This year, the month began for many Muslims on the evening of April 23 (the first day of fasting is determined by the sighting of the new moon) and will end at sundown on May 23. 91短视频鈥檚 Committee on Diversity and Inclusion issued a special newsletter in April for the 91短视频 community in conjunction with the .

鈥淛ust as our Christian friends celebrate Easter and our Jewish friends Passover, this time of the year is holy to our Muslim friends,鈥� said CIE director and CODI member Timothy Seidel. 鈥淚n this newsletter, Muslim students were invited to share reflections. Their generous responses offered insights about Ramadan and its meaning to them and to our 91短视频 community.鈥�

鈥淐elebrating Ramadan is an opportunity to highlight the importance and value of religious diversity, religious literacy and interfaith engagement and inclusion at 91短视频,鈥� said senior Elena Bernardi, a peacebuilding and development major who served a practicum with CIE during the spring semester and co-wrote a short essay on religious diversity for the newsletter.听

In addition to a list of resources, students and graduates took the opportunity to share common practices, as well as how the annual celebration personally impacted them.

鈥淭ypically, fasting begins around dawn and ends at sunset,鈥� Maha Mehana MA 鈥�19, GC 鈥�20 explains. 鈥淭o prepare and begin their fast, Muslims usually eat breakfast right before dawn, pray, and bless their fast. While fasting for the rest of the day, they refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and engaging in any sexual activity.鈥�

Then, at sunset, 鈥渇amilies break the fast with the iftar, traditionally opening the meal by eating dates to commemorate Prophet Mohammed鈥檚 practice of breaking the fast with three dates. They then adjourn for the Maghrib prayer, the fourth of the five required daily prayers, after which the main meal is served,鈥� says Mehana.

Hosam Hadid, who graduated with an MS in biomedicine this month, describes Ramadan as a month to 鈥渞echarge our souls so that we don鈥檛 lose sight of our creator for the next 11 months. It is a month of submission to the one above.鈥�

This year is the second time he鈥檚 observed Ramadan while enrolled at 91短视频. 

鈥淚 can confidently say that I鈥檝e never felt so celebrated and included the way 91短视频鈥檚 Center for Interfaith Engagement has made me feel,鈥� Hadid says.

Aminata Wallet Mohamed 鈥�18, now a graduate student in conflict transformation, says that the fasting keeps observers in 鈥渁 state of constant spiritual awakening.鈥� 

鈥淭he purpose of Ramadan is to purify the body and mind, and to better understand the difficulties of the poorest. According to the tradition, healthy people must fast except for children who have not reached puberty, pregnant women, the sick and the elderly,鈥� she says.

As in many religious traditions, fasting for Ramadan is not just a physical practice, but a spiritual and emotional discipline.

鈥淚t invites us to be more considerate towards giving to those in need, avoiding wrongdoings, being humble, and complete submission to God,鈥� says Muhammad Akram, who graduated with an MA in conflict transformation this month.

For some, what they decide to eat once night falls is another intentional decision.

鈥淩amadan for me now is all about cleansing for my body and my soul. I try to eat healthy everyday, and eat only plants based foods. I also try to be more present every day to see the beauty surrounding me,鈥� says undergraduate student Fatimah Subhi.

The consultation brought together peace theologians and peacebuilding scholars from different Anabaptist institutions for a daylong conversation about the state of their respective fields and to brainstorm how they might cooperate in an interdisciplinary way toward developing a theologically robust theory and practice of peacebuilding.

In the morning sessions, six scholars presented their proposals, with each presentation followed by an invited respondent and time for feedback from the group. In the afternoon sessions, invited guests led open-ended discussions about how to move forward in light of what was presented in the morning sessions.

After a welcome by , Ed.D., vice president and academic dean at AMBS, , D.Min., associate professor of congregational formation at AMBS, began the first morning panel, on peace theology, by presenting a paper titled 鈥淎t-one-ing ordinary harm,鈥� in which she drew attention to the role of forgiveness and reconciliation in response to ordinary, nonmoral harms in contrast to the typical focus in theology and peacebuilding on how to respond to extraordinary moral harms. , M.A.T.S., Intercultural Competence and Undoing Racism coordinator at AMBS, offered an appreciative response in which she noted how Jacobs鈥� analysis can helpfully deescalate conversations about racism and other unacknowledged biases.

, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and ethics at AMBS, then presented 鈥溾�楲et Us Make Them in Our Image鈥�: Gender and the Methodological Considerations of Shalom Political Theology,鈥� in which she asked the question, 鈥淗ow do I draw men as readers into women-centered theological work that鈥檚 intended for every-body?鈥� , Ph.D. student in religious studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, responded by highlighting the ways Berry鈥檚 work helpfully resists 鈥渄isassociation鈥� between one鈥檚 life and scholarship.

To conclude the peace theology panel, Andrew Suderman, Ph.D., assistant professor in theology, peace and mission at 91短视频, presented 鈥淩e-Claiming Our Power: Assuming Political Agency in the Quest for Peace,鈥� drawing on his work as a Mennonite Church Canada Witness Worker in South Africa, where he and his wife, Karen, helped coordinate the Anabaptist Network in South Africa. In response, , Ph.D., associate professor of Anabaptist studies at AMBS, pressed Suderman to develop his account of power and politics further so as to better account for the ways in which the aims of church and state have often overlapped, despite the avowed 鈥渄ivision of labor鈥� between church and state that Suderman attributed to the legacy of Constantinianism.

Timothy Seidel, Ph.D., who teaches politics, development and peacebuilding in the department of applied social sciences and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at 91短视频, kicked off the second morning panel with his paper 鈥淓xploring Religion and the Post-Secular in the Borderlands of Theology and Peacebuilding.鈥� Seidel expressed misgivings about the secular bias in North American and European-centric models of peacebuilding and asked what possibilities have been closed off because of this bias. He argued for breaking down the binary between the religious and the secular in order to better listen to the voices and experiences of marginalized communities. Respondent , Ph.D., director of the Point of View International Research and Retreat Center at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, affirmed Seidel鈥檚 post-secular, decolonial line of thought as it applies to religion and peacebuilding theory and practice.

