This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies Presents A Muslim Perspective on Interreligious Dialogue with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf

Renowned author and Muslim leader Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Founder and Chairman of Cordoba Initiative, will speak on Thursday, October 3, 2013 at Goucher College’s Kraushaar Auditorium about the conflicts that arise in a religiously plural world and how these conflicts demand the attention of Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities. The 7:30 p.m. presentation will conclude the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies’ yearlong 25th Anniversary Speaker Series.

Imam Feisal’s lecture will focus on the key tensions and conflicts within Islam and how they shape Muslim relations with Jewish, Christian and other non-Muslim communities. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is a leading Islamic thinker and author of several books, including Moving The Mountain.

As former Imam of the Masjid al-Farrah mosque located in Lower Manhattan, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf preached a message of building understanding between people of all faith traditions, initiating interfaith dialogue and forging connections of trust and mutual support. He sits on the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Center of New York, serves as an advisor to the Interfaith Center of New York, and is a member of the World Economic Forum Council of 100 Leaders (Islamic-West dialogue).

Find out what's happening in Eldersburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Imam Feisal has received numerous awards including the Search for Common Ground Award for Interfaith Diplomacy in 2012 and Arianna Huffington’s “2010 Game Changer” Award. Time magazine named him among the 100 most influential people of the world in April 2011 and he was listed as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers of 2010 by Foreign Policy magazine.

“Exploring the Muslim perspective on religious pluralism is an appropriate topic for the end of our 25th Anniversary Lecture Series” said Dr. Christopher Leighton, Executive Director of the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies. “I believe that our future depends upon religious communities that will ask the hard questions about themselves as well as their neighbors. There is so much to discover as Christians and Jews explore a tradition as vast, complex and varied as Islam.”

Find out what's happening in Eldersburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Imam Feisal’s presentation will take place at Kraushaar Auditorium, Goucher College, 1021 Dulaney Valley Rd., Towson, MD 21204. The presentation is free, open to the public and will conclude with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf signing copies of his latest book, Moving The Mountain. While not required, reservations made via mkrastel@icjs.org or by phone at 410-494-7161 are appreciated. For more information, visit www.icjs.org/25th-anniversary/speaker-series.

About the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies
The ICJS is an educational non-profit that engages in the exploration of religious pluralism, examines the intersections of faith traditions and advances interreligious understanding through dialogue and scholarship. Founded by Baltimore corporate leaders over 25 years ago and based in Towson, MD, the ICJS offers programs to clergy, lay leaders and the general public. Each year, hundreds of individuals participate in ICJS seminars, study sessions and intensive courses. Though concentrated in central Maryland, ICJS programming is branching into the D.C. suburbs and has gained a significant presence in Atlanta, GA.

About the Cordoba Initiative
Founded in 2004, the Cordoba Initiative is a multi-national, multi-faith organization dedicated to improving Muslim-West relations.  The organization focuses on building bridges and countering Islamophobia, elevating the discourse in America on Muslims by showing that Islam is pluralist, tolerant and compassionate, and creating a space, the Cordoba House, for the voices of moderation to flourish and be heard. Through the annual convening of global groups of scholars representing the full spectrum of Islamic legal and political thought, the Cordoba Initiative has achieved consensus on the definition of Islamic good governance and created the Islamic Rule of Law index to rate countries’ compliance with that definition.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Eldersburg