September 11, 2010-January 2, 2011

CHICAGO—The Art Institute of Chicago will present a site-specific installation on the anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s historic speech of September 11, 1893 to the first World Parliament of Religions. In a new work entitled Public Notice 3, artist Jitish Kallat connects the date of Swami Vivekananda’s address to the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in a meditation on religious tolerance.

The 1893 Parliament, held in conjunction with the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, marked the birth of interreligious dialogue and the first formal gathering of representatives of eastern and western spiritual traditions. Iconic Hindu spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda urged an audience of 7,000 to practice tolerance and universal acceptance of all faith traditions.

Exactly 108 years prior to the 9/11 attacks, Vivekananda closed his address by saying, “I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.” His words were met with a standing ovation.

Public Notice 3 will display the text of Swami Vivekananda’s address in LED colors corresponding to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alert system on the risers of the Woman’s Board Grand Staircase in Fullerton Hall, the exact site of the address 117 years ago. The exhibit will be the first major presentation of Indian artist Jitish Kallat’s work in an American museum.

From The Chicago Council

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2010

PUBLIC PROGRAM

CROSSROADS OF FAITH: BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM

Eliza Griswold, Writer and Schwartz Fellow, New America Foundation

The tenth parallel is the line of latitude seven hundred miles north of the equator at which Christianity and Islam intersect—a profound encounter that shapes the lives of more than a billion people. Of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims, more than half live along the tenth parallel, as do roughly sixty percent of the world’s two billion Christians. Join us for a conversation to examine the complex relationships at play along the tenth parallel, an ideological front line stretching across two continents and nineteen countries, that evinces the interaction of religion, both Christian and Islamic, with local conflicts, global ideology, politics, martyrdom, and the struggle for natural resources in the contemporary world.

Eliza Griswold, award-winning investigative journalist, poet, writer, and now Schwartz Fellow at the New America Foundation, has spent the past five years living and researching along the tenth parallel. A recipient of the 2010 Rome Prize from The American Academy in Rome, Griswold has won awards for both her  non-fiction works and her poetry. A former Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, she reports on religion, conflict, and human rights. Her first book of poems, Wideawake Field, was published in 2007. Her writings have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Harpers, and The New Republic, among other publications.

Her latest book, The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam, will be available for purchase and signing following the program.

Click here to learn more about the program.

From The Washington Post

Granted, the holiest shrine for many Chicagoans is Wrigley Field. But for those Cubs fans whose faith has wavered after more than a century without a World Series win – or who want a more traditional space in which to pray for the long-awaited baseball salvation – the Windy City hosts beautiful structures for adherents of many different religions.

Chicago’s religious diversity and the striking houses of worship it has given rise to go back, as so many things here do, to two seminal events of the late 19th century: the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. The former created a tabula rasa for new architectural structures – and an urgent need for their construction – and the latter showcased Chicago’s openness and inclusiveness.

The Bahai faith was one of the religions that made the most of its welcome during the multi-faith dialogue held alongside the World’s Fair. It was the first time the religion – begun in 19th-century Iran – was mentioned on this continent, and from the interest it sparked grew America’s initial Bahai community. When ground was broken on North America’s Bahai temple in 1912, it was in an open field far from commercial activity. Now it’s nestled in the Chicago suburbs, the stunning setting – up against Lake Michigan, surrounded by manicured gardens of tulips and magnolias – perhaps all the more arresting for springing from such a mundane environment.

It is the alabaster-domed temple itself that is the main attraction, however. It beckons like a majestic, three-tiered wedding cake frosted with an intricately carved stone filigree. It’s literally a brilliant gem of a building, the architect having thrown quartz into the concrete to make it glisten in the sunshine. If you’re not blinded by the radiance, up close you can make out symbols from a half-dozen religions – all considered holy by Bahais – as well as the lacy Arabic calligraphy that spells out one of the titles for the faith’s founder.

While the interior is also breathtaking, what’s most lovely about it is how clearly you can hear your own breathing. In this space for private prayer and meditation, the only sound permitted is that of human voices reading scripture. Aside from the daily 30-minute prayer services at 12:30 – when participants read from Bahai, Christian, Muslim and other hallowed texts as the spirit moves them, and the choir sings sacred music ranging from Mozart to Negro spirituals once a week – the only distractions are hushed footsteps and the whir of the wind off the lake.

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Unity Temple in Oak Park takes the opposite tack in its attempt to welcome all those who enter. Instead of a panoply of religious symbols, the Unitarian church lacks so much as a cross. In place of awe and splendor, it emphasizes modesty and hominess. But the result is still a compelling, harmonious refuge well worth the trip to the neighborhood the architect made famous.

Click here to read the entire article.

From The Times of India

The recently concluded FIFA World Cup football in South Africa caused worldwide excitement. Indians were overtaken by the passion of the game even though India was not participating in the event.