Johonna Turner, Ph.D., assistant professor of restorative justice and peacebuilding at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at 91短视频, then presented 鈥淲omanist Peacebuilding Ethics: In the Time of #Black Lives Matter and #MeToo Movements.鈥� Turner called attention to what she called 鈥渉olistic anti-violence organizing鈥� as a contemporary tradition of peacebuilding. She offered a post-colonial, womanist, anti-violence theology, with which she found resonance in the Anabaptist foci of community, nonviolence and radical discipleship. By focusing on black women鈥檚 experiences of self-determination, self-agency and storytelling, Turner offered what she called a 鈥渞adical, Anabaptist womanist鈥� theology. Respondent , M.S.W., M.Div., independent scholar, social work practitioner, and founder of Destiny鈥檚 Daughters, described Turner鈥檚 approach to peacebuilding as a process of weaving or braiding a number of strands of hair together. She noted that the process might look messy, but the end result comes together beautifully.

In the final presentation of the morning, , Ph.D., assistant professor of peace studies and Christian social ethics at AMBS, presented 鈥淲itnessing Peace: Becoming Agents Under Duress in Colombia,鈥� in which she drew on her experiences with communities in Colombia to offer an account of constructive agency under duress. Her account juxtaposed what she called messianic 鈥渘ow time鈥� with gradual time, both of which inform the other in the process of creating what John Paul Lederach calls 鈥渏ust peace.鈥� In response, Peter Dula, Ph.D., associate professor of religion and culture at 91短视频, commended Hunter-Bowman for allowing the voices and experiences of Colombian communities to speak into and challenge peacebuilding theories rather than imposing the theories onto the experiences of the people.

In the first afternoon session, , Ph.D., professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, reflected on the voices that were still missing in the discussion. While he commended the presenters for centering marginalized voices, he raised the question of whether marginalized voices were being selectively appropriated and asked whether there were other voices that might challenge some of the perspectives of the presenters further. In addition to voices from the majority world, Schlabach mentioned traditional Amish communities as another resource for peacebuilding.

Nekeisha Alayna Alexis discussed the need to expand theologies of peacebuilding to include the wellbeing of non-human animals and creation more holistically. She also challenged presenters to consider how their own eating practices might align with their peace theology.

To close the consultation, , Ph.D., managing editor of the and sessional faculty in theology and ethics at AMBS, offered concluding remarks, in which he synthesized the presentations into what he called an 鈥渙rdinary, organic theology of anti-violence peacebuilding.鈥�

Participants and attendees were energized by the lively discussions throughout the day. One peace studies professor in attendance said that this was the kind of discussion he had been waiting on for decades. AMBS and Goshen College students in attendance were likewise enthused by the exchange of ideas among their professors. Participants left optimistic about the possibilities of ongoing collaboration between peace theologians and peacebuilding scholars at AMBS, 91短视频 and beyond. By the end of the day, there was discussion about planning a subsequent consultation to continue the momentum.

The consultation was organized by Janna Hunter-Bowman, Peter Dula and Salom茅 Haldemann, an M.A.: Theology and Peace Studies student at AMBS, and was generously sponsored by the .

Rabbi Dr. Niles Goldstein, asked to reflect on the impact of 91短视频’s Center for Interfaith Engagement on its 10th anniversary, called the organization 鈥渁 counterweight to today鈥檚 climate of tribalizm and demonization of the other.鈥�

Its work is 鈥渧ital to mutual understanding, breaking down stereotypes, and building bridges between and among religious and spiritual communities,鈥� said the former Jewish Visiting Scholar, who spent 2013 teaching and facilitating conversations at 91短视频.

Since 2010, CIE has worked to build interreligious and intercultural understanding, knowledge and friendship. Its impacts stretch from campus 鈥� with undergraduate and graduate courses taught by visiting scholars and the implementation of a new interfaith minor, among many other activities 鈥� to the Shenandoah Valley community to other regions of the United States and countries of the Middle East. 

The anniversary year is a time of reflection on past accomplishments and gratitude for 鈥渢hose who made this all possible,鈥� Director Tim Seidel noted, as well as a time to look ahead.

鈥淲e are particularly excited to continue to provide opportunities for 91短视频 students to interact with people of different faiths and to develop an understanding of the importance of interfaith engagement itself,鈥� Seidel said. 鈥淒eveloping the skills and sensibilities to relate across faith difference is critical to any vocation and career they may pursue.鈥�

Spring events

CIE鈥檚 anniversary events this spring and summer include a film series, a University Colloquium March 18-19 with scholar Saher Selod, student-focused sessions on interfaith understanding, and the June 2020 interfaith peace camp for children. 

A campus research project partially sponsored by the Interfaith Youth Core is also in progress this spring, with focus groups among 91短视频鈥檚 growing religiously diverse student body, and a goal of informing future programming.

CIE鈥檚 impact also stretches beyond the Shenandoah Valley. This past fall, staff consulted on programming and attended an interfaith event in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.

Fall events also included an anniversary reception and an October University Colloquium with Amir Hussain, a professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University in California. In November, CIE partnered with the local group Faith in Action and the NAACP to host a Racial Equity Institute training. 

Notable accomplishments

Over the last 10 years, CIE efforts have contributed to historic accomplishments, including:

• the successful application for and hosting of 91短视频鈥檚 first Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, Professor Syafaatun Almirzanah, of State Islamic University Sunan Kalijaga;
• Co-sponsorship of , the seventh of its kind over the past 16 years, bringing together Shi鈥檃 Muslim scholars from Qom, Iran, and Mennonite scholars from Canada and the U.S. 鈥� including 91短视频 professor Peter Dula;  
• Support of the Mennonite Jewish Relations Working Group of Mennonite Church USA, including research;
• The founding and ongoing support of a summer interfaith peace camp for children, a model which has been shared with other communities seeking similar educational interactions;
• A 2014 cross cultural trip to Iran for undergraduate and graduate students, a collaboration of 91短视频, Canadian Mennonite University, and the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute in Qom.

