ING staff and speakers will present at a number of sessions during this year’s Parliament of the World’s Religions in Salt Lake City. The parliament, which runs from Thursday, October 15th to Monday, October 19th, is the world’s premier gathering of faith leaders. Thousands of lay members, clergy, and seekers will converge upon the Salt Palace Convention Center for a long weekend of dialogue, strategic planning, and inspiration. Here’s a rundown of the sessions that ING will participate in. More details can be found here:

Islam 101: Q&A

October 16, 7:00am-8:00am
Come with questions, leave with answers and a deeper understanding of other faith traditions. Debunking myths, sharing practitioners’ views, addressing women’s issues and more will be covered over the hour with a preference for questions and answers. The doors are open to learning, engaging in dialogue and putting a face behind faith traditions that may otherwise be misrepresented, misunderstood, or simply unknown. ING Content Director Ameena Jandali will present.

Three Types of Prayers in Islam: Salat, Duaa, & Thikr

October 16, 8:30am-10:00am
Islam is built on twin connections; connection with God in worship, and connection with humanity through service. The prayers in Islam are of three types: Salat, Dua, and Zikr. This workshop and practical demonstration will provide insight into how Muslims spiritually connect with their Creator through these three methods of prayer. ING Content Director Ameena Jandali will present.

Sacred Text Interpretation: A Multi-faith Dialogue

October 16, 12:15pm-1:45pm
Exegetical analysis and dialogue about sacred text in the Islamic, Judaic, Christian, and Buddhist traditions from women religious.Words direct, shape, and express the spirit, even in the wordless depth of being. Female perspectives on sacred texts are crucial for our times. Historically, many women have been denied access to religious texts in their own tradition. Even for women who now have access to religious texts, they must confront severe hermeneutical and application challenges. Hear the unique and shared experiences, the thorns and the nectars, from these women of wisdom traditions. ING CEO Maha Elgenaidi will present.

Muslim Women in Non-profit Leadership

October 16, 3:45pm-5:15pm
This session will examine some of the challenges and barriers as well as opportunities for American Muslim women in leadership positions in non-profit organizations, including mosques and other non-profits. We will highlight stories of success, including those of the panelists who are all non-profit heads in their local communities. Most importantly, we will identify strategies for helping women overcome societal barriers and encouraging women’s initiatives and leadership. ING CEO Maha Elgenaidi will present along with Shakila Ahmad and Azra Hussain, the directors of ING’s Cincinnati and Phoenix affiliates, respectively.

Street Theology of Anger in the Muslim World: A Critical Analysis of ISIS, Boko Haram, and the Taliban

October 17, 8:15am-9:45am
Not only do Islamic texts offer a model of peaceful co-existence between different ethnic and faith communities, but Prophet Muhammad built a society on these models. Those ideas and ethics are reflected in the cosmopolitan cultures depicted by Rumi in his poetry and even earlier in the tales or One Thousand and One Nights. Today, however, this mutual existence model is challenged by ISIS and other extremist groups. This extremism is evolving with a distinct theology of freestyle interpretation – hence, the street theology of anger. Islamic scholars and diplomatic experts will address the topic in this panel. ING Content Director Ameena Jandali will present.

ING’s Interfaith Speakers Bureau: Modeling Religious Pluralism for Our Youth

October 17, 11:45 am-1:15pm
In this combined panel discussion and workshop, an ING interfaith panel will do a model presentation, giving an overview of their faiths and discussing the values they share. ING staff will then discuss how people can organize an IFSB in their area, building on the experience of ING in the San Francisco Bay region. We will also model our training for speakers, including the First Amendment guidelines that govern teaching about religion in public schools. Participants will be encouraged to discuss and share the resources in their areas for building an IFSB. ING will present resources that participants can draw upon. ING CEO Maha Elgenaidi, ING Programs Manager Henry Millstein, and ING Speakers David Marshak and Berget Jelane will present.

Beyond Words: An Interfaith Ritual for Peace

Sunday, October 18, 10:00am-11:30am
Beyond Words is a dance ritual that incorporates greetings of peace, chants, and movement from Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Native traditions. All are invited to participate in chants, simple gestures, and the discussion afterward. Dances are connected through movement that symbolizes the river which knows no borders satisfying the thirst of all who drink from it. Water is significant in religious traditions, is critical for life, and calls us to environmental justice. The final movement culminates in a joyous spiral dance open to all participants to bestow the blessings of peace. ING CEO Maha Elgenaidi will present.

Approaches to Interfaith Education

Sunday, October 18, 1:45pm-3:15pm
This panel addresses different approaches to interfaith education at different levels (primarily elementary and high school, with some reference to university and college), primarily from a UK and USA context. Discussants will explore relative strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges of different approaches to educating students and youth to be culturally competent, religiously literate, and civic-minded, whilst nurturing their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. ING Deputy Director – Programs Seán Rose will present.

Putting Faith into Action: Interfaith Service Projects as a Vehicle for Service and Dialogue

October 19, 8:30am-10:00am
This session looks at combing interfaith service and dialogue as a means to both serve the needy and forge interfaith understanding between various faith groups, including American Muslims. It will be discussed how to organize and execute successful service projects, referencing actual projects as well as interfaith discussions that took place during interfaith service days. This presentation will also discuss potential challenges and opportunities for organizing interfaith service projects in the community. ING Content Director Ameena Jandali and ING Programs Manager Henry Millstein will present.