It is easy to get infected with the spirit of the game in a globalised world with its vast media networks that enable people to watch the game even at odd hours. Often such infectious spirit drives us to indulge ourselves on the material plane and remain immersed in superficial aspects of life. Drinking beer and watching football in Germany might have temporarily taken its people away from the humdrum business of life and made them feel elated for some time. But every sphere of life, including the sphere of sports and games, must explore the infinite dimensions which impact human existence and about which we are not adequately aware.

When Swami Vivekananda returned to India in 1897 after his historic trip to America where he addressed the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1893, he delivered a series of lectures. In one of them he linked the attainment of spirituality to football. He said to the youth: “You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of the Bhagavad Gita”. Good health is the first step to strive for perfection. It involves overcoming weakness and acquiring confidence and spiritual dignity. It means cultivating self-esteem.

Scripture-reading is not sufficient if we are driven by frailties and temptations. Exercise is the key to achieve higher and finer objectives. Vivekananda was giving precedence to the individual’s right to quality health which can provide access to many other wonderful realms. He said that Indians remained lazy because they were deprived of strength and energy. He explained our inability to work in terms of our physical weakness. He even painfully noted that the root cause of selfishness and disunity among Indians was our weakness manifested in fragile body and spirit. He earnestly pleaded for measures to strengthen our physical and mental health.

Click here to read the entire article.

From J-Wire

A public lecture by Father (Dr) John Pawlikowski was held at Australian Catholic University’s (ACU) North Sydney Campus last week, on The Christian-Jewish Relationship: Current Theological and Political Challenges.

Fr (Dr) Pawlikowski shared more than 40 years knowledge and experience of the interfaith relationship between Judaism and Christianity.

He specifically discussed the new scholarship and dialogue that delves into the origins of the separation between Judaism and Christianity, the ‘Jewishness’ of Jesus and the new perspectives on the life and work of Paul.

Click here to read the entire article.

Professor Tariq Ramadan

From The Daily Herald

An estimated 30,000 Muslims from across the continent are expected to meet in Rosemont this weekend for an annual convention that promises to focus on compassion. But will that compassion be centered within the Muslim community or will it be directed toward non-Muslims?

“It should go both ways,” says Safaa Zarzour, a lawyer and professor who lives in the near West suburbs and serves as secretary general of the Islamic Society of North America.

Titled “Nurturing Compassionate Communities: Connecting Faith and Service,” the 47th annual meeting of the Islamic Society of North America urges conventioneers to answer the Quran’s call to “Help one another toward kindness and piety; do not help one another in furthering sin and hostility.”

But the gathering also gives participants a chance to speak out against Islamophobia that illustrates a need for compassion toward Muslims.

Zarzour says he realizes that some Americans see Muslims as “extreme, hard, suspicious, uncaring and unfriendly,” and many Muslim kids report feeling stress. But, just as Irish Catholics and other minorities overcame stereotypes to become integral parts of society, American Muslims can, too, Zarzour says.

“It is our duty as Muslims in America to educate our fellow Americans,” says Zarzour, who has served on many interfaith committees and received the Chicago Commission on Human Relation’s Outstanding Service Award in 2009. “We feel it is our duty to foster a feeling of belonging and compassion. Muslims are here to add to the beauty and diversity of America.”

Enduring prejudice on the way to acceptance seems to come with the territory, Zarzour says.

“The Mormons were chased out of Illinois and their leader was slaughtered in Illinois,” Zarzour says, noting how a mob killed Joseph Smith Jr. in 1844.

Making an effort to understand different religions and viewpoints makes a community stronger, he says.

Click here to read the entire article.

From The Chicago Tribune

Since it was founded more than two decades ago, the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago has come to a consensus on issues such as housing and gun control, served as a resource for local law enforcement and brought religious leaders together to do work in the community.

But as the organization celebrates its 25-year anniversary, its leaders say that helping local congregations better address major social issues — such as poverty and violence — is crucial to meeting the challenges of the 21^st century.

“One of the major challenges before us is how do we take what we’re doing at the top level … and get it down to the average person in the pew and on the prayer rug,” said the Rev. Stanley L. Davis, co-executive director of the council, which is made up of some of Chicago’s top religious leaders.

Helping local congregations take action on those issues is one way, said professor William Schweiker, director of the Martin Marty Center at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

“It is important to include congregations in these discussions,” said Schweiker. “It allows religious people a way to voice their concerns beyond the claims of ‘official’ statements.”

…Chicago has been the home of formal interfaith conversations since the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, a gathering of international religious leaders during the World’s Columbian Exposition. The Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago was founded in 1985 by the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who sought to tackle social injustices head on. Its core message to the city was clear: Your leaders of faith, however different, can sit at one table and tackle sensitive issues with respect and candor.

At the time, those religious leaders came from the city’s Christian and Jewish communities, but as Chicago has grown more diverse, so has the council. Today, its members also include Muslims, Hindus, Jains, Zoroastrians, Mormons, Sikhs and Baha’is.

…Dirk Ficca, executive director of the Chicago-based Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, said continuing the discussion is what’s important.

“If people can come to the table and have sharp disagreements and really engage, to me that is the healthiest sign of navigating religious diversity,” he said.

