Is Interfaith Today dead?

The best answer is... I am not sure. I have a couple of shows that were in process. But I just accidently deleted about half of one of them. My life has gotten pretty crazy/busy and Interfaith Today has definitely suffered. OTOH, I have a nice new digital recorder to carry off and do interviews. So the show may go on. But probably not in the next month which will be full of business travel and other distractions. I just wanted to say I haven't totally quit.

Rowan

Podcamp West

Tom Mahon, who appeared in episode eight, let me knw about an upcoming conference for bloggers and readers, podcasters and listeners, VideoBloggers and new media of all types in San Francisco on Nov. 18-19th, 2006. I'm planning on attending at least some of the conference.

Interfaith Today, episode nine

Interfaith Today offers a talk by Dr. Iftekhar Hai that was presented last year at the Interfaith Center at the Presidio. The recording starts without much introduction as Dr. Hai sings a prayer. So I offer a biography of Dr. Hai written by Paul Chaffee, Director of the ICP.

Iftekhar Hai is the interfaith officer of United Muslims of America. For the past ten years he has been active locally, nationally, and internationally in interfaith circles. He serves on the boards of the San Francisco Interfaith Council, the Interfaith Center at the Presidio, and for a number of years on the United Religions Global Council. Iftekhar is of Pakistani heritage, but he grew up in Mumbai (Bombay) in India, went to Roman Catholic schools, and had a Jewish landlady when he first came to the United States, who helped him with the cultural adjustment and introduced him to Judaism. Iftekhar has not only been active as a Muslim representative to interfaith groups but, since 9-11, has gone out of his way to introduce new Muslim leaders to the Bay Area. He has also been active in the larger Muslim community in promoting liberal approaches to their faith.

I am happy to have this presentation to share during Ramadan.

Interfaith Today, episode eight

The first segment of this episode is an essay by Tom Mahon who kindly stopped by my house and recorded his thoughts on Religions Yet to Be which were published in his blog, reconnecting.calm. Tom Mahon has written about technology for over 30 years as publicist, journalist, novelist, dramatist and activist. Since the early 1990s, he has spoken and written widely on the need to reconnect technical capability with social responsibility. Since 2005 he has written his blog. He also has a website for his book, Reconnecting.calm:
A user manual for balancing handwork, brainwork and heartwork in the age of science and technology.


Then we'll hear a chant to Saraswati by Fontain's M.U.S.E. from their album, Fire Trance. Saraswati of the Book is one of Rowan's matron Goddesses.
Lyrics:
Oh Goddess Saraswati
We adore you
With your magic and melody
Bring peace to our hearts
Bring peace to the world
Oh mother Saraswati

The third segment features a version of the talk Rowan did on her faith journey at the Interfaith Center at the Presidio on Memorial Day along with some thoughts on the International Day of Peace which is coming up on September 21st.

Interfaith Today, episode seven

This episode is a continuation of the interviews Rowan did in Menlo Park, California amongst attendees at the the United Religions Initiative Global Council meeting. Please listen to Episodes #5 and #6 for more interviews. The first segment of this podcast features Jonathan Rose, a coordinator for the Multiregional CCs. This is followed by an interview with Fr. Patrick Hanjoul of Belgium, who is a coordinator for URI Europe. Next I interview Fr. James Channan a Trustee from Pakistan and I end this episode with an interview with P.K. McCary, a North American Trustee.

Here is the link to the Everest Peace Project mentioned in my interview with Jonathan Rose.

P.K. McCary has a blog for The Peace Hour.

I would like to thank all the folks of the URI who helped me conduct these interviews and to all the interviewees who took time out of their busy schedules at the Global Council meeting to share a little of the rich stories they have to offer.

Trustee biographies from the URI

Fr. James Channan, O.P.
-- Catholic, Lahore CC, Lahore, Pakistan
-- My name is James Channan, and I am a Pakistani Christian and a Catholic priest. At present, I am serving as Director of the Pastoral Institute, a Catholic establishment and I am working with the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with Islam. My graduate and priestly study was in Pakistan. I attended the Pontifical Institute for Islamic Studies and Arabic language in Rome from 1982-85 and obtained a Licentiate Degree. I also was awarded a Masters Degree in Counseling from Emmanuel College, Boston, MA and received graduate Credits from Harvard University. I am the author of "Christian Muslim Dialogue in Pakistan" and have wide media exposure in the area of interfaith dialogue. Pope John Paul II appointed me as Consultor for the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, the Vatican, and I served as Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Christian Muslim Relations for 17 years. I was the primary organizer of the URI’s 1,500 miles "Journey for Peace" from Karachi to Khyber. For the past three years, I have served as one of three URI Coordinators for Asia.

My vision for the URI is that Preamble, Purpose and Principles can play an integral role in bringing people of different races religions, and cultures together. The Global Council can make this vision come true. I will put forth my whole heart and soul for this effort. I believe the Global Council trustees can serve best by supporting one another and by sharing successes and challenges with each other. United, we can certainly bring change to the world.