鈥楤rave and innovative鈥�: tributes from the former director and scholars

The tributes from those involved over the 10 years of its existence are moving testament to the organization鈥檚 far-reaching impact and its important work today:

Ed Martin, who directed the center for its first six years, says 鈥�91短视频 was both brave and innovative in creating CIE.  In our pluralistic society that includes persons of different faiths, it is important that graduates of 91短视频 know something about other religions and are comfortable interacting with people of different faith traditions. Today they will meet them in a variety of contexts.鈥�

Trina Trotter Nussbaum, associate director: When I have the chance to talk to staff and faculty at universities who are interested in doing interfaith work on their campuses, I am often met with several responses. One response is disbelief that a Christian university would have the courage and the foresight to develop and host a center devoted to interfaith engagement when many Christians in the U.S. have a lot of fear about the religious other. Many staff working in both secular and religious universities have expressed their wish to have a center at their university like we do at 91短视频.

I continue to be grateful to those who saw this need ten years ago, developed the possibility for a Center for Interfaith Engagement at 91短视频 and worked to bring it to life. I am excited for what the next ten years will bring. We need holistic and restorative interfaith engagement now more than ever.听

From Rabbi Dr. Niles Goldstein, visiting Jewish scholar in 2013: Working with my colleagues from other faith traditions was an enriching and inspiring experience, and I particularly enjoyed learning more about the Mennonite tradition and the spirit of ecumenical openness that made CIE possible. As a counterweight to today’s climate of tribalism and demonization of the other, the work of CIE is vital to mutual understanding, breaking down stereotypes, and building bridges between and among religious and spiritual communities. CIE has made me a better rabbi and a better man, and I will always be grateful to the men and women I worked with there and who have made such an important, relevant, and unique organization possible.

Amir Akrami, Phd, first visiting Muslim scholar at CIE from 2012 to 2015, sent hopes and prayers 鈥�that CIE will be further expanded and strengthened to be able to continue their wonderful job which aims at building bridges between people of different faiths at a time when more than before the US and the whole world need meaningful engagement, mutual understanding and friendship.鈥�

鈥�May God bless you and your work,鈥� he said.

Share your CIE experience and send congratulations

To share a comment or experience or to send good wishes, visit the comment box at the end of this article. For more information, connect with CIE online at or donate at .

Effective immediately, 91短视频 has cancelled all public events through April 3 in response to concerns about COVID-19.

The Colloquium with Dr. Saher Selod for March 18 will hopefully be rescheduled for the fall semester. The film “The Plastic Problem” on March 25 will be rescheduled for sometime in April or May. Please continue to check back to this page for updates about these events.

For more information about 91短视频鈥檚 COVID-19 action plan, visit .

The Center for Interfaith Engagement at 91短视频 announces its fifth annual spring 2020 film series on the themes of environmental justice and faith.

The center, celebrating its 10th anniversary this academic year, partners with individuals and organizations and promotes collaboration among scholars and practitioners to build a more just and peaceful world through interreligious and intercultural understanding.

Each film showing will be introduced by Bob Bersson, Visiting Jewish Scholar and emeritus professor at James Madison University, followed by analysis and a question-and-answer session with experts from the local community. Admission is free and all are welcome.

With Bersson as host, CIE has hosted four spring film series in the past, which were well-attended and sparked thought-provoking discussions, said Trina Trotter Nussbaum, associate director. 

“Issues of climate, sustainability, and environmental justice permeate the news,鈥� said CIE director Timothy Seidel. 鈥淭his year鈥檚 spring film series will create space for conversations on how faith informs our engagement on these issues, and how these issues create opportunities for interfaith engagement for persons of faith relating across faith difference as they engage these important issues.”

Film schedule

• Jan. 20, 7 p.m., Suter Science Center 106 (in conjunction with 91短视频鈥檚 MLK Day of Learning and Service). 鈥�鈥� (1 hour, 26 minutes), a 2006 production directed by Mark Dornford-May tells the story of Jesus in a South African context. Among other honors, this film was the first South African film to debut at Sundance Festival.

• Feb. 19, 7 p.m., Seminary Building 123. (1 hour, 36 minutes), a documentary about individuals fighting for change in the industry of agricultural food production in the race against the end of farmable soil. From the website: 鈥�The Need to Grow delivers alarming evidence on the importance of healthy soil 鈥� revealing not only the potential of localized food production working with nature, but our opportunity as individuals to help regenerate our planet鈥檚 dying soils and participate in the restoration of the Earth.鈥�

• March 25, 7 p.m., Seminary Building 123,  (54 minutes), a PBS documentary with Newshour reporters exploring the growth, disastrous impact, and possible solutions of 鈥渙ne of the greatest environmental threats facing humans and animals globally.鈥�

• April 22, 7 p.m, Seminary Building 123, (1 hour, 11 minutes). From the website: 鈥淔ilmmaker James Redford embarks on a colorful personal journey into the dawn of the clean energy era as it creates jobs, turns profits, and makes communities stronger and healthier across the US. Unlikely entrepreneurs in communities from Georgetown, TX to Buffalo, NY reveal pioneering clean energy solutions.鈥�

91短视频 the moderator

Bersson is a James Madison University emeritus professor who founded the Interfaith Initiative for Peace and Justice in Harrisonburg. He led film series for CIE in 2014 and 2015 on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in 2014 and 2015; in 2016 on human rights, environmental and social justice leaders; and in 2019 on aspects of xenophobia, discrimination and white supremacy. Last year鈥檚 film series specifically highlighted the experiences of local and regional faith communities, in order to build interfaith relationships and networks built on equity and trust.

Bersson taught modern and contemporary art history, aesthetics, art criticism and art appreciation at James Madison University for 20 years. He has studied Hebrew and Arabic and visited Israel/Palestine several times, where he has family and friends.

After he retired from JMU in 2003, he spent 14 months in Egypt (2006-09), where he learned firsthand about various Muslim and Christian cultures of the region. Because of his work in local interfaith activities, he has strong connections to diverse communities in the central Shenandoah Valley.