Click here to read the entire article.

From United Church of Christ News

Andover Newton Theological School of Newton Centre, Mass., and Meadville Lombard Theological School of Chicago have agreed in principle to form a new interreligious university-style theological institution that seeks to become an innovative center for educating religious leaders for service in a pluralistic world.

The as-yet unnamed institution will be established during the next year by the two institutions. Other seminaries will be sought as partners in a design that allows participating schools to keep their historic names and sustain distinct faith traditions while gaining significant financial and administrative advantage through a single corporate infrastructure.

In separate meetings late last week the Trustees of the two schools agreed in principle to undertake a program of actions to bring the new “theological university” into existence by June 15, 2011.

“Across the country seminaries are searching to capture the opportunities of this new era in the life of the church, respond to the growing complexities of a multi-faith society, and yet meet the ever-present challenges of financial sustainability. This vision has the potential to offer innovative answers to these questions, and do so not only in the curriculum but in the design of the corporation as well,” said the Rev. Nick Carter, president of Andover Newton and incoming president of the new institution.

“It’s a good fit,” added Carter. “As institutions, we are socially and politically aligned on many issues.”

Click here to read the entire article.

At Streets 2010: Urban International Festival, the winners of One Chicago, One Nation’s film contest were announced. The grand-prize winner, “1700% Project: Mistaken for Muslim” is a sobering commentary on anti-Muslim hate crimes committed around the country after 9/11. The text, a poem created from filed police reports and citations, is stark: “Awoke to find / A South Asian American, Sikh / Chased by a group of four men yelling, ‘Terrorist’ / Sikh mistaken for Muslim.”

"1700% Project: Mistaken for Muslim"

James Warren at the Chicago News Cooperative, writes:

It’s the five-minute effort of both Anida Yoeu Ali, a Cambodian Muslim performance artist who came to Chicago when she was 5, and Masahiro Sugana, her video producer-husband, who as a teenager came here from Japan. The video features a fictional poet, dancer, angel and prisoner speaking out against anti-Muslim hate crimes by repeating the jarring essence of incidents around the country.

Freeway signs declaring, “Kill All Muslims.” Assaults on South Asian Sikhs, Egyptians, Spaniards and bagel store owners mistaken for Muslims. Citations of nasty incidents in suburban Bridgeview and Collingswood, N.J. A man pushing a stroller past a mosque and yelling, “You Islam mosquitoes should be killed.” There are more.

The “1700%” alludes to a national increase in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate crimes after the Sept. 11 attacks. The video is unsparing and short of uplifting, but effectively unsettling, concluding with spare words across the screen: “Look at what you’ve done … because we refuse to end the violence.”

The videos are the next stage in a Chicago experiment — One Chicago, One Nation — to create greater understanding of a Muslim population estimated as high as 6 million in the United States, with the largest number, perhaps 400,000, in the metro area. The endeavor is backed financially by George F. Russell Jr. of Tacoma, Wash., founder of a billion-dollar investment-services firm best known for the Russell 2000 stock index.

Mr. Russell was moved by the events of Sept. 11 and joined in a worthy effort by the Chicago Community Trust, San Francisco-based Link TV and two other Chicago groups, the Interfaith Youth Core and the Inner-City Muslim Action Network. Mayor Richard M. Daley was at Saturday’s announcement by the groups of 100 “community ambassadors” to lead gatherings in various forums and help oversee $200,000 from Mr. Russell to spur interfaith cooperation.

Click here to watch the winning films.

Click here to read the full article.

From Takin’ It to the Streets Info Section

Takin’ It to the Streets is a Muslim-led festival where artistic expression, spirituality and urban creativity inspire social change.

Takin’ It to the Streets bridges today’s cultural divides by connecting diverse racial, ethnic, and religious communities through a dynamic festival. The festival will enrich cross-cultural community building not only in Chicago, but around the world.

Featured Artists:

• Mos Def - Grammy Winner
• Brother Ali – Minnesota, USA
• Tinarwein – Mali
• Chabab al Andalous – Morocco
• And many more!

Four Stages:

• Unity Stage: Reflects this unifying principle and showcases the diverse musical talents of contemporary artists
• Hip Hop Pavilion: Bringing together the elements of MCing, DJing, Breakin’, and graff art, with skateboarding and workshops
• World Music Stage: Blending global expression of traditional art forms through international artists
• Streets Stage: The festival’s signature stage bringing together dynamic performers and inspiring speakers

Activities:

• Faith & Justice: Speakers, panel discussion, and dialogue on a variety of issues relating to spirituality & social change
  
• International Bazaar: Cultural artifacts, multi-ethnic cuisine, community organizations and more!
• Health & Wellness Fair: Free health screenings, information on healthy living and refreshments
  
• Sports Arena: 3-on-3 Basketball tournament open to all
  
• Family Zone: Rides, interactive games, children’s activities, and family-friendly performances
• Prayer Center: A quite space open all day for meditation, reflection and prayer

Click here to read more about the festival