The Bible in Islam: Stories of Shared Prophets

ING News & Information, 4/16/08

In this Edition:

• Zakir Hussain & the Masters of Percussion, 4/16-4/17/08
• Imam W. Deen Mohammed in the Bay Area, 4/20/08
• County of Santa Clara Holocaust Remembrance, 4/14/08
• “The Bible in Islam,” Bible by the Bay Conference, 4/13/08
• Interfaith Forum at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment, 4/9/08
• Multicultural Week at Robertson High School, 4/7/08

Mark Your Calendars:

CIIS Public Programs presents: Zakir Hussain & the Masters of Percussion
Wednesday and Thursday, April 16 and April 17, 8:00 PM
Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco
For more info: www.ciis.edu, for tickets see: www.cityboxoffice.com or call 415.392.4400

Under the direction of percussion legend Zakir Hussain, Masters of Percussion offers both the audience an opportunity to experience the development of both melody (raga) and rhythm (tala), as well as witness the dazzling and athletic dancing drummers of Manipur, The concert features the traditional repertoire of North Indian drumming on tabla in solo and duet, as well as excursions exploring the frontiers between traditional and contemporary, and folk and classical Indian music.

Imam W. Deen Mohammed Speaking in the Bay Area
Sunday, April 20, 2-5PM
Topic: “The Religion of Originality (Fitrah) and Muslim Identity”
Location: Masonic Auditorium, 1111 California Street, San Francisco
Free Admission

Imam Warith Deen Mohammed is an influential American Muslim leader and the son of Clara and Elijah Muhammad. After his father’s death, Warith Deen Mohammed was accepted by followers of the Nation of Islam as their leader. Immediately rejecting his father’s theology and separatist views, he brought many reforms which brought the followers of the Nation of Islam to accept traditional Islamic beliefs and practices. He renamed his organization a number of times and is now a leader of a new project called The Mosque Cares. W.D. Mohammed was the first Muslim to give the invocation in the U.S. Senate. In 1993, he gave an Islamic prayer during the first Inaugural Interfaith Prayer Service of President Bill Clinton, and again in 1997 at the second Interfaith Prayer Service. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear one of the greatest thinkers and pioneers of the African American Muslim community.

Events of Interest:

County of Santa Clara Holocaust Remembrance, 4/14/08

For the second consecutive year, an ING representative took part in the Santa Clara County’s Holocaust Remembrance on Monday, April 14th at the county’s Government Center in San Jose and was a co-sponsor of the event. The theme of this year’s commemoration was “Three Untold Stories from the Holocaust: Women, North Africa, and Asia,” and was a collaborative effort between high school students and Holocaust survivors. The standing crowd only event was held in the County Board Chambers where it was presided over by the five County Supervisors and attended by important figures in the Jewish & interfaith communities. The theme focused on narratives of different peoples who had struggled to save Jews from the Holocaust, focusing on women, North Africa, and Asia, which the students had researched and presented to the mesmerized audience. Included in the amazingly moving narratives were stories of numerous Muslims, particularly from North Africa who had stepped forward to help save lives often at risk to their own. ING’s president, Maha Elgenaidi was one of six faith leaders who opened the event by lighting a candle for the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust. Her candle accompanied the following words:

“In memory and in honor of the ‘The Righteous Among The Nations:’ Priests, nuns, ministers, the Muslims of the Paris Mosque, diplomats, and so many unnamed ordinary people who put their lives on the line in helping Jews. The Danes and the Bulgarians who refused to let their Jewish neighbors be arrested and deported to the camps. Irena Sendler, 97 years old this year, personally saved 2500 children from certain death in the Warsaw ghetto.”

By recognizing the humanity in all people, societies can prevent the mistakes of the past from reoccurring.

“The Bible in Islam,” Bible by the Bay Conference, 4/13/08

ING’s president, Maha Elgenaidi was one among many religious scholars and leaders who came together for the “Bible by the Bay” conference in Palo Alto on Sunday, April 1th. Bible by the Bay is a day of biblical learning with a rich array of workshops by leading scholars on the Bible and related topics. This is the fifth year for the event, which was also held on two previous afternoons in Marin county and San Francisco. Maha’s workshop was unique in that it was reflective of another faith’s view of the Bible. She focused on prophet hood in Islam and related Quranic stories of common prophets such as Moses, Abraham, David and Solomon. People are often unaware of the plethora of references in the Qur’an to “Biblical” stories and shared prophets, and the striking parallels between the Quranic and Biblical narratives that often have minimal discrepancies. The audience found it faith affirming to hear of these parallels and witness firsthand the commonalities between the faiths.

Interfaith Forum at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment, 4/9/08

ING’s president Maha Elgenaidi joined an esteemed panel of guests at an interfaith forum at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment in San Jose on Wednesday, April 9th to discuss their vision for the community as a global model of cooperation between interreligious groups and other guiding institutions. Included among the panelists were Vice Mayor of San Jose, Dave Cortese and Delorme McKee-Stovall, representing the Martin Luther King Center. The event was held in conjunction with a pre-meeting of World Parliament of Religions which is convening its next international convention in Australia in September 2009. Attending the program from Chicago was Dirk Ficca, Executive Director of the Parliament Council. The panel of speakers was asked to address questions relating to their vision of the ideal relationship between religious and spiritual, ethnic and cultural communities, and the ideal relationship between faith communities and the broader society. Maha emphasized that acknowledging and accepting the diversity and humanity of all people and incorporating a theology of pluralism was central to her vision of a society that benefits from all communities. She pointed out the importance of extending this vision to the entire world, and viewing ourselves beyond borders as part of one community, the human race, with all of the resulting implications, economically, politically, and environmentally. She stressed that the inclusion of religious voices in the public square, and the ability of religions to address the challenges of the modern world were key in benefiting the broader society. She concluded by stating that it was the local community’s efforts to embrace faiths other than the two Abrahamic faiths and truly include them in the interfaith movement that might serve as a model for the worldwide interreligious movement.

Multicultural Week at Robertson High School, 4/7/08

An ING speaker delivered an Orientation on Islam and Muslims to most of the student body at Robertson High School in Fremont on Monday, April 7th. The presentation was part of multicultural week at the high school, as it has in previous years with ING speakers addressing the topic of Women in Islam. The present
ation, which outlined the basics on what it means to be a Muslim, was well received by the students, many of whom had little previous knowledge on the topic, and who were interested to learn of the similarities with their own faiths and traditions. Multicultural week or similar programs have become a common tradition at many Bay Area middle and high schools as the region has grown increasingly diverse in recent years. Learning about and understanding another faith, culture or ethnic group is the best way to overcome stereotypes and prejudices and encourage a spirit of celebrating diversity.

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