I still was feeling gratitude for the response by justice system and other community members to our “Rethinking” Racially Biased Policing workshop — when I was further heartened by the response to our Delray Beach Interfaith Clergy Association’s 2nd Annual Interfaith Harvest Festival.
My Delray Interfaith Clergy Association colleague Ron Arflin (R) chaplain at Abbey Delray South, host of our 2nd Annual Interfaith Harvest Festival.
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Tremendous gratitude to the local Pax Christi group for hosting me as speaker during their monthly meeting Nov. 10.
In prepared comments I spoke about the the Hajj, the pilgrimage to the holy city Mecca that I was blessed to make in 2001. This year’s Hajj is due to begin on Monday, so I was expanding on my previous day’s talk during our monthly meeting of the Interfaith Clergy Committee of the Jewish Community Relations Council.
For Pax Christi I also brought along copies of my various translations of the Quran. Members were able to study them as we perused some of the verses, and I addressed some common questions of folks who may have few or no relationships with Muslims or little working knowledge of Islam.
I also shared how the Quran sounds to many of us in our Muslim American community, through a CD featuring the sonorous Arabic recitation by Imam Rasul Madyun, one or our outstanding young imams who we unexpectedly lost to Crohn’s disease. Along with English translation, the verses (Quran 17:23-25) prescribed kindness to parents.
Thanks again to David Pena and Pax Christi for letting me visit with longtime friends, such as Beth Cioffoletti and Tom Burroughs, and make new ones.
As usual I learned a lot — this time about this Catholic peace movement whose sentiments I overwhelmingly share.
More scenes:
My latest InterFaith21 offering in The Coastal Star:
Deborah Lee Prescott is a Christian, who teaches at Palm Beach Atlantic University, a Christian college, but whose passion is to study the memoirs and autobiographies of Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
Deborah Lee Prescott with her new book, "Imagery from Genesis in Holocaust Memoirs."
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… in our Great, Wide, Beautiful Diversity World.
It actually started the previous evening with the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Kappa Upsilon Chapter’s Fifth Annual Formal Masquerade Ball at Benvenuto restaurant. We were present at the charity fundraiser to support dear Mr. James Jefferson, whose late wife Freddie “Stebbins” Jefferson (Feb. 1, 1936 – Oct. 27, 2007), my stellar former Palm Beach Post colleague, continues to light our lives.
All day Saturday was the South Florida Diversity Alliance’s annual Diversity Summit at Nova Southeastern U., this year themed, “One Tribe, One Planet.” Amid myriad other sessions, I was honored to present on “Models for Interfaith Dialogue & Unity,” and serve as moderator for a two-parter on immigration policy, organized by my Catalyst for Justice colleague Jane Tierney, titled “Is Florida the Next Arizona?” More on C4J to come.
As wonderful as all that was, for me the highlight was seeing our superbly talented friend, professional actress Karen Stephens, starring in “Bridge and Tunnel,” a Women’s Theatre Project production. The play, with Karen’s masterful portrayals of 14 different characters, personified our nation’s and our human diversity. Please, please, break a leg to catch one of the closing performances through Nov. 7. It’ll do body, mind and soul great good.
During his 1999 Vatican address, part of the Interreligious Assembly of more than 20 different spiritual traditions, “America’s Imam” and my imam, W. Deen Mohammed (Oct. 30, 1933 – Sept. 9, 2008), said that:
“G-d has made things different, human beings too, because G-d wants unity to progress. The diversity is to provide the unity with legs, with wheels, with movement for more progress. G-d said, He had made us humanly different by color, by nationality, to encourage us to walk together, and get acquainted with each other, to have peace and unity.”
With thanks again to the Benevolent Maker of all, here are some more scenes that illustrate the point:
— C.B. Hanif
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Fajr prayer, education sessions, business meeting and other scenes from Oct. 21-24 gathering…
— C.B. Hanif
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The conference theme was “Community For Real Change.” Noteworthy was the daylong community festival at Roberto Clemente Park. Also the inspiring interfaith panel discussion featuring the Rev. Dr. Wayne Robinson, the Rev. Dr. William Glover and Imam Dr. Nasir Ahmad, for which I was honored to serve as moderator. There were sessions at the historic (1926) Dunbar High School. And at the spanking new Hyatt Place hotel. Topics included business and economic development, marriage and family, health, and Islamic education.
Imams Abdul'Haq Muhammad and Jalil Crawford.
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… Palm Beach Gardens & Jupiter edition, my latest freelance gig. As I mentioned over at HoM, Florida Weekly has been producing award-winning west coast editions delighting readers in Fort Myers, Naples and Port Charlotte. Our new local edition also features such longtime colleagues of mine as foodie extraordinaire Jan Norris, “Mr. Arts” Hap Erstein, Mary Jane Fine and Tim Norris. Check out Bradford Schmidt, Bill Cornwell and other outstanding writers covering the waterfront. In my weekly column I return to chronicling the local scene while having fun tackling issues and ideas cosmic and small. Also look for my special feature pieces from time to time. Look for Florida Weekly free at North County restaurants and other businesses, and online. Or subscribe. To my new (and former) regular readers: Thanks. Let me hear from you.
— C.B. Hanif
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Maj. Joseph Bernadel, U.S. Army retired, graced our monthly “Model Interfaith Dialogue and Unity” series Sunday. Maj. Bernadel is CEO of the Toussaint L’Overture High School for the Arts & Social Justice in Boynton Beach. He is the permanent representative of the Haitian Diaspora to the Interim Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti. He is eminently qualified to speak on the circumstances in Haiti and how relief efforts can be more efficient.
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Hanif on media
Ibrahim, Raymond and Juan
November 5th · Interfaith, Islam, Muslim, New Africa of the Palm Beaches
My friend Raymond M. shared this the other day — another example of the clueless, Faux News poppycock that U. of Mich. Professor Juan Cole regularly dissects at his Informed Comment site (reason I regularly refer sincere, thinking people there). I generally consider Internet hate-mongering a cry for help from otherwise decent people who (like Juan Williams, perhaps?) are fighting off their bigotry. So I passed along this which another friend just shared with me.
I also reminded Ray of our monthly interfaith gatherings that provide opportunities for folks to get together in a comfortable, refreshing, respectful and thoughtful atmosphere to meet real people of all stripes, ask questions, share ideas, learn about and from each other and help jettison stereotypes and bigotry.
Coming up next, Muslims, Christians & All in Model Interfaith Dialogue and Unity: The Interfaith Alliance video, “Vision of Creating Community,” featuring San Diego’s Masjidul Taqwa and the Focolare Movement, continues the ongoing DVD & Discussion series, Sunday, Nov. 21, 2-4 pm, at the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches, 900 Brandywine Road, West Palm Beach 33409. Organized by New Africa of the Palm Beaches with support of local clergy and lay friends. These monthly interfaith gatherings provide opportunities to transcend religious, ethnic and cultural divisions, by learning from and about each other, while developing exemplary models for human interaction and cooperation. More info: 561-309-5476.
Yep, still better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
— C.B. Hanif
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