Thus began Dr. Amir Hussain鈥檚 lifelong admiration for the boxer and activist Muhammad Ali. Hussain, a professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, told this story as part of a colloquium at 91短视频 on Oct. 23. The talk was named after his latest book, (Baylor University Press, 2017).

Muslims and the Making of America is far from Hussain鈥檚 only work in the realm of popular culture. He serves as an adviser on The Story of God, a television documentary by Morgan Freeman, and was a consultant for the new Warner Bros. film, . 91短视频 hosted two screenings of Blinded by the Light , including one talkback session with Professor Timothy Seidel, CIE’s director.

During his visit, Hussain spoke with students about Muslim representation in media over lunch, and visited classes on social and political economy, reimagining identity, and liberation theologies.

Muslim achievements shaped the U.S.

Ali is one of the dedicatees of Hussain’s Muslims and the Making of America.

Years after watching that historic fight on television, Hussain would learn more about the racial context of a country where not everyone shared his admiration for the African American boxer. He referenced an incident in which Ali was refused service in a restaurant in his hometown, after winning an Olympic gold medal in Rome in 1960.

鈥淵ou can eat in the kitchen, but you鈥檙e the wrong color to sit in the dining room. Think about that as a young man. You鈥檙e good enough to win a gold medal for your country, but you鈥檙e the wrong color to eat in a restaurant.鈥�

鈥淵ou can eat in the kitchen鈥� is a callback to the Langston Hughes poem, 鈥淚, too, sing America,鈥� which Hussain recited at the beginning of his talk. 

鈥淭hey鈥檒l see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed鈥� / I, too, am America,鈥� the poem ends. 

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I want to do with this book,鈥� Hussian explained. That is, to give the general reading public a narrative about the many Muslims whose achievements have helped shape our nation.

Hussain鈥檚 colloquium did that as well 鈥� serving up a historical digest of notable American Muslims, from the African slaves who first brought Islam to the U.S.; to Ahmet Erteg眉n, who founded Atlantic Records; to present-day congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.

鈥淭here has never been an America without Muslims,鈥� Hussain recited from the opening line of the book.

Hussain also spoke about the Islamophobia that emerged after Sept. 11, 2001. Before, Muslims had been 鈥渁 curiosity,鈥� that few of his students knew much about. After Sept. 11, his students claimed to know a lot about Muslims 鈥� but all negative stereotypes, and no history. 

Connections to CIE, 91短视频

Trina Trotter Nussbaum, associate director of the Center for Interfaith Engagement at 91短视频, met Hussain at an American Academy of Religion conference in 2016.

鈥淚 was immediately taken by Amir鈥檚 ability to speak publicly about confronting Islamophobia while working across religious differences to build alliances, and I thought that we needed to hear from him here,鈥� Nussbaum said. 鈥淎mir is both a skilled Muslim scholar and a plugged-in cultural critic and I really wanted the 91短视频 community to be able to hear from him.鈥�

Hussain鈥檚 roots in the Mennonite world run deep 鈥� he first collaborated with Mennonite Central Committee in 1988, on a trip to Israel-Palestine. His wife, Shannon Hamm, who passed away in 1992, grew up in a small Mennonite community in Manitoba, Canada.

President Susan Schultz Huxman, whose academic expertise lies in the field of rhetoric and communication, attended the colloquium.

“Dr. Hussain is a seasoned scholar and theologian and as a cultural studies and film studies expert,” said Huxman. “This combination makes his expertise a perfect supplement for our integrated liberal arts curriculum at 91短视频. More importantly, he is an expert communicator with engaging visuals who presents difficult and challenging topics in accessible and invitational forms.”

Hussain said after the colloquium that he was most excited about 鈥渢he chance to engage with the students鈥� while at 91短视频. In fact, those experiences are the reason why he鈥檚 in academia.

The event is hosted by Interfaith Youth Core, an organization that CIE has collaborated with in the past and which organized a 2018 seminar that involved CIE director Tim Seidel, a professor at 91短视频 who teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on politics, development, and peacebuilding.

The annual three-day conference is the 鈥渓argest gathering of students and educators with a commitment to religious pluralism,鈥� according to the website. 鈥淧articipants learn to bridge divides and forge friendships across lines of religious and worldview differences鈥� with the goal of bringing 鈥渢he movement of interfaith cooperation back to their campuses and communities.鈥�

Participants included junior Raviv Monahan and senior Ariel Barbosa; CIE Associate Director Trina Trotter Nussbaum, a graduate of the s MA in conflict transformation program; and Campus Pastor Brian Martin Burkholder. 

‘The most diverse space’

Both students have expressed interest in adding 91短视频鈥檚 new interfaith minor to their studies. Barbosa is an honors student double-majoring in sociology and Bible, religion and theology. Monahan is also an honors student with a double major in art and philosophy.

One attraction of the trip was an opportunity to have their perspectives challenged, said the students. Having been mostly in Christian-dominated spaces in the past, Barbosa said that the conference was potentially the most diverse space she鈥檚 ever been in. 

鈥淒espite being very connected to Jewish culture, I generally tend to think in very secular terms when it comes to politics and philosophy,鈥� said Monahan, 鈥渟o I thought the ILI would be an interesting change of framework: instead of secular, anti-religiosity as a unifier, understanding religious difference as one.鈥�

Questions encouraged

Among many other activities, both students attended an introductory class of about 25 students from all faith backgrounds who explored their roots, discussed how to move from a polarized America to 鈥渁 potluck America鈥� and explored more about becoming an interfaith leader. Monahan particularly enjoyed the opportunity to interact in 鈥渙ne-on-one conversations with people of different faiths in an explicitly educational environment, where people were not afraid to ask questions.鈥� 

Another highlight was the 鈥渦nconference,鈥� in which attendees selected topics and led discussions on, among other topics, Israel/Palestine and economic inequality.

