Mormon scholar receives honor for work on international religious freedom and human rights

Professor Cole Durham, of the BYU Law School, was in Richmond, Virginia, earlier this month to receive the First Freedom Award.  

Professor Durham's work in promoting international religious freedom has gained him much attention around the world.  He has worked to improve religious liberties throughout the world in places such as Russia, Peru, and Iraq.  

Durham also organizes the annual International Law and Religion Symposium, held each October in Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah.  The event attracts government officials, religious leaders, clergy, scholars, and others from over 50 countries, including China, Spain, and India.

Los Angeles Times discusses Mormons & Muslims

(This photo courtesy Meridian Magazine; in the photo are Mr. Flake, of LDS Church humanitarian services, with Mr. Shawky, his counterpart at the partner organization Islamic Relief, with tons of load of international food and medical aid.) 
(Photo courtesy a professor at Oxford who took this picture of a Muslim gentleman with two Mormon missionaries in France.)

Last night my sister-in-law showed me an article in the Los Angeles Times by David Haldane about Mormons, Muslims, and the relationship between the two groups.

The full text of the article is available here.

Recently I attended an event held at UCLA featuring a panel discussion of representatives from Islam and Mormonism.  I wrote on the event here.  The reporter responsible for yesterday's L.A. Times article, David Haldane, was at that event as well.

The Los Angeles Times article addresses the interaction of Arabic scholars at Brigham Young University and the Islamic clerical community.  BYU has become a sort of center for Arabic text translation.  Also, while I was a student at BYU, the school partnered with the FBI to become an official Arabic language training location for the agency.  

The relationship between the Mormons and Muslims demonstrate just how much the two peoples and religions have in common.

The late LDS scholar, Dr. Hugh Nibley, wrote extensively about the similarities between Islam and the Restored Gospel (LDS), citing among other things, the religions' dedication to humanitarian service and prophetic visions.  In fact, many in the LDS Church have recognized that Mohammed was called by God and received divine inspiration.  

Latter-day Saints share common ground with Eastern religions

This article from BYU Newsnet explains how Mormons are similar in some ways to those of many  Asian religious denominations.

Mormons' focus on families is similar to the emphasis on family values found in Islamic and Hindu traditions, for example.

Hindus and Jews topped the survey in religions that receive post-graduate education and a higher income, with Mormons following.

Hindu Leader meets at LDS Church headquarters

Elder Neil Anderson of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received Rajan Zed, a leader in the Hindu and Indo-American communities.  During their meeting at the Salt Lake City offices, matters of faith and law were discussed, as well as the parallels between Hinduism and Mormonism.  

Also, Rajan Zed offered a prayer on the floor of the Utah State Senate during his trip to the Beehive state.

Cathedral's bells in honor of President Hinckley

I went up to Utah this past weekend. President Hinckley's viewing lasted through Friday evening, and his funeral was held on Saturday morning.

Here in this photo, you see the end of the entourage accompanying President Hinckley's casket from the Conference Center (funeral venue) to the Salt Lake City Cemetery... along South Temple street downtown. I took this photo as I was with family near the Cathedral of the Madeleine, participating in the "cane salute". Anyway, as the hearse and its entourage passed by the Cathedral, its bells played as a tribute to President Hinckley and the deep friendship he fostered between the LDS and Catholic communities in Utah, and abroad. This was a moving example of interfaith goodwill and respect.

Latter-day Saint recognized by Parliament in Australia

The Victorian State Parliament recently recognized Pam Mamouney of the Berwick, Melbourne ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for her dedicated work in the City of Casey Interfaith Network, promoting peace, understanding and good will amongst all people within the local community.
The Interfaith Network is to bring representatives from the different religions within a
specific local council to discuss peace and understanding by holding regular meetings,
organizing tours of various religious sites and chapels, and organizing functions that may
involve local state Parliamentarians.
Parliamentarian Ms Judith Graley said, “One of the pleasures of public life is meeting new people, especially meeting women who are doing wonderful things for the local community…like Mamouney’s 46 years as a member of the Church. She is a working example of God’s great work.”

