Interfaith

Buddhists in Hawai‘i Lead Bell-ringing for International Day of Peace

September 22, 2020

Buddhists from the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai‘i led a virtual global bell-ringing yesterday in celebration of Peace Day, a state holiday in Hawai‘i that coincides each year with the United Nations International Day of Peace.

Described as the first-ever International “Ring Your Bell for Peace” event, the occasion was live-streamed on the KTUH Honolulu Facebook page. The broadcast, coordinated through Zoom, featured bell-ringing from Buddhists, Christians, and people of other faith backgrounds. Most of those taking part were from Hawai‘i, but...

Interfaith clergy share tools of devotion

September 10, 2020

Johns Creek Presbyterian Church has turned its west parking lot into a spiritual studio.

The worship space is equipped with a public address system, live music and a local FM receiver with enough power to spread the Gospel to cars in the back rows.

Few institutions face quite the challenges presented by the pandemic as houses of worship.

Gone are the backslapping, the hugs, the handshakes common to many congregations. For the most part, religious observance hinges on internet bandwidth and apps designed for business meetings now...

Building interfaith community at work

September 10, 2020

There are lots of ways to be an “only” at work; mine has always been my faith. I’m a visibly Muslim woman who’s been wearing a headscarf, aka hijab, since I was 16 years old, out of my own desire and love for my faith. In the month of Ramadan I fast in an office filled with free snacks, regular lunch meetings and all the coffee one’s heart can desire. I strive to pray five times a day, which can be hard when there’s no space to pray at work.

I don’t drink alcohol and feel a bit uncomfortable at bars and happy hours where much of the team building and...

Interfaith program for middle-schoolers moves online this year

September 8, 2020

As the new school year begins with several drastic changes and some confusion, change is also knocking on the door of the InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit’s Religious Diversity Journeys program.

The six-month program starting in November is designed to bridge the gap between different faith groups for seventh-graders inMacomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.

Since the 2002-2003 school year, thousands of middle school students have had the opportunity to learn about different religions and cultures in a hands-on program that...

Akron interfaith vigil confronts racism, police violence

September 1, 2020

Demetrus Vinson. Jeffery Stephens.

These are the names of Akron residents who, like countless other Black Americans, have died following encounters with law enforcement. They were honored Sunday during an interfaith vigil to confront racism and end police brutality.

About 200 people gathered in the parking lot of Second Baptist Church in Akron to attend “Stand Together: Interfaith Vigil Against Racism.” The vigil was sponsored by the Akron Interfaith Social Justice Group in collaboration with the Akron Area Interfaith Council and drew remarks from...

JewBelong Makes Rosh Hashanah Observance Accessible

September 1, 2020

Archie Gottesman, one of JewBelong’s principal founders, understands if her organization isn’t quite the right fit for someone. JewBelong’s “disclaimer” states: “JewBelong’s mission is to welcome people to Judaism with Jewish readings and rituals that many people can relate to. And guess what, JewBelong isn’t for everyone. This should not be shocking. Hell, Jews have a hard time agreeing on anything, you really think they are all going...

MN faith leaders gather in support of Muslim community following attack

August 17, 2020

Minnesota religious and political leaders are making a show of support for the state's Muslim community following an attack on a local imam.

On Friday, a group of speakers gathered outside the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington. Among the elected officials were Gov. Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Attorney General Keith Ellison and U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips.

Also on hand were Archbishop...

La Crosse Interfaith Shoulder to Shoulder Network marks Eid al-Adha by helping WAFER feed families in need

August 17, 2020

In honor of Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday recognizing community and sacrifice, the La Crosse Interfaith Shoulder to Shoulder Network is helping neighbors secure good nutrition in a time of economic hardship.

The La Crosse Interfaith Shoulder to Shoulder Network, a grassroots organization promoting tolerance, freedom and peace, donated $1,500 to WAFER food pantry earlier this month, hoping to assist families struggling to put food on the table during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has left many furloughed or forced to leave their jobs to take...

How interfaith activism helped Saadia Faruqi change the face of children’s books

August 13, 2020

When Intisar Khanani’s children read “Meet Yasmin!,” the first book in Saadia Faruqi’s children’s book series, they burst into amazed laughter.

“They were like, ‘Look, Mommy, it’s our family! The mommy is a writer, and the daddy is a teacher,’” she recalled. “I was like, ‘Yeah ... how did she write us?’”

Faruqi’s award-winning series for early readers follows second-grader Yasmin and her Pakistani American Muslim family as they go about their daily life, playing...

An Orthodox synagogue and a Black church search for shared history with a walk through a once-integrated neighborhood

August 3, 2020

by Ari Feldman

Half of the students in the Zoom class were from Liberty Grace Church of God, a Black Baptist church in Baltimore. The other half attended the Jewish day school affiliated with Beth Tfiloh Congregation, in the Baltimore suburbs.

One teacher was Black and Christian. The other was white and Jewish.

Over a week in July, they gathered together on Zoom to plan an iPad-guided historical walking tour of the city’s Forest Park section, which in the 1950s and early 1960s was integrated — Black and Jewish.

And one day,...