Monahan particularly valued connections with participants who talked about 鈥渢he ways in which religion and culture can be incorporated into leftist work without resorting to wholesale rejection of religion, and how interfaith understanding and solidarity can strengthen the fight for socioeconomic and racial justice in our world.鈥�

Crosscultural connection to Sikh temples visit

In one session about interfaith collaboration, Barbosa appreciated a story about a Canadian student of color who organized a homeless shelter in his city, connecting with Christian congregations and their churches that were unused at night and the Sikh community, which has a tradition of feeding large numbers of people. 

During her cross-cultural semester in India, she remembered: 鈥淲e were fed at the Sikh temples we visited, eating while sitting cross-legged amid the mass of temple visitors 鈥� Because of the Sikh value of service, known as seva, I was one of the 50,000 plus people fed the day we visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar. I remember feeling inspired.鈥� 

Join to encourage interfaith understanding at 91短视频

Such connections and learnings were among those the group discussed with Seidel back on campus as they consider how to share learnings in activities, events and discussion groups.  

These conversations will also inform a project to encourage interfaith understanding and build community across differences on 91短视频鈥檚 campus. The project is a joint initiative of CIE and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding project and is funded by IFYC. 

Funding for attendance at the conference was provided in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program. Portions of this grant aided in the development of 91短视频鈥檚 new global studies major.  

Want to learn more? 

For more information about getting involved on campus, connect with the Center for Interfaith Engagement. Leadership Institute participants Ariel Barbosa and Raviv Monahan also suggest visiting the IFYC website and also:

• Developing your religious literacy (to love our neighbor, we have to know our neighbor; and test your knowledge);
• Thinking about pluralism, or the energetic engagement of religious diversity toward a positive end; and
• Practicing interfaith cooperation, which includes building mutually inspiring relationship while respecting different religious identities.

In those 20 years, one family member, Bshara Nassar, attended and graduated from the . (Bshara, married to Kiersten Rossetto Nassar 鈥�13, 听is a founder of 听in Washington D.C.)

But his uncle, Daoud Nassar, who directs farm operations and is the lead spokesperson for Tent of Nations, had never visited 91短视频.

That changed the first week of November when Nassar spent two days on campus, participating in several interactions: a seminary chapel sermon, a lunch discussion with present and future Middle East cross-cultural participants, a classroom discussion with students at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, and an evening forum and discussion open to the community. Nassar鈥檚 time on campus concluded with a student-led tour of 91短视频鈥檚 sustainability efforts, a request he specifically made to gain more ideas for his own family farm in Palestine.

Among many familiar faces on campus to greet Nassar was Timothy Seidel, director of 91短视频鈥檚 Center for Interfaith Engagement (CIE) and assistant professor of international development. While living in Bethlehem and working for Mennonite Central Committee from 2004-07, Seidel visited the farm on a number of occasions and saw the family regularly at Christmas Lutheran Church. More recently, he into nonviolence and civil resistance in Palestine. 听

Nassar鈥檚 visit was sponsored by CIE, Eastern Mennonite Seminary, and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. 听

鈥榃ho Is My Neighbor?鈥�

Emeritus Professor Dorothy Jean Weaver introduced Nassar to the seminary audience, delighted to finally be able to reciprocate the hospitality and love the family had shown to her and her students over more than 10 visits to Palestine since the 1990s.

鈥淭heir ongoing friendship has blessed my life,鈥� Weaver said. 鈥淎nd like me, I would venture that many of our seminary students who have visited Tent of Nations would say their experience was uplifting and inspiring, seeing how the Nassar family has endured their situation with a deeply hopeful approach to life and so guided by Christian principles.’鈥�

The Nassar family lives on land that they have owned for generations, yet nevertheless has been in continuous litigation with the Israeli government since 1991. Their choice of family motto听鈥� 鈥淲e refuse to be enemies鈥� 鈥� was deeply intentional and has strong links to the scripture text about the Good Samaritan, he explained during the seminary chapel service. 听

鈥淭he good Samaritan did not raise the question what would happen to me if I stop? He asked what would happen to that man if I don鈥檛 stop?,鈥� Nassar said. 鈥淭his is the true meaning of love which is action, to see and act in a different way 鈥� Acting differently, that is what Jesus meant by loving your neighbor. When you act in a different way, you open a new perspective for someone else to see the other differently.鈥�

Acting with violence toward their oppressors would not change their situation, Nassar said, recounting the family discussions that led to the eventual establishment of Tent of Nations. 鈥淲e decided there must be another way of resistance, to resist with love, because we believe that hatred creates more hatred, darkness more darkness.鈥�

Spiritual experiences and more

Bill Goldberg, director of CJP鈥檚 Summer Peacebuilding Institute, spent a memorable week at Tent of Nations while co-leading the fall 2017 cross-cultural with his wife Lisa Schirch, son Levi and daughter Miranda.

The days were simple, rich and full, he remembered, with hours of labor helping with the olive harvest followed by meals and fellowship around a fire at night. While the nights were dark, peaceful and still, the hum of construction and the sight of electricity in nearby Israeli settlements, as well as the main road blockade set by Israeli soldiers, was a constant threatening reminder of the situation in Palestine. 听

Reconnecting with Nassar on campus brought back strong recollections for Goldberg of the site of his 鈥渕ost profound spiritual experience.鈥� Palestinian guide Alaa Hamdan MA 鈥�08 (the group also had an Israeli guide) had said that the Muslim call to prayer is 鈥渃onstant, circling the globe continuously, starting a few seconds to a few minutes later in each village as the earth rotates.

