2003 January: Same Difference
Same Difference – a theatrical performance representing the faith community’s response to
9/11 through dialogue, song and dance – was co-directed by Daisy Khan and two other
women, one a Christian and the other a Jew. The event, co-sponsored by the ASMA Society
with St. Paul and St. Andrews church and Bnai Jeshuran synagogue, presented the thought
provoking feelings of ordinary New Yorkers from the three faith traditions. The show’s 16-
week run was completely sold out and is now being produced as a documentary for PBS.
2003 June: Córdoba Bread Fest - The Children of Abraham Break Bread Together
Daisy Khan organized a successful interfaith event called the Cordoba Bread Fest. Over
three hundred Christians, Jews and Muslims came together to break bread, dine
together, and share stories about the historic role that bread has played in the different
Abrahamic religions and cultures. Through words, music, and theater, the evening
demonstrated how something as simple as bread can transcend superficial differences
and create an atmosphere in which interfaith dialogue arises spontaneously. Organized
under the ASMA Society, the Bread Fest was co-sponsored by twelve different Jewish,
Christian and Muslim religious organizations and sold out far in advance.
2003 August: When Cultures Collide - Can We Build Dialogue?
The Cordoba Initiative, in collaboration with the Aspen Institute, presented a program
focused on intercultural understanding and multi-faith dialogue in Paepcke
Auditorium on the Institute’s Aspen campus. The program – When Cultures Collide: Can
We Build Dialogue? – was introduced by John Bennett of the Cordoba Initiative and
moderated by Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute. Panelists
included: Rabbi Bradley Hirschfield, vice president of the National Jewish Center for
Learning and Leadership (CLAL); Elaine Pagels, award-winning author and Princeton
professor of religion; and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of the Cordoba Initiative.
2004 February: Contemplation and Community – A Symposium on the Changing
Roles of University Chaplains, Spiritual Advisors, and Deans of Religious Life
Organized by John Bennett for the Garrison Institute in Garrison, NY, this symposium
convened over sixty university chaplains and deans – representing Christianity,
Judaism, Islam and Buddhism – who gathered from around the country to refresh their
individual contemplative practice, share experiences and best practices related to their
community service and social outreach efforts, and explore the profound ways in which
contemplation and service enrich each other. The Reverend William Sloane Coffin, one
of the most influential campus religious leaders of the 20th Century, served as the
symposium’s Honorary Chair.
2004 May: What's Right with Islam – A New Vision for Muslims and the West
HarperCollins published Imam Feisal’s book, What’s Right with Islam: A New Vision for
Muslim and the West. Chapter 6 of this book, Toward a New Cordoba, presents the Cordoba
Initiative’s strategies for healing the relationship between the Islamic World and the West. The Christian Science Monitor named What’s Right With Islam to its list of the five “Best
Nonfiction Books of 2004.”
2004 August: When Cultures Collide - Facing Religious Extremism in All Faiths
The Cordoba Initiative, in collaboration with the Aspen Institute, presented the second
annual When Cultures Collide program, focused this time on religious extremism, and
organized again by John Bennett. Panelists included author Peter J. Gomes, Harvard
professor and Minister of Harvard’s Memorial Church; Rabbi Bradley Hirschfield, vice
president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL); Princeton
religion scholar Elaine Pagels; and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of ASMA and the Cordoba
Initiative. Aspen Institute CEO Walter Isaacson moderated. The Institute’s Paepcke
Auditorium was filled to capacity and additional audience members had to listen via
remote speakers outside the auditorium.
2004 October: Bringing Muslim Nations into the Global Century
Fortune Magazine published an article by Imam Feisal, entitled Bringing Muslims Nations
into the Global Century. The article traced the history of capitalism in the western world and
discussed the challenges and opportunities facing Muslim countries as they try to
assimilate into the global economy.
2004 November: The Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow (MLT)
Organized by Daisy Khan, the ASMA Society’s Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow project (MLT)
convenes urbane, mostly Western-born, emerging Muslim leaders who embody a moderate
expression of Islam that promotes pluralism, respect for other cultures, and human rights.
In its initial 2004 meeting at the Garrison Institute, 125 young Muslim doctors, lawyers,
bankers, artists, writers, academics and media professionals gathered to explore how
Islam’s peaceful and moderate voice can be amplified as a source of hope and inspiration
for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. In collaboration with Jewish and Christian leaders of
the UJA, JCRC, Riverside Church and St. Bartholomew’s Church, future programs will
expand to include interfaith dialogues between young leaders from the three faith
communities who share a common commitment to a future of cooperation.
2005 April: Searching for Shared Values in a Divided World – A Conference of Jews,
Christians & Muslims
The Cordoba Initiative collaborated with the Aspen Institute, the Center for Workable
Solutions, and the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians & Jews to plan a major multicultural
conference in Palm Beach that explored how shared values can illuminate a path
out of conflict. Religious leaders and Middle East policy experts engaged in thoughtful
dialogues on topics such as transcending religious radicalism, discerning common ground
in Middle East peace efforts, and bridging the cultural divide between America and the
Islamic world.
2005 August: When God Goes to War – Good, Evil, and the Problem of the ‘Other’
John Bennett and the Cordoba Initiative organized this panel discussion in Aspen’s Paepcke
Auditorium to examine such issues as religion and nationalism, how religion is used to
justify violence, and the concept of going to war “with God on our side.” Panelists included
Elaine Pagels, Rabbi Bradley Hirschfield, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and Pastor Steve
Woodrow. |
