Over a thousand people gathered in New York City, USA for the "Liberty Walk" in support of religious freedom for all.
Religious Freedom
in America
by Frank Frederiks
If America was founded on religious freedom, New York City has stood as a beacon of hope for religious communities across the world. Yet, many New Yorkers are concerned that dissident voices could disrupt the interdependence that brings religious communities together because of the issue surrounding Park51. In response, Religious Freedom USA was founded, which is a network of religious leaders in support of religious freedom, no matter where or who in America.
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On Islamophobia
Listen to CPWR Board Chair Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid as he speaks on Islamophobia and flooding in his native Pakistan on Chicago Public Radio’s Worldview.
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After a series of support videos and a petition, an interfaith rally was organized, called the Liberty Walk, which brought together a thousand religiously-diverse people, including religious and interfaith leaders, as well as seminarians, who demonstrated on Sept 12th in support of Park51 and religious freedom. This was a defining moment, where religious leaders like Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, Reverend Katharine Henderson, and Muslim author Ibrahim Abdul-Matin shared why they support religious freedom in America. After gathering to hear speakers at Saint Peter's Church, the first Catholic church built in New York, the crowd walked downtown and along the World Trade Center.
Moving forward, this is a crucial time to challenge ourselves as a nation to widen our view. Do we as Americans have the imagination to expand the social fabric of our nation to include Muslim Americans? Our answer must be yes, and we must actively work to support the ethos of religious freedom, which America was built upon. Join us in signing the petition, and by engaging with your Muslim neighbors in your community.
Special Feature: Partner Cities Network
The Partner Cities Network seeks to build and connect the interreligious movement worldwide. It serves to create a global dynamic that binds cities together and facilitates the sharing of best practices to inspire opportunities for cooperative action among cities. Partner Cities is currently developing collaborative city-to-city programming opportunities through online resources, webinars, and regional gatherings.
Currently six international cities form the growing network, with eight cities completing the application process in 2010. Cities designated as Partner Cities are Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cape Town, South Africa; Barcelona, Spain; Monterrey, Mexico; Melbourne, Australia and San Jose, California, USA. To learn more about the network, click here.
Peace Cities
Peace Cities is a new city-to-city interfaith networking opportunity launched by the Partner Cities Network through PeaceNext.org. It serves as a platform where interfaith groups in cities around the world can post news about their self-organized events and share ideas and resources online. To learn more about the Peace Cities initiative which was launched on the United Nations International Day of Peace, September 21, 2010, click here.
A Campaign for the Future of the Council
Help sustain and build the interreligious movement. Support the Council today.
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Featured Events
The Partner Cities Network sponsors self-organized multi-faith and multi-cultural events in its Partner Cities and Peace Cities around the world. It is pleased to showcase the following events:
Oct. 2 San Jose, CA, USA Partner City Carry the Vision Community Nonviolence Conference: A New Way of Living
Oct. 3 Monterrey, Mexico Partner City XIV Encuentro Interreligioso de Oración y Reflexión por la Paz
Oct. 4 Adelaide, Melbourne, Australia Peace City "Be Inspired and Connected!" Multi-faith Association of South Australia
Oct 9-10 Lancaster, PA, USA Peace City "Honor and Healing our First Nations People Campaign"
To learn about hosting a local event in your community, click here. |
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God in America
PBS’s new documentary series God in America explores the tumultuous 400-year history of the intersection of religion and public life in America, from the first European settlements to the 2008 presidential election.
As the Council begins its collaboration with Sacred Space International, we celebrate their contributions to this project, in which they provide resources for individuals and groups to engage the wonderfully diverse religious communities in several major U.S. cities through self-guided tours in conjunction with the God in America series.
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Nominate Emerging Leaders for State of Formation
Young leaders in formation deserve to have a voice. In a time defined by deep political and religious divisions, we need to hear from those who will shape our ethical future. The current American discourse on religion and ethics is primarily defined by established leaders – ministers, rabbis, academics and journalists. While their perspectives are invaluable, this leaves an important population of stakeholders without a platform: the up-and-comers.
To remedy this, CPWR had joined with the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue (JIRD) to establish State of Formation, a forum for up-and-coming religious and ethical thinkers to draw upon the learning that is occurring in their academic and community work, reflect on the pressing questions of a religiously pluralistic society, and challenge existing definitions and assumptions.
State of Formation will be a community conversation between emerging leaders in formation. Together, a cohort of seminarians, rabbinical students, graduate students, activists and the like – the future religious and moral leaders of tomorrow – will work to redefine the ethical discourse today. Click here to nominate yourself or someone you know. |
Council Updates 
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The Rev. Dirk Ficca, Executive Director, spoke recently at a special Friendship and Dialogue Iftar dinner hosted by the Niagara Foundation. Watch the video.
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Three cities are presently in the bid process to host the 2014 Parliament. Learn more about each city and their bid on their respective websites: Brussels, Belgium; Guadalajara, Mexico; and Dallas/Fort Worth, USA.
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CPWR Trustee Janaan Hashim is blogging exclusively for CPWR with the Nobel Women’s Initiative 2010 Delegation to Israel and Palestine. Read her updates from the field.
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The Rev. Dirk Ficca, CPWR Board Chair Emeritus the Rev. William E. Lesher, and CPWR Ambassador Kay Lindahl are among 65 interfaith visionaries being honored by the Temple of Understanding on October 19.
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Zabrina Santiago, Partner Cities Director, will be attending the First Annual Women Leaders Summit on MDGs at the United Nations.
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The Partner Cities Network participated in the Chicago Peace Celebration at Daley Plaza in conjunction with the U.N. International Day of Peace.
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Trustee Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia participated in "A Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable to Advance Multi-Religious Cooperation for Peace, Development, and Shared Security" organized by Religions for Peace at the White House followed by a dinner reception at the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.
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Trustee Kusumita Pedersen participated in the Multi-Religious Consultation on the Millennium Development Goals at the United Nations.
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