2008 Woodie Awards
Interfaith Dialogue informs, makes connections
Jacqueline Wolfert
Issue date: 2/12/03 Section: News
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by Jacqueline Wolfert
The Interfaith Dialogue during last week’s Islam Awareness Week provided a change of pace for students and faculty looking for something other than the formal speeches that typify such events. The Week was sponsored by the Muslim Students' Association. Held on Feb. 5, the goal of the Dialogue was to host “a forum to explain our way of life ... a forum where there would be mutual discussion.”
And mutual discussion there was indeed. With sponsorship by the MSA, Catholic Students Association and Jewish Students Association, the dialogue drew a crowd of about thirty members of the Georgetown community, including undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty. Students came from a myriad of different religious backgrounds, including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Muslim and Jewish faiths.
“I decided to attend, first, because I very much believe in the positive possibilities from such an interchange - for our community, nation and the world. A strong faith in God which simultaneously respects other faiths can offer a global ideology to bind all people and nations,” said Georgetown English professor Dr. Wayne Knoll. “Secondly, I wanted to support our Muslim students who, I feel, are under-represented on campus and in the United States.”
Sitting in a large circle, students began by introducing themselves with their names and religious affiliations. Halliwell, the Dialogue facilitator, opened the discussion by introducing a Georgetown University Medical School student who gave a short speech on Judaism. He addressed how the traditions of kosher food, wearing a yarmulke (traditional head covering) and celebrating Shabbat were special ways of celebrating and reminding himself of his faith in God. This quickly got the ball rolling as students and faculty addressed their own personal beliefs and how they play out in their own daily lives here at Georgetown.
Halliwell read brief passages from the Koran and shared a few important themes of Islam, and several Muslim students provided insight into how their prayers and religious observances allowed them to feel a constant connection to God. “I was struck by the ability of the group, prompted by the chairperson, to pinpoint what all faiths had in common, while not diminishing the fact that significant differences exist,” commented Knoll.
The Interfaith Dialogue during last week’s Islam Awareness Week provided a change of pace for students and faculty looking for something other than the formal speeches that typify such events. The Week was sponsored by the Muslim Students' Association. Held on Feb. 5, the goal of the Dialogue was to host “a forum to explain our way of life ... a forum where there would be mutual discussion.”
And mutual discussion there was indeed. With sponsorship by the MSA, Catholic Students Association and Jewish Students Association, the dialogue drew a crowd of about thirty members of the Georgetown community, including undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty. Students came from a myriad of different religious backgrounds, including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Muslim and Jewish faiths.
“I decided to attend, first, because I very much believe in the positive possibilities from such an interchange - for our community, nation and the world. A strong faith in God which simultaneously respects other faiths can offer a global ideology to bind all people and nations,” said Georgetown English professor Dr. Wayne Knoll. “Secondly, I wanted to support our Muslim students who, I feel, are under-represented on campus and in the United States.”
Sitting in a large circle, students began by introducing themselves with their names and religious affiliations. Halliwell, the Dialogue facilitator, opened the discussion by introducing a Georgetown University Medical School student who gave a short speech on Judaism. He addressed how the traditions of kosher food, wearing a yarmulke (traditional head covering) and celebrating Shabbat were special ways of celebrating and reminding himself of his faith in God. This quickly got the ball rolling as students and faculty addressed their own personal beliefs and how they play out in their own daily lives here at Georgetown.
Halliwell read brief passages from the Koran and shared a few important themes of Islam, and several Muslim students provided insight into how their prayers and religious observances allowed them to feel a constant connection to God. “I was struck by the ability of the group, prompted by the chairperson, to pinpoint what all faiths had in common, while not diminishing the fact that significant differences exist,” commented Knoll.