Over a thousand people gathered in New York City, USA for the "Liberty Walk"

From Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>
Date Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:07:16 -0700

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,
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de 
1064a5171ce87bc0e&id=2cf003106c&e=b62c4ed567>Religious
Freedom USA was founded, which is a network of
religious leaders in support of religious
freedom, no matter where or who in America.


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
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=5a6001acb1&e=b62c4ed567>Worldview.

After a series of

<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de 
1064a5171ce87bc0e&id=db050a6620&e=b62c4ed567>support
videos and a
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de 
1064a5171ce87bc0e&id=a36bcd655b&e=b62c4ed567>petition,
an interfaith rally was organized, called the
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de 
1064a5171ce87bc0e&id=7eaefef894&e=b62c4ed567>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
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=35a89b4b06&e=b62c4ed567>signing
the petition, and by engaging with your Muslim neighbors in your 
community.


----------


Special Feature: Partner Cities Network

<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=96134c43cc&e=b62c4ed567
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,
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=6773c10e2c&e=b62c4ed567>click
here.


Peace Cities


<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=91cb2448e2&e=b62c4ed567>Peace
Cities is a new city-to-city interfaith
networking opportunity launched by the Partner
Cities Network through
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=9be4b8e3b1&e=b62c4ed567>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
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de 
1064a5171ce87bc0e&id=0f1dab8187&e=b62c4ed567>International
Day of Peace, September 21, 2010,
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=8bd5e4772b&e=b62c4ed567>click
here.


----------



A Campaign for the Future of the Council


Help sustain and build the interreligious movement. Support the 
Council tod ay.


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

<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=1590357776&e=b62c4ed567>San
Jose, CA, USA Partner City Carry the Vision
Community Nonviolence Conference: A New Way of Living

Oct. 3

<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=d997167ef9&e=b62c4ed567>Monterrey,
Mexico Partner City XIV Encuentro Interreligioso
de Oración y Reflexión por la Paz

Oct. 4

<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=fd590513af&e=b62c4ed567>Adelaide,
Melbourne, Australia Peace City "Be Inspired and
Connected!" Multi-faith Association of South Australia

Oct 9-10

<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=76fc80e510&e=b62c4ed567>Lancaster,
PA, USA Peace City "Honor and Healing our First Nations People 
Campaign"

To learn about hosting a local event in your
community,
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=fe4cc70274&e=b62c4ed567>click
here.


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God in America


PBS?s new documentary series

<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=2561d16749&e=b62c4ed567>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
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=345bb418e4&e=b62c4ed567>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
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=efefc587b2&e=b62c4ed567>self-guided
tours in conjunction with the God in America series.


----------


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.
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de 
1064a5171ce87bc0e&id=30de94feae&e=b62c4ed567>Click
here to nominate yourself or someone you know.



----------



Council Updates



* The Rev. Dirk Ficca, Executive Director,
spoke recently at a special Friendship and
Dialogue Iftar dinner hosted by the Niagara
Foundation.
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=abb630281d&e=b62c4ed567>Watch
the video.



*


* 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:
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=b8ae60e5e7&e=b62c4ed567>Brussels,
Belgium;
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=b98fea70fa&e=b62c4ed567>Guadalajara,
Mexico; and
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=3cf9ea862c&e=b62c4ed567>Dallas/Fort
Worth, USA.


*


* CPWR Trustee Janaan Hashim is blogging

exclusively for CPWR with the Nobel Women?s
Initiative 2010 Delegation to Israel and
Palestine.
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=5d15c4e3cd&e=b62c4ed567>Read
her updates from the field.


*


* 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
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de1 
064a5171ce87bc0e&id=463b300b77&e=b62c4ed567>Temple
of Understanding on October 19.


*


* Zabrina Santiago, Partner Cities Director,
will be attending the First Annual Women Leaders
Summit on MDGs at the United Nations.


*


* The Partner Cities Network participated in
the Chicago Peace Celebration at Daley Plaza in
conjunction with the U.N. International Day of Peace.


*


* 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.


*



* Trustee Kusumita Pedersen participated in
the
<http://parliamentofreligions.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=15d4f7de 
1064a5171ce87bc0e&id=fb6c723aa0&e=b62c4ed567>Multi-Religious
Consultation on the Millennium Development Goals at the United 
Nations.



*


Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions
70 East Lake Street, Suite 205
Chicago, Illinois 60601 USA
Tel: + 1 312.629.2990
Fax: + 1 312.629.2991