On a hilltop at Tent of Nations one evening, Goldberg says he thought the call was merely echoing off the hills. 鈥�But then, in succession, it stopped in each village. 听I was actually hearing the call to prayer travel around the world. It was beautiful and uplifts my heart now just to think about it.鈥�

At the reunion, students shared reflections of their own experiences at the farm. 鈥淒aoud talked about the land and updated us on the complex legal situation,鈥� Goldberg said. 鈥淲hile we were there, the family was rushing to refile paperwork to keep their land ownership case in the Israeli court system, a cycle that has sadly become as much a part of their calendar as the olive and fruit harvests. So that was something we wanted to know about.鈥�

鈥淗e also talked about volunteers helping at the farm,鈥� Goldberg added, 鈥渁nd of course, tried to recruit a few to come back.鈥�

Future Middle East travel

• 91短视频鈥檚 connection to the Middle East expanded last year with the first Alumni and Friends Cross-Cultural to the Middle East with longtime and much beloved leaders Linford and Janet Stutzman.听Read more here.
• Check out the Alumni and Friends Cross Cultural webpage for more information on other travels, including the next Middle East trip with the Stutzmans in fall 2019.
• Seminary professors Dorothy Jean Weaver and Kevin Clark co-lead a Middle East cross-cultural for seminary students in summer 2019.
• The next Middle East cross cultural for 91短视频 undergraduate students travels with the Stutzmans in spring 2019.

鈥淲hat lessons have we learned?鈥� CIE director Professor Timothy Seidel asked at the reception. 鈥淲hat relationships have been nurtured?鈥�

In partnership with other service and learning organizations, CIE provides opportunities for interfaith education and engagement and promotes collaboration among religious and nonreligious scholars and practitioners to build a more just and peaceful world through inter-religious and intercultural understanding.

At the reception, Seidel highlighted ongoing CIE priorities, which include forming an advisory council, building partnerships with each academic department at 91短视频, developing opportunities for interfaith experiences and relationships in the broader community, and growing its financial sustainability.

Ed Martin, former CIE director, shared about a spring 2018 learning tour to Iran 鈥� one of several he has hosted over the years. The delegation included Christian, Muslim, Jain and Zoroastrian participants.

Accomplishments

Among other accomplishments this year, CIE provided input into a new minor in interfaith studies in conjunction with 91短视频鈥檚 Bible, Religion and Theology Department. It provides students with opportunities to understand major faith traditions and practice relating across faith differences. Course topics include world religions, comparative monotheisms, philosophy of religion, understanding violent conflict, history of the Middle East and more.

Other noted events included:

• Turkish author and New York Times contributor Mustafa Akyol visited 91短视频 to speak about his new book The Islamic Jesus: How the King of the Jews Became a Prophet of the Muslims (St. Martin鈥檚, 2017).
• CIE was a sponsor of the at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The seventh of its kind over the past sixteen years, this event brought together Shi鈥檃 Muslim scholars from Qom, Iran, and Mennonite scholars from Canada and the U.S. 鈥� including 91短视频 professor Peter Dula 鈥� for presentations and discussions on the topic of religion and youth.
• A roundtable event, 鈥�Borders and Bridges: Reflections on Interfaith Engagement,鈥� discussed ways that building bridges of practical interfaith collaboration in relief, development, and peacebuilding have served as strategic forms of Christian witness.
• CIE director Tim Seidel was selected to participate in a spring seminar on teaching interfaith understanding, organized by the Council of Independent Colleges and Interfaith Youth Core.
• Along with renowned peacebuilding scholar and practitioner Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Seidel co-edited (Lexington, 2018). This new book assesses the peacebuilding implications and societal impact of the Hizmet Movement, presenting cases that provide a counter to negative stereotypes of Islam with examples of positive educational institutions rooted in Islamic values. The book includes contributions from scholars and practitioners around the world that critically explore the intersection of the movement and peacebuilding in countries such as Northern Iraq, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.

Upcoming events

In the next year, CIE will help organize the summer 2019 Interfaith Peace Camp and continue to support Mennonite Church USA鈥檚 new Mennonite Jewish Relations Work Group, said CIE associate director Trina Trotter Nussbaum.

CIE, Eastern Mennonite Seminary and the Center of Justice and Peacebuilding will co-host a Nov. 8-9 visit of Daoud Nassar, a Palestinian Christian who will share about faith and the challenges of living in the occupied West Bank. He will also discuss the Tent of Nations initiative on his family farm there, which brings together people from many different countries to learn from and increase understanding and hope through personal connections. [More information on this event is forthcoming.]

Seidel is also director of 91短视频’s Center for Interfaith Engagement,听and teaches in the graduate program of 91短视频’s . He has worked in various development and peacebuilding contexts in North America and the Middle East, including serving for several years with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), first as peace development worker in Palestine-Israel and then as director for Peace and Justice Ministries in the U.S. Seidel previously taught at American University and Lancaster Theological Seminary. He holds a PhD from the School of International Service at American University in Washington, DC.

Twenty-five faculty members will participate in the five-day Teaching Interfaith Understanding seminar that will take place June 17鈥�21, 2018, at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. The seminar will be led by two oustanding scholars: Eboo Patel, founder and president of IFYC, a Chicago-based organization building the interfaith movement on college campuses; and Laurie Patton, president of Middlebury College and former dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and the Robert F. Durden Professor of Religion at Duke University. The program aims to broaden faculty members鈥� knowledge and strengthen their teaching of interfaith understanding, with the development of new courses and resources.

鈥淪trengthening the teaching of interfaith understanding at colleges and universities is a high priority at a time when college enrollment鈥攁nd American society鈥攊s becoming more diverse. Strengthening participation in American life with greater understanding of the distinctive contributions of different faiths is a key to America鈥檚 future success as a democracy,鈥� said CIC President Richard Ekman. 鈥淭he number of institutions that nominated faculty members to participate in the interfaith understanding seminar is most impressive.鈥�

For more information, visit .

The event will be from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, in Martin Chapel.

鈥�91短视频 has a long history of interfaith engagement, represented by its diverse student community, institutional commitments to justice and peacebuilding, and many expressions of global and local engagement,鈥� said the center鈥檚 director, Professor Timothy Seidel. 鈥淚ts centennial year provides a good opportunity to reflect on this history as well as look forward.鈥�

The discussion will use as its basis the 10th anniversary of the publication of (Cascadia Publishing House, 2007), edited by Peter Dula and Alain Epp Weaver. Dula is professor of Bible and religion at 91短视频, while Weaver worked for many years with Mennonite Central Committee in the Middle East, and currently serves as director for strategic planning.

