This in-person book talk by Dr. Ori Z. Soltes was a discussion on “Between Thought & Action”, Fethullah Gulen`s intellectual biography of thoughts, words, and actions including interviews with Hizmet movement followers. This volume has two goals. One is to explore the life and the thought of Fethullah Gulen and the important educational and peace-inducing activities in which he and those inspired by him have been engaged for several decades. The outcome of those efforts—of creating...

Dr. Parrillo and Dr. Ansari present a cross-cultural study of Hizmet schools in seven countries of varying histories and ethnic compositions. Some are fairly homogeneous, while others are longstanding multicultural, multiracial societies. Some have Muslim-majority populations, others a small Muslim minority. Through hundreds of interviews with students, parents, staff, and financial supporters, the authors explored individual perceptions and experiences, as well as the triad of student,...

We think we have the answers, but we need to be asking a lot more questions. Partisanship is up, trust is down, and our social media feeds make us sure we’re right and everyone else is ignorant (or worse). But avoiding and attacking one another is breaking… everything. Journalist Mónica Guzmán is the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who voted—twice—for Donald Trump. When the country could no longer see straight across the political divide, Mónica set out to find what was...

Religious nationalism is on the rise worldwide. In the U.S., it has primarily taken the form of White Christian Nationalism: the affiliation of being White and Christian with belonging and mattering in this country. This program explored the nature of global nationalism and its specific manifestation in the U.S. First, we heard from Dr. Mark Juergensmeyer, who is an expert who has been studying this trend for over thirty years. His keynote remarks were followed by a panel of diverse faith...

While anti-Semites and Islamophobes often speak as if our faiths have been frozen in ice (and primitive thinking) for many centuries, the fact is that Jews and Muslims belong to living, breathing, stimulating faiths. On February 9, 2022, JIDS and the Rumi Forum jointly presented a dialogue that presents some of the exciting ideas and personalities that have emerged within the past century to enrich our faiths. Jews and Muslims belong to living, breathing, and stimulating faiths. On this...

Rumi Forum, Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights, and Prince George’s County Memorial Library System presented a virtual panel discussion on “How Do We Deal With Covid, Social Injustice, and Polarization?” on February 3, 2022, for a conversation for our time, in recognition of World Interfaith Harmony Week. How do we build and use interfaith harmony to develop restoration, reconciliation, and resiliency as applicable to the world that we live in now? We are plagued: by the Covid-19...

On December 9, 2021, participants joined this in-person book talk for a considered study of Muslim–Christian coexistence and dialogue in the time of Prophet Muhammad. The Christians that lived around the Arabian Peninsula during Muhammad’s lifetime are shrouded in mystery. Some of the stories of the Prophet’s interactions with them are based on legends and myths, while others are more authentic and plausible. But who exactly were these Christians? Why did Muhammad interact with them as he...

Using inside sources and extensive field reporting about the secretive, high-stakes world of international diplomacy, Vatican reporter Victor Gaetan takes readers to the Holy See to explicate Pope Francis‘s diplomacy, show why it works, and offer readers a startling contrast to the dangerous inadequacies of recent U.S. international decisions.   About the author Victor Gaetan, Ph.D., has served as an international correspondent for Catholic News Service and the National Catholic Register....

Working on an aid program in one of the most violent places in the world, North East Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, philanthropist, and business leader Steve Killelea asked himself, ‘What are the most peaceful nations?’ Unable to find an answer, he created the world’s leading measure of peace, the Global Peace Index, which receives over 16 billion media impressions annually and has become the definitive go-to index for heads of state. Steve Killelea then went on to establish a...

Summary: The Qur’an often addresses Jews and Christians as “People of Scripture” to indicate that they have received revelation from God. Yet, while acknowledging the special relationship and knowledge that this revelation brings, the Qur’an at the same time criticizes the People of Scripture for not remaining true to God’s guidance and claiming special power over God’s gifts. The mixture of acknowledgment and criticism is based on actual encounters with Jews and Christians at the time of the...

