Religious leaders come together for interfaith seminar

Representatives of Christianity, Islam and Judaism convened for a panel discussion about their respective holy books at the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro Sunday night.

The seminar, entitled “God’s Books: Reading Scripture in Judaism, Christianity and Islam,” featured six speakers who discussed the similarities and differences between the three Abrahamic traditions.

The speakers were: Jamal Badawi, an Egyptian Muslim scholar who resides in Canada; Ossama Bahloul, the imam, or religious leader, of the ICM; Frederick Bauerschmidt, a Catholic theologian at Loyola University in Baltimore; Sally Holt, an associate professor of religion at Belmont University who identified herself as Protestant; John Oliver, pastor at St. Elizabeth Orthodox Christian Church in Murfreesboro; and Rabbi Rami Shapiro, an author and blogger in Murfreesboro.
http://www.dnj.com/article/20131104/NEWS01/311040031/?nclick_check=1

US Art Expo Explores Muslim Life

Portraying Muslims daily life through the lens of art, students in a leading American university have inaugurated a multimedia expo about Islam, which will be running through November.
“Islam is a religion that can be interpreted in so many ways and through so many different passions,” Layla Quran, a junior student at the University of North Carolina (UNC) and co-organizer of the expo at Chapel Hill, told the Daily Tar Heel.
“There’s so much room for possibility — you can interpret it in a way that fits your lifestyle.”

http://islam.ru/en/content/story/us-art-expo-explores-muslim-life

Religious heads meet for peace

As the world continues to get increasingly polarized by infighting and animosity between religious groups, members from several faiths and communities attended ‘Interfaith dialogue for Modern Era’, a meet for peace and harmonious co-existence organised by the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. A decision to organise another similar conference in the near future was taken at the meet.

 The two-day meet attended by members of 10 faiths is part of the 150th birth anniversary celebration of Swami Vivekan and, who enthralled the Parliament of World religions in 1893 in Chicago. “Peace, love, harmony and brotherhood have always been the language of Pirs, Fakirs and Saints alike. People remember them more than any ruler because they have spread the religion of humanity. They lit a candle in one through the efforts of another. We will make sure that this effort is taken forward andanother such interfaith dialogue is organised,” said Maulana Syed Ather Ali.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-religious-heads-meet-for-peace-1916689