Both Dula and Weaver will attend the roundtable, as well as chapter contributor Gopar Tapkida, a Nigerian peacebuilder and graduate of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding鈥檚 . Carol Tobin, from Virginia Mennonite Missions, and Israa Alhassani, a steering committee member for CIE鈥檚 Interfaith Peace Camp, will also contribute.

The book includes case studies by 10 contributors with experience working for Mennonite Central Committee,听a relief, development, and peacebuilding agency of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in Canada and the United States. The essays represent diverse experiences related to how Mennonites have contributed to peacebuilding and reconciliation in multi-religious contexts. Dula鈥檚 closing essay offers a theological rationale for interfaith collaboration.

鈥淲hen it was published 10 years ago, the editors wanted to encourage current Mennonite institutions, whether that was Mennonite Central Committee or mission agencies or colleges and universities, to learn from the rich history of promoting interfaith and ecumenical cooperation,鈥� Seidel said. 鈥淣ow ten years later, we want to explore what Mennonite interfaith engagement looks like? What lessons have we learned? What relationships have been nurtured?鈥�

The 10 contributors, listed here with the region they originally wrote about, include several 91短视频 alumni: Susan Classen 鈥�79 (Latin America); Roy Hange 鈥�82 (Iran); Jeanne Jantzi 鈥�86 (Indonesia); Chantal Logan (Somalia); Edgar Metzler (Nepal); Gopar Tapkida MA 鈥�01 (Nigeria); Eldon Wagler and Jane-Emile Wagler (Egypt and Syria); Alain Epp Weaver (笔补濒别蝉迟颈苍别-滨蝉谤补别濒);听 Randall Puljek-Shank MA 鈥�99 (southeast Europe); and Jon Rudy GC 鈥�01, MA 鈥�01 (India).

The following day, CIE will host an inter-agency consultation, closed to the public, to develop recommendations for congregations and individuals working at interfaith engagement.

This is the third such consultation on the topic, with participants representing Mennonite Church USA’s denominational office; Mennonite Mission Network, Eastern Mennonite Missions; Virginia Mennonite Missions; Christian Peacemaker Teams; the Center for Interfaith Engagement and the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at 91短视频; and Mennonite Central Committee.

鈥淭hat second image there is what I think of when I think of community organizing,鈥� Seidel told the group, gathered for the afternoon session of SPI Community Day at 91短视频.

One thoughtful middle school teacher, who had driven several hours from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, had a different observation.

鈥淣ot all the fish in my classroom are swimming the same way,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd some of those fish are angry.鈥�

Amid much laughter, there were also nodding heads.

Practical skills, positive energy

The interaction was SPI Community Day in a nutshell: thought-provoking discussion in an educational environment that emphasizes practicality and the experiences of those in the classroom, undergirded by the positive energy (and often good humor) of face-to-face interaction.

Seidel鈥檚 workshop was one of seven offered during the one-day event, which gave approximately 85 participants a taste of the learning opportunities and warm friendly environment of 鈥淪PI,鈥� or .

Since 1994, more than 3,200 people from 120 countries 鈥� and a wide variety of professions 鈥� have attended the summer program, gaining concrete strategies and practical skills in organization, facilitation, reconciliation, restorative justice, participatory arts, trauma awareness and much more.

During its four sessions in May and June, academically credentialed practitioners teach five- and seven-day courses that can be taken for personal skills growth and training or academic credit. Three-day workshops are also offered.

‘Drums No Guns’ founder offers keynote

One of those practitioners who will teach this summer kicked off the Community Day event.

A drum welcomed the group into Martin Chapel for a keynote address, interspersed with guided meditation and a lecture on racial healing, by Dr. a Richmond-based educator and founder of Drums No Guns. In 2016, Bhagat was named Richmond鈥檚 Peacebuilder of the Year by the Richmond Peace Education Center.

More drumming ended the session, led by his son Shyamuu, who lives and drums in Colorado. Ten participants were lucky enough to enjoy a short bucket-drumming lesson that resulted in a soul-shaking version of the Bhagats鈥� signature beat, 鈥淛unkyard Jam.鈥�

Bhagat, currently earning a postgraduate certificate in restorative justice, will teach Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) at SPI this summer.

Community Day participants: what they said

• Drew Miller, middle school principal

Miller鈥檚 middle school a few miles outside of Harrisonburg is working to instill a restorative culture model. Two teacher-leaders from Montevideo accompanied him to SPI Community Day.

His big takeaway from a session on conflict-competent leadership with Dr. Gloria Rhodes was a new perspective on conflict itself. 鈥淲hen used properly, fire can provide warmth and light, both positive things,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen not handled properly, it becomes destructive. As I’ve dealt with conflicts this week, I’ve kept that in mind.鈥�

He added that the concept of 鈥渜uiet centeredness,鈥� taught in a peace education session with Dr. Ed Brantmeier, of James Madison University, was also useful in addressing conflict and wrongdoing.

• 听Lance Brown, career coach

Brown, of Westwego, Louisiana, combined his SPI Day experience with an exploratory visit to Eastern Mennonite Seminary. A career coach with the social enterprise-based organization JUMA Ventures, Brown introduces young adults ages 18-24 to career planning, employability and financial management skills and part-time employment.

鈥淚 appreciated the focus on the power people have and the necessity of strategic work to accomplish the work of peacebuilding rather than simply peace-praying,鈥� he shared later in an email. These 鈥渟kills of reconciliation are necessary to the work of the Kingdom of God.鈥�

Brown also appreciated the awareness and recognition of historical and systemic discrimination and oppression of people of color.

His experiences helped move him into his abiding questions: 鈥淗ow do I do theology in a way that liberates me and allows me to fulfill my God-given potential? How I interpret scripture in a way that doesn鈥檛 oppress human beings and/or prop up unjust and inhumane systems? And how do I develop the relevant skills to live out a liberating gospel worth practicing?鈥�

• Rebeca Barge, director of programs, Big Brothers Big Sisters

Barge, a regular attendee of the summer institute, offered SPI Community Day as a professional development opportunity. Two staff and two Big Sisters attended.