Arson and vandalism at houses of worship. Bullying at schools and harassment at the grocery store. Political scapegoating and institutionalized discrimination. Muslims in the United States and beyond have faced Islamophobia in a range of forms. This ground-breaking book argues that Christians though they are not the targets of Islamophobia should be at the forefront of efforts to end the prejudice and discrimination that Muslims face. Writing for Christians of all denominations, Jordan...

Fratelli Tutti (All brothers and sisters), subtitled “on Fraternity and Social Friendship” is the third encyclical of Pope Francis. The document was signed on October 3, 2020 during Pope Francis’s visit to the top of his namesake St. Francis of Assisi and was released on his feast day. It borrows its title from St. Francis’s Admonitions. Fratelli Tutti is Catholic in terms of its origin, yet universal in terms of its substance. The encyclical addresses a set of contemporary global challenges...

Using Rumi Poetry to Flip the Modern-Day Script Join author S. A. Snyder for an online discussion of her latest book, “The Value of Your Soul: Rumi Verse for Life’s Annoying Moments.” Drawing from her 2019 memoir of living at a spiritual retreat in Scotland, this new book is a witty collection of short tales. With the help of select verses from Rumi, Snyder teases out some lessons learned from her funny experiences and offers a soupçon of homespun guidance for coping with people, situations,...

Dialogue as the path, cooperation as the code, understanding as the method. The Legacy It is hard to exaggerate the legacy of the meeting between St. Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik Al-Kamil in 1219, a historical encounter that took place in the midst of the Fifth Crusade. This event is still remembered as a landmark of religion’s transformative power despite differences even during the most unwelcoming moments. On 3-5 February 2019, His Holiness Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of...

“From the secretive circles of Yemen's ancient Sufi mystics to the Constantinople court of the Ottoman Sultans to the backstreets of Mercantile London, coffee has changed every society that fell under its heady sway. Abdul-Rehman Malik has spent a lifetime searching for the soul of coffee. Join us as we explore the culture, politics, spirituality and the extraordinary history of the world’s most second traded commodity – and learned how a humble bean – quite literally – changed the world.” ...

“Few are guilty, but all are responsible.” So said Abraham Joshua Heschel, reminding us of one the key teachings of our Abrahamic Prophets. We are indeed all responsible for confronting and resisting injustice. But how do we do this wisely, effectively, and morally? Rumi Forum and JIDS will bring in two diverse experts to provide insights on this question. Dr. Sophia Pandya is currently a full professor and department chair at California State University at Long Beach, in the Department of...

On October 30, Rumi Forum held a discussion of the Netflix show ‘Stateless’. ‘Stateless’, released on Netflix this summer, is a six-episode series based on a true story of an Australian citizen who was held in one of Australia’s immigrant detention centers. It follows the stories of several characters as they come into contact with Australia’s immigration system, including migrants who have fled violence and persecution in their home countries, employees of the center and Australia’s...

On October 15, Rumi Forum held a book talk, Thirty Days With King David, by pastor, educator and leadership coach Larry Buxton. King David ranks among the world’s greatest heroes for defeating Goliath and for preaching Psalms. He is honored by Jews, Christians and Muslims. In turbulent times, he united a nation—and his hard-earned wisdom can bring us together today. In this book, pastor, educator and leadership coach Larry Buxton shows us how David embodies 14 crucial values shared by...

On October 2nd, the International Day of Non-Violence, we would like to thank Rev. Canon Leonard Hamlin, Hardy Merriman, Rivera Sun, and Mary Elizabeth King for the excellent discussion on the current state and relevance of nonviolent action in the contemporary globe. Grievance and deprivation, perceived or real, tempt groups into violent behavior. Rapid change, social upheaval, and uncertainty make violent expressions of social discontent even more likely. It is in those moments that we...