Christians and Muslims mourn Hani Fahs, an iconic figure for interreligious dialogue

At a time when spiritual darkness is spreading over parts of the Middle East, the death of Sheikh Hani Fahs, 68, has elicited an emotional response among political and religious leaders that is far greater than one might expect from his media exposure. It is as if in death, one of Lebanon's truest voices for interfaith dialogue, a man of great openness, finally found his true stature, one that he embodied by virtue of his own character as well as his knowledge and faith.

Fr Fadi Daou, founder of the Adyan Foundation, was one of the last friends to visit the great thinker in the intensive care unit where he was hospitalised. Standing by the bed, next to intubated body of the dying scholar, F Daou prayed "that God may never deprive Lebanon and the Arab world of fatherly figures of his clarity, i.e. people who live in accordance with their faith and practice what they say."

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Beirut:-Christians-and-Muslims-mourn-Hani-Fahs,-an-iconic-figure-for-interreligious-dialogue-32205.html

UK Imams Appeal for Release of ISIL Hostage

British Muslim scholars have made a video appeal to Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants to release Alan Henning, warning killing hostage would break Islamic laws.
In the YouTube video, two Muslim scholars, Shakeel Begg and Haitham al-Haddad, appealed to ISIL to release 47-year-old British hostage Alan Henning.

"For the same reasons today I stand with Alan Henning," Begg, imam at Lewisham Islamic Centre in south London, said while referring to his campaigns for the release of Muslims from Belmarsh and Guantanamo Bay prisons, BBC reported on Saturday, September 20.

http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/477645-uk-imams-appeal-for-release-of-isil-hostage.html

Week of multi-faith events sparks interfaith dialogue and intercultural awareness

“Religious Life” is the kind of topic one would expect Eastern Mennonite University to pick as its 2014 theme for International Education Week. It may surprise some, though, that this Christian university used the words “religious life” to refer to more faith perspectives than Christianity exclusively.

The week was intended to encourage both interfaith dialogue and intercultural awareness, said Susannah Lepley, EMU’s director of multicultural and international student services.

http://emu.edu/now/news/2014/09/week-of-multi-faith-events-sparks-interfaith-dialogue-and-intercultural-awareness/