Ms. Perri Kathryn "P.K." McCary
-- Christian/Lutheran, Women’s Spirituality CC, Houston, Texas, USA
-- Perri Kathryn, "P.K." is a story weaver and peace advocate who believes that we should invoke the simple prayer that "God bless the whole world. No exceptions" on a daily basis. She believes that we must believe in peace in order to see it and to that end, chronicles the stories that she witnesses from those who believe.

She is the former Director of Special Programs at the Rothko Chapel (an interfaith foundation) where she designed and facilitated several initiatives for peace, including the yearly "Prayer Vigil with Indigenous People;" the "99 Days of Intentional Peace;" and "The Meaning of the Dream," a tribute to Dr. King hosted at the St. Thomas University. All of these programs reached across cultural, age, religious, and geographic borders to build bridges of understanding, respect and reconciliation. P.K. strongly advocates for youth, from grammar (primary) school through university. She has presented at international conferences and on national TV programs. P.K. works with many interfaith organizations and is a member of Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston and the Decade of Non-Violence (UN initiative to create a culture of peace.)

P.K. is an early member of URI, and belongs to several URI Cooperation Circles, including the Women's Spirituality CC and the Arts and Creativity CC. She conducts storytelling workshops around the world, helping people tell their own stories. She is the author of several books, the most recent, What Matters to the Heart: A Storyteller’s Anthology of Hope and Love. P.K. facilitates retreats for women and children.

P.K.'s advocacy experience began before college when she worked with Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. PK was the youngest and first secretary to the Texas Black Political Caucus. After college, she was the public relations spokesperson for the late Congressman, Mickey Leland. As a member of the Decade of Nonviolence, she hosts "The Peace Hour" on KPFT Pacifica radio. This program focuses attention on current issues, local and global, exploring solutions through non-violent means, and interviewing those on the path to peace. P.K. is the mother of three and a grandmother.

Interfaith Today, episode six

Rowan continues with interviews from the URI Global Council Meeting. Please see Episode Five for the first three interviews. Episode Seven will conclude this collection of interviews.

In this podcast, the first segment features Ms. Despina Namwembe a Global Trustee from Uganda who speaks about her work as a social scientist caring for AIDS patients. The second segment features a Global Trustee from the Middle East, Mr. Shlomo Alon of the Interfaith Encounter Association. The last segment is Monica Willard who volunteers as the official UN Representative of URI and who is particularly involved in the International Day of Peace.

Trustee biographies from the URI

Ms. Despina Namwembe
-- Orthodox Christian, Interfaith CC Initiative, Kampala, Uganda;
-- Biographic Information: I am the National Program Manager for Youth and Children on Primary Basic Health Care in the Uganda Orthodox Church. I hold a BA Degree in Social Sciences and a Diploma in Administration. I have worked for religious institutions, including The Uganda Joint Christian Council as Assistant Program Officer for the Gender, Youth and Children Department. I have promoted URI work since its inception in Uganda in 1997 and I am a very instrumental person with an interfaith personality, self-driven with special interest in helping marginalized groups. I have been a Global Council Trustee for one term and have helped promote URI to different categories of people within and outside of Uganda.

Mr. Shlomo Alon
-- Jewish, Jerusalem Interfaith Encounter CC, Jerusalem, Israel
-- A Jewish-Israeli working in the Israeli Ministry of Education, where he spent 15 years as the national supervisor of Arabic Language Education (for Jews). Because of his lifelong involvement with the Arabic language and people, he became very interested in cross-cultural and interfaith work. He is the Jewish Vice-Chairperson of the board of directors for the Interfaith Encounter Association, a URI MCC.

Interfaith podcasting

Having just gotten out an episode of Interfaith Today, it occurs to me to mention that interfaith/religious podcasts to which I myself listen on a regular basis. All of them are public radio shows. As far as I know, I'm the only amateur interfaith podcaster.

Speaking of Faith from American Public Media. Each show is an in-depth look at a topic. Recent shows have included a military chaplain talking about reintegration of veterans into the community, the late Jaroslav Pelikan talking about the Christian creeds and why people need creeds and a show on one family's struggle with their son's schizophrenia.

Interfaith Voices, (formerly called Faith Matters), is a magazine format show that talks about religion and the issues of the day. Recent shows have dealt with the Da Vinci Code controversy, Buddhism in America and an interview with Bishop Spong about the controveries in the Episcopal church.

Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, a weekly PBS news format show on such matters. Recent shows have included discussion of illegal immigration, the story of a doctor who gave up his life in the city to treat the poor in Peru, and how some Christian groups are creating faith-based health care programs.

I find all of these, particularly Speaking of Faith because of its in-depth format, to be interesting and valuable discussions on religion in society.