mohammed Al-Mufti (Yemen), Lawyer
and Advocate. Nabila AlMufti is an elected
member of the Yemeni Lawyers Syndicate (YLS)
Association. She holds a degree in Sharia Law
from the University of Sana’a. She is a human
rights advocate concentrating on the rights for
women and children in Yemen and is an expert
in family law.
Sheikh Yahya Al-Naggar (Yemen), President,
Social Guidance Foundation. Sheikh Al-Naggar
was the Undersecretary of the Ministry of
Endowments and Guidance for 10 years, training
new Muslim religious leaders to mobilize the
concepts of moderation and rejection of religious
extremism and terrorism. Then, with a number
of religious scholars and activists, he established
an institution of civilian social counseling, the
Social Guidance Foundation, in order to contribute to
the process of religious reform and to promote positive
influences within the Yemeni Muslim community. Sheikh
Al-Naggar has written over ten books on anti-terrorism,
the reform of religious discourse and the modernization of
religious thought to fit with the times.
Mohammed Esmail Al-Nehmi (Yemen), Editor-in-Chief,
Blaqeeoud E-Paper. Mohammed edits the only daily
electronic newspaper in Yemen and has produced several
television documentaries that deal with defending human
rights and individual freedoms. Mohammed also works
with Women Journalists Without Chains, an NGO that
defends and preserves the rights of freedom of expression
and ideas, works to curb corruption, and fights to preserve
freedom of speech and independent journalism. He is also
a teacher and supervisory consultant with the Yemeni
Ministry of Education specializing in early education.
Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi (United Arab Emirates), President,
Al Ihsan Charity Foundation. Sheikh Abdul Aziz, a
member of the ruling family of the Emirate of Ajman, is the
CEO of Al Ihsan Charity Foundation, the General Manager
of Al Safawa Islamic Financial Services and the Chairman
of Green-Base Environmental Services. He is known as
the “Green Sheikh” because of his zealous interest in the
environment. He was awarded first place in 2004 for his
Delegates of the Religion and Society Program
June 2008 delegation with members of Kinooz Youth Group, Kafr ElSheikh Governorate, Egypt
Continued on next page
34
35. Reflections and Experiences of Religion and Society
research specifically pertaining to sustainable development
and pollution prevention topics at the doctoral level at the
97th Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Air and
Waste Management Association in Indianapolis, Indiana.
MohamedAlQudah,PhD(Jordan),Chairman,Department
of Education and Development, AlMoata University.
Mohamed holds a PhD from the University of Jordan in
Islamic jurisprudence. He has worked as a teacher of Islam
and currently assists the Jordanian Ministry of Education as
a consultant on the Islamic educational curriculum.
Khaled AlRammah (Yemen), Researcher and Publications
Officer, Sheba Center for Strategic Studies (SCSS). Khaled
writes publications for SCSS to provide information and
analysis for decision makers concerning political issues and
civil society concerns. Khaled has also been employed by
the Yemeni Center for Strategic Studies as a researcher in
political sciences and as a member of the Editorial Board.
He is a member of the editorial board of Current Age’s
Affairs magazine.
Woroud Hassan Al-Saffar (Saudi Arabia), Activist and
Committee Leader. Woroud is active in organizing and
coordinating activities that have helped women express
their voices and be involved in public discourse. Her
father, Hassan Al-Saffar, is a leading Shia religious figure in
Saudi Arabia. His role in leading dialogue about religion,
tolerance and respect for other points of view has motivated
Woroud to follow a similar path among women. She heads
a committee of nine women within her father’s organization
which aims at developing women’s talents and empowering
them to assume an active role in the civic arena.
Wafa Al-Salahi (Yemen), Educator. Wafa studied and now
teaches Islamic studies. She is the owner and manager
July 2008 delegation at ISNA Headquarters, Plainfield, IN
Continued on next page
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