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Media Release

July 11, 2005

US Imam says path to peace comes from one God of many names


When US Muslim spokesman, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf speaks in Adelaide on Tuesday July 12 it is likely his words will ring true with people of many faiths as a simple and powerful prayer for peace.

The Imam will be in Adelaide as a guest of UniSA’s Hawke Centre and the SA Migrant Resource Centre and will present his lecture - What does it take to change the relationship between the West and the Muslim world? - at the Mercury Cinema at 5.15pm.

“I am here to emphasise the need for representatives of all faith communities to come together and consider what in our faiths, both invites and constrains us in seeking dialogue and common ground with those who hold different religious beliefs,” he said.

The Imam says he believes that common religious, moral and policy grounds can be found in an exchange between religious voices.

“Where once many people did not speak much less listen to members of other faiths – now more than ever we find we must,” he said.

“I have come to affirm the value of dialogue – and especially religious dialogue – both for the shaping of shared convictions and for the action that we can accomplish together. I have a deep belief that effective public engagement around the major issues of our day can include, and in fact requires, our religious voices.”

Founder and CEO of ASMA Society (American Sufi Muslim Association) and Imam of Masjid Al-Farah, a mosque in New York City, twelve blocks from Ground Zero, he has dedicated his life to building bridges between Muslims and the West.

Imam Feisal is known as a leader in the effort to build religious pluralism and integrate Islam into modern American society. By establishing ASMA in 1997, he created the first American organisation committed to bringing Muslims and non-Muslims together through programs in interfaith, culture, arts, academia and current affairs. As Imam of Masjid Al-Farah, he preaches a message of peace and understanding between people, regardless of creed, nationality or political beliefs.

Imam Feisal is a member of the World Economic Forum's Council of 100 Leaders and the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Center of New York. He is also an advisor to the Interfaith Center of New York.

His published writing includes the books Islam: A Search for Meaning, and Islam: A Sacred Law. His latest book, What's Right With Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West, was released in May 2004. He has appeared as a commentator in most major international media outlets you care to imagine.

Born in Kuwait in 1948 into an Egyptian family steeped in religious scholarship, he was educated in England and Malaysia and has a degree in physics from Columbia University.
The lecture is free to the public but bookings are essential through the Hawke Centre website or phone on 08 8302 0215.


 

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