Ms Graley summarized by saying, “I thank Pam for her dedication to others, her leadership by example and her work for the local community. Most of all, I thank her for her welcoming smile – a smile given to everyone from all countries, backgrounds and religions who choose to make their new home [here]. . . "

(Thanks to the LDS newsroom at Church offices in Australia)

Mormons & Muslims unite at UCLA

A recent public dialogue was held on the campus of the University of
California Los Angeles (UCLA). The November 29, 2007, dialogue was organized by local
Muslim & LDS students and scholars.  

The event was entitled "Mormons, Muslims, and the Media." Many Muslims and Mormons came from across Los Angeles County to attend the discussion.  It was a remarkable event that intensified the friendship between the Islamic and Mormon groups in Southern California.

At the event, we enjoyed a stimulating discussion of Mormonism, Islam and the media's role y in informing public udnerstanding of these two dynamic faith groups.  

The panelists included:

• Dr. Claudia Bushman, Columbia University (visiting scholar at the Huntington Library in Pasadena, California), Author of Contemporary Mormonism
• Mr. David Haldant, The Los Angeles Times, reporter on Mormon & Muslim communities in Southern California
• Dr. Amir Hussain, Loyala Marymount Univ., Author of Oil & Water: Two Faiths, One God
• Moderator: Dr. Karen Torjesen, Dean of the School of Religion at Claremont Graduate University
  

This event was a great opportunity for all to interact, learn, reach out, and understand each other's religion, culture, and (mis)representations in the media.  Thanks to all who organized the event.

Bigotry is an ugly word

I received this via e-mail this week:

Bigotry is an ugly word

by Rabbi Jack Moline

Dear Friends,

Bigotry is an ugly word, beyond prejudice and stereotype. So I want to make it clear that I have chosen it purposely, knowing that some people who read this message will be insulted. To be clear again: the insult is intentional.

Religious belief has emerged as a central issue in the campaign for president, though it has been just below the surface for many years in local, state and national contests. As the chair of The Interfaith Alliance and as a congregational rabbi in Virginia, I have a particular interest in this issue. It is right and proper to understand what role deeply-held convictions will play in the decision-making of a candidate for public office. A candidate who makes a point of his or her religious life should be expected to respond to questions about the intersection of public policy and the tenets of a tradition. Virginia's current governor, a devout Catholic, addressed just such questions surrounding the state's death penalty.

Likewise, integrity and credibility ought to be central to public service. While it is not always the case, in the race for president, there is ample evidence in each candidate's record that the men and woman running for the highest office in the land have little to hide. Moreover, what little there may be to hide is almost certain to be ferreted out by responsible journalists and investigators. Recall the failed candidacy of Senator Gary Hart and the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew.

A phenomenon that violates both sensibilities while pretending to promote each one has emerged in a campaign that includes a group of candidates whose backgrounds are as diverse as America. Governor Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister, Governor Mitt Romney, a Mormon, and Senator Barack Obama, who is part African and whose father and step-father were Muslim, have been subjected to wild speculations about the extreme nature of their true beliefs and accused publicly of concealing their genuine loyalties. Senator John McCain and Senator Hillary Clinton have been challenged on their "religious credentials." The kernel of accuracy in these public broadsides does not excuse the exaggerations, fabrications and manipulations of the truth within them. They constitute hate crimes and would be treated as such if leveled against you and me in our private lives.

Of greatest concern to The Interfaith Alliance is the fertile soil these attacks have found around the country. From my own vantage point within the Jewish community, I have seen my rabbinic colleagues asking about documents circulated by groups claiming to be disinterested politically that call into question the RELIGIOUS beliefs and identities of the candidates, with the overt purpose of frightening Jewish voters. The candidates, Republican and Democratic alike, have been accused of supporting proselytization from the White House, polygamy, Wahabi-sponsored terrorism, and the eventual disenfranchisement of Jews from the benefits of United States citizenship.

Generally written in breathless style and peppered with quotations from people of renown taken out of context, these attacks are as objectionable to people of conscience as the notorious "Sturmer" of pre-WWII Germany, which caricatured the Jews and "proved" their untrustworthiness and corrosive influence on society.

If you write such material, you are a criminal. If you distribute such material, you are an accomplice. And if you believe such obvious tripe, you are a bigot.