鈥淥ne big take away,鈥� she reflected, 鈥渨as the importance of understanding and naming the different aspects that make up an organization’s culture, and identifying the blessings and barriers of that culture. The other take away from the lunch plenary session was how important it is to re-design and re-frame the problems or issues we are trying to address within Big Brothers Big Sisters to have more buy-in from staff and stakeholders.鈥�

complement their classroom studies with semester-long practicum placements that offer on-the-job training. Graduates have entered professional fields such as civil rights law, public policy, education, human rights, humanitarian action and others.

Among those PXD graduates making big impacts:听听Jessica Sarriot ’11听studies听public policy at Princeton University; Weber State economics professor听Matt Gnagey ’05;听and听Larisa Zehr听’11 is a听law student at Northeastern University.

For his placement, Rush worked at the Blacks Run Forest Farm with founder Jonathan McRay, a 2013 graduate of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. The farm fosters the societal embodiment of 鈥渁 culture of trees: abundant, diverse, renewing, mutual, slow, rooted, cyclical, nurturing and deeply connected underground.鈥�

In addition to writing the manual, Rush helped with tree propagation in the nursery and worked with school groups to plant a riparian orchard and thin unwanted species from streamside areas.

Real-world placements

Such real-world opportunities abound in 91短视频鈥檚 peacebuilding and development program鈥檚 lineup of practicums 鈥� there have been 60 since 2007.

鈥淲hether in Colombia, Washington D.C., or here in Harrisonburg, our students have unique opportunities to develop practical skills, gain professional experience, and wrestle with the burning issues of our time,鈥� said Professor .

The experience helps to ground students in skills learned in the classroom:听mediation, conflict analysis, program evaluation, group facilitation, community assessment and events organization.

In addition to Blacks Run Forest Farm, local placements have included 91短视频鈥檚 and , The Fairfield Center, New Bridges Immigrant Resource Center, and James Madison University’s Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence. .

Further afield, students have fulfilled practicum requirements with internships through the Washington D.C.-based at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, World Vision, N Street Village, Maryland Citizens Against State Executions and Voices for a Second Chance, a nonprofit that empowers the incarcerated, returning citizens and their families in the transition into the Washington D.C. community. Read more about D.C. internships here.

Several other students have spent time with听Justapaz in Bogota, Colombia.

Local and unique

The 150-hour placement gave Rush a unique opportunity less than two miles from campus: In addition to learning practical skills for cultivating plants, he could work side by side with people who would guide him through conversations about both restorative justice and 鈥渞esisting oppressive behaviors and institutions, in a diverse neighborhood where people are trying to live well together,鈥� said the forest farm鈥檚 co-founder Jonathan McRay.

The experience, said Rush, allowed him to see 鈥渞estorative justice ideas taken and practiced in creative and effective ways.鈥�

It also furthered the farm鈥檚 mission, with 鈥渕ore growing plants to spread throughout our community to provide food, fuel, medicine, mulch, air conditioning, carbon converting, water healing and beauty,鈥� said McRay.

Plus, the elderberry manual will be 鈥渁 great resource for the farm to share with folks interested in buying the plant from us or in cultivating it themselves and knowing exactly how to use the ripe berries,鈥� he said.

Read more

• Check out 91短视频’s听PXD Blog.
• At WCSC, Nathan McKnight ’16 interned with Freedom Circles.
• Justapaz in Colombia has hosted several students.
• Jonathan Nisly ’17 worked at low-income-housing nonprofit MANNA and found his calling.
• Undergraduate students can apply for the , where they would also complete a one-semester practicum in their second year of graduate studies. Read about spring 2017 experiences.

Titled 鈥淧ractical Tools for Hard Problems in Our Communities,鈥� the day鈥檚 workshops will offer practical tools and build skills for peacebuilding, conflict transformation in the workplace, and facilitation and community organizing. The day will also include a morning plenary speaker, opportunities for networking, and a lunch presentation by regional community leaders.

The event is also designed to give participants a preview of the community atmosphere and courses offered at , a program of the (CJP). SPI鈥檚 five sessions in May and June focus on a variety of topics including trauma awareness, restorative justice, leadership, program management and responding to violent extremism.

More than 200 people from approximately 40 countries attend SPI each year. While the early years of SPI were geared more towards international participants, in recent years the program has also attracted local participants and responded to local situations.

鈥淲e want to support the efforts of local individuals in a variety of positions and occupations who are already engaged in addressing the hard topics in our communities,鈥� said Christi Hoover Seidel, director of admissions for CJP. 鈥淲e see SPI Community Day as an opportunity for support, expansion, and connection for those who are committed to peacebuilding, even if they don’t self-identify as 鈥榩eacebuilders.鈥� Our goal is to offer practical tools to help sustain their work.鈥�

The 72 participants in last year鈥檚 Community Day represented a wide range of professional interests: offender reentry, youth empowerment, adult career education, mediation, climate activism and filmmaking. More than half were from Harrisonburg, with the remainder from Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Workshops and presenters this year include:

• Transformative Leadership for Organizational Development, with Elizabeth Girvan, executive director of Skyline Literacy and , professor of organizational leadership, 91短视频;
• How to be a Conflict Competent Leader, with , professor of applied social sciences, 91短视频;
• Peace Education Prelude, with Ed Brantmeier, professor of education, JMU;
• Organizing Your Community for Change, with , professor of applied social sciences, 91短视频;
• Building Resilience in Body, Mind and Spirit, with , director of the Strategies for Trauma Awareness & Resilience program, 91短视频;
• Mapping the Justice Needs of Your Community, with , professor and co-director of the Zehr Institute of Restorative Justice; and
• The Relational Importance of One-on-One Meetings, with ,听professor听of Restorative Justice and Peacebuilding, 91短视频.

Registration cost is $50 ($25 for students), and includes two workshops, a catered lunch, plus a $50 application fee waiver for SPI 2018.

Learn more about SPI Community Day .