Support the candidate of your choice. Vote as if your life depended on it. Donate time, money and advocacy to the causes you endorse. But the life of the body politic is a dirty enough business as it is. Do not sully it further with sin of bearing false witness.

And now that I have insulted some of you, allow me to insult the rest of you: broadsides like these are being distributed because of the presumption that they will have resonance. Too many in this country have been thoroughly effective at communicating our distrust of Mormons, or Islam or atheists or evangelical Christians, the list goes on. The result is that political operatives sense fertile ground for exploiting our prejudices to their advantage. I ask that if you see similar materials distributed in your communities, let The Interfaith Alliance know so that we are prepared to respond when necessary.

We have some deep self-reflection to undertake. And we have some changes in behavior to consider. As I think about the history of the Jewish community, I recall that we felt secure only when reassured by the first president of the United States that America offers "to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." Every faith community needs that reassurance. But the standard must be private as well as public.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Jack Moline
Board Chair, The Interfaith Alliance

Mormons in St. Louis open to Muslims

Great story out of Missouri:

When hate peeks out, a community stands up

By Susan Weich

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

01/10/2008

Post-Dispatch St. Charles columnist Susan Weich (Post-Dispatch)

Maqbool Ali Khan left his native Pakistan and came to the St. Louis area to live with his sister, a doctor, in 1987.

He needed a job, so he took one as a night stock clerk at Shop 'n Save.

Two years later, Khan opened his own business, a Subway sandwich shop near Mid Rivers Mall in St. Peters. A few years after that, Khan bought two more shops.

He loved the United States, so he started attending classes and became a citizen in 1993.

Life was good, and Khan decided to settle down. He married a Muslim woman in an arranged ceremony.

Three years later they had a son. A couple of years after that Khan decided to get out of the sandwich business. He bought the Mobil gasoline station at Jungerman and Mexico roads.

Business went well. A few years later, he moved into a three-bedroom home in a neighborhood near the station. He and his wife had another child, a daughter.

Khan was living the American dream.

But then, 14 months ago, Khan found the words "KKK" and "Kill Muslim" sprayed in silver paint on his garage door.

Khan wasn't especially alarmed, but he was concerned for his children. He called the police. The Post-Dispatch ran an article about the incident.

That might have been the end of his dream, but something good happened.

Neighbors offered their support. Painters in his subdivision asked if they could paint his garage. Another neighbor let him use her power washer to hose off the offensive language.

Customers at the gas station expressed outrage.

"Anyone who would do this to you, doesn't know you, Ali," they told Khan.

Khan got letters from two St. Charles County groups — Bridge Builders and the Interfaith Alliance. They try to stop prejudice through education. They invited him to a prayer service.

Khan went with his young son.

"We expressed our love for him and his family," said Deborah Coffey, who heads the alliance.

Khan was appreciative and agreed to speak about the Muslim faith at a religious forum.

In the spring, he arranged for a Muslim leader to come to a religious celebration and read from the Koran.

He interceded on behalf of other Muslims to find a place in St. Charles County where they could go for Friday prayers. Coffey's Mormon church agreed to open its doors to the worshippers.

In the summer, Khan donated coupons for car washes at his station to a fundraiser for Bridge Builders.

He hosted a food drive at his station for the Interfaith group. He grilled hot dogs, circulated fliers and paid for a rental truck to store the food.

The drive collected more than 2,000 items, and they were given to food pantries in St. Charles County.

When Khan's neighborhood threw a party on National Night Out, he donated ice and soda for the event. Khan and his family joined their neighbors at the celebration.

Khan had turned a negative into a positive.

Then the Friday before Christmas, an employee found a note on the counter at Khan's business. It had the words "Muslim is anti-Christ."

Police investigated but have no suspects. It's not known whether this was a prank or a hate crime.

"I don't know how to explain this," Khan said. "My son is very much worried now since that happened. He says, 'Daddy, we need to move out from here, and you can sell this business.'"

That would be a sad ending to his story.

"This man is a real asset to the community," said Coffey. "It's important that people know that there are people who are different from them who are doing wonderful things."

Khan said he's not leaving.

"A lot of my regular customers have sent me cards and told me not to worry and that makes me feel good," he said. "Someday this person will realize what kind of a person I am. In the meantime, I'm not going anywhere."